Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,
written and directed by Alexandra Dean
(not rated, 1 hour, 28 minutes)
Nobody would have guessed how Hedy Lamarr, a dishy Hollywood movie star in the 1940s, spent her time when she wasn't slinking around a film set or making glamorous appearances at swanky events. She was busy inventing a wireless form of communication called frequency hopping that eventually would lead to operating systems for wireless phones, Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi.
Her immediate goal was to design a secret radio system that would allow the Allies to accurately torpedo Nazi U-boats. Her sketches remained hypothetical until composer George Anthiel helped her transform them into patented technology.
And you thought she was just another pretty face. And much of that part of her life is chronicled here, including the sensation she caused by appearing naked in the 1933 Czech film Ecstacy, her marriage to (and escape from) a notorious arms dealer, her contract with MGM, an amphetamine dependency, and how her brilliance battled to be recognized alongside her beauty. It's a story loaded with interviews, images and evidence that's tough to believe, made all the more amazing in that it's true.
With Mel Brooks, Diane Kruger, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Osborne.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13, 2 hours, 21 minutes) The finale to the Maze Runner sci-fi young adult dystopia franchise exhausts itself as it follows Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) as he leads a pack of escaped Gladers on a mission to break into the tightly controlled and deadly labyrinth that is Last City. Heroes and villains abound; life lessons are learned. With Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Walton Goggins, Kaya Scodelario; directed by Wes Ball.
Den of Thieves (R, 2 hours, 20 minutes) Boldly imagined with way more ambition than it can deliver, this too-long heist film concerns bank robbers who intend to make themselves rich thanks to the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve. With Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, 50 Cent, Kaiwi Lyman, Sonya Chung; directed by Christian Gudegast.
Paddington 2 (PG, 1 hour, 43 minutes) A cheery, warm kids, film about family and friendliness that concerns everybody's favorite British bear. Paddington's kindness and acceptance of others allows him to become a well-liked member of the Windsor Gardens community, seeks to find the culprit who steals a pop-up book in Mr. Gruber's antique shop that would make a fine gift for Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday. Animated with voices of Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Imelda Staunton, Sally Hawkins; directed by Paul King.
Hostiles (R, 2 hours, 14 minutes) Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the lengthy, violent, intelligent and revenge-laden story of a celebrated army captain (Christian Bale), who reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) and his family from a lonely outpost in New Mexico to the chief's tribal lands in Montana. The difficulty and danger of the journey is compounded by their hatred and distrust of each other. With Jesse Plemons, Rosamund Pike, Adam Beach; directed by Scott Cooper. The DVD and Blu-ray combo packs include a three-part making-of documentary and several featurettes.
Forever My Girl (PG, 1 hour, 48 minutes) A pretty, mediocre melodrama concerns country music star Liam Page (Alex Roe), who abandoned his true love Josie (Jessica Rothe) to pursue fame and fortune. When he returns to his small Southern hometown for the funeral of a friend, Liam crashes into the reality of what he left behind. With Abby Ryder Forson, Travis Tritt; directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf.
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (R, 1 hour, 45 minutes) An original if ambiguous May-December romance pairs young actor Peter Turner (Jamie Bell) and dishy, seductive actress Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening) in 1978 Liverpool. When illness intervenes in their passion, an unexpected shift occurs in their relationship. With Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave; directed by Paul McGuigan.
MovieStyle on 04/27/2018