Where’d You Go Bernadette? (2019)
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (Rated PG-13)
While traveling in Brazil, four teen girls (Corinne Foxx, Sophie Nélisse, Brianne Tju and Sylvester Stallone’s daughter, Sistine Rose) scuba-dive to search for underwater ruins. Exploring a site of claustrophobic caves connected by eerie tunnels, the girls soon discover they’ve inadvertently stumbled into haunting grounds of the great white shark. With their air supplies dwindling fast, the divers have little time to evade the sharks while finding an exit from their hellish nightmare. Now becoming a familiar trope, this sequel joins a growing list of films that feature beautiful young women escaping a fearsome predator.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (Rated PG)
This imaginative sequel zips along with clever puns and slapstick comedy. Spawned by the 2009 video game, this second feature film virtually ignores its origins beyond the well-loved characters and settings. And so, it is that residents of Bird and Pig Islands must reluctantly team up to repel the purple-plumed villain, Zeta (voiced by Leslie Jones), who seeks a tropical refuge from her ice-bound, Arctic Circle isle. She attacks their islands with glacier-bomb attacks. Seeking to ruin her launcher, the birds and pigs infiltrate her frosty island disguised as a large, awkward eagle. Colorful animation borders on overwhelming, but an off-the-charts cuteness factor includes baby bird voicework by hatchlings, Faith and Sunday Kidman-Urban.
Good Boys (Rated R)
Max, Thor and Lucas (Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon and Keith Williams) are 12-year-old best friends excited to attend their first “kissing party.” Using a drone belonging to Max’s dad, the boys attempt to pick up pointers by spying on the teens next door. But, when the teens take their drone hostage, the boys steal the neighbor’s purse, unaware it contains illegal drugs. While scheming to reacquire the drone, the boys’ kissing research leads to the discovery of their parents’ sex toy stash. Their legions of bad decisions keep the story moving while giving parents and future parents the opportunity to ponder why adults believe they can hide anything from their kids.
Blinded By the Light (Rated PG-13)
Born of Pakistani immigrants, high schooler Javed (Viveik Kalra) and his family live in Luton, England. It’s 1987 when Javed’s dictatorial father labors at the British GM factory but insists his family conduct their lives in traditional Pakistani manner. Immigrant-haters bully Javed, who feels isolated at school and alienated at home. Javed writes poetry to express his feelings, but he truly comes alive after discovering Bruce Springsteen, whose powerful lyrics clarify Javed’s thoughts. With The Boss in his headphones, Javed dates a girl (Nell Williams) from his literature class and enters writing contests. To fully meld his Eastern and Western identities, Javed seeks a means of pleasing his family while also pursuing his dreams.
Where’d You Go Bernadette? (Rated PG-13)
This film adaptation of Maria Semple’s best-selling 2012 novel casts Cate Blanchett as Bernadette. Secretly agoraphobic, the thought of a planned family vacation makes her queasy. Equally upsetting, her ongoing feud with a neighbor (Kristen Wiig) has drawn interest from the Feds. Soon after the FBI arrives, Bernadette disappears. Her husband, Elgie (Billy Crudup), feels helpless while her daughter Bee (Emma Nelson) receives a little help investigating Bernadette’s past, which she finds hold surprises. Exploring the boundaries of what constitutes our identity, this lighthearted mystery looks at the unintended consequences of our choices.
