6/4 A MADEA FAMILY FUNERAL COMEDY $75 MILL BO 3178 SCREENS PG-13 100 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO

Tyler Perry (NOBODY’S FOOL, VICE, GONE GIRL, MADEA GETS A JOB, GOOD DEEDS, MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION)

We open on a houseful of characters we’ve never seen before and will only barely get to know, planning a 40th anniversary party for their parents Vianne (Jen Harper, “Greenleaf”) and Anthony (Derek Morgan, “Joan of Arcadia”). Traveling to the party are Madea, Joe, Bam and Hattie, driven by Joe’s upright-attorney son Brian (Perry again, sans latex). As the out-of-towners arrive at their hotel, they discover that Anthony has had a heart attack while having sex with family friend Renee (Quin Walters, “The Haves and the Have Nots”), which puts a crimp in the anniversary party plans but does allow them all to be around for the impending funeral. Whether or not Vianne will learn the circumstances of her husband’s death, and what the repercussions will be about Vianne’s older son sleeping with his younger brother’s fiancée, is about all the plot that the movie can muster. But the real draw is Madea, of course, and she gets to be unleashed onto both a family of two-timers and hypocrites and the black funeral itself, a ritual that the movie parodies as overdone and taxingly long. Perry is clearly having a blast in all that effects makeup: “A Madea Family Funeral” gives him a third older character to play, a leg-less lech named Heathrow who speaks through an electrolarynx; the (often improvised) scenes involving this trio give the film genuine comic spark and energy. And while Perry’s Brian character is a perpetual straight man, the movie finally finds something funny for him to do in a traffic-stop scene in which he insists on compliance while his elders show justifiable concern about dealing with the police. This will rent as well as ESCAPE ROOM, HOLMES AND WATSON, BLACKKKLANSMAN, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, SPY WHO DUMPED ME and TRAFFICK.

6/4 THE KID DRAMA $3 MILL B O 645 SCREENS R 140 MINUTES DVD/BLU RAY DIGITAL COPY WITH THE BLU RAY

Chris Pratt (JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, DELIVERY MAN, HER)

The characters in Vincent D’Onofrio’s The Kid never just converse with one another. They shout and scream, deliver long-winded monologues, glower at each other, and occasionally drop faux-meaningful pearls of wisdom like, “It doesn’t matter what’s true. It matters the story they tell when you’re gone.” An overheated riff on the legend of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, the film is little more than a procession of shouty—not to mention shoot-y—confrontations between grizzled, morally compromised men. Caught in the middle of all this violence is Rio (Jake Schur), a doe-eyed young boy who slays his father after witnessing him beat his mother to death, thereby incurring the wrath of his villainous uncle, Grant Cutler (Chris Pratt). Rio and his sister (Leila George) go on the lam, running into the notorious outlaw William Bonney (Dane DeHaan), and just in time to see him get picked up by grouchy, self-serious lawman Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke). D’Onofrio’s film attempts to position Pat and Billy as moral opposites. Will Rio follow the straight and narrow path of the sheriff, or will he succumb to the alluring amorality of the outlaw? The choice is a potentially tantalizing one, but Andrew Lanham’s screenplay is too muddled to draw out this quandary with any clarity. The Kid is at once too heavy-handed in establishing the parallel between Pat and Billy—having each one tell Rio detailed stories about the first time they ever killed a man—and too confused about what exact distinction between these two men it wants to draw. Pat may solemnly intone that “a man’s wrongs matter,” and Billy may recount his many sordid past deeds with an unrepentant yellow-toothed grin on his face. This will rent as well as A PRIVATE WAR, BAD TIMES AT EL MONTE, SISTERS AND BROTHERS, WIDOWS, OLD MAN AND THE GUN and PAPILLON.

6/11 CAPTAIN MARVEL FANTASY/ACTION $388 MILL BO 4376 SCREENS PG-13 123 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO

Brie Larson (TRAINWRECK, THE GAMBLER, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, 21 JUMP STREET, DON JON)

“Captain Marvel” tells the origin story of U.S. Air Force Pilot Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a woman who becomes one of the most powerful heroes in the universe after she crash-lands an experimental aircraft. After being taken captive by aliens, she becomes tangled in the middle of a war between two alien races and escapes to Earth. When a happenstance meeting between Carol and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the pair begin to discover shocking things about her past. This is an important movie at an important time, and it was equally important that Hollywood get it right. You could say they gave it a good effort, for the most part. There’s a seamless diversity in the characters and cast, and certain aspects of the film are likely to inspire a passionate tenacity in women of all ages the world over. The girl power themes are at play, like one of the very best scenes when Captain Marvel overcomes the voices in her head spewing from the “stronger” man (Jude Law) telling her that she’s worthless and weak. Instead of staying down, she finds the inner courage to cast aside her doubts and embrace her impressive, near-invincible powers. Sounds great, and it is, but what a pity it’s preceded by scene after scene of Carol being Captain Marvel may be super powerful, but she’s a boring character. It’s not Larson’s fault, as she’s more than capable at handling the material and physicality of the role. Her rapport with Jackson is relaxed and natural, but he provides most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the comic relief. The women characters are all whip-smart and strong-willed, from the youngest (Akira Akbar) to the most mature (Annette Bening). Carol’s relationship with best friend Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) is extremely effective, but isn’t given enough screen time. I can just hear those patronizing studio suits now: “ flyover comic book audiences want more CGI fighting, not human connection through an actual story .” Captain Marvel is an extraordinary woman who’s presented as ordinary, with a flat, undeveloped personality. She’s nearly emotionless to the point where I’d believe she (and this boring MCU stumble) was created by a Hollywood think-tank who feared giving her too much fire would rock the boat. This will be a monster renter like WONDER WOMAN, BUMBLEBEE, CREED 2, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT, CRAZY RICH ASIANS, and ANT MAN AND THE WASP.

6/11 CAPTIVE STATE DRAMA $6 MILL BO 1276 SCREENS PG-13 109 MINUTES

John Goodman (10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, HANGOVER III, ARGO, FLIGHT, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, BORN YESTERDAY)

If you told most Chicagoans that their current mayor was actually an agent of monstrous, anthropomorphic porcupine-like aliens, they would probably accept that as true. Under Rahm Emanuel, dozens of public schools have been closed in communities of color, his administration was caught covering up the police shooting of Laquan Macdonald, and the police department was found to have been operating a secret torture site. Rupert Wyatt’s Captive State takes the ills that plague Chicago—from police corruption to racial segregation—and remixes them into a sci-fi allegory in which, in established alien-invasion dystopic fashion, the meaning of any given metaphor is never that far from the surface. The film opens on the day of the humans’ capitulation to the aliens, with a black CPD detective and his family attempting to flee the city as authorities lock it down, a flight that fails in a tragic manner evoking recent police shootings. After an excessively expository credits sequence in which Matrix -style computer text essentially pitches the film to us, the story picks up nine years later with the detective’s son, Gabriel (Ashton Sanders), still planning his escape from the city. The aliens have co-opted human governments, constructing a totalitarian surveillance state operated jointly with their collaborators. Gabriel lives in the Pilsen neighborhood and works in one of the aliens’ data-retrieval-and-destruction factories, extracting data stored on confiscated phones and destroying the memory cards. The aliens, who resemble human-shaped Brillo pads and are amusingly referred to in the film’s refracted version of our world as “legislators,” have an enmity toward digital communication that forces humans to fall back on landlines, payphones, carrier pigeons, and even newspaper classifieds as means of communication, clandestine and otherwise. It’s one of the film’s better ideas, as both Gabriel’s brother Rafe’s (Jonathan Majors) resistance movement and the police officer tracking them down, William Mulligan (John Goodman), have to rely on networks cobbled together from non-parallel technologies. In the hands of Rafe’s Phoenix organization, the organic technologies the aliens use to dominate life on Earth become a powerful tool of rebellion: In a truly suspenseful sequence, one resistance cell uses an invisible organic gel-bomb to attack a pro-alien rally at Soldier Field. This movie will rent as well as VICE, FAVOURITE, FIRST MAN, BLINDSPOTTING, TRUTH OR DARE, and BAD TIMES AT EL MONTE.

