Screen

Short takes: This week’s movie listings and reviews

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Morgan
Josh Bell, Mike D'Angelo, Jeffrey M. Anderson

Special screenings

Dive-In Movies

Mon, 7:30 p.m., $5, free for hotel guests. 9/5, Dirty Dancing. Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7000.

Dungeons & Dragons

9/4, live broadcast of role-playing game from PAX West, 6 p.m., $13-$15. Theaters: COL, ORL, SF, ST, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.

The NeverEnding Story

9/4, 9/7, film plus bonus content, 2 & 7 p.m., $7.50-$12.50. Theaters: AL, CAN, SF, RR, SP, ST, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.

Rob Zombie’s 31

9/1, movie plus bonus features, 7 p.m., $13-$15. Theaters: RR, SF, ST, TS, TX, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

9/3, augmented by live cast and audience participation, 10 p.m., $9. Theaters: TC. Info: rhpsvegas.com.

Sci Fi Center

Mon, Cinemondays, 8 p.m., free. 9/3, Things to Come, 3 p.m., $1. 9/3, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936), 6 p.m., $1. 9/3, The Driller Killer, 8 p.m., $1. 9/4, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916), 3 p.m., $1. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com.

Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou

Tue, 1 p.m., free. 9/6, Citizen Kane. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3400.

New this week

The 9th Life of Louis Drax (Not reviewed)

Aiden Longworth, Sarah Gadon, Jamie Dornan. Directed by Alexandre Aja. 108 minutes. Rated R. A doctor investigates the mystery of a young boy who’s survived nine near-death experiences.

Theaters: GVR, RR, VS

Janatha Garage (Not reviewed)

N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Mohanlal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Directed by Koratala Siva. 150 minutes. Not rated. In Telugu and Malayalam with English subtitles. A student and a mechanic unite to save their community.

Theaters: ST

The Light Between Oceans Two and a half stars

Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz. Directed by Derek Cianfrance. 132 minutes. Rated PG-13. Set just after World War I, this adaptation of M.L. Stedman’s novel stars Fassbender and Vikander as a married couple living on a small island who choose to keep a baby that washes ashore, being unable to have one of their own. Weisz plays the child’s actual mother; an overly grim custody battle ensues. —MD

Theaters: AL, COL, DTS, GVL, RP, SC, SF, SP, SS, TS

Morgan Two and a half stars

Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rose Leslie. Directed by Luke Scott. 91 minutes. Rated R. A genetically engineered young woman turns on her creators in this derivative sci-fi thriller with a surprisingly strong cast. Morgan is generic and forgettable, with minimal suspense and a plot that never deviates from the predictable, but it features enough craftsmanship to distract from the most glaring flaws. —JB

Theaters: AL, CAN, COL, DI, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

Naam Hai Akira (Not reviewed)

Sonakshi Sinha, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anurag Kashyap. Directed by A.R. Murugadoss. 139 minutes. Not rated. In Hindi with English subtitles. A college student finds herself caught up in a crime involving corrupt police officers.

Theaters: VS

No Manches Frida (Not reviewed)

Omar Chaparro, Martha Higareda, Monica Dionne. Directed by Nacho G. Velilla. 100 minutes. Rated PG-13. In Spanish with English subtitles. An ex-con poses as a substitute teacher in order to access his hidden loot.

Theaters: BS, ORL, PAL, SC, TS, TX

The Sea of Trees Two stars

Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts. Directed by Gus Van Sant. 110 minutes. Rated PG-13. McConaughey plays Arthur, a despondent college professor planning to kill himself in Japan’s notorious “suicide forest,” where he encounters a lost man (Watanabe) who reignites his will to live. Flashbacks manipulatively reveal the reasons behind Arthur’s despair, with several ridiculous twists and lots of philosophical platitudes delivered in a somber, self-serious tone. —JB

Theaters: TS

Now playing

Anthropoid Two and a half stars

Jamie Dornan, Cillian Murphy, Charlotte Le Bon. Directed by Sean Ellis. 120 minutes. Rated R. This noble but somewhat rote WWII drama tells the true story of the Czech resistance’s efforts to assassinate a high-ranking Nazi official. While the real events are worthy of attention, the movie struggles to create compelling characters, and its drama is poorly paced, with long lulls around two suspenseful set pieces. —JB

