This weekend, musicals, horror flicks and sci-fi adventures are lighting up the big screen. First up is Elton John’s biopic, “Rocketman,” starring Taron Egerton as the famous talented musician.
Also making its debut is the horror flick “Ma,” in which Octavia Spencer plays a loner who has other hidden agenda when she invites unsuspecting teens to her home.
Meanwhile, the sequel “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is making a splash of its own, starring Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler as married scientists trapped in a world of battling monsters.
Here’s what to see and skip this weekend:
Movies Out This Weekend
“Rocketman” — Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jaime Bell; directed by Dexter Fletcher
The fantasy musical chronicles the life of Elton John (Taron Egerton) — whose real name is Reginald Dwight — from the time he was a young, shy piano prodigy in 1960s London through his meteoric rise and addiction-fueled lows.
Playing fast and loose with the facts, “Rocketman” opens with Elton John attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, in which he declares his addiction to sex, drugs, shopping and excessive overeating. The movie then highlights his pain and sufferings with the star’s hit songs, beginning with a young Elton singing “The Bitch Is Back,” a depiction of his turbulent relationship with his dismissive mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) and his distant father (Steven Mackintosh).
By his early 20s, Elton has risen to worldwide fame but, in spite of it all, he feels unloved. His romance with his talent manager, John Reid (Richard Madden), fizzles, and his close relationship with his best friend and music collaborator, Bernie Taupin (Jaime Bell), also hangs in the balance.
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As his emotional and musical journey unfolds over the years, so do Elton’s highs and lows, all leading up to his sobriety in the early ’80s with his celebratory hit song, “I’m Still Standing.”
See it. Egerton is phenomenal, and Fletcher’s direction is outstanding.
Watch the trailer:
“Ma” — Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers; directed by Tate Taylor
This thriller stars Octavia Spencer as Sue Ann, a lonely woman who spends her days as an assistant to a grumpy veterinarian in suburban Ohio, and her nights just keeping to herself.
Then one day she befriends some neighborhood teens, including the new kid on the block, Maggie (Diana Silvers). She allows them to use her basement to have a party, under two conditions: First, they need to call her “Ma,” and second, they cannot go upstairs.
Thrilled, the kids accept her kindness and generosity. But they’ll soon discover that Ma has other plans for them.
See it. Spencer’s excellent performance buoys a somewhat lazy script.
Watch the trailer:
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” — Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga; directed by Michael Dougherty
Picking up five years after the catastrophic events of the 2014 reboot film, this sequel centers around Mark and Madison Russell (Kyle Chandler and Vera Farmiga), husband and wife scientists who are co-inventors of a bio-sonar device used to track whales. When their young daughter, Maddie (Millie Bobby Brown), accidentally re-calibrates the tool as a monster-summoning gadget, it attracts the attention of eco-terrorist Jonah Alan (Charles Dance).
Meanwhile, the gigantic monsters have broken free of their enclosures in China, and the fate of the world is at stake as monster titans, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidora battle for supremacy. Can Godzilla and the Russell family save the world from doom?
Skip it. The screenplay squanders a talented cast on blurry and cloudy CGIs.
Watch the trailer:
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