movies

The first rule of reboot is make it better than the first version. This doesn’t so much break the rule as it ignore the rule. The biggest change from Angelina Jolie’s two features as adventure seeker Lara Croft to this Alicia Vikander version is an obvious shift from sexy to athletic. Vikander has even been taken to task on social media for her androgynous look by gamers and fans of the video game on which these movies are based.

For a director so devoted to his own material and vision, Paul Thomas Anderson has suffused his latest film with delicate notes of Hitchcock that recall the classic “Rebecca.” Prior to its release, very little was known about “Phantom Thread,” save for the fact its star, Daniel Day Lewis, has declared this to be his last movie. Based on his stellar performance in this, I hope he will change his mind.

All these years later, Tonya Harding is but a small smear on the revered sport of ice-skating. While one of the most talented skaters of her generation — the only one to land a triple axle — it seemed fairly obvious she didn’t have the grace and style of other dancers like Nancy Kerrigan. Well, and then there was that infamous incident involving Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly.

‘The Post’

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rated: PG-13

Watching this made me wonder what venerable journalist and editor Ben Bradlee would make of the current climate for his profession. Terms like “fake news” would be an anathema to a man like Bradley, who based his reputation and that of the Washington Post on telling the truth — or in many cases, speaking truth to power. Few did it better than Bradley, who passed away in 2014.