Theaters: GVR, SC

Bad Moms Two stars

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. 101 minutes. Rated R. This disappointingly tame comedy is really just about one mom (Kunis), who finds herself questioning her priorities after she catches her husband cheating on her. The plot is aimless and disjointed, and the humor is mild and clichéd. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, COL, FH, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS

Ben-Hur Two stars

Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. 124 minutes. Rated PG-13. This remake amps up the violence and focuses on the revenge story, as Roman centurion Messala (Kebbell) betrays his adopted Jewish brother Judah (Huston). Both the running time and the overt religious message have been cut way back, leaving a truncated, plodding drama with minimal excitement and nothing worthwhile to say. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, FH, GVR, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

The BFG Two and a half stars

Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Jemaine Clement. Directed by Steven Spielberg. 117 minutes. Rated PG. Oscar-winner Rylance enchants as the title character (BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant), but Spielberg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book predictably downplays its cruelty—no kiddies get eaten onscreen here—in favor of aggressive, cumulatively exhausting whimsy and pluckiness. —MD

Theaters: TC

Captain Fantastic Two and a half stars

Viggo Mortensen, George McKay, Samantha Isler. Directed by Matt Ross. 118 minutes. Rated R. Mortensen’s Ben rejects modern society and raises his six kids in the wilderness in this uneven drama, which doesn’t know when to let its story of an unconventional family end. It both celebrates and criticizes Ben’s choices, but eventually loses control of both its narrative and its unique perspective. —JB

Theaters: VS

Central Intelligence Two stars

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. 114 minutes. Rated PG-13. Hart is in familiar territory as a put-upon accountant very reluctantly recruited by his former high school classmate (Johnson) to join a CIA mission. Johnson ends up as the comedic highlight of the film, and the character work is stronger than the inconsistent jokes and especially the lackluster action sequences. —JB

Theaters: TC

Don’t Breathe Two stars

Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Stephen Lang. Directed by Fede Alvarez. 88 minutes. Rated R. Teens break into an isolated house, only to be confronted by the owner, a blind veteran who’s more dangerous than he appears. At first, Don’t Breathe is admirably gritty and visceral, but it’s ruined by increasingly gross and unbelievable twists. What started as an intense, gripping thriller becomes a ridiculous cartoon. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX

Don’t Think Twice Three and a half stars

Mike Birbiglia, Gillian Jacobs, Keegan-Michael Key. Directed by Mike Birbiglia. 92 minutes. Rated R. Birbiglia’s dramedy about soul-searching and angst among the members of an NYC improv comedy troupe is more interested in complex emotions than in making jokes. The movie draws its audience in with the promise of laughs, and then reaches into deeper and more rewarding emotional territory from there. —JB

Theaters: VS

Equity Two and a half stars

Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas. Directed by Meera Menon. 100 minutes. Rated R. Putting women in the main roles of this financial thriller offers a slightly different perspective, but it doesn’t compensate for the stilted dialogue full of unconvincing financial jargon or the frustratingly low-stakes plot. The constant presence of suspenseful-sounding music is a poor substitute for actual suspense. —JB

Theaters: GVR, SC

Finding Dory Three and a half stars

Voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence. Directed by Andrew Stanton. 103 minutes. Rated PG. Forgetful fish Dory decides to track down her long-lost parents in this animated sequel to Pixar’s Finding Nemo. While Dory is thoroughly charming and enjoyable, with funny supporting characters and often gorgeous animation, it’s also a bit formulaic and repetitive, especially during the drawn-out third act. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, TS, TX

Florence Foster Jenkins Two stars

Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg. Directed by Stephen Frears. 110 minutes. Rated PG-13. Streep plays the title character, a 1940s New York City heiress who was able to mount lavish private concerts despite her complete inability to sing. Jenkins’ life makes for a great Wikipedia entry, but Frears’ movie makes her into the butt of a single repetitive joke, and then tries to pivot for sympathy. —JB

Theaters: COL, SC, VS

Ghostbusters Three stars

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones. Directed by Paul Feig. 116 minutes. Rated PG-13. This remake of the 1984 movie about a group of misfits fighting a supernatural infestation in New York City features strong comedy with an impressively talented cast, but eventually ends up overwhelmed by the demands of its large-scale action storyline. —JB

