Illegals

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Crit

The title is accurate, beasts fantastic enough to keep me awake almost without exception despite a serious sleep deficit, though when the more conventionally fantastic beasts disappear in favor of a smoggy wispy thing, the flick flags a bit before finding its legs (and heads, and wings) again near the end. Timely political text too, with fear and mistrust of the "other" encouraging calls to violence.

Eddie Redmayne, who needs a haircut almost as badly as I, is unfailingly charming, duh, and I was convinced from eyes and expressions and bursts of sad laughter that Katherine Waterston must be Laura Linney's daughter, and I think you know what high praise that is from me. According to the IMDb bio, she's Sam Waterston's daughter, but I'm not convinced.

Trailers

• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword--Maybe. Directed by Guy Ritchie.
• Valerian--Maybe. Graphic novel adaptation, directed by Luc Besson.
• Power Rangers--Almost certainly not, but education gained at my grandchildren's and geeky son-in-law's home allowed me to recognize what this was before the reveal.
• Beauty and the Beast--Disney already skillfully ripped off Jean Cocteau's perfect 1951 La Belle et la bête for its 1991 animated version, so I'm at a loss why the studio thought necessary a live-action version with the same conceit that everything in the Beast's house is sentient. But open mind. Emma Watson plays one of the title roles.