Philippine Showbiz Today Vol 13 No 23 | Page 8

8 Philippine Showbiz Today December 8 - 21, 2018 Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015 Widows (PG) ***     Rough Justice! Degas: Passion for Perfection (G) **** French Master ! Take your mind off the troubles of the world and find happiness in the comfort of glowing works of art. One of the leading giants of French painting finds its way to local theatres in the inspiring Degas: Passion for Perfection. Enjoy this treat and save yourself a trip to the fancy galleries of Europe.         Part of the popular Exhibition on Screen series that lets you par- take in  The wonders of art and glorious arts movements that seem caught In Time this episode zeroes in on the great work of Edgar Degas. Unlike the stuffy nature of some documentaries this insight- ful portrait of one of France’s most renowned visual commentators shows how he put on paper and canvas his thoughts and feelings.        As a travelogue this film works to perfection. Much of the focus of this journey takes place at England’s Cambridge University where we are able to visually inspect many of this leading lights works from afar. Aided and abetted with excellent easy to understand commen- tary from various experts and historians we learn all about Degas and his motivations to create. Stunning are these painting and his sketches preserved to this day highlight the times of the period with a nod to the Renaissance masters this man so admired.        Whether being reeled in by nude forms or stunning natural field of dream Degas: Passion for Perfection explores the wondrous works of a French national treasure who was able to connect with both his countrymen and global admirers. Showtimes: December 12, Wednesday   4:00 PM  Cineplex Cinemas Langley December 14, Friday          2:00 PM   Cineplex Cinemas Langley December 17, Monday      4:00 PM   Cineplex Cinemas Langley● Historically Chicago has been known as the Windy City. Perhaps a better name for this fabled metropolitan in modern times could be murder capital of The United States or North America for that matter. Explore the underbelly of high level corruption in Widows, a smart and timely new thriller from 20th Century Fox now showing at Cin- eplex Theatres around B.C,        Politics makes strange bedfellows. Our tale follows the tumultu- ous reign of a gang of criminals who seem to have the authorities at bay. Headed by Liam Neeson (Taken) the gang who defiantly could shoot straight seem to have the world on a string. Success can go to one’s head and one job too many sees the four lads (no, not from Liverpool] wind up in body bags.        Funerals are painful. Leaving four wives behind and a sea of unpaid debts mounting it doesn’t take long for one of the widows to seek a career move. Easy money seemed to be the order of the day for the dear departed so team leader Veronica decides its wise to fol- low in their footsteps. Who knew a gutsy Viola Davis could organize and execute such a novel pursuit.       Full of some awesome total surprises and blessed with a superb cast director and co-writer Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) suc- ceeds in Giving us well developed and rather believable characters. Top talent like Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall bolster the grittiness of this story that forges a direct connection between crime and politics. Money and guns seem to be the order of the day in this 2 hr and 9 min affair. Call it a sad reflection of our modern world.●