Ocean's Eight,
directed by Gary Ross
(PG-13, 1 hour, 50 minutes)
Remember Danny Ocean? The super-thief from 2001's Ocean's Eleven, 2004's Ocean's Twelve, and 2007's Ocean's Thirteen? He's got a sister. Her name is Debbie. Like her brother, she has a talent for larceny. So after she's released from prison (a long story), she assembles a rowdy girly crew and schemes to make off with a necklace worth more than $150 million that's the centerpiece of the annual fashion-forward Met Gala in New York.
Debbie is played by Sandra Bullock in this female version of the entertaining Ocean franchise, which stars George Clooney with plenty of celebrity sidekicks (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, etc). Her gang includes Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna. It's a famous-face cast with the star power to pull off this sort of fantasy heist, with the added attraction of eyecatching style statements, rapid-fire wisecracks, and ample ridicule of self-important celebrities.
There's not much new here, but it has its moments, most of them involving the goofy antics of Hathaway, who's always worth watching in a slapsticky comedy role.
SuperFly (R, 1 hour, 56 minutes) Stylish if lightweight, this flashy remake of a 1972 drug thriller that helped define a genre in its characters is reimagined with Director X, the talent behind memorable music videos by Drake and Rihanna. With Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Jennifer Morrison.
The Guardians (R, 2 hours, 18 minutes) A low-key, poignant, gorgeous, and deeply affecting family drama in which the women of the Paridier farm in France, under the competent, no-nonsense control of family matriarch Hortense (Nathalie Baye) must grapple with the workload while the men, including two sons, are off to the front in 1915 during World War I. With Cyril Descours, Iris Bry, Laura Smet, Gilbert Bonneau; directed by Xavier Beauvois. Subtitled.
Hearts Beat Loud (PG-13, 1 hour, 37 minutes) Affectionate and sweetly realistic in its portrayal of a father-daughter relationship, this comedic drama follows Sam Fisher (Kiersey Clemons) and her widower dad Frank (Nick Offerman) as they form a band in Brooklyn named We Are Not a Band. Much to their surprise, their efforts prove successful, just at the wrong time; Sam is about to leave home for college in California. With Ted Danosn, Toni Collette, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane; directed by Brett Haley.
Goldstone (R, 1 hour, 50 minutes) A rough-hewn, smartly executed thriller in which a missing-persons case in a miserable little town in the Australian outback transforms from a simple investigation to a complicated mess of corruption, land rights and human trafficing. Adding to the tension is a clash between a Caucasian cop (Alex Russell) and an aboriginal investigator (Aaron Pedersen). With David Wenham, Jacki Weaver; directed by Ivan Sen.
Distorted (R, 1 hour, 26 minutes) This mystery adventure, which isn't anywhere close to the scarefest it wants to be, boasts a respectable cast in the story of a couple who leave big-city life for a luxury, ultra-modern and super-secure condominium, which seems fine until the building reveals a dark side. With Christina Ricci, John Cusack, Brendan Fletcher; directed by Rob W. King.
MovieStyle on 09/14/2018