See it at the Movies

Mark Wahlberg stars as Father Stu.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Father Stu.
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WARWICK SHOWCASE & APPLE CINEMAS

 

FATHER STU
* * * ½ (Joyce) * * * (Don)
From Boxer to Priest

Mark Wahlberg stars as Stuart Long, a foul-mouthed, womanizing boxer whose body has taken a beating over the years both in the ring and from crashing his motorcycle.

He ponders on what to do with the rest of his life.

Why not become an actor?

Stu heads for Hollywood where getting acting jobs isn’t as easy as he thought. He gets a job in a meat market, where he meets a devout Catholic Sunday School teacher who leads him to her church.

The motorcycle accident leads him to a coma-like state where he “finds God” and decides to become a priest, much to the chagrin of the Monsignor (Malcolm McDonald).

Stu’s body fails him, making it impossible for him to carry on the required priestly duties, changing his life and his outlook completely.

The subplot involves Stu and his stubborn father (Mel Gibson) and their strained relationship.

Joyce like this one better than I did. The fact that it is based on a true story held my interest, although it still was hard to believe that this poor lost soul could become a priest.

Wahlberg gained a lot of weight for the movie, looking quite different from the muscular actor at the end of the tearjerker.

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE
 * * ½
(More Wizardry)

If you are new to this pre-Harry Potter wizardry, you will be completely lost in the characters and the story.

While you will enjoy the fantastic beasts, the humans (both good and evil) are bores.

Mads Mikkelsen plays dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, determined to rid the world of the Muggles.

Newt Scamander (a dull Eddie Redmayne) gathers his motley crew to stop Grindelwald.

The movie is filled with political dialogue (shades of 1930s Germany) and overlong battles with magic wands that look like sticks.

There are two more films planned for the series, and we don’t have a clue as to where it is going

Except for the amazing computer-generated animals, there was nothing of interest for us in this long 2:20 hour movie.

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