6/11 FIVE FEET APART DRAMA $47 MILL BO 2498 SCREENS PG-13 116 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO

Haley Lu Richardson (OPERATION FINALE, THE CHAPERONE, SPLIT, SUPPORT THE GIRLS)

To limit the danger of cross-contamination, cystic fibrosis patients are advised to stay at least six feet away from each other at all times. This little detail is sure to be remembered by anyone who watches Justin Baldoni’s Five Feet Apart , not just because its title cheekily references the rule, but also because the film is constantly, tiresomely reminding us of this fact. It’s a sign of the filmmakers’ relentlessly handholding approach to their depiction of the struggles of cystic fibrosis that hardly any information about the genetic condition is raised without being doubly, even triply, underlined for viewers. The film, about a doomed romance between two teenagers struggling with C.F., can feel, at least in its first half, more like an afterschool special than the weepie tragic romance it clearly aspires to be. Eventually, Five Feet Apart does enter Love Story mode, shamelessly jerking the audience’s tears with one schmaltzy plot contrivance after another, but first it introduces us to the intensely medicalized life of a so-called CFer through Stella (Haley Lu Richardson), an über-organized type-A teenager whose hobbies include vlogging, app design, and reorganizing her medicine cart. Despite her condition, Stella affects a pie-eyed optimism about life, a personality trait which instantly puts her at odds with Will (Cole Sprouse), the spindly, wavy-haired bad boy of the C.F. ward who loves to freak out the squares around him with sardonically fatalistic bon mots like “It’s just life—it’ll be over before you know it.” Naturally, Stella and Will fall in love, engaging in a number of cutesy hospital dates throughout the film, like one in which they use a pool cue as a measuring stick to ensure they stay—wait for it—at least five feet away from each other even when they’re stripping down to their skivvies for a midnight swim. At one point, Stella, in an act of defiance against her disorder, declares in one of her YouTube videos that she’s stealing back that last foot. Though Stella and Will’s romance is essentially an opposites-attract fairy tale, there’s enough charm and chemistry between Richardson and Sprouse to deflect attention from the hackneyed nature of the material. Richardson in particular vividly captures the desperation and sadness lurking behind Stella’s control-freak tendencies. If Stella and Will are too picture-perfect and sanded-down to resonant as real people struggling with a life- threatening illness, they nevertheless make for an appealingly fresh-faced couple, one whose youthful vigor is constantly coming into conflict with their unfortunate genetic disorder. This will rent as nicely as A DOG’S WAY HOME, BEN IS BACK, GREEN BOOK, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME, HEARTS BEAT LOUD, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and FAVOURITE.

6/11 THE MUSTANG DRAMA $5 MILL BO 978 SCREENS R 96 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO BEFORE REDBOX

Matthias Schoenaerts (RED SPARROW, CLOSE ENEMIES, A BIGGER SPLASH, THE DROP, DISORDER)

Single-minded and direct in its execution, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s The Mustang is a hard look at the extremes of masculine guilt and healing. The film opens on wild horses running freely through the vast American West. They’re soon captured and transported to a local prison, where they’ll be broken into harness and saddle by inmates, before then being sold off to ranchers, as well as border patrolmen and police officers, who’ll presumably use the horses during arrests. The parallel between horse and prisoner is blunt but finds its inspiration in an actual government-run, prisoner-staffed training program. As one of these unruly horses arrives at a Nevada jail, the terse Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is being transferred from an apparently lengthy stay in solitary to the general population. The man’s misanthropy and unconcealed look of ferociousness make him suitable only for outdoor work, where he finds himself drawn to the similarly tough and likewise soon-to-be-broken horse. Like the cells and pens it takes place in, The Mustang keeps its focus tight, sticking to Coleman’s immediate environs and psychological state—an unmistakably repressed, all-consuming guilt—rather than detailing prison life or his past. The specifics of his crime are withheld until late in the film, but it’s implied that it was sudden and brutal, and caused a rift between him and his daughter, Martha (Gideon Adlon), a relationship he’ll spend the rest of the film trying to repair. More important is the way he works through his guilt, the slow uncoiling of which forms the emotional heart of The Mustang . Coleman’s relation to his horse is used as a lens to probe the specifically masculine form of his feelings, marking a narrative and thematic similarity to Chloé Zhao’s The Rider . Coleman’s sense of guilt and his time in solitary manifest as an anti-social inability to process any sort of frustration. He’s friendless and bristles at the most minor human interaction, even acting hostilely to Martha during her few visits. His threatening demeanor forms the thin shield between him and others, a line of defense that’s really one between him and his own psyche. This will rent as well as THE MULE, GREEN BOOK, A STAR IS BORN, FRONT RUNNER, VICE, and MID 90’s.

