It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.




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Well, isn’t that just typical… We go for weeks with just one big opening, and and then, all of a sudden, we get hit with a bunch, all at once.

Allied, Assassin’s Creed, Moana, and Nocturnal Animals all open this week, but we only have time to cover two.

Quickly though, check out Assassin’s Creed if you know the video games. The action is worth it despite the poor reviews. And Allied, starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, is a great World War II romance.

But outside of those two, it’s the thrilling Nocturnal Animals and kid-friendly Moana that we’ll be checking out this week.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Nocturnal Animals (2016, Tom Ford)
A woman is haunted by her ex-husband's violent, symbolic novel.

Let’s start with the serious stuff. Nocturnal Animals stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams in a genre that Gyllenhaal has done so well as of late - the dramatic thriller. A haunting story of shocking intimacy and gripping tension, it explores the thin lines between love and cruelty, and revenge and redemption. Adams and Gyllenhaal are a divorced couple who discover dark truths about each other and themselves in a well-acted, distinctive film.

Parts elegant and cruel, it’s visually beautiful and narratively audacious. Check this one out.

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Moana (2016, Ron Clements, Rob Hall)
A girl sets out to right a curse incurred by the Demigod Maui.

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped - and no one knows exactly why.

Moana, about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people, seeks to answer this. During her journey, title-character Moana meets the mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean, encountering enormous monsters and facing impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she's always sought: her own identity.

With the directorial team behind some of Disney’s most memorable movies like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Moana is set to go down as one of Disney’s finer achievements. Helping it along is lush animation and a story that adds depth to the traditional Disney ark.

Both this week’s movies are bona fide winners. Welcome 2017 with either one, and leave the theatre with a smile.