New in Theaters
“MOANA” (PG) – Disney’s latest animated musical stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the voice of the demi-God, Maui, who joins the title heroine (voiced by newcomer Auli’i Cravalho) on the adventure of a lifetime. Original songs were co-written by the Tony-winning mastermind of “Hamilton”, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“RULES DON’T APPLY” (PG-13) – Hollywood legend Warren Beatty is the writer, director and star of this romantic dramedy set in the 1950s in Tinseltown. Beatty plays famed filmmaker Howard Hughes, who forbids his latest starlet (played by Lily Collins) to begin a relationship with her driver (Alden Ehrenreich, the new Han Solo).
“ALLIED” (R) – Brad Pitt has been in the news recently for his divorce from wife, Angelina Jolie. In this WWII action/drama, Pitt plays a Central Intelligence officer who is informed that his wife (Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard) may be a German spy. The thriller is directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”, “Cast Away”).
“New on DVD/Streaming” Pick of the Week
“HANDS OF STONE” (R) – The story of boxer Roberto Duran (played by Edgar Ramirez) is simple, but sophisticated, with a strong amount of appealing flavor. Robert De Niro is fantastic as Duran’s trainer, Ray Arcel. Ana de Armas (who’s also in “War Dogs”, another decent DVD pick this week) has some solid moments as Duran’s wife. And R&B mogul Usher, billed as Usher Raymond IV, makes the most of his supporting role as the iconic Sugar Ray Leonard.
“Also In Theaters” Pick of the Week
“CHRISTINE” (R) Rebecca Hall is incredible as Christine Chubbuck, a 1970s Florida TV news reporter who yearns to be loved and admired for her work in this true-story biopic. Tracy Letts is strong alongside Hall as her boss, and Michael C. Hall is quite good as the male anchor. Rarely does a movie make me cry, but I teared-up on three occasions as I watched Hall’s devastating and psychologically demanding performance.
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