Film Listings, 11/21/19 – 11/28/19 

All theater listings are as of Friday, Nov. 22.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

What's it rated? PG

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

New

Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) directs this biopic drama that's based on the real-life friendship between beloved children's television host Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) and journalist Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys). (108 min.)

—Glen Starkey

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

Writer-director Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2) takes on the classic TV series (1976-1981) about a trio of crime-fighting women—Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart), Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott), and Jane Kano (Ella Balinska)—who this time around must save humankind from a dangerous new technology.

Banks is up to the task and delivers an earnest and upbeat new installation with three winning leads who are giving it their all. The film clearly has respect for its source material but stops short of retrograde homage, instead injecting some freshness into the characters, who are a lot of fun, especially Stewart's Sabina. It also adds some feminist elements that help it transcend its "jiggle TV" origins, and as a simple action film, it does the job. (118 min.)

—Glen

DOCTOR SLEEP

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Galaxy

Pick

Writer-director Mike Flanagan (Gerald's Game, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Before I Wake) helms this film based on Stephen King's novel about Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), the little boy with the ability to see ghosts from King's earlier novel The Shining. Now an adult, Dan meets a tween girl, Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), who's got the strongest "shining" he's ever seen. Unfortunately, she's being stalked by The True Knot, a group of quasi-immortal people who sustain themselves with "steam," the energy those with "the shining" give off when they're slowly tortured to death. Can Danny save Abra before it's too late? What I loved most about Doctor Sleep is how it was able to expand the "shining-verse" into the outside world, beyond the Overlook Hotel, in ways I never could have imagined—as if my imagination is on par with Stephen King's. (151 min.)

—Caleb Wiseblood

FORD V FERRARI

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Bay, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

See Split Screen.

FROZEN II

What's it rated? PG

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In

New

Co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (Frozen, 2013) return to helm this animated sequel about Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idena Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and Olaf (Josh Gad) as they leave Arendelle and travel to an enchanted forest, where they hope to discover the origins of Elsa's power. (103 min.)

—Glen

THE GOOD LIAR

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

Bill Condon (Kinsey, Dreamgirls, Beauty and the Beast) directs this drama about conman Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen), who meets rich widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) online. What should be a straightforward swindle becomes complicated as Roy begins to have real feelings for Betty.

The film is more a near-miss than a hit, but with McKellen and Mirren in the game, it's hard not to enjoy this story even when it devolves into deeper implausibility. With elements of David Mamet and Agatha Christie, there's plenty of sly caper action, though the ending might not quite satisfy. (109 min.)

—Glen

HARRIET

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre

Pick

Kasi Lemmons (Talk To Me, The Caveman's Valentine) directs Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman, a small but fierce abolitionist hero who defied authority and worked to liberate more than 300 slaves in 1849.

Harriet is more than just a film highlighting a historical figure; it's a slightly dramatized but powerful film that tells the story of one woman's determination for freedom and selfless work to share that freedom with others. It's the first film to respectfully bring this African-American woman to life who we would otherwise only know from our school textbooks. (125 min.)

—Karen Garcia

THE IRISHMAN

What's it rated? R

Where's it showing? The Palm

New

Martin Scorsese directs this story about Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who may have been responsible for the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). (209 min.)

—Glen

JOJO RABBIT

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm

Pick

Writer-director Tailka Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows) helms this adaptation of Christine Leunens' satirical novel about a young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in Hitler's (Waititi) army who discovers his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home.

I was really looking forward to this one and, sure enough, it's hilarious and heartbreaking. Waititi seems to have copied a page out of Wes Anderson's (The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom) director's handbook, creating a colorful, comical, absurdist world and a look at one young fanatic's coming-of-age story. (108 min.)

—Glen

JOKER

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre

Pick

Co-writer Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover, War Dogs) directs this character study and origin story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), who after being rejected by society becomes Joker, Batman's future arch nemesis.

Like a mirror on contemporary society, Joker reflects our problems back to us—the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, paternalistic politician-"saviors" who believe they know best for the "misguided" underclass, and the dismantling of the social safety net by a government that abandons its marginalized. It's a dark and depressing film, and it reminds me of the old saying, "Society gets the criminal it deserves." (121 min.)

—Glen

KNIVES OUT

What's it rated? PG-13

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre (Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.; daily starting Nov. 26), Galaxy (starting Nov. 26), Park (starting Nov. 26), Stadium 10 (starting Nov. 26)

New

Writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi) helms this whodunit about Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who's investigating the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Did he commit suicide, or was he murdered by one of his eccentric family members? (130 min.)

—Glen

LAST CHRISTMAS

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Matinee (for romantics and Christmas lovers)

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10

Pick

Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat, A Simple Favor) directs this rom-com—co-written by Emma Thompson, who also co-stars—about Kate (Emilia Clarke), a young woman who's really good at making bad decisions. She works as Santa's elf at a year-round Christmas store, where she meets Tom (Henry Golding), taking her life in an unexpected direction.

This audience pleaser (81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) hasn't faired as well with critics (48 percent), who found the story poorly conceived despite its likable leads. Maybe it's the big holiday sing-along to the song "Last Christmas" that has appealed to the masses. Critics have called the film formulaic, sedate, and unfunny. (102 min.)

—Glen

MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL

What's it rated? PG

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Sunset Drive-In

Pick

Disney's reimagined black-horned villainess, potentially gone soft, graces the big screen once again. With director Joachim Ronning at the helm (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil tells the story of how pending nuptials could tear not only Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora's (Elle Fanning) lives apart, but the human and magical worlds as well.

