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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 18 July 2018

Bask in the effervescent insanity of ‘Mamma Mia 2’

By LINDSEY BAHR 10 minutes). James, who
Associated Press is always strong no mat-
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go ter how big her role (from
Again “ is a wholly ridiculous “Cinderella” to “The Dark-
movie that I thoroughly en- est Hour”), gets a real star
joyed. It’s the kind of movie turn here. She also has a
that feels and sounds like a sweetly appealing voice
summer vacation should: that’s (thankfully) more 90s
Fizzy, lively, low-stakes and Disney than modern folk
soundtracked by ABBA. singer. And with some more
This is a world where things talented singers in her male
generally just work out, counterparts, young Bill
where folks are kind and (Josh Dylan), Harry (Hugh
willing to help, where ev- Skinner) and Sam (Jeremy
eryone has perfect beach Irvine), you find yourself
hair, where characters just actually looking forward to
(asterisk)know(asterisk) their songs instead of brac-
they’re pregnant after one ing for them. Jessica Keen-
bout of morning sickness, an Wynn and Alexa Davies
and where old flings and also shine as young Tanya
family members are not and Rosie, although I would
only welcome to suddenly like a word with whoever
sail back into lives they’ve decided that they would
abandoned but greeted This image released by Universal Pictures shows, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Amana Seyfried have the exact same hair-
with joy and a song. Who’s and Christine Baranski in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” cuts 40 years earlier. English
got time for bitterness and Associated Press screenwriter and director
jealousy in these Greek might be a little cheesy and stopper that’s so fun, you are uncomfortably overea- Ol Parker took over directo-
isles? there is surely some cooler might be disappointed ger to get Donna into bed rial duties and slowed the
The dialogue may be ridicu- and more authentic option there isn’t an encore. as soon as they meet her. pace considerably from
lous, the plot may be ques- out there with less green But the real reason this The flashback portions are Phyllida Lloyd’s impossibly
tionable, and the musical screen and more charac- bonkers movie works so told in tandem with what’s energetic “Mamma Mia!”
numbers may be staged ter development, but easy well is the incandescent Lily happening in the present where there was rarely a
and stitched together like a can be its own kind of fun. James. She plays a younger day, where Sophie is pre- scene where someone was
manic fever dream (includ- And this all-inclusive resort Donna (who 40 years later paring for the grand open- running, skipping or bound-
ing a uniquely crazy rendi- has Cher. And Andy Gar- is played by Meryl Streep), ing of the hotel Donna. ing with joy. In “Here We
tion of “Waterloo” with Lily cia. And Colin Firth playing during a very eventful sum- Seyfried is good, if under- Go Again,” which almost
James and Hugh Skinner Leonardo DiCaprio to Stel- mer in 1979 where she both served, and her story picks sounds like a threat, or at
prancing around a French lan Skarsgard’s Kate Win- finds her calling and meets up considerably when least bemused resignation,
restaurant). But “Mamma slet at the bow of a boat (and sleeps with) the three Tanya (Christine Baranski) there is actually downtime
Mia 2” wears its happy packed to the gills with men who all could very and Rosie (Julie Walters) ar- and breathing room, which
heart so earnestly on its a mass of people singing possibly be the father of her rive, but it’s the ‘79 portion can drag at times. This is
fringed suede sleeve that “Dancing Queen.” And daughter, Sophie (Amanda that you want to keep go- a movie that very much
it almost doesn’t matter. minimal singing from Pierce Seyfried). It should be said ing back to (at least until requires you to be in the
Like an all-inclusive resort, it Brosnan. And a final show- that two of the three suitors Cher shows up for the last “right mood.”q

‘Rescued’ by David Rosenfelt is heartwarming mystery

By WAKA TSUNODA dogs from the deep South Defending the man is Marcus the bodyguard,
Associated Press to the Northeast, where emotionally difficult for “the scariest person on the
“Rescued: an Andy Car- they could be adopted. Carpenter. He must over- planet,” and Hike the as-
penter Mystery” (Mino- Kramer says he shot Zim- come his “childish jealou- sociate lawyer, “the most
taur), by David Rosenfelt mer at a rest stop in New sy” of Kramer, his beloved downbeat person in the
Defense attorney Andy Jersey, but insists that it was wife’s ex-boyfriend. Still, history of the world.”
Carpenter is known to win in self-defense. Zimmer, he Carpenter does his best to In the end, a minor inci-
seemingly unwinnable says, asked to meet him defend Kramer. While tak- dent involving a dog en-
cases. In “Rescued,” the in the tractor-trailer carry- ing care of the dogs from ables Carpenter not only
17th of David Rosenfelt’s ing the dogs, but when he the truck at a dog rescue to win an acquittal for
novels featuring Carpen- showed up, Zimmer came foundation he operates Kramer, but also to uncov-
ter, the maverick legal at him with a large knife. with friends, he tries to find er a conspiracy that could
eagle’s not sure if he can No knife was found at the answers to two questions: have resulted in a national
pull off his usual miracle crime scene. Carpenter What happened to the disaster.
because the evidence theorizes that a third per- knife? Why are no dog res- Rosenfelt has written mys-
against his client is over- son hiding in the truck re- cue centers in the North- teries with different protag-
whelming. moved the knife, but vid- east expecting the arrival onists, but the humorous
Private investigator David eo footage recorded no of these dogs? Carpenter series makes
This cover image released by Kramer is accused in the such person. Worse, Kram- In his search for the truth, him one of the most un-
Minotaur shows “Rescued,” death of Kenny Zimmer, er had beaten up Zimmer Carpenter is helped by fa- forgettable authors in the
by David Rosenfelt. who was transporting 61 once before. miliar characters such as genre.q
Associated Press