Theaters: BS, CH, FH, GVR, PAL, SC, SHO, SP, TS, TX

Hands of Stone Two and a half stars

Edgar Ramirez, Robert De Niro, Ana de Armas. Directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz. 105 minutes. Rated R. Ramirez (Carlos) does decent work as legendary boxer Roberto Duran, but it’s mostly De Niro—now playing the trainer, more than 35 years after embodying Jake LaMotta—who provides this generic boxing biopic with what meager energy it possesses. —MD

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, TS, TX

Hell or High Water Four stars

Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges. Directed by David Mackenzie. 102 minutes. Rated R. A craggy Texas Ranger (Bridges) tracks two small-time bank-robber brothers (Pine, Foster) across Texas in this consistently entertaining movie, which mines new humor, depth and eloquence from a very old genre. The script is full of flavorful dialogue, and the plotting is air-tight, methodically revealing more details about the brothers’ plan. —JB

Theaters: AL, DTS, GVR, SF, SP, ST, TS, TX, VS

Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (Not reviewed)

Directed by Dinesh D’Souza. 107 minutes. Rated PG-13. Conservative political documentary exploring the policies of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.

Theaters: FH, SP, ST, VS

Ice Age: Collision Course One and a half stars

Voices of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo. Directed by Mike Thurmeier. 94 minutes. Rated PG. The fifth installment in the animated series is easily the worst, a lazy, unfocused, cluttered mess, with no reason for existing other than perpetuating the absurdly successful franchise. What was once the simple story of three prehistoric mammal friends has ballooned into a never-ending family saga featuring more than a dozen characters. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, COL, SC, ST, TC, TX

Independence Day: Resurgence Two stars

Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Maika Monroe. Directed by Roland Emmerich. 120 minutes. Rated PG-13. Twenty years after fighting off an alien invasion in 1996’s cheesy but rousing Independence Day, Earth is attacked again, and humanity must band together to save the planet. This sequel is just another noisy, cluttered, CGI-filled monstrosity, with a convoluted plot that’s ultimately just a prelude to another movie somewhere down the road. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, COL, SC, TX

Indignation Two stars

Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts. Directed by James Schamus. 110 minutes. Rated R. Based on Philip Roth’s novel, this drama follows a neurotic New Jersey Jew (Lerman) as he attends college in small-town Ohio in the 1950s. Both his lopsided romance with an unstable fellow student and his clash with the authoritarian dean are depicted in mannered, overly precious detail, with circular dialogue and heavy-handed themes. —JB

Theaters: SC

Jason Bourne Three stars

Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Paul Greengrass. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13. Damon and Greengrass return to their signature super-spy character after nine years away, but they haven’t quite brought the same creative inspiration with them. Greengrass delivers several excellent action sequences, but the script fails to come up with a compelling reason to bring Bourne out of his well-earned retirement. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CH, DTS, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

Kubo and the Two Strings Four stars

Voices of Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey. Directed by Travis Knight. 101 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by Laika CEO Knight, the stop-motion animation studio’s latest wonder draws from Japanese folklore in its tale of the title character and his quest through a mystical realm. It’s a simple story, but the filmmakers give it nuance and resonance in the small character moments and the rich visual detail. —JB

Theaters: CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

The Legend of Tarzan Two stars

Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz. Directed by David Yates. 109 minutes. Rated PG-13. The latest movie featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ English nobleman raised by African apes pits Tarzan (Skarsgård) and his wife Jane (Robbie) against a power-hungry Belgian government official (Waltz) who plans to exploit the natives of the Congo. Legend is mostly dull, with mediocre special effects, forgettable action and a slow-moving plot. —JB

Theaters: TC

Lights Out Two and a half stars

Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Gabriel Bateman. Directed by David F. Sandberg. 81 minutes. Rated PG-13. Director Sandberg has a tough time expanding his dialogue-free, ultra-short horror film (about a malevolent entity that only appears when lights are turned off) into a feature. Still, Sandberg proves that he’s decent at creating scares, and audiences just looking for a handful of jump moments may find Lights Out satisfactory. —JB

