FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER20, 2019 The Boston Globe G7
ByMark Feeney
GLOBESTAFF
Sci-fimovies with numerical
titlesare fine — morethan fine.
Think “2001: A SpaceOdyssey.”
Greektitlescan be OK, too.
Think “Ex Machina.” Sci-fi
movies with Latin ones? Maybe
not, if “Ad Astra,” whichmeans
“to the stars,” is any indication.
It’s far froma total loss.
James Gray, who directed, is a
real talent(“The Immigrant,”
“The Lost City of Z”). He’s quite
happyto upendsci-fi assump-
tionsin this film set “in the near
future.” Whenwas the last time
you got to see a knife fight in ze-
ro gravity, lunar rovers doing
their version of a fast-and-furi-
ous movie,or a snippet of the
Nicholas brothers doing“I’ve
Got a Gal From Kalamazoo”—
glimpsed on a spacecraft moni-
tor, no less? But those are as
atypical as they are unusual in a
movie that holds itself at arm’s
length — and the armis en-
cased in a space suit. “Ad Astra”
is moody, meditative, andslow
(though not the knifefight or
rover demolition derby).
The title’s not meant as a
play on words.It can’t be, since
playfulnessisnowhereevident
in the film’s melancholic 124
minutes. The script, by Gray
and Ethan Gross, alternates as-
tronaut-terselingo (“Copy that,
Major”) with heavens-above
profundo(“Sometimesthe hu-
manmindmust overcomethe
impossible”). Brad Pitt delivers
lots, and lots, of voice-over.
The title might as well be a
pun,though,what withthe
starry calibre of the cast. Pitt is
in weary, wary post-Gary Coo-
per mode, playingthe astro-
naut son of long-missing astro-
naut Tommy Lee Jones. The ev-
er-effortless-seeming Donald
Sutherlandhas too-few min-
utes as a onetime astronaut pal
of Jones. Ruth Negga is the di-
rector of a US installation on
Mars (whichmakes the near-
ness of the “Ad Astra” futurea
bit relative). In a trulythankless
role that’s also mercifully brief,
Liv Tyler plays Pitt’s estrangedwife, back on Earth.
Negga’s character aids and
abets Pitt in a super-secret
spacemission to find out if
dad is not only still alive but
mightalso have somethingto
do withpowersurges emanat-
ing from Neptune.In the film’s
bravura openingsequence,the
first surge hits as Pitt is perched
on the side of the miles-high In-
ternationalSpaceAntenna.
Saidsurges threaten life on
Earth. It’s “a crisis of untold
magnitude,” one character an-
nounces.“Ad Astra” is an un-
told-magnitudekind of movie.That’s not a compliment.
No currentcinematogra-
pherdoeschillyfuturistic
gleamas wellas Hoyte van
Hoytema(“Her,” “Interstellar”).
That’s certainly the case here. It
doesn’t matter whether we’re in
space, on the moon,in a space-
craft, on Mars, or somewhere
above Neptune: “Ad Astra”
looksgreat, with impressively
subtle variations on the literally
unearthly light of each of those
settings.
What isn’t great is seeing
Pitt wobblebetween movie-star
stolid and bad-actor wooden.Several times it’s noted his
character’s pulse rate has never
gone over 80. This you do not
find hard to believe. It doesn’t
help that Pitt has to recite lines
like “We go to work. We do our
jobs. Then it’s over” and “Most
of us spend our entire lives in
hiding.” In spacesuits, perhaps?The farther “Ad Astra” gets
fromEarth, the morethe dis-
tance shrinks between think-
ing-man’s science fiction and
wallowing-man’s.
Or the problemwith this im-
pressively crafted yet increas-
inglylistless enterprise might
be that it’s actuallyanother
movie,onlyin sci-fi disguise.
Extensive voice-over. Hazard-
ous journey to the edge of civili-
zation in search of brilliant man
gone rogue. Pitt is Martin
Sheen,Jones is Marlon Brando,
and one man’s crisis of untold
magnitudeis another’s...
apocalypse nearfuture. In
spaceno one can hear you
scream. Everyoneknowsthat.
But maybe you can smellna-
palm in the morning?MarkFeeneycanbereachedat
[email protected].MOVIEREVIEWYY
ADASTRA
Directedby JamesGray.