6/18 BEACH BUM COMEDY $4 MILL BO 1011 SCREENS R 95 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO BEFORE REDBOX

Matthew McConaughey (WHITE BOY RICK, DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB, GOLD, SING, FREE STATE OF JONES)

Florida occupies a special place in the imagination as our country’s ultimate symbol of leisure. But for those who like to fall off maps and have the means to do so, it’s a very real place where one can inhabit a luxuriant dream state. Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers turned the Gulf Coast into an expression of teenage America’s collective id during the Obama years, when millennials were entering the national consciousness as the debauched harbingers of the death of everything . And with the release of The Beach Bum , which sets about charting boomers’ and Gen Xers’ backslide into hedonism, Korine solidifies his position as the premier cartographer of the Sunshine State as a place of unhurried pursuits. We first encounter The Beach Bum ’s hero, Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), in a state of self-indulgent glee, which remains unwavering for the remainder of the film. A revered poet who spends his time and his wife Minnie’s (Isla Fisher) money on women, alcohol, and drugs, the man is busy not writing his next great work in Key West. He’s a genius burnout living among less-inspired burnouts, and the typically self-parodying McConaughey fully embodies Moondog’s laidback attitude in slack-jawed, freewheeling, and unfussy fashion. When Moondog is called up to Miami for his daughter Heather’s (Stefanie LaVie Owen) wedding, the viewer gets a sense of the man’s family life. Moondog and Minnie’s marriage, however odd, is touching for the couple’s affectionate, mutual tolerance and respect; while they both sleep around, neither wavers in their love for one another. Moondog and Minnie are committed to their chill approach to life, spending a night of substance-addled joy and reverie together after Heather’s wedding. But after Minnie’s sudden death, Moondog is forced to finish his next book in order to claim his half of her will, a process that he recognizes is for his own good. So, the Jimmy Buffettesque bohemian sets on his way, traipsing across Key West and Miami, partying and finding inspiration wherever he goes. There’s a lot of fun to be had in the boys’ club. A car crash, a cop chase, a blind airplane pilot, a shark attack— Moondog skirts the danger all around him with a laugh, as do his friends. Mostly, at least. This invincibility evokes the ease that comes with knowing that one is a privileged being. As writer Ayesha Siddiqi recently pointed out in a roundup of 2018 trends for Ssense , the white Florida dad is “the most politically protected person in America.” Moondog himself proffers a theory of “anti-paranoia” that the world is conspiring to make him happy, and the flipside of this is reflected in The Beach Bum ’s less savory jokes. In a film largely centered around male interactions, its women are often sidelined as sexual objects, and several jokes use trans women in particular as the punchline. The film’s dreamy, associative style is pitched to its characters’ almost random inclinations, while mirroring the spatiotemporal dilation of a high. Its sloshing headspace is externalized by cluttered bungalows and colorific public places, captured by DP Benoît Debie in psychedelic but controlled fashion. As a matter of principle, everywhere that a colored light can be shone, it is, including every patch of sea water and sky. With only slight fear of hyperbole, it can be said that in few other films has Florida’s water appeared so multifarious and fun to look at, appearing at times deep blue, blue-green, green, green-brown, mucky, and gold. This will rent as well as BAD TIMES AT EL MONTE, THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, RIDER, SISTERS AND BROTHERS, and ROBIN HOOD.

