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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With The Last Jedi having dropped last weekend, it’s no surprise that studios are taking a bit of a breather and it giving it a wide berth.
However, there still is one wider opening in The Greatest Showman, which has decided to take a swing at Luke and friends.

But outside of the Hugh Jackman-driven production there isn’t much outside of a family-friendly animated adventure in Monster Family.

If you want the short version, neither of these will blow your socks off, but in the spirit of audience divisiveness brought about by The Last Jedi, then let’s not believe in foregone conclusions and take a deeper look at both these offerings.

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Mike Laidman

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

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The Greatest Showman (2017, Michael Gracey)
Inspired by P.T. Barnum, a musical celebrating show business.

Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

As someone who doesn’t know the backstory of P.T. Barnum, it’s easy to get sucked into the razzle-dazzle of the Showman and take it for what it is - a musical featuring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron both singing and dancing their hearts out. The big-screen musical has seen a revival as of late, and to that end, Showman does a lot of things right. But it’s the things it neglects that are unfortunate, like the intriguing real-life story of Barnum himself

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Monster Family (2017, Holger Tappe)
A family trying to reconnect is turned into monsters.

The Wishbone family are far from happy. In an attempt to reconnect, Mum and Emma plan a fun night out. However, the plan backfires when an evil witch curses them, and they're all turned into monsters.

This is probably the last thing a family wants to happen to them while they’re enjoying a night out - even if they’re a dysfunctional one - and you’d think it would provide plenty of opportunities for amusement.

But unfortunately, Monster Family falls flat on its Frankenstein face. The jokes are poor, scenes ramble on too long, the plot seems to be lacking, and it’s home to a myriad of overdone cliches. The animation is clean and engaging, but the movie as a whole isn’t. Audiences would be better off re-watching The Incredibles or Hotel Transylvania if they’re looking for an abnormal animated family adventure.