While the film as a whole was entertaining, it just lacked a flow in the story. Not to mention the fact that it's predictable. There were too many side stories that of course somehow come together in the end. But I don't blame Jolie for a second; her portrayal of the character, down to the deep villainous voice she uses, is amazing. She was ruling the screen, and the other characters were peasants in comparison. (118 min.)

—Karen

MIDWAY

What's it rated? PG-13

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

Pick

Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, The Patriot, White House Down) directs this historical action-drama about World War II's Battle of Midway, told by those who fought it: Lt. Richard "Dick" Best (Ed Skrein), Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson), Lt. Cmdr. Wade McClusky (Luke Evans), Adm. Chester Nimitz (Woody Harrelson), and Vice Adm. William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid). This pivotal June 4 through 7, 1942, battle between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy was the Pacific Theater's turning point.

Audiences are loving this film that presents the epic battle with modern special effects and a more balanced viewpoint than the 1976 film, but critics have labeled it loud and unemotional. (138 min.)

—Glen

PARASITE

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Full price

Where's it showing? The Palm

Pick

South Korean director Bong Joon Ho plays with genre and societal commentary in this dark comedy thriller about a penniless family's unsavory but satisfying infiltration into a wealthy family's household.

We're all capable of being both the heroes and antagonists of our own stories from time to time—able to make healthy and rational decisions in some situations while at the same time perfectly adept at self-destruction in others. And in one way or another, we're all parasites too. That's the running theme in Parasite, the most recent foreign-language film brought to us by director Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host), which centers on Ki-taek Kim (Song Kang Ho) and his destitute family's scrappy struggle for easy money.

The Kims, a technically unemployed family of four, are living in a tiny semi-basement apartment when we first meet them. It's cramped, dirty, dingy, infested with stink bugs, and worst of all, it lacks Wi-Fi. But things slowly start to turn around for the Kims when the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik), lands a high-paying job tutoring the daughter of an extremely wealthy businessman, Dong-ik Park. In the Parks' household, everything is completely opposite from the Kims': spacious, sparkling clean, and modern.

It quickly becomes clear, however, that exceeding wealth has made the Park family inept at most average daily tasks and thus totally reliant upon the help for meals, housework, and transportation. In that way, the Parks are parasitic, and they're gullible, too. They're easily fooled when, one by one, members of the Kim family manage to push out longtime employees of the Park household and fill their vacated places, pretending to be more than qualified hires.

The scheme eventually goes horribly wrong for the Kims when a leech of another kind is uncovered. It's a violent ending both families face that feels, on one hand, tragic, and on the other, well deserved.

The Kims, though facing certain hardships that come with the cycle of poverty, are never portrayed as needing much sympathy. They face their situation with humor, and although it's satisfying to see them take advantage of the ultra-rich using nothing more than condescending wit, it's clear that they're experienced manipulators. They're confident con artists, and you never really feel bad for the Kims.

The Parks have their own less than desirable qualities as well—a drug addiction and an obvious hostility toward lower-income individuals, to name a few—which slowly trickle out behind closed doors. But, in general, they're nice. They're well-mannered, they pay their employees well, and you don't really want to see them scammed.

It's these complexities behind the Park and Kim families and the characters within them make navigating Parasite almost as difficult as real life. Who is the good guy when everyone makes mistakes? Who is the bad guy when everyone has redeeming qualities? Who is the parasite when everyone is feeding off of each other, when everyone is using someone to gain something and giving nothing in return?

You can never really be sure who to root for or who to trust, and that quality of reality is what makes Parasite so very unsettling. (132 min.)

—Kasey Bubnash

PLAYING WITH FIRE

What's it rated? PG

What's it worth? Stream it

Where's it showing? Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10

Andy Fickman (She's the Man, Race to Witch Mountain (2009)) directs this family comedy about a crew of firefighters who rescue three rambunctious kids. The film stars Judy Greer, Keegan-Michael Key, and John Cena. Very young kids might enjoy some of the film's antics, but parents will find nothing to recommend it. (96 min.)

—Glen

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

What's it rated? R

What's it worth? Matinee

Where's it showing? Park, Stadium 10

Pick

Tim Miller (Deadpool) directs this next installment into the Terminator franchise. This time around, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and a "retired" T-800 Terminator going by the name Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger) join forces with enhanced soldier, Grace (Mackenzie Davis), who's been sent from the future to protect Daniella "Dani" Ramos (Natalia Reyes), who, if she lives, will give birth to a Resistance leader who will stop an A.I. called Legion, who, like Skynet, hopes to destroy humankind. They're being pursued by Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), an advanced Terminator that's able to split in two.

If it all sounds a little familiar, it's because it is, but it's also nice to see Hamilton and Schwarzenegger from the original 1984 film and the equally good sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) back together again. Yes, it's essentially the same plot about time travelers battling to either kill or save a future mother who will give birth to the leader who will save humanity, but it's a lot better than, say, Terminator Salvation (2009) and Terminator Genisys (2015).

Tripling down on the original, the film features not one but three strong female characters, who bring a lot of power to the story. It doesn't really surpass the first two films, but it definitely resets a franchise deeply in need of being reset. (128 min.)

—Glen

21 BRIDGES

What's it rated? R

Where's it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Stadium 10

New

Brian Kirk (Middletown) directs Chadwick Boseman as embattled NYPD Detective Andre Davis, who after two fellow officers are killed, shuts down Manhattan to search for the cop killers, but instead discovers a conspiracy. (99 min.) Δ

—Glen

New Times movie reviews were compiled by Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey. Contact him at [email protected].