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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I remember this time two years ago, with The Force Awakens, and then again, to a somewhat lesser degree, with Rogue One - the palpable excitement in the December air when a new Star Wars movie is about to open.

Sure, there are other great franchises out there, but how many others can claim a 40-year history with the kind of fandom, and success, than Star Wars has?

Enter The Last Jedi, the movie that’s going to set the box office spinning during the last couple weeks of the year, and, limping behind it somewhere way, way back is Tulip Fever, a period piece set in 17th-century Amsterdam.

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Mike Laidman

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

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, Rian Johnson)
Rey joins Luke Skywalker as she journeys to discover the Force.

Following directly after the events of The Force Awakens, we find young Rey with Luke Skywalker, about to delve into the secrets of the Force and discover some shocking revelations of the past.

Not content to simply mine the current universe for material, The Last Jedi does what so many franchises and sequels fail to do - it builds on the successes of its past while also widening the scope and vision of its future.

Yes, there’s action in spades here, but with it comes proper emotion and some surprising twists - and this is what fans of the series will notice most. For even amidst all the green-screen work lies a smaller film, one where old characters pass the baton to a younger, yet confident, generation.

In short, The Last Jedi provides all that could ever be asked of a new Star Wars movie - intense action, lighthearted fun, and reverence for all that has come before, while broadening the horizons of that familiar galaxy far, far away.

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Tulip Fever (2017, Justin Chadwick)
An artist falls for the young woman he’s commissioned to paint.

In 17th-century Amsterdam, an orphaned girl is forcibly married to a rich and powerful merchant - an unhappy "arrangement" that saves her from poverty. After her husband commissions a portrait, she begins a passionate affair with the painter, a struggling young artist. Seeking to escape the merchant's ever-reaching grasp, the lovers risk everything and enter the frenzied tulip bulb market, with the hope that the right bulb will make a fortune and buy their freedom.

As a period piece, it’s handsomely mounted, with lush backgrounds and costumes. The story, however, leaves much to be desired. While the larger points are being dealt with, there’s an excessive amount of plotting going on in the background, something that serves to undo what would otherwise be an engaging tale. The poor dialogue doesn’t do much to help things, either, and the audience is left wondering what could have been had things been tightened up and some subplots left untouched.