Movies

Fun and frivolity are usually right at home in animated films. While many of these offerings lean on a throwaway, light plot to deal with the youngest moviegoers in attendance, the film Onward from Disney and Pixar deals with death, growth and familial love during the awkward teenage years and allows the older kids a moment to connect. Ian (voice of Tom Holland) is an elf ready to celebrate his 16th birthday. He’s shy and has always been a kid who internalizes his feelings. But as he prepares to face his new life as a 16-year-old, he yearns to do […]

By Stephen Whitty A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a band of plucky rebels picked up a lightsaber or two and went to war against an empire. And they’re still at it. But is the Force still with them? Are we? The latest and last film in the Star Wars triple-trilogy works really hard for fans. It brings back just about every franchise character that ever lived. Ever died, too (that’s what flashbacks and hallucinations are for). It even invites back a few you hoped they wouldn’t, like the Ewoks. The film’s not just a nostalgia […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 31-April 6 The Current War: Director’s Cut This film shines light on the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse as they race to power the nation. Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon (PG-13, 1:43) 3/31 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The final chapter in the Skywalker saga is set just one year after the events of The Last Jedi and finds Rey and Kylo Ren in an epic clash of unresolved business, still trying to understand the dual nature of the Force. Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega (PG-13, 2:22) 3/31 VFW-20 […]

By Stephen Whitty 1917 isn’t just an anti-war film. It’s anti “war film.” Like Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, it looks at a not traditionally heroic moment — a harried evacuation in Nolan’s film; here, a desperate warning not to attack. It features recognizably flawed and frightened characters, and tells their story in a novel, and sometimes challenging, way. And its avoidance of the usual war-movie clichés makes it all the more powerful. Director Sam Mendes has said his film was inspired by stories his grandfather once told him about his own wartime service. Set during some of the darkest days of […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 23-31 Clemency As she prepares to execute another inmate, prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates. Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff (R, 1:53) 3/24 Stray In a cold and remote landscape, two strangers struggle to repair their broken pasts. Hailed by critics as one of the best New Zealand films ever made. Arta Dobroshi, Kieran Charnock (TV-14, 1:44) 3/24 The Song of Names Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath musical revelations burns the […]

By Stephen Whitty You can’t judge a kook by his cover. That’s the lesson of Richard Jewell, the true story of the security guard who pointed cops to a suspicious package at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics — a package that later exploded. Jewell was hailed as a hero who’d helped save lives. Then people took a second look. And saw a chubby, eccentric loner who lived with his mom. Who played violent video games, wore camo and collected guns. Who so desperately wanted to be a cop that he’d once impersonated one. And instead of a hero, people saw a […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 16-22 Richard Jewell (pictured above): You can’t judge a kook by his cover. That’s the lesson of Richard Jewell, the true story of the security guard who pointed cops to a suspicious package at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics — a package that later exploded. Jewell was initially hailed as a hero, but later interrogated as a suspect. That rush to judgement, by the FBI and the media and most of America, is at the heart of Clint Eastwood’s coldly critical drama. Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde (R, 2:11) […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 9-15 Spies in Disguise In this animated film, the world’s best spy is turned into a pigeon, leaving him to rely on his nerdy scientist pal to save the world — and return him to his human state. Voices of Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rachel Brosnahan (PG, 1:42) 3/10 Bombshell Ripped from the headlines and featuring a tour de force of Hollywood talent, this riveting drama tells the story of the women at FOX News (Theron plays Megyn Kelly and Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson) who exposed CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. Charlize Theron, […]

On Demand and DVD New Releases: March 2-8 Queen & Slim A couple’s first date goes horribly wrong when a police officer pulls them over. The stop results in unintended consequences and changes lives forever. Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine (R, 2:12) 3/3 Dark Waters (pictured above) A corporate defense attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world’s largest chemical companies. He soon finds his life and his family’s lives threatened as he tries to expose the truth. Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins (PG-13, 2:06) 3/3 Cabaret Maxime […]