Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 27 december 2018

Laurel and Hardy movie ‘Stan & Ollie’ is a joy

By LINDSEY BAHR evident that this is their last
Associated Press act. It’s a rough go on the
There are lot of movies road at first, as they try to
in theaters right now try- keep their spirits up even
ing to grab your attention, when performing to a half-
and dollars, from big su- full, second-rate theater
perhero spectacles and (a lousy promoter has not
musical extravaganzas to done a good job educat-
awards darlings and wan- ing the public that they’re
nabes. It’s easy to get not retired).
overwhelmed with the op- Eventually they have to
tions in the multiplex (and, lower themselves to do a
frankly, at home) and series of cheesy promos
when something like, say, educating the public that
a late-career Laurel and yes, it is them and not some
Hardy biopic comes along, impersonators, which ends
you’d be forgiven for think- up working. Abbott and
ing it easy to dismiss, or at Costello might have been
least put off for a little while. the big screen comedy
But I’m here to tell you not duo of the moment, but it
to sleep on “Stan & Ollie .” turns out there was still an
It is simply terrific — an un- audience for nostalgia.
derstated but smartly told And there is more at stake
crowd-pleaser about the This image released by Sony Pictures Classics show John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy in a scene from than just their ego — Laurel
legendary comedy duo “Stan & Ollie.” has been hard at work on
in their last act, with won- Associated Press a Robin Hood movie that
derful production value, a two during a last-gasp mu- by Danny Huston). They’re hoping) that Hardy will he hopes could be their big
sharp and surprisingly poi- sical hall tour of the United laughing about ex-wives come along. comeback (a producer
gnant script and brilliant Kingdom in 1953, 16 years and money and declar- The film comes back to is supposed to come see
performances from John after their prime, when ing that they’ll never get this pivotal break through- their London show), while
C. Reilly, as Oliver Hardy, most of the world had as- married again, or, as Lau- out, as we learn more Hardy is trying to mask his
and Steve Coogan, as Stan sumed the two had long- rel says, he’s just going to and more about that rift declining health. “Stan &
Laurel. since retired on the riches find a woman he doesn’t and their lingering issues Ollie” packs a surprising
Directed by Jon S. Baird of their fame. like and buy her a house. with one another and the emotional punch as well,
(“Filth”) off a script from Jeff There is a brief introduction But there’s a sign of trouble seams of this showbiz-man- without ever delving into
Pope (“Philomena”), “Stan of them at their peak work- to come. Laurel’s contract ufactured marriage start to the sad clown sentimental-
& Ollie” focuses in on the ing with Hal Roach (played with Roach is up, and he’s show even as this perfor- ity that you might expect
taking a meeting at anoth- mance tour gets more and from a standard performer
er studio, expecting (and more trying as it becomes biopic.q

Hold up, Beyonce did not release new music

By MESFIN FEKADU
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — There’s
no more juice in Beyonce’s
lemonade jar: The singer
did not release new music
though two albums featur-
ing old Beyonce songs hit
streaming services Thurs-
day.
Under the name Queen
Carter, the albums “Have
Your Way” and “Back Up,
Rewind” appeared on
Spotify and Apple Music,
featuring demos, previous- In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Beyonce Knowles arrives at the
ly released songs and unre- MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New
leased tracks by Beyonce. York.
Hours later, they were re- Associated Press
moved. bum, “Kingdom Come”; the rapper’s sophomore
The 10-track “Have Your and “Hey Goldmember” album, 1999’s “Da Real
Way” included songs like from the soundtrack for World”; and “Fever,” a cov-
“After All Is Said and Done,” 2002’s “Austin Powers in er of the ‘50’s hit used in an
Beyonce’s duet with Marc Goldmember,” which ad for Beyonce’s perfume
Nelson from the “Best Man” starred Beyonce. It also and for the soundtrack for
soundtrack, released in featured “Crazy Feelings,” “The Fighting Temptations,”
1999; “Hollywood,” a song the singer’s collabora- another film Beyonce ap-
with Jay-Z from his 2006 al- tion with Missy Elliott from peared in.q