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Shazam! Fury of The Gods
Shazam! Fury of The Gods
Children of the Mist
(Film Movement DVD)
The Hmong hill country of northern Vietnam scarcely resembles the Vietnam War of the American imagination. Green with rolling hills and woods, it’s home to an ethnic minority who scrape by on harvesting rice, raising pigs and foraging. And yet, the village of tin-roofed shacks has at least one cellphone; the inhabitants wear a mix of t-shirts, tennis shoes and traditional garb. They have a karaoke bar—but they sing songs of poverty and struggle over East Asian melodies.
Children of the Mist is a remarkable documentary by Vietnamese filmmaker La Le Diem. Like a good anthropologist, she disappears into the setting except to ask a few questions. The Hmong villagers carry on with remarkable frankness about drunken, unfaithful husbands, the aspirations of the young for better opportunities and the dire custom of “bride kidnapping” at the Lunar New Year. (David Luhrssen)
Shazam! Fury of The Gods
(In Theaters March 17)
In this two-hour sequel, Zachary Levi returns as DC Comics superhero Shazam. In actuality, Levi is teenage youth Billy Batson (Asher Angel), but saying “Shazam,” physically transforms the lad into an adult and virtually unstoppable superhero.
Having conferred superhero powers on his five foster brothers and sisters, Batson leads his sibling army against the invading Daughters of Atlas. The villainesses, led by Hespera (Helen Mirren), and her sisters Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), intend to wipe out mankind. In addition to formidable superpowers, the nefarious threesome conjure monsters and create an impenetrable force field.
Djimon Hounsou returns as the wizard Shazam, last member of the Council of Wizards who arrives to help Billy and his siblings combat Atlas’ Daughters. They’re glad for the help of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who strengths include serving as an adult role model. The first chapter, praised for lighthearted quips and tone, was a box office hit. David F. Sandberg is back in the director’s chair, unleashing PG-13 blockbuster that includes an IMAX version. (Lisa Miller)
Supercell
(Limited Theatrical Release and Streaming on VUDU, March 17)
Naturally electric and wild-eyed, Alec Baldwin paints just the picture of Zane Rogers, a reckless storm-chasing tour-guide. Previously partnered with Bill Brody (Skeet Ulrich), who died studying storms, Rogers agrees to bring along Brody’s teenage son William (Daniel Diemer) to help him test his father’s storm-defining device. With William sneaking off against the wishes of his mother (played by Anne Heche), she sets off in pursuit of her grieving son. Zane and William encounter an infamous (and rare) “bear’s cage,”—a dangerous super twister wrapped in a curtain of heavy precipitation. Adrenaline junkie Rogers loves every second representing a fantastic payday for the film’s special FX team. Shot mostly in Montana’s Big Sky country, this two-hour actioner is available to stream, but will be most impressive on the big screen. (Lisa Miller)
