Rose D. Cotton 
Spider-man has a brand new concert! Tom Holland plays “Nathan Drake” in “Uncharted,” based on the popular PlayStation games.
DALLAS — Let’s review the latest movies hitting theaters this week!
Spider-man has a brand new concert! Tom Holland plays “Nathan Drake” in “Uncharted,” based on the popular PlayStation games. He is an adult orphan who works as a pickpocket bartender in New York. Enter Mark Wahlberg, who recruits him to help find missing treasure that could also lead him to his long-lost brother. Wahlberg plays Victor Sullivan, if you know the games. Are his intentions pure? We’ll see. The treasures are Magellan’s gold coins, which have been missing for centuries. A gold cross at auction is the first part of the puzzle, but they’ll have to fight Antonio Banderas and his henchwoman for it. When they leave for Barcelona, another young lady could come in handy, or she could be a problem.
Like many films with the COVID break, this one was waiting to be released and was in development even longer before that. Wahlberg was attached to play the younger role at one point. There’s plenty of action here for web star Holland. I’m not a gamer, so I don’t know how well-chosen the tracks are, but he and Wahlberg have a teasing chemistry between them, and it’s fun to watch. Much of the puzzle solving is far too easy and much of the green screen work lacks depth. I’d call it an enjoyable adventure, but “Uncharted” isn’t exactly off the charts.
(Columbia Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running time 1 hr. 56 min. In theaters only)
Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Channing Tatum! In her new movie “Dog,” you guessed it — her waiting buddy is a dog! And the relationship got off to a bad start. The dog named ‘Lulu’ was a war hero who cannot shake off his aggression. Tatum’s character, “Briggs”, is an Army Ranger with a brain injury. He really wants to get back into action. So he makes a deal with a superior. He will deliver “Lulu” to a special event (I don’t want him to give it away) if the superior gives him permission to return to the warzone.
Tatum isn’t just an actor for hire. The story is inspired by his own dog and a road trip they took just before the end of his life. He’s a first-time director here… currently co-directing with his good friend and “Magic Mike” co-producer, Reid Carolin. And in case you were wondering, ‘Lulu’ is played by a trio of Belgian malinois based on the skills needed for particular scenes. I can’t help but think that Tatum will be criticized for a scene where he pretends to be blind, using “Lulu” as a guide dog in order to get a free hotel room. Once there, “Lulu” pursues a Middle East based on her dress. I found the screenplay a bit dull. Overall, though, it’s a heartwarming movie.
(MGM. Rated PG-13. Duration 1 hr 41 min. In theaters only)
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
“The worst person in the world” comes from Norway. Joachim Trier’s last in his so-called “Oslo Trilogy”. It is also nominated for an Oscar for International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. Renate Reinsve stars as “Julie”, a woman in her thirties who can’t figure out her future. That’s most of us at that age, right? We meet her as a medical student, but her career path is unclear. She’s also restless in the relationship department. Does she want to get married? Does she want children? It’s time to figure these things out, but uncertainties and insecurities get the better of her. Maybe her new lover, an older graphic designer, has the answer, or maybe not. Maybe it will be the new guy who catches his eye.
The film is divided into chapters like a book, but it flows smoothly… fueled by Julie’s melancholy-tinged free-spirited nature. How Reinsve isn’t nominated for Best Actress is beyond me. She is wonderful and appears in almost every scene. A scene after Julie ingests “magic mushrooms” contains imagery that some might find offensive, but it’s one of the best films of the year. If I could have seen it before making my “best of” list, it definitely would have. Hopefully it won’t be Americanized, but you know the good ones often are. Call Dakota Johnson for the lead role, but Hollywood, please resist!
(NEON. Rated R. Runtime 2 hours. 8 minutes. In theaters only)
