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How to Talk to Girls at Parties
How to Talk to Girls at Parties

How to Talk to Girls at Parties,

directed by John Cameron Mitchell

(R, 1 hour, 42 minutes)

Forgive its flaws -- among them a lack of focus -- because the fun and the energy make it worthwhile. This cult-wannabe musical comedy, set in 1977-era London, concerns a British suburban teenager Enn (Alex Sharp) who, when sneaking out to after-hours punk parties with friends, meets some unique and unusually attractive peers who seem like they're from another planet.

Turns out, they are -- visiting the earth with the goal of completing a rite of strictly alien passage. Adventures ensue.

With Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman. Blu-ray bonuses include audio commentary with director John Cameron Mitchell, Fanning and Alex Sharp, a making-of featurette, and deleted scenes.

Book Club (PG-13, 1 hour, 44 minutes) The reason to watch this bawdy female-focused summer comedy is its talented, experienced, and charismatic star power -- Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen -- who play four lifelong friends whose lives are upended when their book club chooses notorious Fifty Shades of Grey as its monthly reading assignment. With Alicia Silverstone, Katie Aselton, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Begley Jr., directed by Bill Holderman. The Blu-ray combo pack includes a making-of featurette, deleted and extended scenes, info on how the film was cast, a visit to the set with the filmmakers, and background on creating the film's theme song.

The Yellow Birds (R, 1 hour, 34 minutes) A challenging, sometimes difficult and complicated war film in which a deep friendship, formed by soldiers Brandon Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) and Daniel Murphy (Tye Sheridan), is tested when tragedy strikes their platoon in Iraq and has far-reaching effects. With Toni Collette, Jennifer Aniston; directed by Alexandre Moors. A making-of featurette is include with the Blu-ray.

Bad Samaritan (R, 1 hour, 50 minutes) A edge-of-seat thriller, not without flaws, but plenty entertaining, in which a scheming valet (Robert Sheehan) concocts a seemingly foolproof scam to profitably burgle the homes of rich customers. Then he picks on the wrong guy (David Tennant) who turns out to be running a scheme of his own, one that involves holding a woman captive. With Kerry Condon, Jacqueline Byers, Lisa Brenner; directed by Dean Devlin.

Furlough (R, 1 hour, 23 minutes) Plenty of talent suggests a positive outcome here, but not enough laughs and a lack of spirit make this wannabe comedy less than entertaining. A hard-to-control prison inmate (Melissa Leo) is allowed to leave for a weekend to see her sickly mother while under the supervision of a rookie corrections officer (Tessa Thompson). Adventures follow. With Whoopi Goldberg, Anna Paquin, Edgar Ramirez; directed by Laurie Collyer.

Shock and Awe (R, 1 hour, 30 minutes) Too generic, cliched, and poorly presented to be relevant, this clumsy political drama (with an impressive cast) concerns Knight Ridder journalists who aren't convinced of the legitimacy of the Bush White House's justification for the conflict that leads to the 2003 war in Iraq. With Milla Jovovich, Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Biel, Rob Reiner; directed by Reiner.

Measure of a Man (PG-13, 1 hour, 40 minutes) An earnest, warmly nostalgic dramatic comedy detailing a rough summer in 1976 for chubby, awkward 14-year-old Bobby (Blake Cooper). He's often bullied, his parents are heading toward divorce, his best friend is leaving for a month, his sister is giving him too much information about her love life, and there are all the other problems that come with being a teenager who needs to learn how to grow up. It's a wild ride, but all rides eventually come to an end. With Donald Sutherland, Luke Wilson, Judy Greer; directed by Jim Loach.

Avengers: Infinity War (PG-13, 2 hours, 29 minutes) The Avengers -- Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, and the rest of the gang -- are back, in an often thrilling yet overly lengthy and eventually wearisome battlefest against new bad guy Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin). As you'd expect, the futures of the universe is at stake. With Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle; directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.

MovieStyle on 08/17/2018

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