 | | | Photo copyright Walt Disney Pictures | | | | | | Now that the Oscars have come and gone, it's time for Hollywood to focus on releasing big box office movies. The first, "A Wrinkle in Time," is currently screening in the main 750-seat auditorium at the Orinda Theatre.
The film is based on the science fiction novel of the same name written by Madeline L'Engle and was first published in 1962. Meg Murry is a typical middle school student struggling with issues of self-worth who just wants to fit in. The daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she is intelligent and uniquely gifted, as is her younger brother, Charles Wallace, but she has yet to realize her gifts. Complicating matters is the mysterious disappearance of her father, an event that has left Meg devastated and her mother brokenhearted. Charles Wallace introduces Meg and her fellow classmate Calvin to three celestial beings (Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who) who have journeyed to Earth to help the family search for their father and husband. They all embark together on their formidable quest. Traveling via a wrinkling of time and space known as tessering, they are transported to worlds beyond their imaginations where they must confront a powerful evil force. To make it back home to Earth, Meg must face the darkness within herself in order to harness the strength necessary to defeat the darkness rapidly enveloping the universe.
"A Wrinkle in Time" is directed by Ava DuVernay ("Selma"). DuVernay was nominated for an Oscar in 2017 for her documentary "13th." If you have not seen "13th," I highly recommend taking the time to watch this powerful film. DuVernay has assembled a cast of veterans (Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Zach Galifianakis) along with very talented up and coming actors which include Storm Reid ("12 Years a Slave") and Levi Miller. If you attended the 2017 California Independent Film Festival and saw the outstanding Australian film, "Jasper Jones," you got to see Miller in the lead role as Charlie Bucktin. If you missed "Jasper Jones" at CAIFF, it is another film worth taking the time to locate and watch.
The showtimes for the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) are 1:15 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6:45 p.m. There will be an additional late show on Friday and Saturday nights at 9:30 p.m.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA