By Debbie Schlussel

Well, the new movies at the theater this weekend are getting better (relatively speaking), so Spring and Summer must be just around the corner.

* “Cinderella“: When I first heard about this Disney project, I thought, “Again?! Do we really need yet another ‘Cinderella’?” But, actually, after seeing this, the answer is, “Yes.” This was just fantastic, from the beautiful costumes and sets to the acting to the computer generated images and effects. Everything about this was terrific and charming. And, for once in all of these years I’ve been reviewing movies, there is finally a prince in the Cinderella story who isn’t an effeminate, bumbling dope. The prince in this one is principled, courageous, and masculine. The movie is great, wholesome fare to which to take the entire family. Even the adults will enjoy this.

You know the Cinderella story, so I need not repeat it here. This is true to the real fairy tale. And the acting is terrific, especially that of beautiful newcomer Lily James in the title role. The costumes and jewelry are just terrific–incredibly beautiful, especially evil stepmother Cate Blanchett’s clothing and bejeweled accoutrements. The pumpkin carriage is magnificent. If the costume and set designers for this don’t win Oscars, it’s a crime. Then, there is the lizard man, who is one of the coachmen. He looks exactly as I would have imagined a lizardly human to look. The prince’s viceroy, the “Captain,” British actor Nonso Anozie, is a doppelganger for former NFLer Warren Sapp (minus the prostitutes). Helena Bonham Carter looks better than she has in years, here as the fairy godmother.

Several in the PC-crowd are upset that Cinderella/James is too thin, and I thought they were going overboard. But when I saw the movie, her waist is shockingly tiny during the ball scene. I doubt, though, that this will make America’s girls want to be anorexic. Our problem is too many overweight children, not too many who are too thin. And the movie makes clear that the women in this age wore corsets, which did give this effect in real life. I guarantee this won’t cause a whole bunch of girls to run out and buy corsets. Nobody seems to be concerned that the Kartrashians are already pimping corsets.

Director Kenneth Branagh did a terrific job here. A great, fun movie. See it with your whole family or enjoy it alone. It’s just beautiful and well done all around. There is an animated “Frozen” short before the movie begins.

FOUR REAGANS

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* “Run All Night“: This was much better than I expected, but far too violent and bloody for my taste. It’s not for kids or even teens in my view. Still, I found it to be edge-of-your-seat entertainment from beginning to end, full of suspense throughout. It features a few bad actors as actors: Islam-pimp Liam Neeson, who proudly espouses gun control, but made this violent, gun-filled movie; neo-Communist Ed Harris, who sat on his hands when the late, great anti-Communist director Elia Kazan received a Lifetime Achievement Oscar; and Muslim, racist rapper Common. I loved it when he got his. And I liked that the movie did not glorify Neeson’s character, a burnt-out, friendless, mafia hit man, though I was troubled that you tend to root for the guy in this movie, given the story line.

The story: Harris heads an Irish mafia family in New York. Neeson, his lifelong friend, was also his lifelong personal hit man, killing many innocents. Neeson’s son, Joel Kinnaman, is honest and straight and, therefore, has disowned his father, Neeson, and kept him out of his life. But, one night, Kinnaman witnesses Irish mafia chief Harris’ son commit murder, and the son tries to kill Kinnaman. Just as he’s about to kill Kinnaman, Neeson shoots the mob boss’ son. Harris, the mob boss, tells Neeson that he (Harris) will now make it his goal to murder Neeson’s son and Neeson, himself. So the estranged mob hit man and his honest son are stuck that night trying to escape the Irish mob, corrupt cops on the take from the mob, and a professional hit man (Common). Like I said, it’s non-stop action and suspenseful stuff.

The ending is predictable, but it’s a tight thriller and pretty well-crafted, but for the excessive blood and killing. But nobody said the mob is populated by saints and those dedicated to saving lives. Rated “R” for several reasons, including extreme violence and language. 74-year-old crypt-keeper Nick Nolte, looking every bit of his 94 years, makes a cameo.

TWO REAGANS

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* “’71“: This movie is about a British soldier who gets left behind in the middle of violent Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s being chased and kidnapped and shot at repeatedly, all over the place. Meanwhile, the Brits are looking for him, as well as rival Irish Catholic factions and undercover police who are really working for and collaborating with the British. Very bloody and violent, especially a scene where we are shown–at close range–strangers sewing crude stitches on the soldier without anesthesia. Um, no thanks. Wasn’t sure what the point of this movie was, even though it’s billed as a thriller. And while it was thrilling at times, it was also a dry bore at others. I wish there would be a movie that would depict the IRA and their real-life partnerships and exploits with the PLO and the Sandinistas. This ain’t it. Also, about a third of the time, I needed a translator to understand the quick clips of working-class Irish cockney.

HALF A REAGAN

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* “Kidnapping Mr. Heineken“: This was mildly entertaining but you and I have seen this movie a zillion times: lazy people who don’t want to work for a living cook up a scheme to kidnap a rich dude for the ransom and get rich quick. Except that it never works. I learned this as a little kid when my parents took me to see “Benji” and the kidnappers didn’t get away with the money then. At least in that movie, we knew that Benji helped foil the bad guys. In this movie, they never really tell you much about how police nailed the real-life kidnappers who snatched Dutch beer magnate Alfred Heineken (Anthony Hopkins), other than a postscript that an anonymous tip was phoned in to police. Instead, this is more of an exercise in frustration–we watch the kidnappers grow ever more frustrated that their ransom demands have been ignored. Plus they do a bunch of dumb things and are constantly feuding. This isn’t a relaxing movie. If I need to see people fight and become frustrated, I’ll go watch family court. It’s free, and more intense.

HALF A REAGAN

Watch the trailer . . .