Writtenby Gray and Ethan
Gross.StarringBrad Pitt,
Tommy Lee Jones,Donald
Sutherland,RuthNegga,and
Liv Tyler. At Bostontheaters
and suburbs,Jordan’sIMAX
Readingand Natick. 124
minutes.PG-13(some
violenceand blood,brief
strong language).FRANCOIS DUHAMELOnceupon atime...aboveNeptune“Ad Astra” starsBrad
Pitt as anastronautin
searchof hismissing-
astronautfather.Previouslyreleased
YYYBlindedbytheLightA
Pakistani teenager (ViveikKal-
ra) in 1980s England finds his
voiceand his courage in the
musicof BruceSpringsteen.
Sentimental,predictable—
and a thoroughgoing joy, with
just enoughrage coursingbe-
neath the musicalecstasy and
coming-of-age tropesto give it
bite. Directed by Gurinder
Chadha(“BendIt Like Beck-
ham”). (117 min., PG-13) (Ty
Burr)
YYYBrittanyRunsa Mara-
thonA dyspepticNYC party
girl tries to turn her life around
by talking up jogging. A crowd-
pleaser that earnsits runner’s
high step by sometimes awk-
wardstep, it’s saved from over-
earnestnessby Jillian Bell’s
graciouslycaustic lead perfor-
mance.An audience award-
winnerat this year’s Sundance.
(104 min., R) (Ty Burr)
YYY½The FarewellA warm
embrace of a human comedy
fromthe Chinese-American
filmmaker Lulu Wang, abouta
youngNew Yorker (the comic
actressAwkwafina,in her first
seriousrole)who returnsto
China for a familygathering
that involvesweddingsand
chicanery. It’s witty, heartfelt,
and wise. In Englishand Man-
darin,with subtitles.(98 min.,
PG) (Ty Burr)
YYThe GoldfinchThe movie
versionof DonnaTartt’s Pulit-
zer Prize-winningnovelis well
acted, very watchable,and in-
stantlyforgettable— a neo-
Dickensiantale that fails to co-
here onscreen.Oakes Fegly and
AnselElgort play Theo Deecker
old and young, and Nicole Kid-
man radiates serenity as Mrs.
Barbour. (149 min., R) (Ty
Burr)
YYYGoodBoysThis addition
to the “adolescentparty odys-
sey” line — think“Superbad”(2007)and “Booksmart”
(2019)— follows a trio of clue-
less sixth-grade boys to their
first “kissing party.” Witha
sharp screenplay and nuanced
characters, it offers a refresh-
ing, charmingstudy of mascu-
linity and friendship.(89 min.,
R) (Marella Gayla)
YY½LindaRonstadt:The
Sound of MyVoiceThis docu-
mentary showswhy she was
one of the dominantpop stars
of the 1970s and beyond,cov-
ering Ronstadt’s 50-yearcareer
and its impact whilesharing a
generoussamplingof her mu-
sic. Thoughoccasionallyglib,
superficial,and hagiographic,it pays tribute to a sometimes
underrated performer. (95
min., PG-13). (Peter Keough)
YYThe LionKingCartoons
cometo life in Jon Favreau’s vi-
sually stunningbut self-defeat-
ing redo.WhenuncleScar
(Chiwetel Ejiofor)murders
KingMufasa (JamesEarl
Jones),Simba(JD McCrary,
then DonaldGlover)runs away
and befriendshilariousmeer-
kat Timon(BillyEichner)and
warthog Pumbaa(Seth Rogen),
two pinpricks of light in an
otherwise overwroughtre-
make. Anatomically-correct an-
imalslook weirdwhenthey
sing. (118 min., PG) (Nora
McGreevy)
YYYYOnce Upona Time...
