Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd.
This week in theater: ‘Bombshell,’ ‘Cats’ and ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’
Bombshell (Rated R)
In this depiction of the sexual harassment scandal that caused Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, to get handed his walking papers, we find actor John Lithgow almost unrecognizable as Ailes, thanks to ace make-up and prosthetics. Likewise, with very subtle prosthetics and precise speech coaching, Charlize Theron is the look-and-sound-alike of news anchor Megyn Kelly. Famous for her run-ins with then-candidate Donald Trump, Kelly adds her sexual harassment complaints to those of Fox News veteran and former Miss America, Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman). Margot Robbie portrays a composite of several young, ambitious Fox News reporters claiming promises were made in return for payments on Ailes’s casting couch. A zippy screenplay by Charles Randolph and the persuasive recreation of the Fox News infrastructure add credibility to this socially conscious satire.
Cats (Rated PG)
Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote this musical adapted from T.S. Eliot poetry. Following it's 21-year-long London stage run, Webber composed new songs for the screen. Judi Dench portrays the traditionally male Old Deuteronomy as female—the judge of a cat competition promising a special prize to the winner. The film’s budget included a “cat school” for the actors. Further help comes from CGI enhancements providing cat-like tails, ears and whiskers. Also stars Taylor Swift, Francesca Hayward, Idris Elba and Jennifer Hudson.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Rated PG-13)
Set one year after The Last Jedi, this chapter finds the Resistance battling the dictatorial First Order. The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith rages on as the Skywalker saga concludes. Anthony Daniels once again reprises his role as C-3PO, making him the only actor to appear in all nine Star Wars episodes. Carrie Fisher's daughter, 26-year-old Billie Lourd, appears as Lieutenant Connix. Although Fisher died in 2016, she appears here via previously unused footage from episodes VII and VIII (2015 and 2017). While the dialog remains the same, the backgrounds from Fisher’s scenes have been changed.
