Brian Banks (2019)
In theaters this week, ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ is joined by ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold,’ ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain,’ ‘Brian Banks’ and ‘The Kitchen.’
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Rated PG)
Enzo is a golden retriever pup when he’s adopted by aspiring race car driver Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia). Enzo believes the Mongolian legend that a dog “who is prepared” can be reincarnated as a human. He tries to prepare himself by watching hours of television and learning all he can about driving race cars. As Denny falls in love, marries and starts a family, Enzo remains at his master's side, helping and narrating the action. Based on Garth Stein’s best-selling novel, this film was first attached to Universal, then Disney, and it finally found a home with 20th Century Fox. The marketing team believes that those enjoying Marley and Me will also enjoy this.
Brian Banks (Rated PG-13)
In the thick of the #MeToo movement, this true story points out that sometimes, the accused are innocent. Promising athlete Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) is 15 when his classmate (Xosha Roquemore) cries rape. Forgoing a proper investigation, the overtaxed California legal system persuades Banks to plead no contest in return for probation. Naively, he takes the deal only to be sentenced to five years of incarceration followed by five years of probation. Banks learns of evidence that will exonerate him. Reluctantly at first, the California Innocence Project attorney, Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear), pursues Banks’ cause. Hodges registers the shock that eventually give way to Banks’ hard-won determination, demonstrating the value of due process no matter how inconvenient.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Rated PG)
Debuting in 2000 as a Nickelodeon cartoon series, Dora the Explorer (Isabela Moner) is a teenager in this live-action film. Along with her archaeologist parents (Michael Peña and Eva Longoria), Dora dwells in the Peruvian jungle. Her parents send Dora to Los Angeles to stay with cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) so she can attend high school. While Dora tries to adjust to city life, her parents search for the Lost City of Gold, causing kidnappers to nab Dora and several of her friends. Brought to Peru to use as leverage, Dora and company escape their captors and search for her parents. The squeaky-clean story for tweens fails to challenge Dora in any meaningful sense. Too bad, since her intelligence and optimism are admirable.
The Kitchen (Rated R)
Set in New York City’s 1978 Hell’s Kitchen, here we meet three housewives (Elizabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish) whose mobster husbands are imprisoned. Unable to land good jobs and unwilling to be broke, the women continue their spouses’ lucrative racketeering for which they show an unexpected knack. They take out their (male) competition violently, capitalizing on the element of surprise. Based on DC’s Vertigo comic book series, this film provides more evidence that given the right actors, every comic book series gets its onscreen moment. The question is, will it last? Though McCarthy and Haddish are well-known comediennes, there’s little to laugh at and not much to smile about.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Rated PG-13)
Set in 1968, the small town of Mill Valley was once home to Sarah Bellows, a long-dead local legend. Sarah’s tales of torture and humiliation are accidentally brought to life by a handful of curious teens. Soon, murderous entities pursue them and other townies. From Alvin Schwartz's 1980s children’s horror books, each of the three tomes features short stories. Critically acclaimed, these controversial books have long been targeted for banning by concerned parent groups who believe them too violent. The books found their champion in director Guillermo del Toro. Here, he produces. He also co-writes, imagining the frightful Jangly Man, a monster created for this adaptation.
