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Five Feet Apart is winning, Captive State dissapoints

Five Feet Apart tells an honest and winning story, while Captive State gets lost in its own plot.

It’s a tale as old as time.  Terminally Ill boy meets terminally ill girl, and they fall in love in Five Feet Apart.

But is it a cliché-ridden tear-jerker or a genuinely moving romance? 

Let’s talk about what this film isn’t.  It’s not rife with romantic clichés.  It’s not horribly manipulative, and it’s not … bad.

Credit: Alfonso Bresciani
Hayley Lu Richardson in FIVE FEET APART

This story of disease-crossed lovers coulda been…and I kinda expected it to be…romantic claptrap.  I was wrong.  Five Feet Apart is a genuinely moving and affecting story about these kids suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.  It’s Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, and suggestive material.  I ended up liking this film to the tune of 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.  Oh, it’s not perfect, but it’s a good story about having to make choices in the face of a deadly disease.  That story and the great performances won me over.

I confess I teared up a little at the end.

I’d been looking forward to Captive State a story about oppression at the hands of our Extra-terrestrial Alien Overlords and their human collaborators and the resistance.

Credit: © 2018 Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC.
John Goodman and Ashton Sanders in Captive State (2019)

Captive State doesn’t rely on expensive special effects, although it has a few.  It has some very good performances from a great cast including John Goodman and Vera Farmiga.  What it lacks is an entirely coherent script.  The story is a bit tough to follow sometimes.  Captive State is Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action, some sexual content, brief language, and drug material.  I’m sad that I can’t give it more than 3 and a half out of 5 boxes of popcorn.  If dystopian sci-fi is your thing, you’ll probably like it.

I’m sure Wonder Park isn’t nausea-inducing, but it’s surely not terribly challenging material.

Credit: © 2018 Paramount Animation, a Division of Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Wonder Park

The animated kids' feature hasn’t exactly been a thrill ride for critics, but with a PG rating for some mild thematic elements and action, it’s probably family friendly enough.

Ruben Brant, Collector is a more adult animated feature. 

Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)

It’s basically a caper flick about art theft.  It’s Rated R for nude images and some violence.

Oh, and by the way, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is opening this weekend.

Credit: © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE

It’s Rated PG for peril, suggestive material, thematic elements and language, so it’s another family-friendly choice.  It’s getting some nice critical buzz.  

I really like Sophia Lillis's work in It, so this might we work a look-see.

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