Glass,
directed by M. Night Shyamalan
(PG-13, 2 hour, 9 minutes)
A comic book superhero tale comes to life, more or less, in this less-than-satisfying story where Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn (from Unbreakable), as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, also known as Mr. Glass. It's not all that exhilarating, but at least it's a step up and forward for the director, whose films have been, well, mediocre lately.
More familiar faces in Glass show up from the director's 2017 drama Split, such as James McAvoy as multi-personalities killer Kevin Wendell Crumb (ensconced, along with Price, in a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane) and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with super-human The Beast.
There are more superheroes involved, but not to any great purpose. With Sarah Paulson.
Justice League vs the Fatal Five (PG-13, 1 hour, 17 minutes) A tribute to the animated style of Batman and Superman in the 1990s, this adventure fantasy requires The Justice League -- Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman -- respond to a powerful new threat, the Fatal Five, which are terrorizing Metropolis. Time travel is involved. With the voices of Diane Guerrero, Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, Tara Strong, Noel Fisher, George Newbern; directed by Sam Liu.
Master of Dark Shadows (not rated, 1 hour, 32 minutes) This documentary explores the origins and lengthy appeal of Dark Shadows, the gothic soap opera from Dan Curtis that aired from 1966 to 1971. With Ian McShane, Whoopi Goldberg, Lara Parker, Roger Davis, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Jerry Lacy, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, Jim Storm; directed by David Gregory.
The Kid Who Would be King, (PG, 2 hours) A high-spirited adventure fantasy for all ages -- sentimental, yet smart and likable -- in which old-school magic meets the modern world when unassuming Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) stumbles upon Excalibur, the mythical Sword in the Stone. His discovery forces him to join with legendary wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart) to take on wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). Directed by Joe Cornish.
Of Fathers and Sons (aka Kinder des Kalifats) (not rated, 1 hour, 39 minutes) Following his Sundance award-winning documentary The Return to Homs, Talal Derki returns to Syria to aim his camera at the children of a radical Islamist family to create an unsentimental and intensely compelling observation of jihadist fundamentalism.
Stray (TV-MA, 1 hour, 29 minutes) Decently assembled and totally unemotional, this visually appealing sci-fi mystery concerns an orphaned teenager and a detective who work together to investigate her mother's murder. Turns out there's a supernatural force lurking nearby, and the girl's previously unrevealed powers might be the way to stop it. With Karen Fukuhara, Christine Woods, Ross Partridge; directed by Joe Sill.
MovieStyle on 04/19/2019