AU G U S T 7, 2022
S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 1
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
‘Old-Fashioned Entertainment About the Real-Life Heroes’ By Richard Roeper Signal Contributing Writer
‘Thirteen Lives’
(out of four)
Prime Video and MGM present a film directed by Ron Howard and written by William Nicholson. Rated PG-13. In theaters and on Prime Video.
R
on Howard’s claustrophobically intense and captivating “Thirteen Lives” is one of those movies where you find yourself marveling at the daunting logistics involved in re-creating one of the most famed and complex rescue efforts in recent history — but with an excessive running time of 147 minutes, by the time the story wraps up, we’re almost too exhausted to fully appreciate what we’ve just experienced. Almost. The always reliable Howard — who demonstrated with the brilliant “Apollo 13” all those years ago that he knows a thing or two about crafting riveting drama from a true-life rescue effort that has a particular numeral in the title — does a marvelous job of keeping us in the loop as the point of view shifts any number of times. We follow the efforts of hundreds upon hundreds of trained rescue workers and volunteers from nearby villages and across the globe as they race against time to save 12 teenage boys and their football aka soccer coach who were trapped deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand. As you might recall from the global media coverage, this real-life drama occurred just four years ago, in the summer of 2018, but we’ve already had the pulse-pounding 2020 documentary “The Rescue,” and next week sees the release of the docudrama “Cave Rescue,” but Howard’s dramatic interpretation of events is by far the biggest and most ambitious telling of the tale, with Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton lending their considerable star power to the production. That might give you pause; why are so many white actors at the forefront of a film about a rescue that took place in Thailand? In truth, Farrell, Mortensen and Edgerton are play-
find the boys, as they have little or no the lives of those who are trapped and those who are risking everything to experience in cave diving and aren’t save them. familiar with the particular type of Farrell and Mortensen effortlessly breathing, swimming and navigating click together as the optimistic Volaninvolved with that specialty. Enter the British veteran cave divers Rick Stan- then and the crusty “I don’t even like ton (Mortensen) and John Volanthen kids” Stanton, who repeatedly engage in hours-long dives. (When they (Farrell), who are eventually joined emerge from the waters in their wetby another British diver, Chris Jewsuits and heavy equipment, we can ell (Tom Bateman), and Dr. Richard feel the physical and emotional toll Harris (Edgerton), a diver and aneseach dive takes.) thesiologist. With the Thai cinematographer That last part of Harris’ resume Sayombhu Mukdeeprom deliverturns out to be key, because even after the 13 have been located, there seems ing awe-inspiring visuals on location Laemmle Theatres • Santa Clarita Signal in Thailand adsource@exhibitorads.com and Australia, “Thirto be no way to bring them back — teen Lives” is made for the big screen until Stanton hatches a plan by which p. 888.737.2812 f. 203.438.1206 3col (4.75”) x 5.9” (though it can be seen on Prime VidHarris will anesthetize them so they August 7-11, 2022 epic and intimate in Ad insertion date: Sunday-Thursday, eo). Alternately can be transported, one at time, like PHOTO COURTESY IMDB scope, thisAM is old-fashioned entertainThere’s a August strong chance theat 10:22:49 Ad creation/delivery packages. date: Tuesday, 2, 2022 CASCS_LEM0807-0811.qxp ment about the real-life heroes who boys and/or their coach will wake up ing real-life Brits or Aussies who left no rock unturned against seemalong the way, at which point they were central figures in the story, and ingly hopeless odds and pulled off will likely drown. Or the dosage will screenwriter William Nicholson and one of the great rescue stories of the be too powerful, and they’ll stop director Howard make sure to also ages. breathing. Or one of myriad other focus on the intricacies of the Thai Copyright 2022 Chicago Sun-Times complications will arise, endangering culture, and storylines involving the governor of the province (Sahajak Boonthanakit); the parents of the trapped boys, including the mothTM er (Pattrakorn Tungsupakul) of the smallest and youngest of them, and the Thai Royal Navy SEALS and the Chiang Rai local farmers who make 22500 Lyons Ave. info Line 310.478.3836 sacrifices in the service of the greater mission. “Thirteen Lives” begins with the Bodies Bodies Bodies E Thu: 7:20 PM look and feel of a sun-dappled, feelWhen a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong. good sports story, as the Wild Boars Bullet train E 1:10 4:10 7:10 junior football players and their kindLadybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe. ly coach (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) easter sunday C 1:30 4:30 7:30 celebrate a spirited game by riding Stand-up comedy sensation Jo Koy stars as a man returning home for an Easter celebration with his riotous, bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family, in this love letter to his Filipino-American community. their bicycles for an ad hoc expediVenice: infinitely aVant-Garde Mon: 7:30 PM; Tue: 1:00 PM tion in the Tham Luang caves, which A tour of the magical city showcases masterpieces by Tiepolo, Canaletto, Rosalba Carriera and from Canova to Goethe, Lord Byron to are considered to be safe to explore Walter Scott, down to the great Hollywood stars drawn to its yearly Film Festival. dc leaGue of super-pets B 1:20 4:20 7:20 because it’s a few weeks prior to monInseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest soon season. of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack to help him rescue the Super Heroes. But when intense rains unexpectVenGeance E Sun: 1:30 7:30; Mon: 1:30 PM; Tue: 7:30 PM; Wed: 1:30 7:30; Thu: 1:30 PM edly come pounding down, the boys A darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate and their coach are trapped deep in the death of a girl he was hooking up with. the flooded and labyrinthine pasnope E 1:00 4:00 7:00 The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya who is joined by Keke Palmer and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun as sageways. In one of the most heartresidents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. breakingly effective scenes early in Mrs. Harris Goes to paris B 4:15 PM Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior the film, when the boys don’t show up dress. She works, starves and gambles to raise the funds, then embarks on a life-changing adventure in Paris. for a birthday party, their parents race WHere tHe craWdads sinG C 1:00 4:00 7:00 Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina, finds herself drawn to opens to the entrance to the cave and see a herself to two young men from town. row of bicycles — and no sign of their tHor: loVe and tHunder C 1:10 4:10 7:10 children. “Thor: Love and Thunder” finds Thor on a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer, Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. Even the best open-water divers in FOR 8/7/20228/11/2022 ONLY WWW.LAEMMLE.COM the world fall short in their efforts to
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