Despicable Me 3,
directed by Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
(PG, 1hour, 30 minutes)
The popular 3-D computer animated movie franchise keeps the fun rolling around -- in what may be too many directions at once -- when Gru (voice of Steve Carell) discovers that he has a twin brother named Dru. Sibling rivalry commences.
Along with newfound family foibles, Gru is at odds with Balthazar Bratt (voice of Trey Parker), a childhood star from the 1980s who, like Netflix' Bojack Horseman, is obsessed with the character that he once played and is now on an all-encompassing quest for world domination.
It's noisy and frantic, colorful and confusing, with a creeping sense of annoyance. Although still a good time, this multi-series romp may be nearing the end of its run.
With voices of Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan, Julie Andrews;
Split (PG-13, 1 hour, 57 minutes) Convoluted and none too scary, but with a decent concept and interesting performances, this horror drama concerns a curious patient with dissociative identity disorder who has exhibited 23 wildly different personalities to his psychiatrist. There's one more lurking inside him, ready to burst forth, with the power to dominate all the others and a penchant for kidnapping teenage girls. With James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula; directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Better Watch Out (R, 1 hour, 29 minutes) The genre of home-invasion horror is becoming awfully commonplace, but this suspenseful approach brings a fresh, violent and surprisingly nasty perspective with a story of a babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) who is intent on standing up for two youngsters (Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould) when intruders bust in on a wintry evening. Or do they? With Dacre Montgomery, Aleks Mikic, Patrick Warburton; directed by Chis Peckover.
Crash Pad (R, 1 hour, 31 minutes) Here's what happens in a witty wisecracking comedy when a younger man falls for an older woman, then finds out she's toying with him to get back at her distracted husband. Blackmail is threatened, but the husband comes up with a much more original concept intended at re-educating himself as to what women want. With Domhnall Gleeson, Thomas Haden Church, Christina Applegate, Nina Dobrev; directed by Kevin Tent.
The Osiris Child (not rated, 1 hour, 35 minutes) A lively, promising low-budget intergalactic sci-fi adventure in which yet another deadly disease threatens those on a newly colonized planet, with desperate measures taken by a man intent on saving his young daughter from annihilation with the help of an escaped prisoner. With Kellan Lutz, Isabel Lucas, Rachel Griffiths, Luke Ford; directed by Shane Abbess.
American Assassin (R, 1 hour, 52 minutes) A mediocre, violent, profane espionage thriller in which action and combative characters take the place of a decent plot and worthwhile performances. It concerns Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien), yet another CIA undercover recruit (there are a lot of them around lately) under the control of veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton); they're assigned by CIA deputy director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate seemingly unrelated attacks on military and civilian targets. Think they'll find a pattern? With Taylor Kitsch, David Suchet; directed by Michael Cuesta.
MovieStyle on 12/08/2017