10/11/2024
Sorry everyone for not posting this for a few weeks, but between campaigning and my regular jobs/positions, it has been a bit crazy! Wishing you a great weekend (the weather looks amazing in the 757!) full of fun, friends and family. Some great events are below, check them out and please let me know if I can be of assistance with your Mortgage and/or Tax questions! :)
Through Oct. 26: “Movies in the Plaza.” Town Center, Virginia Beach. towncentervb.com
Oct 11: Haunted Illusions, starring David Caserta. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Oct 11 - 20: “Tarrytown.” Generic Theater, Norfolk. generictheater.org
: “Mud Row.” Peninsula Community Theatre, Newport News. pctlive.org
Oct 11 - 27: “Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Little Theatre of Norfolk. ltnonline.org
Oct 11 - Mar 22: Attucks Jazz Club Series, various artists. Attucks Theatre, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
Oct 11-13: Suffolk Peanut Festival. Suffolk Executive Airport. suffolkpeanutfest.com
: Monster Jam. Hampton Coliseum. ticketmaster.com
Oct 11-13, 19: The Hurrah Players presents “Cinderella.” Roper Performing Arts Center, Norfolk; and Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. hurrahplayers.com
Oct 12: The Incredible Boris, comedy hypnotist. The American Theatre, Hampton. hamptonarts.org
: John Mulaney. Chrysler Hall, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
Oct 12-13: Something in the Water. Virginia Beach Oceanfront. somethinginthewater.com
: Virginia Choral Society presents “The Silver Screen.” St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Newport News; and King of Glory Lutheran Church, Williamsburg. vachoralsociety.org
Oct 13: Queensrÿche. The NorVa, Norfolk. thenorva.com
Oct 14: The United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Oct 16-Nov. 3: Virginia Stage Company presents “Dracula.” The Wells Theatre, Norfolk. vastage.org
Oct 17: Dearly Beloved, the Music of Prince Reimagined. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
: Mariah the Scientist. Chartway Arena, Norfolk. chartwayarena.com
Oct 18: Brad Williams. Harrison Opera House, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
: Joe Gatto. Chrysler Hall, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
: MercyMe with Crowder. Chartway Arena, Norfolk. chartwayarena.com
Oct 18-20: Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News; Chrysler Hall, Norfolk; and Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. virginiasymphony.org
Oct 19: The Hurrah Players present “Cinderella.” Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. hurrahplayers.com
Oct 19-20: Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival. Historic Ghent, Norfolk. hope-house.org/events/stockley-gardens-arts-festival
: Virginia Fall Wine Festival. Town Point Park, Norfolk. festevents.org
Oct 20: Hampton Roads Philharmonic. The American Theatre, Hampton. hamptonarts.org
: East Meets West: A Concert for World Peace. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Oct 21: SOLD OUT. Diana Ross — Beautiful Love Performances. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Oct 22-27: Broadway in Norfolk presents “Mean Girls.” Chrysler Hall, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
Oct 23: Men at Work. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. sandlercenter.org
: Pilobolus — Re:creation. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
: Candlelight — A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics. Zeiders American Dream Theater, Virginia Beach. feverup.com
Oct 24: JJ Grey & Mofro. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. sandlercenter.org
Oct 24-25: Mark Topchii. Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre; and Robin Hixon Theater, Norfolk. tidewaterclassicalguitar.org
Oct 24-26: Newport News Greek Festival, fall edition. Hellenic Center. newportnewsgreekfestival.org
Oct 25: Jim Belushi. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. sandlercenter.org
: RESCHEDULED: Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents Symphony Under the Stars. Chesapeake City Park. virginiasymphony.org.