in HollywoodA fadingmovie
star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and
his stuntmanfriend(Brad Pitt)
confront a changing film in-
dustry whilethe Mansonfami-
ly readiesitselfto descend
fromthe hills with knives. A
QuentinTarantino movieand
one of his best, with an unspo-
ken tensionbetween reality
and make-believe that’s glib,
inventive, and ultimately
touching. WithMargot Robbie
as SharonTate. (165 min., R)
(Ty Burr)
YY½The PeanutButter Fal-
conZackGottsagen, a new-
comerwith Downsyndrome,
does capable, amusingworkas
a youngman with pro-wres-
tling aspirations.Shia LaBeouf
finds a solidoutlet for his idio-
syncratic tastes, playing a trou-
bled laborer befriendedby this
steadfast dreamer. Dakota
Johnsonis agreeablycast as an
emotionally invested nursing
homecaregiver. Still, this
thoughtfulyarn is limitedby a
quaintly straightforwardstory
line. (96 min., PG-13) (Tom
Russo)
YY½RaiseHell:The Life &
Timesof MollyIvinsThe fa-
mously colorful liberal colum-
nist had a personathe size of
her native Texas. The best
thing aboutJanice Engel’s doc-
umentary is getting to experi-
ence Ivins in full-Molly mode—
sly and funny and proudly im-
politic— as seen in news foot-
age of interviews and speeches.
Yet too little of the personbe-
neath the personagets re-
vealed. (93 min., unrated)
(Mark Feeney)
YYYYToy Story 4As hoped
for (but not reallyexpected), a
hugely entertaining and emo-
tionally resonant pleasurefor
audiencesof all ages. Woody
and company hit the road and
contemplate duty versusper-
sonalautonomy whilemixing
it up with an enlivenedspork
and an antiquestore Chatty
Cathy. WithTom Hanks and
the usual gang, plus Christina
Hendricksand Tony Hale.
(100 min., G) (Ty Burr)MOVIESTARS
MACALL POLAYNicoleKidmanandAnselElgort in “TheGoldfinch.”
AMAZONSTUDIOS VIA AP
JillianBellin “Brittany Runs a Marathon,”ARLINGTON
CAPITOL THEATRE
204 Massachussetts Ave. 781-648-4 340
6IDIGAD
http://www.capitoltheatreusa.com
ADASTRA(PG-13)4:00,7:10,9:45
BLINDED BY THELIGHT(PG-13)5:30
BRITTANYRUNSAMARATHON(R)(Open
captioning)3:15,8:00
THE FAREWELL(PG)3:20,5:25
HUSTLERS(R)4:30,7:30,9:50
OFFICIALSECRETS(R)7:35,9:55
THE PEANUTBUTTER FALCON(PG-13)
(Open captioning)5:00,9:40
YESTERDAY(R)7:10BOSTON
SIMONSIMAX THEATRE
NewEngland Aquarium,Central Wharf
617-973-5200
58 DIG
http://www.neaq.org
OCEANS: OURBLUE PLANET(NR)10:00,
2:00HIDDENPACIFIC 3D(NR)11:00,4:00
TURTLEODYSSEY(NR)12:00,3:00
AUSTRALIA'S GREATWILD NORTH(NR)
1:00,5:00BROOKLINE
COOLIDGECORNERTHEATRE
290 HarvardSt. 617-734-2 500
56
http://www.coolidge.org
DOWNTON ABBEY(PG)11:00,1:30,4:00,
7:00,9:45
LINDA RONSTADT:THE SOUNDOFMY
VOICE(PG-13)11:15,2:15,4:15,6:45,9:30
OFFICIAL SECRETS(R)11:45,1:45,4:30,
6:30,9:15
BRITTANYRUNS AMARATHON(R)11:30,
4:10
THEFAREWELL(PG)2:00
KILLBILL-VOLUME 1 (R)G11:59
RZA:LIVE FROMTHE 36THCHAMBER(NR)
G9:00LEXINGTON
LEXINGTONVENUE
1794MassachussettsAve. 781-861-6 161
56IADDOLDSS
http://lexingtonvenue.com/
CALL THEATER FORSHOWTIMESSOMERVILLE
SOMERVILLE THEATRE
55 Davis Square617-625-5 700
56IDIGAD
http://somervilletheatre.com/
DOWNTON ABBEY(PG)1:45,4:30,7:15,
9:50
IT:CHAPTERTWO(R)1:10,4:40,8:00
LINDARONSTADT: THESOUND OF MY
VOICE(PG-13)1:15,3:20,5:30,7:40,9:45
ONCE UPONATIME...IN HOLLYWOOD(R)
1:00,4:30,7:45
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