What to Watch in the Theater:
The Hustle (PG13) is in theaters now. In this gender-switch re-imagining of the 1988 classic Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Josephine (Anne Hathaway) is a high class con artist and Penny (Rebel Wilson) is a small-time operator. When their paths cross in the south of France, they are adversaries, with each trying to get the upper hand. They work together, but ultimately come up with a winner-takes-all scam. Like the male version, their characters can be a bit annoying and over the top, but that’s the beauty of the con – you never get to see what the person is like on the inside, or do you? This is a fun movie with some good twists.
Our rating: 4.33 out of 5
A Dog’s Journey (PG) opens today. In this sequel, we rejoin Ethan and the reincarnated Bailey on the farm, with the addition of granddaughter CJ. Ethan gives Bailey a new purpose for his future lives – to keep CJ safe – and off we go, watching Bailey die and come back as a puppy again and again. The story is surprisingly fresh, given the repeat premise, with some new story points added to the mix. This one may have sparked even more emotions than the first, given the ties between Ethan and CJ, and Bailey’s desire to protect CJ from all the bad things life had in store for her. Make sure you have some tissues handy – this one, like the original, is a real tearjerker (but in a good way).
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
What to Watch at Home (Or Not):
Brigsby Bear (PG13) is available on DVD. In this quirky story, James has lived his whole life (20-something years) in a survival bunker, thinking the outside world was toxic. In reality, he was stolen as an infant, and his family has been searching for him. Upon his return, they learn he is obsessed with an educational TV show no one else has seen, called Brigsby Bear. It turns out his captor “father” had produced the show just for him. James sets out to find closure by producing his own Brigsby movie, with help from his new friends, and his family thinks he has issues. James is awkward, obsessive, and sometimes sweet in his naivete, and we were pretty distracted by Mark Hamill as the kidnapper.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5
Wine Country (R) is streaming exclusively on Netflix. This movie reunites a bunch of SNL women, who play a group of friends that worked at a pizza joint when they were young. They get together in Napa to celebrate one friend’s 50th birthday, and we learn about their issues and personalities. It’s a little predictable that there are communication issues and bad feelings grow within the group, till they get to the breaking point. There’s a bit of raunch, a lot of foul language, and a lot less comedy than this group is capable of.
Our rating: 1.83 out of 5
Plus box office results and our interview with Annie Award-winning Dreamworks animator, Thomas Grummt, about How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.