6/18 HOTEL MUMBAI ACTION/THRILLER $10 MILL BO 978 SCREENS R 123 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO BEFORE RED BOX

Dev Patel (THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE, CHAPPIE, THE WEDDING GUEST, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL)

We open on ten grim men, all very young, going across a body of water in an inflatable boat. These men are listening on their phones to an older man giving them encouragement. After they arrive at their destination, they grab very full backpacks and duffle bags. It is obvious right from the start that these men are going to do something really bad. Next, they split up and get into three separate taxis, and they are going to three different locations; a rail station, a cafe, and the Taj Hotel. We cut to Arjun (Dev Patel) who is carefully adjusting his turban in the mirror in his bedroom. With the care he puts into his turban’s appearance, we know that it is important to him. Satisfied with the look, he hurriedly puts on his shirt. After that he picks up his two- year-old daughter and his backpack, and as he does so a dress shoe falls out of the bag. Arjun does not notice that it has been left behind on the floor. He carries his daughter on the crowded streets of Mumbai to the place where his wife works. He hands over their daughter to her, and they kiss. Then he reaches down and kisses her pregnant belly. We cut to Arjun driving on the street on a motorbike, he is late for work. We cut to the young men in the three taxi’s, and the man on the phone is giving them a pep talk. It’s clear that something horrible is about to happen at the hands of these men. He tells them to hit the train station first, then the other two sites thirty minutes later. Next, we cut to the majestic Taj Hotel. We see a room that is being prepared for some VIP’s that have a baby with them. And the staff is doing everything, from folding baby clothes to making sure the bath is the right temperature. We can tell that this is a hotel with high standards. Next, we see Arjun, who is late and hurrying to clock in and change into his waiter clothes. Cutting to a taxi where we see David (Armie Hammer), his wife Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), and their baby who is being held by their Nanny, Sally (Tilda Cobhan-Hervey). And we see that they all are excited about their stay at the Taj Hotel. As they walk into the immense and truly impressive lobby, they are greeted with flowers. From here the staff shows them to their lavish room. The baby is feeling a bit warm, and a doctor will be called. Subsequently the couple decides to go to dinner as the nanny tells them she is fine staying behind. Then we see the rail station and two of the young men go into the bathroom and into stalls preparing their weapons, checking on ammunition and putting grenades in their pockets. The two men emerge from the stalls, take a deep breath, look at each other, and then head out of the bathroom. We soon hear gunshots and screams. Very soon, they will attack the Taj Hotel. Can the Hotel guests and staff survive such a vicious attack? This will rent as well as THE FRONT RUNNER, ALPHA, GREEN BOOK, WIDOWS, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME, COLLETTE, and HUNTER KILLER.

6/18 RUN THE RACE DRAMA $9 MILL BO 886 SCREENS PG 101 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO BEFORE REDBOX

Mykelti Williamson (TV—LETHAL WEAPON, CHICAGO PD, INSECURE, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, REBEL, UNDERGROUND)

Run the Race is a sports-themed faith-based film, for which Tim Tebow and his brother Robby served as executive producers. The brothers appear briefly in the film. The film is directed by Chris Dowling ( Priceless ), who wrote the film with Jake McEntire and Jason Baumgardner ( Samson ). Dave Truett, played by Evan Hofer and his brother Zach, played by Tanner Stine ( Indivisible ), are high school seniors in Bessemer, Florida. Their mother died from cancer two years ago. After that, their father Mike played by Kristoffer Polaha ( Get Shorty, Castle ) abandoned the boys and turned to alcohol to deal with his pain. The boys are very close and deeply care for each other. They live alone in a rundown home in their depressed town, but are cared for by their godmother Nanny, played by Frances Fischer (Unforgiven, Titanic ). Dave is recovering from a bad football injury, though still experiencing occasional seizures, and is a strong Christian. We see him going to church on a few occasions, where Mario Van Peebles ( Heartbreak Ridge ), portrays Pastor Baker. Zach is a popular and good-looking All-State running back on the football team. He is hoping for a college scholarship to the University of Florida (where Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy and was a two-time national champion), and take Dave with him to get out of Bessemer. Former Tennessee Titans star Eddie George plays a small role as a recruiter from the University of Florida. This rent as well SISTERS AND BROTHERS, LEAVE NO TRACE, HEARTS BEAT LOUD, DISOBEDIENCE, BEN IS BACK, ARCTIC and BOY ERASED.

