TV News

By Stephen Whitty A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a band of plucky rebels picked up a lightsaber or two and went to war against an empire. And they’re still at it. But is the Force still with them? Are we? The latest and last film in the Star Wars triple-trilogy works really hard for fans. It brings back just about every franchise character that ever lived. Ever died, too (that’s what flashbacks and hallucinations are for). It even invites back a few you hoped they wouldn’t, like the Ewoks. The film’s not just a nostalgia […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 31-April 6 The Current War: Director’s Cut This film shines light on the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse as they race to power the nation. Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon (PG-13, 1:43) 3/31 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker The final chapter in the Skywalker saga is set just one year after the events of The Last Jedi and finds Rey and Kylo Ren in an epic clash of unresolved business, still trying to understand the dual nature of the Force. Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega (PG-13, 2:22) 3/31 Bad […]

In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence became Bad Boys. The film brought together two heavyweights of the television ranks. People were laughing at Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Lawrence in Martin. They brought huge audiences from the small screen to theaters to see the dream pairing. The film prompted a sequel, 2003’s Bad Boys II, and 17 years later we get a third film in the franchise, Bad Boys for Life. Though time has passed, Mike Lowrey (Smith) is still the ladies’ man with the fast car and large, um, ego. He still partners with Marcus […]

By Stephen Whitty 1917 isn’t just an anti-war film. It’s anti “war film.” Like Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, it looks at a not traditionally heroic moment — a harried evacuation in Nolan’s film; here, a desperate warning not to attack. It features recognizably flawed and frightened characters, and tells their story in a novel, and sometimes challenging, way. And its avoidance of the usual war-movie clichés makes it all the more powerful. Director Sam Mendes has said his film was inspired by stories his grandfather once told him about his own wartime service. Set during some of the darkest days of […]

On Demand DVD New Releases March 23-31 Clemency As she prepares to execute another inmate, prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates. Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff (R, 1:53) 3/24 Stray In a cold and remote landscape, two strangers struggle to repair their broken pasts. Hailed by critics as one of the best New Zealand films ever made. Arta Dobroshi, Kieran Charnock (TV-14, 1:44) 3/24 The Song of Names Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath musical revelations burns the […]

By Stephen Whitty You can’t judge a kook by his cover. That’s the lesson of Richard Jewell, the true story of the security guard who pointed cops to a suspicious package at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics — a package that later exploded. Jewell was hailed as a hero who’d helped save lives. Then people took a second look. And saw a chubby, eccentric loner who lived with his mom. Who played violent video games, wore camo and collected guns. Who so desperately wanted to be a cop that he’d once impersonated one. And instead of a hero, people saw a […]