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a&e | FILM & TV cont’d from p. 49 O Baby Driver
(113 mins., R)
Writer and director Edgar Wright has added Baby Driver to his list of films headed for cult status. It’s not just the confluence of an A-list cast—the likes of Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Jon Hamm—with the fresh faces of Ansel Elgort and Lily James that entrances. Wright has taken music and film to heights never imagined by La La Land and added a terrific riff on the importance of the playlist. Who knew a Subaru could corner like that? (JY) Fiesta 5
memoir of the same name. The story tells of Walls’s poverty-stricken, peripatetic childhood with her dysfunctional parents. Naomi Watts and Woody HarFairview/Fiesta 5 relson also star. Good Time (100 mins., R) Jennifer Jason Leigh and Robert Pattinson star in this crime drama about a bank robbery gone wrong and the ensuing efforts of Constantine Nikas (Pattinson) to get his brother out of jail — and evade arrest himself.
includes Riley Keough, Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane, Katherine Waterston, and Daniel Craig.
The Midwife (117 mins., NR) Catherine Deneuve stars in this Frenchmade film about a buttoned-up woman named Claire (Catherine Frot), who gets an unexpected visit from her father’s former mistress (Deneuve), who turns Claire’s world on end. The Hitchcock (formerly Plaza de Oro)
Birth of the Dragon (103 mins., PG-13) This film about legendary martial artist Bruce Lee (Philip Ng Wan-lung) takes place in San Francisco, circa 1965, when Lee decides to challenge kung fu master Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) to a fight. Metro 4
Cars 3 (109 mins., G) After losing his racing title to Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is more determined than ever to reclaim his championship. With the help of his friends, McQueen gets back on the racetrack for the Florida 500. The film also stars the voice talents of Bonnie Hunt, Nathan Fillion, and Kerry Washington. Fairview/Fiesta 5
O Dunkirk
(107 mins., PG-13)
This year has seen the release of not one but two films about the 1940 evacuation at Dunkirk: Lone Scherfig’s Their Finest and now Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. While Scherfig focuses on the morale and publicity the event inspired back home in Great Britain, Nolan keeps the lens on those who participated on land, by air, and at sea. The result is a surreal and poignant film that not only tells of Operation Dynamo and the civilian efforts to bring a country’s troops home, but also explores what it means to be defeated and stranded, and how people retain humanity during wartime. (JT) Arlington/Fairview
Girls Trip (122 mins., R) The good times roll in this comedy when four lifelong friends (Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Jada Pinkett Smith) hit the Big Easy for the annual Essence Festival, where wild times and romantic adventures ensue. Fiesta 5 The Glass Castle (127 mins., PG-13) Brie Larson stars in this film adaptation of Jeannette Walls’s 2005 best-selling
➤ O Ingrid Goes West
(97 mins., R)
Aubrey Plaza stars in this dark comedy in which she plays Ingrid Thorburn, who, after the death of her mother, becomes infatuated with Instagram guru Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen) after coming across her social media account. As her obsession ratchets up, Ingrid decides to take her inheritance and move to California to inveigle her way into Taylor’s inner circle and her seemingly perfect life. Ingrid loses her identity as she pretends to have the same interests as her new “best friend.” Even her love interest/landlord, Dan (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), finds it strange that she is willing to do/say anything to please her idol. In the end, viewers are left with the question, Do we try to be perceived as a cooler version of ourselves on social media to hide from our truly quirky selves? Watch the film and decide for yourself. (KR) Camino Real/Paseo Nuevo Leap! (89 mins., PG) This animated film featuring the vocal talents of Elle Fanning and Carly Rae Jepsen tells the story of Félicie, an orphan girl in 1800s France who dreams of becoming a ballerina. Fiesta 5 Logan Lucky (119 mins., PG-13) Channing Tatum and Adam Driver star as two brothers trying to change their family’s lousy luck by pulling off a risky heist during a NASCAR race. Mayhem ensues in this comedy by director Steven Soderbergh. The ensemble cast also
(91 mins., PG)
Will Arnett reprises his (voice) role as Surly, the purple squirrel and hero of 2014’s The Nut Job who must, along with his band of critter buddies, save Liberty Park from being bulldozed to make way for an amusement park. Maya Rudolph, Jackie Chan, and Bobby Cannavale also star. Fairview/Fiesta 5
O Wonder Woman
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Santa Barbara
(141 mins., PG-13)
Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, offers a compelling tale of Princess Diana of the Amazons’ (Gal Gadot) evolution from a naïve warrior to a courageous heroine after she feels compelled to leave her island and follow U.S. spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) into the outside world, where war rages. While Pine’s character has some cringe-worthy dialogue and the plot relies on a few common superhero tropes, Gadot’s Diana makes for a refreshing and optimistic story in the otherwise grim DC Extended Universe. Diana is never reduced to a damsel in distress, but the movie also doesn’t downplay her femininity and ensures that she is admired for her ability to lead with compassion and love in addition to her impressive skills in combat. This makes her an authentic heroine with whom many women can identify. Wonder Woman’s passionate spirit and epic fight scenes make the movie well worth seeing. (SMcG) Fiesta 5
➤ Wind River
Oct. 2 — Dec. 22, 2017
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The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature The Hitman’s Bodyguard (118 mins., R) In this dumb frat-boy fantasy of a film, two archetypal dudes (Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson) settle their superficial differences (occupation, music preferences, and, shall we say, equipment size) to band together, kill a bunch of other dudes, and pine over their leading ladies, who are always shown yammering away on the phone and are coveted for their posteriors. Some may find this a fun romp with attitude, a shoot-’em-up with a sense of humor. Others will be wearied at Hollywood’s ongoing parade of violence and masculinity. Even the usually lovable Jackson, seemingly contractually obligated to drop m—f—’s every other line, is an outworn cliché. If you miss it, don’t worry; the formula will be repeated again. (RD) Camino Real/Metro 4
with Alonso Benavides, ph.d.
Camino Real/Paseo Nuevo
Camino Real/Paseo Nuevo
The Big Sick (119 mins., R) This film, based on the true story of writer/actor Kumail Nanjiani’s relationship with his now-wife Emily Gordon (Zoe Kazan), is a romantic comedy about the tensions that arose within their families when Nanjiani, a Pakistani Muslim, and Gordon, a Caucasian American, started dating. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano also star. Metro 4
Speak Spanish
(107 mins., R)
Wind River is a bitterly bleak thriller based around the plight of underreported rape and murder on Native American reservations, ending with a statistic about them (spoiler alert). It’s a shame this tale is told with Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as the heroes, mainstreamers representing a marginalized pain, but that’s showbiz, still, apparently. Like director Taylor Sheridan’s previous films as a writer (Hell or High Water, Sicario), Wind River is taut, tense, and often near silent, with interesting crosshairs of interpersonal and jurisdictional hierarchies. Still, while commendable in the aim of its message and the height of its drama, the film washes over the real depths of its subject matter. (RD) Camino Real/Paseo Nuevo
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The above films are playing in Santa Barbara FRIDAY, September 1, through THURSDAY, September 7. Our critics’ reviews are followed by initials: RD (Richie DeMaria), SMcG (Sabrina McGraw), KR (Kiki Reyes), JT (Jordon Thompson), and JY (Jean Yamamura). The symbol O indicates the film is recommended. The symbol ➤ indicates a new review. (NOTE: The Riviera Theatre is closed for renovations.)
(805)562-1111 7394 Calle Real Suite C, Goleta independent.com
AugusT 31, 2017
THE INDEPENDENT
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