70 San Diego Reader July 21, 2016


MOVIES


should read, “See it without Kleenex!” — Scott Marks


Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made — Not unlike their idols, George and Steve, whose Raiders of the Lost Ark stemmed from misty-eyed memories of the lumber- ing Republic Serials they grew up on, childhood (and childish) xerogra- phers Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb were weaned on crap. Why else would the trio devote eight summers of their lives to a shot- for-shot remake of Spielberg’s nadir? If imitation is the sincerest form of failure, place this tribute to a fanboy riff on a fanboy riff at the bottom of the heap. Look and listen hard to dig up a motherlode of satirically con- temptuous nuggets. An original script credits “Stephen S.” (Some idol.) The boys stop patting themselves on the back only when their hands are needed to snuff out a crew member accidentally set ablaze. Lamb cites “Jacques Cocteau’s” Beauty and the Beast as an inspiration. Even more embarrassing is the finished prod- uct, portions of which I was once subjected to while volunteering at a local radio station. Unoriginal behav- ior such as this should be shunned, not encouraged. Directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen. — Scott Marks


MOVIE LISTINGS


All reviews are by Scott Marks, Matthew Lickona, and Duncan Shepherd. Priorities are indicated by one to five stars and antipathies by the black spot. Unrated movies are for now unreviewed. Thousands of past reviews are available online at SDReader.com/movies.


Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie — Reviewed this issue. 2016 — M.L. ★★ (LANDMARK HILLCREST, ANGELIKA CARMEL MOUNTAIN)


The BFG — Whether or not you are a fan of fart jokes, you will almost certainly feel something during the protracted run-up and almost equally protracted execution of the one that director Steven Spielberg delivers in his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved story of a runty giant who seeks to atone for the man- eating sins of his fellows by collecting and delivering dreams to the sleeping world. You may share in the delight of the big fellow himself, who regards a good fart as an expression of well-being. You may laugh at the bilious green gas’s propulsive force. Or you may turn up your cinemati- cally offended nose. But at least you’ll feel something, which is more than can be said for most of the rest of the film, which finds Spielberg indulging his taste for effects both garish and goopy while neglecting the emotional connection between orphan (a somewhat wooden Ruby Barnhill) and giant (a sweet, CGI’d Mark Rylance). Neglecting also the palpa- ble dread and danger that should infuse a story involving the eating of children. Indulging also the giant’s mistakifined vocabunaries — which probably worked better on the page — and the runtime in general. There are good bits among the bad (the giant’s bullying, bratty kinfolk especially), but mostly, there’s simply not enough there. 2016. — M.L. ★ (IN WIDE RELEASE)


Café Society — Reviewed this issue. 2016 — M.L. ★★ (LAND- MARK HILLCREST)


Captain Fantastic — Say this for writer-director Matt Ross: he is not shy about making his intentions clear from the outset. In the opening sequence, a young man ambushes and kills a deer in the primordial Oregon forest using only a knife. As his mud-caked family emerges from the surrounding undergrowth, his father (Viggo Mortensen) anoints him with the animal’s blood and calls him a man. Then everybody pitches in to carry, dress, carve, cook, and eat the beast before settling in for an evening of deep reading and music-making in a world unsullied by the cheap distractions of electronic technology and the corrupting influence of corporate culture. But amid the familial intimacy and intellectual excellence, one little scamp absconds with the gutting tool so that he can work on his private shrine to Pol Pot — rodent skulls subbing for the human versions that decorated the Killing Fields. Well, hello there, economic theory of man! This here is a family that celebrates Noam Chomsky day instead of Christmas, that avoids making fun of anyone except Christians, and that sure as heck isn’t going to let a little thing like common decency stand in the way of (dead) Mom’s desire to be cremated and flushed down the toilet. Throughout, you wait for something to pierce the smugness, for the unfettered intellectual to learn a little something about the civiliza- tion he so blithely rejects, the lumpen mass of humanity he so gleefully excels. But after a while, you begin to suspect that the smugness is the point. (Eventu- ally, the Captain does descend from his mountaintop, and it’s telling to note what he gives up along the way.) 2016. ★ (ARCLIGHT LA JOLLA; LAND- MARK HILLCREST)


Central Intelligence — The premise is an agreeably loopy take on the notion that no good deed goes unpunished: when chubby teenager Robby Weirdicht (Dwayne Johnson) gets tossed naked and wet in front of a school assembly, superstar senior Calvin “Golden Jet” Joyner (Kevin Hart) lends him his let- terman jacket for coverage. Twenty years later, Joyner is an unfulfilled accountant and Weirdicht is ultrabuff CIA agent Bob


