Adventures in Words

       Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss in Tár.   Focus Features photo via IMDB Besides being fluent in German and awesomely articulate in English, Cate Blanchett also speaks the language of music in “ Tár.” Which parts of her portrayal of pianist-conductor-composer Lydia Tár stem from the actress's prodigious talent, and which parts are thanks to writer-director (and musician) Todd Field, either way Lydia Tár is more superhero than mere mortal, a force of nature, a one-woman energy field. Blanchett reportedly learned to play two instruments, and conduct an orchestra  and  speak German for the role. The intensity of the character – an opinionated, outspoken lesbian, a lioness on the orchestral podium of the Berlin Philharmonic who has no time for frivolity and does not suffer fools gladly – has put Blanchett near the top of best actress predictions this awards season. Deservedly so. You don't watch her performance through the first half of the movie so much as you take cover from i

  Joel Edgerton (center), Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen working to save “Thirteen Lives.”                Amazon Prime photo via IMDB One summer day in 2018, twelve young Thai members of the Wild Boar soccer team ended practice before setting off on their bikes to explore the nearby Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex. An assistant coach accompanied the boys, ages 11 to 16.   They were already underground in the sprawling maze of caverns and tunnels under the Thai-Myanmar border when the rain began. Monsoon season had arrived unseasonably early, adding to the boys' parents' terror when their sons didn't return later that afternoon. The story that unfolded – first of the boys' disappearance; then of their discovery, all still alive but trapped as the water level in the cave kept rising; then of a rescue too outrageous to be believed – held the world spellbound for the next 18 days. It was the kind of adventure you only see at the movies, which may be why numerous product

George Clooney, Maxime Bouttier, Kaitlyn Deever and Julia Robets in “Ticket to Paradise.” Armon Shokri Universal Pictures photo via IMDB Like a kinder, gentler answer to the Emmy-winning “The White Lotus,” “Ticket to Paradise” joins the ranks of comedies about things that can go wrong when beautiful people vacation in beautiful places. It's as pleasant as a tropical breeze, and just as slight. Considering that it buzzes with the high wattage Oscar winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts generate just being in the same frame, you might wish for something more substantial. Then again, it's the only movie in the box office top five that was actually made for grown-ups. It looks like it was fun to make. Pictures of Julia and George could be in the encyclopedia entry titled “Beautiful People.” They get to fly off to Bali (actually played by Queensland, Australia), spend weeks cracking each other up, call it work and get paid gazillions of dollars just for good measure. They play lo