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Hollywood Hits January 2019
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Bohemian Rhapsody
A chronicle of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen during the years leading up to their appearance at the 1985 Live Aid concert.
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander
"...There's a soul inside it, and some anguish, too." - Time Magazine
"...praise to heap on Rami Malek whose tour de force performance as Freddie Mercury will definitely rock you." - Rolling Stone
"It's hard to come up with someone who would have been better than Malek. To his credit, he does the one thing that would most seem impossible: In the stage scenes, he makes you believe he's Freddie Mercury." - San Francisco Chronicle
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First Man
The riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong's perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost, on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself; of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Claire Foy, Ryan Gosling, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke
"A movie so revelatory in its realism, so gritty in its physicality, that it becomes a drama of thrillingly hell-bent danger and obsession." - Variety
"This sober, contemplative picture has emotional involvement, visceral tension, and yes, even suspense, in addition to stunning technical craft." - Hollywood Reporter
"As Chazelle oscillates between documenting NASA's many missteps and peering behind the curtain of the Armstrong's' domestic lives, he conjures the type of cinematic high any filmgoer has been chasing since they first stepped inside a theatre." - Globe and Mail (UK)
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Girl in The Spider's Web
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist and young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander find themselves caught in a web of cybercriminals, corrupt government officials, and spies.
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant, Vicky Krieps, Sverrir Gudnason
"It is edgy and action-packed, and Alvarez' direction keeps the tension high through a slew of ever-more-improbable threats to Lisbeth and her allies." - Hollywood Reporter
"Despite Lisbeth's makeover, there's still something cool, complicated and compelling about this 'Girl." - Washington Post
"...the action is go-go-go and a killer good Claire Foy-erasing all memories of 'The Crown' - makes the part her own." - Rolling Stone
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Green Book
When Tony Lip, a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on a book to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African Americans. Confronted with racism and danger, as well as unexpected humanity and humor, they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
Director: Peter Farrelly
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, Von Lewis, Don Stark
"The tone leans sentimental, if not quite sugary. But the actors' honest chemistry takes Farrelly's movie to the next level. This small tale of American goodness deserves your full attention." - New York Post
"In a world that seems to get uglier every day, this movie's gentle heart and mere humanity feel like a salve." - Entertainment Weekly
"There's something so deeply right about this movie, so true to the time depicted and so welcome in this moment; so light in its touch, so properly respectful of its characters, and so big in its spirit that the movie acquires a glow." - San Francisco Chronicle
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Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
The story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl's generous holiday spirit. It is a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism.
Director: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Angela Lansbury, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, Pharrell Williams, Ramone Hamilton
"The latest animated iteration of Christmas' most famous nemesis might not be strictly necessary, but it's still pretty fun - and revamped just enough to feel fresh." - Entertainment Weekly
"...it is far superior to the Carrey film and should become a welcome family tradition." - Roger Ebert
"...beautiful to look at, and diverting enough. The material written to fill out the story is entertaining..." - Los Angeles Times
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Nobody's Fool
Trying to get back on her feet, wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by-the-book sister Danica to help her get on track. As these polar opposites collide, with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results, Tanya discovers that Danica's picture-perfect life, including her mysterious boyfriend, may not be what it seems.
Director: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Courtney Henggeler, Missi Pyle, Whoopi Goldberg, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Mehcad Brooks, Amber Riley
"...dotted with pleasures besides those Haddish brings." - New York Times
"Whoopi Goldberg pops up to steal a few scenes as Danica and Tanya's perpetually stoned-out-of-her-gourd mother." - Variety
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Star Is Born
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally. She has given up on her dream to become a successful singer, until she meets Jack, who immediately sees her natural talent. This is the raw and passionate tale of Jack and Ally, two artistic souls coming together, on stage and in life. Theirs is a complex journey through the beauty and the heartbreak of a relationship struggling to survive.
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Anthony Ramos, Bonnie Somerville, Andrew Dice Clay, William Belli, Rafi Gavron
"Like its finest antecedents, it wrings tears from its romance and thrills from a steadfast belief in old-fashioned, big-feeling cinema. That it's also a perverse fantasy about men, women, love and sacrifice makes it all the better." - New York Times
"This is the best Star Is Born yet, and one of the best movies of the year." - Chicago Sun-Times
"First-time director Cooper and co-star Gaga make beautiful music together in this glossy update of a Hollywood classic." - Newsday
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Widows
Four women with nothing in common except a debt left by their dead husbands' criminal acts conspire to take fate into their own hands.
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson, Jon Bernthal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Carrie Coon, Jacki Weaver, Brian Tyree Henry, Cynthia Erivo
"With a killer cast led by Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriquez and Elizabeth Debicki, director Steve McQueen turns four women and a heist into the powerhouse thriller of the year." - Rolling Stone
"It presents an enjoyably dark and sleazy vision of ordinary lives intertwining with the hurly-burly of street thuggery, local machine politics, and half a dozen other forms of daily corruption." - Variety
"As always, Steve McQueen is an original and bold storyteller, delivering the goods with dazzling creativity." - Richard Roeper
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Mercer County Library System 2751 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 882-9246 E-mail: nrsupprt@mcl.org |
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