HOLLYWOOD, CA — An adventuresome woman wandering in the Parisian streets and a flock of chickens infiltrating a poultry farm are all taking to the big screen this weekend.
Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe bring Alasdair Gray’s 1992 bestseller to life in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” The film is a Frankenstein-like tale centered on the escapades of a Victorian woman (Stone) brought back to life after one fateful day. Surprises abound!
Nearly two decades in the making, a sequel to the 2000 animation hit, “Chicken Run,” finally hatches in Aardman Animations’ “Dawn of the Nugget,” starring Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi and Bella Ramsey as a close-knit family.
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Check out what we thought of the two new releases below.
Movies Out This Weekend
“Poor Things”
Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe; directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
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In “Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos continues his streak of Yorgos-mic craftsmanship, so much so that the Greek filmmaker’s latest directorial effort is once again an aberration laden with cinematic idiosyncrasies that might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Emma Stone plays Bella Baxter, a pregnant woman brought back to life “Frankenstein” style by a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe), after she kills herself. But before he revives her, he replaces her brain with that of her unborn baby. Subsequently, the 30-year-old Bella is now child-like.
Raised in a sheltered environment, outside of societal influences, it will become an ordeal for Bella to learn how to speak. But once she has finally mastered the ropes, her new world piques her interest in romance and desires, prompting her foolhardy adventures around the world with a debonair, debauched lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo).
What ensues is a globetrotting tale of lust sans guilt. Stone shines as a highly hypersexualized woman with a beguiling and powerful naiveté. Ruffalo is on fire in his portrayal of a needy womanizer.
Like Lanthimos’ previous movies (“The Lobster,” “The Favorite” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”), “Poor Things” could either put a smile on your face or make you frown in discomfort. Otherwise, it would not be Yorgos-mic to say the least.
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”
Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey
Remember “Chicken Run,” the 2000 animation re-imagined “Great Escape” with a doomed flock of chickens? Yes, nearly 23 years later, it is still the highest-grossing stop-motion film ever. And now, Aardman Animations, the British studio known for the outstanding “Wallace & Gromit” and “Shaun the Sheep” film franchises, brings a sequel to the big screen.
The continuing saga picks up after the events of the first film, in which hen Ginger and her beau Rocky, along with their other poultry friends, were able to break free from Mrs. Tweedy’s concentration camp. This time around, Ginger (voiced by Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (voiced by Zachary Levi) are living happily on an island with their only child, teen Molly (Bella Ramsey).
However, it will not be long before they discover that Molly and her BFF Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) are now locked up in a chicken factory. Why? Convinced that the grass is greener outside their residential compound, the duo decided to flee.
As any other doting parent would do, Ginger leads a rescue team (Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, Jane Horrocks and David Bradley) to save Molly and Frizzle. Can they prevail as they infiltrate the chicken factory?
“Dawn of the Nugget” is a ton of toon fun that is worth the wait.
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