Oct 26: Pumpkins and Pirates Family Fest. Virginia Beach Oceanfront. beacheventsvb.com
: 123 Andrés. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
: Ladies R&B Kickback Concert. Chartway Arena, Norfolk. chartwayarena.com
Oct 26-27: Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents Psycho in Concert: Film with Orchestra. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News; and Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. virginiasymphony.org
Oct 27: Halloween Spooktacular. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. virginiasymphony.org
Oct 28: Little Feat. Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. sandlercenter.org
: Tom Segura. Scope arena, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
Oct 31: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” film and live shadow cast. The American Theatre, Hampton. hamptonarts.org
Nov 1: Riddick Dance Company. The American Theatre, Hampton. hamptonarts.org
Nov 1-3: NekoCon. Hampton Roads Convention Center, Hampton. nekocon.com
: Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. Chrysler Hall, Norfolk; Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News; and Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach. virginiasymphony.org
Nov 1-17: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Williamsburg Players. williamsburgplayers.org
Nov 2: Seven City Blues Festival. Scope arena, Norfolk. ticketmaster.com
: Jamestown Jams presents Canaan Smith. Jamestown Beach Event Park, Williamsburg. visitwilliamsburg.com
Nov 4: American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Nov 5-6: “Ain’t too Proud.” Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News. fergusoncenter.org
Nov 5-Dec. 1: “A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes.” Generic Theater, Norfolk. generictheater.org
Nov 6: A Day To Remember. Chartway Arena, Norfolk. chartwayarena.com
Nov 7-10: Disney on Ice presents “Let’s Dance.” Hampton Coliseum. ticketmaster.com
Nov 8-10: Virginia Opera presents “Carmen.” Harrison Opera House, Norfolk. vaopera.org
Nov 8-11: Jeep Fest 2024. Virginia Beach Oceanfront. beacheventsvb.com
Nov 8-Jan 5: Garden of Lights. Norfolk Botanical Garden. norfolkbotanicalgarden.org
**because dates and times of some performances might change, check before attending.
Movies and their Reviews:
‘SATURDAY NIGHT’: There’s an existential question that runs throughout “Saturday Night,” Jason Reitman’s love letter to the iconic “Saturday Night Live,” and its chaotic entry into the world on Oct. 11, 1975. People keep asking the show’s creator and producer, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) what, exactly, the show is? It’s a question he’s not able to answer until nearly the end of the movie, at about 11:15 p.m. The film, which starts at 10 p.m., and takes place over the course of the 90 minutes leading up to the first live show, utilizes an ominous ticking clock to countdown the minutes until showtime. Over the course of those 90 minutes (which the film, with a run time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, fudges a bit) whatever can go wrong already has, will, or is in the process of going wrong, swirling around the preternaturally calm eye of the storm, Lorne. Though “Saturday Night,” the film, feels ephemeral and somewhat fleeting, it represents something that has endured, and continues to, through the sheer force of will that is Lorne Michaels. 1:49. 2 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY’: It has been seven years since “Wonder” came out, and the long-awaited sequel, “White Bird: A Wonder Story” — which has been plagued by delays both pandemic- and labor strike-related — is finally hitting theaters. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Mark Bomback, “White Bird” is very loosely connected to the original film, but it takes a more global, historical approach to the same message about the importance of small but high-stakes gestures of kindness. As “a Wonder Story,” and as a Holocaust story, the messaging of “White Bird” is unsurprising though important: that kindness and empathy matters, especially in action, and that often, caring for others can mean putting one’s own self in danger, but we should do it anyway — in the grand tapestry of human existence, we are all connected. It may be a message we’ve heard time and time again, but it’s one that bears repeating, over and over. 2:00. 2 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘LEE’: One of the animating questions in a film about a war