FILM FESTIVALS


4050 EL CAJON BOULEVARD, NORTH PARK


Cine Carretera Free summer outdoor Latino film series. 15 Freeway and El Cajon Boulevard. 7 pm: live entertainment, outdoor games, and food vendors. 8pm: film screening. 619-230- 1938 or info@mediaartscenter.org. sdlatinofilm. com Saturday, July 23, 7:00pm, Saturday, July 30, 7:00pm


CARLSBAD VILLAGE 2930 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad 760-720-9161


Flicks at the Fountain Free, family-friendly movies under the stars in the heart of Carlsbad Village at the fountain parking lot, Grand Avenue and State Street. Bring a low-backed chair and a picnic dinner. Or claim your spot and then stroll into the village and visit one of the eateries for take-out. Movies start at dusk (approx 8pm); seating begins at 6pm. Info: 760-644-2121. Thursday, July 21, 8:00pm, Thursday, July 28, 8:00pm, Thursday, August 4, 8:00pm


CHULA VISTA CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY 365 F St., Chula Vista 619-691-5069


Film Forum: Hail, Caesar The Coen Broth- ers go through the backlots of Tinseltown for a fizzy valentine to Hollywood’s Golden Age. Josh Brolin stars as a harried studio ‚Äúfixer” who must work his magic to keep stars in line, massage egos, defuse scandals, and manipulate snooping gossip columnists. The cast features George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing


Tatum, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swin- ton. 2015, 106 minutes, PG-13. Free popcorn. Sponsored by Friends of the Chula Vista Library. Wednesday, August 10, 6:00pm


HARRAH’S RESORT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA


777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center 760-751-3100


Film Night in the Library Your short film fix is in. The Short List, the showcase for outstanding international short film, features a touching Los Angeles non love story, a Brazilian backstory to the love story, a priest in the wild, and an arresting documentary from Herat filmed just before the Soviets moved in. This is a rare opportunity to learn why this cult classic series won multiple Emmys. Information: 619- 460-4353. Wednesday, July 27, 6:30pm


MESA RIM TRAINING CENTER, 10070 MESA RIM RD., MIRA MESA


Cliff Hanger Wednesday, July 27, 8:00pm OASIS SAN DIEGO


1702 Camino Del Rio North, Mission Valley 619-574-0674


Dive In Movies Enjoy poolside screenings of Old School and Anchorman at Dive. One movie will play at the main pool and the other facing Southern California’s only swim-up bar. Friday, July 22, 8:00pm


Dive In Movies Poolside screenings of The Wedding Singer and Wedding Crashers at Dive. One movie will play at the main pool and the other facing Southern California’s only swim-up bar. Friday, July 29, 8:00pm


Dive In Movies Poolside screenings of Caddy Shack and National Lampoon’s Vacation at Dive. One movie will play at the main pool and the other facing Southern California’s only swim-up bar. Friday, August 5, 8:00pm


LEMON GROVE LIBRARY 3001 School Lane, Lemon Grove 619-463-9819


Film Discussion Class: Delicacy Instruc- tor Ralph DeLauro. Audrey Tautou is a worka- holic manager whose idyllic life crumbles when she finds herself suddenly widowed. Her zest for life is rekindled by an unlikely source – her awk- ward office subordinate (Francois Damiens). In French with English subtitles. 2011. 108 minutes. Third floor of Macy’s Mission Valley.


“Film on the Fringe.” Info: 619-881-6262. Mon- day, August 1, 1:00pm


SCHULMAN AUDITORIUM AT CARLSBAD CITY LIBRARY


1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad 760-602-2049


Cool Runnings When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he gets help from a dishonored coach to start a Jamai- can Bobsled Team. In the freezing weather, the team is laughed at and not taken seriously but team spirit and self-confidence may bring surprises. 1993, PG, 98 minutes. Wednesday, July 27, 6:00pm


STAR THEATRE


402 N. Coast Hwy., Oceanside 760-721-9983


Oceanside International Film Festival The festival runs eight days with titles packaged in blocks to, as the press release states, “suit everybody’s taste.” This year’s categories include Environmental, Animation, Science-Fiction & Fantasy, Drama, World Beat, Coming of Age, Comedy, Gay & Lesbian, Horror, Emotional & Sentimental Appeal, Social Awareness, Military, and Surfing. Tickets for the opening night festivities run $25, while seats for the closing night awards gala fetch $35. One day admission tickets go for $15 with a $5 discount for seniors, military, or students. The $50 festival pass ($35 for seniors, military, or students) buys you six days of movies. Sunday, August 7, 2:00pm, Monday, August 8, 6:00pm, Tuesday, August 9, 6:00pm, Wednesday, August 10, 6:00pm


