[ad_1]
‘About Last Night’ (November 30)
The ownership chain here gets a little complicated, so stay with me: This 2014 rom-com loosely remakes the 1986 yuppie rom-com starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, which was itself a loose adaptation of the 1974 play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” by David Mamet. Apparently the tropes about the battle of the sexes are so established that a work from decades ago can still produce laughs and moments of truth. But as with the 1986 film, the most entertaining material is provided less by the central couple (here played by the perfectly acceptable Joy Bryant and Michael Ealy) than by their comedic best friends, played by Regina Hall and Kevin Hart. memorable way.
‘Arrival’ (November 30)
Before taking on the daunting challenge of bringing “Dune” to the big screen, director Denis Villeneuve took his first crack at sci-fi with this thoughtful 2016 exploration of the possibilities of extraterrestrial contact. While most filmmakers exploit the threat of life from the afterlife, focusing on alien invasions and property damage, Villeneuve’s film (adapted from Ted Chiang’s novella “Story of Your Life”) goes deeper, as a linguist (Amy Adams) works tirelessly to establish communication. with the alien life forms before the narrow-minded military comes to the wrong conclusions. Her struggle is vivid and dramatic, and the final passages are narratively inventive and deeply moving.
‘Fences’ (November 30)
Denzel Washington creates one of his finest performances in this 2016 adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, combining the strength of his performance with his elegant and nuanced work as the film’s director. He plays Troy Maxson, once a rising star in the Negro Leagues, now a husband and father who spends his days in a stew of regret, dissatisfaction and deception. His complicated relationships with his best friend (Stephen McKinley Henderson), his wife (Viola Davis), and his son (Jovan Adepo) form the dramatic backbone of the story, as do the stories Troy has long told to others, and to himself, about who he has reached. forward. It’s a penetrating, powerful drama, and Davis’ subtle work earned her an Oscar for best supporting actress.
‘Hook’ (November 30)
The setup was so juicy (Steven Spielberg directing Robin Williams as Peter Pan, with Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook and Julia Roberts as Tinker Bell) that it had to be a masterpiece or a huge disappointment. It seemed the latter when “Hook” hit theaters in 1991; critics dismissed it as a disaster and the box office, while respectable, was disappointing. But the kids of that era (who were, let’s face it, the target audience) fell for it, wore out their VHS tapes, and formed lifelong bonds with Spielberg and Williams. Tell the Millennials sometime and watch them start singing for Rufio.
‘Stuart Little’ (November 30)
If you want a simpler family film, it’s hard to beat this charming 1999 adaptation of EB White’s children’s book (co-written, rather improbably, by suspense master M. Night Shyamalan). The apparent stars are Jonathan Lipnicki (“Jerry Maguire”) and, as his parents, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie, but the comic juice is provided by the talented voice cast: David Alan Grier, Nathan Lane, Chazz Palminteri and Steve Zahn as the cunning. cats; Bruno Kirby and Jennifer Tilly as parental mice; and Michael J. Fox as the ever-optimistic titular mouse.