correspondent is “why?” Why do they do what they do? Why do they keep pushing, keep searching, keep exposing themselves to the suffering of war? It’s the primary question at the center of the new biopic “Lee,” about the famed photographer Lee Miller, who captured some of the most indelible images of the Holocaust as a war correspondent for Vogue during World War II. The question is posed by a young man (Josh O’Connor) interviewing a prickly Lee (Kate Winslet) about her life and work at her home in England in 1977, probing and provoking her in the hopes of extracting more profound answers than her usual caustic one-liners. Lee and this writer discuss a roughly 10-year period surrounding the war, but Miller lived so much life before and after this era. When we catch up with her in the late 1930s, she’s gallivanting around the south of France with her friends, the group blithely unaware of the horrors that await with the rise of Adolf Hi**er. In just a few short years, Lee will find the purpose in her work that drives her, as well as traumas that almost destroy her. 1:56. 3 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘MEGALOPOLIS’: Francis Ford Coppola’s new film is a philosophical argument for the artist’s place in society disguised as a movie that does not care for delivering what you want, or think you need. Adam Driver plays visionary architect and physics- defying inventor Cesar Catilina. His discovery of the wonder metal megalon holds the key to an urban renewal project for the great, battered city of New Rome. Presumably for the health insurance, Catilina is on the city payroll as head of the Design Authority under the skeptical eye of Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), a pawn in the hands of the plutocrats who got him elected. Jon Voight, looking alternately lost and eagle-eyed, is the richest pluto in town. Shia LaBeouf slithers hither and yon as an incestuous schemer with take-back-our-country rabble- rousing skills and ambitions. Coppola is plainly disinterested in story momentum or conventions, and since the film itself periodically quotes whole chunks of Catullus and William Shakespeare, it’s fair to say “Megalopolis” is a spiritual cousin to Shakespeare’s nutty, half-mad, late-period romances. 2:18. 2 1/2 stars. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
‘THE SUBSTANCE’: Our world does not often offer a safe space for female rage. But French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat has carved out a place to explore that emotion in her work. She shapes that anger into a spear to skewer society’s sexism, revealing the restrictive nature of toxic patriarchy, and allows her female protagonists to violently break free from those expectations. Demi Moore stars as actor Elisabeth Sparkle, a once-lauded ingenue who now hosts a popular TV fitness show. On her 50th birthday, she’s abruptly cut loose by a repulsively leering studio executive, Harvey (Dennis Quaid). “At 50 it just stops,” he sputters, sending her on her way. After an encounter with a strange nurse, Elisabeth finds out about a radical and mysterious beauty/biohacking company called the Substance that promises a better, more beautiful version of herself. The only rules are to “respect the balance,” and to “remember that you are one.” She shoots herself up with “activator” the color of bile in her white-tiled bathroom, and out crawls Sue (Margaret Qualley), young, supple and smooth. What would you do with a second chance at youth? Sue marches right back to that office and auditions to be “the new Elisabeth Sparkle.” The show must go on, after all, and now, it’s pumped up. In this doppelganger story, Fargeat knows that two things can coexist at the same time, and as desperately sad as “The Substance” often is, it is also a darkly hilarious satire laced with outrageous camp. After this dizzying spin through a constantly revolving door of internal and external gazes, if there’s a happy ending to be found in “The Substance,” it’s that finally Elisabeth’s view is turned away from herself, toward the sky, where she can enjoy looking at the stars, both real and remembered. 2:20. 4 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘NEVER LET GO’: The new Alexandre Aja film “Never Let Go” is billed as a psychological thriller and sports a trailer that looks like a ghost story. Halle Berry stars as a troubled mother surviving what seems to be a postapocalyptic existence deep in the woods with her two young sons. She battles off mysterious creatures, ensuring their safety by remaining tethered to their crumbling wooden cabin with ropes, in a ritual that’s either superstitious or supernatural. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill haunting flick. “Never Let Go” reveals itself to be one of the most shockingly bleak American genre films in recent memory. It’s bold to see an American film be this unapologetically dark with regard to children and animals, and it feels more like a dreary and stark Eastern European film than a spooky season thriller. While that may work for some, for other audiences, it will be a surprise, and not in a good way. 1:41. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE’: It’s hard to overstate the impact Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” had on the culture in 1988 — in fact, it feels like the rascally, wild-haired “bio-exorcist” memorably embodied by Michael Keaton has simply always been around. The Oscar- winning film was a critical and commercial success, it spawned an animated series and later a Broadway musical, and now 36 years after “Beetlejuice” made young Winona Ryder a star, a sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” finally skitters into theaters. This sequel takes place right back where we started, in Winter River, Connecticut (and the afterlife, of course). Ryder’s Lydia Deetz is now a mom who hosts a paranormal talk show called “Ghost House,” and, karmically, struggles to parent a surly teen, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who eye-rolls at mom’s new boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), her producer, who is obsessed with overly sensitive therapy speak. The Deetz women — including Lydia’s stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara) — reconvene in Winter River upon the occasion of Lydia’s father Charles’ death. While the original film is a wacky family comedy about death and real estate, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” attempts to be a bit more, stretching to find emotional resonance in what it means to connect with the dead. But there’s something a bit bland and manufactured about this version. It’s a busy, chaotic, mixed bag of recycled material that just leaves us wondering why we bothered summoning this project back from the dead in the first place. 1:45. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘REBEL RIDGE’: In Jeremy Saulnier’s fifth feature, “Rebel Ridge,” a Rambo- inspired riff on racial profiling and the insidious banality of evil baked into American policing, the filmmaker demonstrates his incredible mastery of the taut action thriller. His skill with this specific subgenre has been on display since “Blue Ruin” (2013) and throughout his oeuvre, but in “Rebel Ridge,” Saulnier’s examination of space and pace transcends anything that has come before, as he coolly alternates extreme control with bursts of explosive fury. In “Rebel Ridge” — which Saulnier wrote, directed and edited — the story, and subsequent film style, zeroes in on Terry (Aaron Pierre), a man caught in a crushingly quotidian nightmare that spins out of control when he is pushed to his limit. Terry maintains his cool, until he doesn’t, and it’s a thrill to watch how Saulnier lets this character off his leash. Streaming on Netflix. 2:10. 3 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘SLINGSHOT’: In this space travel thriller directed by Mikael
Håfström, the title refers to a risky flight maneuver involving orbital mechanics. Astronauts journeying a billion and a half miles to one of Saturn’s moons, Titan, will need a gravity assist — the “slingshot” in question — from Jupiter’s orbital velocity in order to make it all the way. Why are they going to Titan? It’s the only other body that has liquid on its surface, methane that they intend to harvest for clean energy to combat climate change on Earth. But despite the bouncy title and seemingly action-oriented premise, this psychological character study starring Casey Affleck is a slog. The film isn’t about the slingshot, or the methane gas, or even climate change, but about the challenges of the journey itself. Despite the twists and turns that never let up, there are simply no signs of life in “Slingshot.” 1:49. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘1992’: With the title “1992” and an image of Watts’ own Tyrese Gibson on the poster, one would be safe to assume that the 1992 Los Angeles uprising that erupted in the wake of the Rodney King verdict would be central to this B-movie thriller by Ariel Vromen. Instead, the riots feel incidental to the story. Indeed the film is set on April 29, 1992, a date immortalized in infamy, but the protests that grew into riots that are now considered an uprising are merely background action for a heist movie that pits a crew of professional thieves against a former gang member. Any insights about the events of that specific day in LA won’t be found in this vault. Despite associating with the 1992 uprising, this film doesn’t want to engage with any of the issues or topics at hand. 1:36. 1 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