Stone. He’s also socially bizarre, possibly treasonous, and completely fixated on Joyner as both friend and savior. Johnson is admirably committed to his character’s sincere, possibly menacing strangeness, but the movie, less so. Instead, it chooses to rely on Hart’s extended freakouts over his involvement in an international conspiracy, and that conspiracy’s atten- dant action setpieces. And the eventual resolution is entirely too neat ‘n tidy in light of the (sometimes funny) crazy that precedes it: what began as a dark comedy finishes as a cheerful action drama. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. 2016. — M.L. ★ (IN WIDE RELEASE)


The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Pol- tergeist — What a difference acting makes. At the outset of this sequel to 2013’s surprise horror hit about a Catho- lic couple who do scout work for the Church to determine where supernatural intervention is required, wife Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) has a vision of a demon who has it in for her husband Ed (Patrick Wilson). When she returns to waking life, she tells him, “That’s as close to hell as I ever want to come” — and she sells it. The rest of the cast here is almost as good, particularly Madison Wolfe as an English schoolgirl who starts channel- ing the grumpy old man who used to live in her house. It’s a good thing: director James Wan is as interested in drama here as he is in horror: the toll taken on the family, the tension between doubt and belief among the investigators, the meth- ods and mores of supernatural detective work — so interested that he lets things run on longer than is ideal. As for the horror, by this point, Wan is an old hand at using the camera to reveal and conceal exactly what’s needed to build tension — so much so that the occasional jump scares and final unveiling feel more than a little disappointing. 2016. — M.L. ★★ (AMC MISSION VALLEY; EDWARDS MIRA MESA)


Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words — Avant-garde rocker Frank Zappa was on The Steve Allen Show in 1963. That was over 50 years ago. Now he’s got a Kickstarted documentary and a Twitter feed to boot. We should all be so


lucky (and mustachioed). 2016. (LAND- MARK HILLCREST)


Equals — Reviewed this issue. 2016 — S.M. ● (DIGITAL GYM)


Finding Dory — There is one great scene in Pixar’s latest oceanic offering: when forgetful heroine Dory finds herself lost and alone — really, totally alone — in the darkening murk of an ocean that feels as vast as it is empty. Her profound distress, her response to that distress, and the eventual result of that response convey all the heart and magic that one might expect from the sequel to 2003’s masterful Finding Nemo. But that one scene is the happy exception to a largely desultory rule: here is another followup that repeats and tweaks the original and winds up feeling like a dim, distorted echo in the process. (The repeat: an epic search to reunite a family. The tweak: this time, it’s the child searching for the parents.) The worst of it is the naked grab for emotion: directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane make it very clear what you are supposed to feel and when you are supposed to feel it. What they don’t do is earn it. It’s a major flaw, but if you can get past it, there’s plenty of fun stuff to look at: an antisocial octopus, a friendly whale shark, a hesitant beluga, and the hilarious terror of an aquarium tank where kids can touch and squeeze. 2016. — M.L. ★ (IN WIDE RELEASE)


Free State of Jones — Matthew McConaughey plays a Southerner who takes up arms against the South. Directed by Gary Ross. 2016. (AMC LA JOLLA; DIGIPLEX MISSION MARKETPLACE; REGAL PARKWAY PLAZA)


From Afar (Desde allá) — Middle- aged dental technician Armando (Alfredo Castro) desired no physical contact with the impoverished straight boys he took home until the night 17-year- old Elder (Luis Silva) beat the feathers off the chicken hawk. True to its title, writer-director Lorenzo Vigas’s use of contrasting focal lengths says more about Armando’s detached outlook on humanity than the nominal dialogue provided. We mock the things we are to be. Elder (Silva) starts out by addressing his daddy figure as “faggot” only to have the invective thrown back in his face once news of his rough trade romance reaches friends and family. Expeditiously edited to proffer just enough information needed to advance to the next scene, this is the first I’ve seen Castro apart from his sterling collaborations with Pablo Larrain (Tony Manero, Post Mortem, No). His performance here further advances his standing as contemporary cinema’s gray little nothing of an answer to the Every- man. In Spanish with English subtitles. 2015. — S.M. ★★★★ (DIGITAL GYM CINEMA)


Ghostbusters — With their best days residing down memory lane, producers Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd resort to recycling their own garbage. Fanboys were outraged and feminists thrilled over news of an all-girl remake of the alleged comedy classic. Credit the filmmakers with neither group leaving hungry. A pussy fart joke replaces the traditional fart joke and the role of a stereotypical dumb blonde secretary is played by a guy (Chris Hemsworth). Loathe though I am to say anything even remotely positive about the original, at least the boys had chemistry. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig bicker, leaving ample room for over- modulation from Leslie Jones. The whole shebang, what little there is of it, belongs to Kate McKinnon, and it’s not just the Tank Girl duds and Woody Woodpecker pompadour doing the acting. Her ever-


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