6/18 US HORROR $176 MILL BO 3487 SCREENS R 116 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO 28 DAYS BEFORE REDBOX

Elisabeth Moss (TV---WEST WING, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, MAD MEN --FILM—THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN, SEAGULL, CHUCK, HI RISE, ON THE ROAD)

Us opens in 1986 with a little girl, Adelaide (Madison Curry), wandering an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. She drifts away from her distracted father and takes refuge during a storm in a hall of mirrors, whose signage invites her to “Find Yourself”—and she does, literally encountering her doppelgänger. In the present, Adelaide Wilson (now played by Lupita Nyong’o) revisits the same area with her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), and their teenage daughter (Shahadi Wright Nelson) and prepubescent son (Evan Alex). A trip to the beach reawakens her fears of her shadow self, and that very night, her lookalike—also now grown—and red-clad lookalike family invade the Wilsons’ home and terrorize them. These invaders are glass-darkly versions of the Wilsons, rawly animalistic semi-clones seeking vengeance for the cursed opposite-but-equal lives they’ve been forced to lead: Every time the Wilsons had a hot, tasty meal, their counterparts ate raw, bloody rabbit, and every time the Wilsons bore loving, well-enough-adjusted children, their counterparts birthed psychotics. Peele’s script adopts an idea that Michel de Montaigne expressed in the title of his essay “Le profit de l’un est dommage de l’autre” (which loosely translates to “The Profit of One Is Harm to the Other”)—not just that capitalism has its winners and losers but that every gain a person makes directly correlates to another’s loss. The Wilsons are conspicuously upper-middle class—they have a summer house, a sweet car, even a boat—and their crimson-suited doubles represent a there-but-for- the-grace-of-god-go-I reckoning with a version of what their lives might have been like. This seems to play on the fears of some economically ascendant African-Americans: What do I owe to the community? Have I left others behind? Have I gotten soft? As in Get Out , this film’s African-American characters come under assault not in the inner cities of the white imagination, but in supposedly safer upper-class suburban spaces. But Us also moves past such racial themes. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.) The shadow vengeance meted upon the Wilsons is in fact a plague, and it’s one that touches every family in Peele’s film. It’s a plot point that the filmmaker introduces with the unexpected—and quite violent—deaths of the Wilsons’ closest friends: the bourgie, boozy, and very white Tylers, including a mother, played by Elisabeth Moss, who sips rosé at the beach before it hits “vodka o’clock.” In Us , Peele is less concerned with blackness than he is economics, as the howling, homicidal doubles that torment the Wilsons represent an avenging under class. “What are you people?” Gabe asks when the terror begins. “We’re Americans !” his wife’s double hisses. It’s tempting to read these Americans as the embittered Trump base, rising up to destroy the false idyll that was the comfort—for some, at least—of the American status quo The film’s screenplay is carefully constructed, so much so that the punchline to a seemingly throwaway knock-knock joke is retroactively understood as a clever foreshadowing of horrific things to come. Drawing on his comedy background, Peele has an uncanny ability to insert laughs into moments of high dread, relieving the tension without diffusing it. And that tension can be overbearing; Peele’s filmmaking is sophisticated, crafting eerie atmospheres and maximizing suspense as his camera moves with the gracefulness of Adelaide the one-time ballet star, glimpses of whom the viewer occasionally sees in flashbacks. The most striking visuals come near the end, as long-deferred exposition introduces a nightmarish sci-fi subterranean clone town consisting of tunnels that resemble hospital corridors. There, doubles were compelled to mimic the movements of their surface-dwelling counterparts. These damned bodies without their own souls then come up for air to kill and then hold each other’s hands, inspired by Hands Across America, a commercial for which opens Us . (And on the shelf next to the TV showing it is a VHS copy of C.H.U.D. .) In the ‘80s, this collective action, we’re told, was meant to raise hunger awareness, and that’s what it does in the present as well, though in a different way. The nationwide mole people, come to eradicate their oppressors, are certainly hungry, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually—for the comforts and pleasures and basic necessities they’ve so long been denied. Oh yeah, this will be huge. It will rent as well as GLASS, AQUAMAN, NOBODY’S FOOL, THE HATE U GIVE, BREAKING IN, A QUIET PLACE, ANNIHILATION and THE NUN.

