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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 2 OctOber 2019
Review: Portman's 'Lucy in

the Sky' is an interesting mess

By LINDSEY BAHR and surgical tubing. She jars without her help, and,
AP Film Writer became the butt of many in this account, no children.
The words "inspired by real jokes, lost her job and was She does, however, have
events" are some of the first discharged from the Navy. a teenage niece (Pearl
you see on screen in "Lucy The headlines often Amanda Dickson) who she
in the Sky ." But that loose summed up the situation as often has to look after.
tie to reality becomes more a torrid love triangle. Some We meet Lucy in space
of a noose than a help for wondered why a woman and it's a powerful mo-
the story that director Noah with a family and so many ment. Portman's almond
Hawley is trying to tell. professional accomplish- eyes tear up and submit
Hawley and screenwrit- ments would risk everything to the overwhelming enor-
ers Elliott DiGuiseppi and for an affair. Love makes mousness of being wholly
Brian C. Brown cherry pick you crazy, many conclud- alone in the darkness. She
facts from former astro- ed. But "Lucy in the Sky" sees her small life on earth
naut Lisa Nowak's stranger- foists an alternate narrative as though in a trance. And
than-fiction story to reach on the situation: What if it suddenly it's over and she's
some larger point about wasn't really a jealous lov- back to doing school pick-
the metaphysical and psy- er's rage? What if 12 days, ups and opening jars and
chological effects of space 18 hours and 36 minutes in running laps. It's a come-
travel. But the significant space changes a person's down that she's not pre-
and seemingly random composition in ways that pared for, which is part of
changes, embellishments for all of our years of space the reason why she finds
and omissions make you travel we have yet to really herself in an extramarital
wonder why they even reconcile with? dalliance with a fellow as-
needed the tether of It's a fascinating question, tronaut, Mark Goodwin
Nowak in the first place. but one that "Lucy in the (Jon Hamm), who has also
And no, I'm not talking Sky" only kind of deals with. had a life changing expe- This image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Natalie
about diapers or the lack Natalie Portman assumes rience in space and come Portman in a scene from "Lucy In The Sky."
thereof. the role of the protagonist back somewhat broken. Associated Press
Nowak was a Naval Acad- who the movie calls Lucy There are moments of in-
emy graduate, a mother Cola for perhaps no other tense beauty in "Lucy in ry). In the end, too, neither and entertaining looks at
of three and an accom- reason other than hav- the Sky," mostly when Haw- Lucy nor Lisa is redeemed tabloid scandals including
plished astronaut who in ing the excuse to use The ley zooms in on his star's or made more remark- "Molly's Game," ''I, Tonya"
July 2006 went to the Inter- Beatles song. She is a no- evocative face. But Port- able. The film still settles for and even this year's "Hus-
national Space Station as nonsense scientist who has man alone can't save this a sensationalist climax in an tlers" — two of which were
a mission specialist on the spent her life striving to be muddled endeavor. In his airport parking lot with Port- written and directed by
shuttle Discovery. Less than the best, overcoming such feature directorial debut, man in a wig and a trench men. The "Lucy" team just
a year later, in the midst professional handicaps as the creator of the "Fargo" coat confronting Mark and missed the mark. "Lucy in
of an affair with a fellow being a woman and not and "Legion" television se- his new girlfriend Erin (Zazie the Sky," a Fox Searchlight/
astronaut, she made na- having an Ivy League ed- ries tries to do too much to Beetz in a mostly thankless Walt Disney Studios release,
tional news by driving 900 ucation. She has a thick make everything more in- role). is rated R by the Motion Pic-
miles to confront her lover's southern accent, an in- teresting (like changing the It'd be too easy to try to ture Association of America
other girlfriend. She wore explicable Dorothy Hamill aspect ratio of the frame blame all the men involved, for "for language and some
a wig and a trench coat haircut, a sweet and dot- more than a few times and but in the past few years sexual content." Running
and had in her car a knife, ing husband, Drew (Dan forcing an eye-rolling but- we've had a number of time: 124 minutes. Two stars
a BB pistol, a steel mallet Stevens) who can't open terfly metaphor into the sto- quite interesting, nuanced out of four.q

Review: Billy Strings' breakout album takes listeners 'Home'

By RON HARRIS indie-rock influence into his ing that in which one finds
Associated Press latest release and weaves comfort.
The lightning fast fingers of it well while fleshing out in- The earworm here is al-
Billy Strings have tapped ventive tracks. bum opener "Taking Wa-
him as the future of blue- Songs like "Hollow Heart" ter," replete with beauti-
grass music for a few years are beautifully delivered, ful banjo and String's deft
now. But it is his creative but traditional bluegrass work on acoustic guitar,
musical storytelling, paired in approach and struc- his staple instrument. It can
with solid vocals on "Home" ture. Where Strings makes be hard for even the most
that should seal the deal, his true mark is on the title skilled bluegrass musicians
pleasing fans of the genre track, a beefy seven-min- to break through tradition
and creating some new ute-plus song that builds and reach a wider audi-
ones. from a slow burn to race ence. It takes an acknowl-
Strings, a 26-year-old Mich- car pace, crashing into a edgement of the past but
igan-born multi-instrumen- magical collection of gui- a willingness to explore the
talist, is the perfect blend of tar, mandolin and light musical path ahead.
pure talent and pluck. He's percussion. It matches the This cover image released by Rounder Records shows "Home," Thankfully, Billy Strings can
comfortable bringing his song's premise of challeng- a release by Billy Strings. Associated Press do it all.q