By Chip Chandler — Producer
In Amarillo theaters this week: The merc with a mouth returns, plus favorite actresses of a certain age get a little saucy.
New in theaters
Book Club
Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Candace Bergen and Diane Keaton star in this comedy as a quartet of friends whose club-led reading of Fifty Shades of Grey reinvigorates their own romantic lives. Now, I'm all for any opportunity to see any of these women working, and a "life's not over at (fill in the age)" message is certainly welcome. But Fifty Shades? Really? In 2018? Reviews are fairly positive, though: "The cast is just as game for the broad humor as it is for the emotional beats; the latter’s familiarity doesn’t detract from its poignancy," writes The Wrap's Inkoo Kang. (PG-13 for sex-related material throughout, and for language; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd., and CInemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)
Deadpool 2
Meta-commentary will fly as widely as bullets in this superhero spoof sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds as the nigh-indestructible mercenary. This time, he's up against time-traveling killer Cable (Josh Brolin, also starring as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War). Fans are going to see this one regardless, but reviews are fairly positive anyway. "There’s a numbing sameness to the casual bloodshed here that makes the viewer almost long for the relative calm of the first film’s lengthy pop culture digressions. It’s in Deadpool’s DNA to channel the wild id of a 12-year-old boy — a very clever one who happens to love boobs, Enya, and blowing stuff up. Which is dizzy fun for a while, like eating Twinkies on a Gravitron. Eventually, though, it just wears you out," writes Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt. (R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16, and here for showtimes at Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Drive)
Show Dogs
A cop (Will Arnett) and his canine partner (voiced by Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) go undercover at a Las Vegas dog show to stop a ring of animal smugglers. Beware of the trailer: I lost at least a thousand brain cells watching it. Reviews, not surprisingly, are not out yet. (PG for suggestive and rude humor, language and some action; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
Special engagements
Macbeth
The National Theatre production of this Shakespearean classic, starring Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff, will stream at 7 p.m. Thursday at Amarillo Star 14. These major theatrical productions are a rare treat, so don't miss out.
Porco Rosso
Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with this aerial adventure about a hotshot pilot struck by a spell that changes his face into that of a pig. And he's also a bounty hunter? Yes, it sounds a little silly, but it's from Hiyao Miyazaki, so quality is assured. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. May 20 and 7 p.m. May 23, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. May 21, all at both the Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Godspeed — The Race Across America
This inspirational documentary charts an attempt by racers Jerry Schemmel and Brad Cooper to make it across America on bicycles. It'll screen at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Amarillo Star 14.
Upcoming
May 25: Advance tickets for the embattled sci-fi prequel Solo: A Star Wars Story, starring Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, are on sale now at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
May 30: Based on the memoir, A Chance in the World tells the story of adoption advocate Steve Pemberton and his struggles surviving in the foster system. A live-streamed panel discussion will follow. It'll screen at 7 p.m. May 30 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
May 31: Faith-based documentary Andy Irons: Kissed by God details the story of champion surfer Irons and his struggles with bipolar disorder and opioid addiction. A streamed Q&A will follow. It'll screen at 7 p.m. May 31 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 1: Brutal comedy Action Point and survival drama Adrift are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale. Plus, Vol. 2 of Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero's Best F(r)iends will screen at 8 p.m. June 1 and June 4 at Amarillo Star 14.
June 3 and 6: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with The Producers, screening at 2 and 7 p.m. June 3 and 6 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 7: Advance tickets are now on sale for horror film Hereditary at the Hollywood 16; Amarillo Star 14 should follow.
June 8: Action thriller Hotel Artemis and heist flick Ocean's 8 are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
June 10 and 11: Enjoy a double feature of the original 1995 Jumanji and the 2017 hit Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in special screenings at 2 p.m. June 10 and 6:30 p.m. June 11 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 11: The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) learns the origins of his deadliest foes in Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks, a cinema-length director's cut of one of the most popular Doctor Who serials ever made. It'll screen at 7 p.m. June 11 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 12: A National Theatre Live screening of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a theatrical adaptation of the acclaimed book (which itself is part of PBS's The Great American Read) will screen at 7 p.m. June 12 at Amarillo Star 14.
June 13: Watch the original The Incredibles and sequel The Incredibles 2 in a special double-feature event at 6 p.m. June 13 at Amarillo Star 14. Plus, the inspirational drama One Last Thing, presented by Chicken Soup for the Soul, finds a dentist (Wendell Pierce) being encouraged by his assistant (Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey) to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). It'll screen at 7 p.m. June 13 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 14: Advance tickets are on sale now for Pixar superhero sequel The Incredibles 2 at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 14 and 19: The original Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys are back to poke fun at a notoriously cheeseball '80s sci-fi film in RiffTrax Live: Space Mutiny. It'll stream live at 7 p.m. June 14 and encore at 7:30 p.m. June 19 at Amarillo Star 14.
June 15: Action thriller Superfly and action comedy Tag also are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
June 17 to 20: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with ecological fable Pom Poko at both the Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. June 17 and 7 p.m. June 20, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. June 18.
June 21: Top drum corps Blue Stars, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment will show off their new shows at 2018 DCI Tour Premiere, screening live at 7:30 p.m. June 21 at Hollywood 16.
June 22: Action-adventure sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
June 24 and 27: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with beloved musical West Side Story, screening at 2 and 7 p.m. June 24 and 27 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 25 and 28: Broadway show Bandstand, a swing musical about a group of soldiers adapting to life on the homefront following World War II, will screen at 7 p.m. June 25 and 28 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
June 29: Comedies The Hustle and Uncle Drew and action thriller Sicario: Day of the Soldado are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Listings at a glance
Click on titles for my reviews and on theaters for showtimes.
Avengers: Infinity War (AS-14, H-16); Black Panther (Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40); Blockers (H-16); Book Club (AS-14, H-16); Breaking In (AS-14, H-16); Deadpool 2 (AS-14, H-16 and Tascosa); Game Night (WM-6); I Can Only Imagine (AS-14); I Feel Pretty (AS-14, H-16 and Sandell Drive-In, 12 S. Center Drive in Clarendon); Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (WM-6); Life of the Party (AS-14, H-16); The Miracle Season (WM-6); Overboard (AS-14, H-16 and Tascosa); Pacific Rim Uprising (WM-6); Peter Rabbit (WM-6); A Quiet Place (AS-14, H-16); Rampage (H-16); Show Dogs (AS-14, H-16); and Truth or Dare (AS-14).
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