6/25 ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL ADVENTURE FANTASY $90 MILL BO 3265 SCREENS PG-13 122 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL CODE WITH THE COMBO 28 DAYS BEFORE REDBOX

Rodriguez dutifully follows the beats of your average young-adult narrative, as Alita is on a rapid growth curve following her restoration to her mostly former self, surprising even herself with how much strength and fighting prowess she possesses. And all while nourishing a romance with a local, Hugo (Keean Johnson), who just so happens to make a living assaulting people and harvesting their body parts for resale. In tried and true YA fashion, the male love interest is a blatant threat to the female protagonist, and the strained, perfunctory relationship that develops almost immediately between Alita and Hugo is by far Battle Angel ’s weakest subplot. Likewise, the extensive world- building and franchise setup is de rigueur for establishing what’s mostly a boilerplate depiction of a decaying world of have-nots overseen by a small cluster of super-wealthy types who literally tower over the masses in a giant floating city that’s the last testament to a more advanced, prelapsarian age. The film, though, begins to distinguish itself when it leans into the idiosyncrasies of Kishiro’s famed source manga. Like America’s preeminent creators of live-action anime, the Wachowskis, Rodriguez best captures his material when developing the story through a combination of action and tacit existential rumination. Much of Battle Angel ’s action involves a network of bounty hunters who track down rogue humans and cyborgs at the behest of factories whose savage and unquestioning murders of anyone labeled a criminal paints a clear portrait of violently maintained corporate oligarchy in this society. The action itself boasts some of the most impressive choreography and sturdy, coherent direction to mark a giant-scale blockbuster in some time, with fight scenes shot close enough to convey visceral impact but with enough distance and shot duration to communicate the instinctual grace and power of Alita’s combat skills. This is especially on display whenever she confronts Grewishka (Jackie Earle Haley), a colossus of advanced weaponry whose snaking, robotic claws bring new shades of visual dynamism to Rodriguez’s compositions as Alita weaves around her hulking nemesis in order to find the best angle from which to strike. Likewise, the film gets a lot of mileage out of the extreme sport of motorball, depicted across scenes that suggest gene splices of Rollerball (the original and its remake) and the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer . Alita, increasingly looking for an outlet for her violent tendencies, takes a fancy to the sport, and her attempts to play professionally while dodging players paid to kill her result in a series of impressively fast and fluid action sequences. This will rent as well as BUMBLE BEE, AQUAMAN, MORTAL ENGINES, A STAR IS BORN and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT.

6/25 DUMBO LIVE ACTION FAMILY $93 MILL BO 3254 SCREENS PG 112 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO

Danny DeVito (TV—TAXI, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA—FILM—BE COOL, GET SHORTY, WAR OF THE ROSES, TIN MEN)

