A young Israeli seeks psychological refuge and creative catharsis in Paris, finding himself in increasingly bizarre situations in a powder keg of a film, always on the cusp of bursting into flame.
Being dad’s caretaker is becoming too much – so estranged brother Carey arrives at just the right time. “Ms. Purple” doesn’t land every line, but the moments that do are tremendous in their ability to marry such a human subject with such larger-than-life theatrics.
“Love, Antosha” celebrates what Anton Yelchin gave to the world and what we lost when his light was extinguished, with fascinating peeks at his process amid some prosaic filmmaking – and then one true revelation.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s newest film, “Asako I & II,” asks patience – for the story to unfold, for a leading lady who makes nearly constant self-destructive missteps, for a conclusion offering two contradictory takes on the same outcome.
Rose-Lynn is just recently out of jail and returning home to two children under the age of 10 – but has raw talent and outsized dreams of becoming a country music star in Tennessee, believing that Glasgow isn’t the appropriate home for her gifts.
The Elton John-produced “Rocketman” by far surpasses last year’s neutered and insulting Freddie Mercury flick “Bohemian Rhapsody” and, even beyond that slightly unfair comparison point, is a pretty fabulous ode to a legend.
From spectacular set pieces to colors that threaten to overwhelm the screen to dance numbers that give the old classic Disney tunes a modernized lift, there’s no denying this new “Aladdin” intends to entertain. But live action can’t do everything animation can.
Maybe this enjoyable but vacant picture should have leaned fully into its pop influences and let a hazy, music video aesthetic run wild, rather than trying to anchor it all in so much dreary reality.
“Shazam” manages to meld age-changing “Big” hijinks with a sugary sweet heart and stellar lead performances to create something that almost puts it in the category of top-tier superhero fare.
“Alita: Battle Angel” is bombastic and wildly imaginative, and it spins one of the first relatively decent adaptations of a manga series. But that bar is low, and “Alita” is also relentlessly dumb.