‘BETWEEN THE TEMPLES’: Have you heard the one about the cantor who can’t sing and the retired music teacher who walk into a bar? In Nathan Silver’s thoroughly charming comedy “Between the Temples,” the only punchline to this setup is that these two find a singular kind of connection with each other. It’s a good thing that the film is completely hilarious too. “Between the Temples” is a laugh-out-loud comedy about religion and unlikely relationships, a kind of Jewish “Harold and Maude.” It’s premised upon a surprising connection between an older woman and a younger man, but the ways in which it’s like “Harold and Maude” have less to do with age gaps and more to do with the concept of two oddball people finding solace in each other while seeking respite in spirituality. Crafted with care and a distinct point of view, “Between the Temples” has a timeless quality; it’s the kind of film that bears repeating just because you want to spend some time inside the idiosyncratic rhythm and energy. Marching to the beat of its own drum, singing in its own key, there might not be a more authentic and purely entertaining film this year. 1:51. 4 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
‘BLINK TWICE’: In her daring directorial debut, “Blink Twice,” writer-director Zoë Kravitz doesn’t flinch once — not even when her film might be served by looking away. She maintains a steely gaze in this caustic social horror fable, laced with black comedy, which nods to Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” though Kravitz chooses to aim her artistic weapon at sexual politics, not necessarily race. Co-written with E.T. Feigenbaum, “Blink Twice” (starring Naomi Ackie, Alia Shawkat and Channing Tatum, to name a few) is a big, bold swing from the actor-turned-filmmaker, even if her message becomes muddled along the way. It’s clear Kravitz wants to make a statement with this film. What’s less clear is what exactly that statement might be. 1:42. 2 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘ALIEN: ROMULUS’: There are those who don’t like any of the “Alien” films after the first two, instructively different ones: Ridley Scott’s “Alien” (1979) and James Cameron’s “Aliens” (1986). And there are others who appreciate all six official franchise outings, up through “Alien: Covenant” (2017), on their own terms. I’m in the second camp. And the new one, “Alien: Romulus,” keeps me there. The movie knows what it’s doing. It’s sharply paced, dynamically varied filmmaking with dash and purpose, along with scads of blech and viscera. At times, you wonder if the chestburster xenomorph that exited John Hurt’s chest in “Alien” (brilliantly staged scene, still) directed parts of it. But this is where a sharp editor, working with a director, can take the edge off. Jake Roberts, Oscar winner for “Hell or High Water,” does just that in “Alien: Romulus,” establishing and then shaking up the scenes’ rhythms so that we never quite know what’s coming, or when. 1:59. 3 stars. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
‘CUCKOO’: Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo” is a horror film that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, even though it pays overt homage to its predecessors in the genre. The German writer-director gleefully combines tones, performance styles, mythology, music, references, a reverence for the natural world and contemporary allegory into an unpredictable chaos, out of which emerges the most fantastically effective creeping dread. One may not entirely understand exactly what is going on in “Cuckoo,” but there’s no denying how it makes you feel: rattled, unsettled, psychically imprinted with unforgettable images and sensations, which is how every good piece of genre cinema should leave its audience. Hunter Schaefer delivers her best performance yet, and the cast surrounding her are all distinct and distinctly odd in their own ways. At times, it feels like every actor is in a different movie, though the variegated tones all come together with the bone- rattling sound design and textured cinematography to create an incredibly arresting cinematic experience. Singer demonstrates himself to be a mad scientist of celluloid sensation, creating a hybridized monster of influences, image, sound and emotion that one won’t soon forget. 1:42. 3 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
‘SKINCARE’: Director Austin Peters makes his narrative feature debut with “Skincare,” a slice of nasty LA noir set in the beauty industry, starring Elizabeth Banks as a celebrity aesthetician whose reputation crumbles around her over the course of two weeks. The film calls to mind dark, salacious thrillers that satirize a city seemingly obsessed with image — think of “Nightcrawler,” or even “American Gigolo” — and Peters wields the style and tone of this subgenre with skill. The sunbaked Los Angeles of “Skincare” is not the glowing, golden fantasy that we often see on screen, an impossibly beautiful escapist fantasy. No, the light in “Skincare” is harsh and revealing, bright UV rays, fluorescent bulbs and neon signs beating down on the face of Hope Goldman (Banks), a facialist with a high-profile client list who’s on the verge of breaking through to the big time with her own skincare line. Reflected off the hard concrete surfaces of strip malls and sidewalks, it’s not a flattering light. The story may be only skin-deep, but Banks and castmate Lewis Pullman find something truthfully hopeless in the surface pleasures of “Skincare.” 