Dumbo focuses on the employees of the Medici Brothers Circus, a run-down operation run by ringmaster Max Medici (Danny DeVito). His troupe’s fallen on hard times and he’s looking for new stars to draw in crowds. The horses have been sold off and when war hero/horse trainer Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns from fighting in World War I minus an arm, the only available job is handling the elephants. Seems Max Medici made a deal for a pregnant elephant, pinning his hopes on a baby blooming into a box office bonanza. Unfortunately, when the baby arrives, he’s considered a freak. His gigantic ears hinder his ability to walk and even to see as they flap in front of his eyes. His fiercely protective mom becomes enraged at her baby’s treatment and is forced to pay for exhibiting maternal instincts toward her newborn by being returned to the man who sold her to Max. Separated from his mom just days after his birth, baby Dumbo becomes depressed. Only the presence of Holt’s two children – Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) who are also dealing with the loss of their mother – gives the little wrinkly-skinned pachyderm any comfort. Of course the adults, including Holt, refuse to pay any attention to the kids when they discover Dumbo can fly. Their eyes are only opened when a freak accident in front of an audience under the big top reveals to all that Dumbo’s huge ears have an incredible purpose: they give the little creature the ability to soar. And soar he does! Dumbo becomes a star and attracts the attention of a multi-millionaire entrepreneur (played by Michael Keaton) who strikes a deal to absorb the Medici Brothers Circus into his own large amusement park enterprise. However, Dumbo doesn’t want to be a circus star. All he wants is to be reunited with his loving mother. There are generations of Dumbo fans who only need to hear “Baby Mine” to tear up, and 2019’s version pulls on those same heart-strings. No matter your age, you’ll feel like a vulnerable child listening to that moving number in the live- action version. Director Tim Burton wisely lingers on the connection and ultimate separation of Dumbo and his mom, establishing the bond through mom and baby holding trunks and by Dumbo’s mournful cries as his mother’s taken away. Dumbo is visually impressive and as you’d expect from a Tim Burton production, the sets are absolutely stunning. It’s easy to become absorbed in the world on screen and to feel you’re seated in the circus tent watching the miracle of a baby elephant soaring inches from the top of the tent. The CGI is flawless and little Dumbo as the central character is impossible not to love. The script lets down his human co-stars and is shockingly dark in places which might catch some parents by surprise. Much more a drama than a comedy, the film wastes opportunities to lighten the tone and serve up more humorous moments of Dumbo learning to hone his flying skills. However, it does score points with animal-lovers by stressing the harm of keeping wild animals captive for entertainment purposes. This will rent as well as BUMBLE BEE, A STAR IS BORN, SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDER VERSE, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, MARY POPPINS RETURNS, and HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN IT’S WALLS.

6/25 WONDER PARK FAMILY/ANIMATED $46 MILL BO 2245 SCREENS PG-13 85 MINUTES DVD/COMBO DIGITAL COPY WITH THE COMBO

VOICES OF: Jennifer Garner, Sofia Mali, Matthew Broderick While much of Wonder Park takes place in the fictional Wonderland amusement park, the premise of the film hinges on June's relationship with her mom (Jennifer Garner), since they dreamed up the park together. However, when June's mom gets sick and has to go away, June packs up the model of her park and, in a moment of emotion, throws the blueprints she and her mom drew into the fire. It's the emotional core of Wonder Park and it works incredibly well because the movie takes the time to develop the supportive, loving relationship between June and her mom. Much of the first act is dedicated to establishing their relationship and how it intertwines with June's love of Wonderland. And because that dynamic is so well-developed, June's turn away from Wonderland to a more anxious mindset is all the more believable. When Wonder Park actually gets to the park, though, the movie trades in real emotional heart for wacky sidekicks and a meandering story that eventually returns to the main themes of the movie. When June stumbles upon Wonderland, she meets real-life versions of the park's talking animals that she created: the welcome bear Boomer (Ken Hudson Campbell), the safety officer porcupine Steve (John Oliver), the wild boar Greta (Mila Kunis) and the beaver brothers Cooper (Ken Jeong) and Gus (Kenan Thompson). However, the group is missing the park's ride creator, Peanut (Norbert Leo Butz), and they're constantly on the run from the Chimpanzombies who are destroying the park and feeding pieces of it into an ominous dark cloud in the sky. What unfolds from there is an adventure through the park that takes June through various rides and sections of the park she created. It's an entertaining enough story that reflects June's real-world problems in largely predictable ways, but gets stronger when it circles back to June's character arc. This will rent as well as INSTANT FAMILY, MARY POPPINS RETURNS, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, GOOSEBUMPS 2 and MAMMA MIA 2.