Friday’s openings: Cuddly monster go home

After a couple of multiple movie openings, only a single film is showing on the national release schedule for this coming Friday. That film is:

"Abominable": A mysteriously magical Yeti appears on the roof of a young Shanghai teen's apartment building, and she must find a way to get it home (to the Himalayas, no less) before an conniving rich guy can capture it. Look for the cuddly toys to buy for your rugrats.

The film, a Dreamworks animated production (duh), is getting mostly good reviews, such as the following:

Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald: "Jill Culton, who conceived the story and co-directed the film, was trained at Pixar and her work displays the Pixar trademark, a seamless blending of farce, wit, melancholy and the kind of reflectiveness that traverses the generational divide."

Katie Erbland, IndieWire: "The winning, warm nature of this China-set family film can't be denied, and for all its predictable elements, 'Abominable' is still well worth the trip."

But my favorite line is this observation:

Amy Nicholson, Variety: "In the film's most moving scene, Yi plays a solo so powerful it summons rain, flowers, and the Coldplay hit 'Fix You.' For an aspiring blockbuster, that culture clash is the cash-grab holy trinity."

And at the Magic Lantern, two documentaries are tentatively set:

"Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins": The late Texas-based syndicated columnist is profiled. Yee-haw.

"Miles Davis: Birth of Cool": The late jazz trumpeter is profiled. Bring sunglasses.

That's all for now. As always I'll update when the area theaters finalize their lineups.