1:37. 2 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON’: The sheer existence of this live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” inspires a number of questions on a purely basic level. Who is this for? The book by Crockett Jensen, published in 1955, is aimed at ages 3 and up, but the film, starring an almost entirely adult cast, skews older. But the premise still feels too thin and juvenile to grab audiences of any age. So, where, when and specifically what algorithm decided this film would be a lucrative endeavor? In the film, our protagonist is now an adult Harold (Zachary Levi), who still lives in his 2D world with his friends that he drew, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). Despite being in his mid-40s, he’s still quite childlike, and overly attached to his only parental figure, “the narrator” (voiced by Alfred Molina), whom he calls the “Old Man.” When one day the Old Man’s voice goes away, Harold draws himself a door to the real world in order to find him. Why the decision was made to feature a 40-something Harold is beyond my pay grade, though it likely has to do with Levi’s willingness — or desire — to star as a childlike man, as he has done previously in both “Shazam” films. The only actor committed to the heart of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is Benjamin Bottani (who portrays Zooey Deschanel’s character’s son) because, of course, children more often sincerely buy into the transformative power of imagination. So why they decided to make this movie about adults is one of the more befuddling questions that plagues this movie, among many, many others. 1:32. 1 star. — Katie Walsh
‘IT ENDS WITH US’: Adapted for the screen by Christy Hall, the source text of “It Ends With Us” is the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. “It Ends With Us” is a cathartic personal story for Hoover, based on family experience, about a woman, Lily (Blake Lively), overcoming a cycle of domestic abuse, which she witnessed in her parents’ marriage and later experiences herself in a toxic relationship. The story follows Lily (last name Bloom, yes it is acknowledged), who is living in Boston and dreams of opening up her own flower shop (yes, it is called “Lily Bloom’s”). The film opens at the funeral of her father (Kevin McKidd) at which Lily struggles to name even a few things she loved and respected about him. While processing her complex feelings on a rooftop patio at night, she encounters a hunky neurosurgeon with a temper, Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). Running into him months later — his sister Allysa (Jenny Slate) now working at Lily Bloom’s — they fall into a relationship, which is complicated by yet another coincidental run-in, with Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), whom Lily has not seen since high school. Ryle’s jealousy toward Atlas escalates the increasing volatility of their relationship, which has started to result in violence and injury toward Lily, whether accidental or not. “It Ends With Us” continues the tradition of “women’s pictures” that were an essential part of Hollywood film production in the 1940s. But women’s pictures also have to express stark truths, which feel unfortunately muddled here, in a bungled adaptation that is at once too close and too far from its source. 2:10. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh
‘CUCKOO’: Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo” is a horror film that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, even though it pays overt homage to its predecessors in the genre. The German writer-director gleefully combines tones, performance styles, mythology, music, references, a reverence for the natural world and contemporary allegory into an unpredictable chaos, out of which emerges the most fantastically effective creeping dread. One may not entirely understand exactly what is going on in “Cuckoo,” but there’s no denying how it makes you feel: rattled, unsettled, psychically imprinted with unforgettable images and sensations, which is how every good piece of genre cinema should leave its audience. Hunter Schaefer delivers her best performance yet, and the cast surrounding her are all distinct and distinctly odd in their own ways. At times, it feels like every actor is in a different movie, though the variegated tones all come together with the bone- rattling sound design and textured cinematography to create an incredibly arresting cinematic experience. Singer demonstrates himself to be a mad scientist of celluloid sensation, creating a hybridized monster of influences, image, sound and emotion that one won’t soon forget. 1:42. 3 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
RATINGS: The movies listed are rated according to the following key: 4 stars, excellent; 3 stars, good; 2 stars, fair; 1 star, poor
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