Theaters: ST, TC, TX

Mechanic: Resurrection One and a half stars

Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Sam Hazeldine. Directed by Dennis Gansel. 99 minutes. Rated R. No one asked for a sequel to 2011’s The Mechanic, and this generic action movie does nothing to justify its existence. Statham delivers his typical punching and kicking as an assassin lured back into the game, but the plot is moronic and convoluted, the effects are cheap-looking, and the characters are less than one-dimensional. —JB

Theaters: AL, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

Nerve Two stars

Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. Roberts plays a teenager who gets caught up in an all-encompassing online game of increasingly dangerous dares. While Joost and Schulman do their best to add some of-the-moment visual flair, the dull story ends up saying very little about the perils of trolling for likes on social media. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, FH, GVR, RP, RR, SHO, ST, TS, TX, VS

Nine Lives (Not reviewed)

Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Robbie Amell. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. 87 minutes. Rated PG. A workaholic business executive must reconnect with his family while trapped in the body of their pet cat.

Theaters: CH, COL, SC, TX

Pete’s Dragon Two and a half stars

Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Karl Urban. Directed by David Lowery. 102 minutes. Rated PG. This Disney remake is pleasant and entirely forgettable, with a bland hero (young orphan Pete, played by Oakes Fegley) and his bland CGI dragon sidekick (named Elliot) befriending some bland adults in a bland small town and overcoming a villain who’s barely even villainous. —JB

Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

The Purge: Election Year Two and a half stars

Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson. Directed by James DeMonaco. 105 minutes. Rated R. The third movie in the Purge series centers on an anti-Purge presidential candidate (Mitchell) who is targeted for elimination during the Purge itself. While the movie more effectively explores the world of the Purge, it still mostly features characters running through dark alleys or hiding out in dingy rooms. —JB

Theaters: TC

Sausage Party Two stars

Voices of Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera. Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon. 89 minutes. Rated R. With its rudimentary computer animation, talking foodstuffs and relentless, heavy-handed messages about religion, Sausage Party is the atheist equivalent of a VeggieTales movie. Rogen voices a hot dog who tries to enlighten his fellow groceries about human eating habits. While there are occasional amusing puns, the nonstop gross-out humor gets tiresome quickly. —JB

Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, DI, GVL, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

The Secret Life of Pets Three stars

Voices of Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate. Directed by Chris Renaud. 90 minutes. Rated PG. The hyperactive animated story, with loyal dog Max (C.K.) and his dog frenemy Duke (Stonestreet) lost in New York City, isn’t nearly as sophisticated as something from Pixar or even DreamWorks Animation, but it’s good for a few laughs and is entirely kid-friendly, with plenty of cute characters and madcap set pieces. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

The Shallows (Not reviewed)

Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. 87 minutes. Rated PG-13. A surfer is trapped just offshore by a shark.

Theaters: DI

Southside With You Two and a half stars

Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter. Directed by Richard Tanne. 84 minutes. Rated PG-13. Writer-director Tanne imagines the daylong first date between Barack Obama (Sawyers) and his future wife Michelle (Sumpter) in this awkward mix of low-key romantic drama and historical foreshadowing, with dialogue that sometimes sounds like the characters reciting their own Wikipedia entries. —JB

Theaters: COL, FH, GVL, SF, SP, ST, TS, VS

Star Trek Beyond Three and a half stars

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban. Directed by Justin Lin. 120 minutes. Rated PG-13. The third movie in the rebooted sci-fi series has a comparatively smaller-scale plot than its predecessors, returning Trek a bit closer to its episodic TV origins—in only the best way. It works well as a rousing adventure story that celebrates the power of capable, dedicated people working together. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CH, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

Suicide Squad Two and a half stars

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman. Directed by David Ayer. 130 minutes. Rated PG-13. This super-villain team-up features a slightly more streamlined narrative than previous DC movies. But it’s still overstuffed, an ensemble piece with nearly a dozen main characters, telling origin stories for half of them, bringing them together into a new team and facing them off against two different antagonists. —JB

Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, DTS, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows One and a half stars

Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry. Directed by Dave Green. 112 minutes. Rated PG-13. The sequel to the 2014 TMNT live-action reboot vastly overcorrects for the first movie’s seriousness and intensity by turning into a grating, childish and overlong version of the old TMNT cartoon series. The plotting is ridiculous, the dialogue is terrible, and the in-your-face style is completely mind-numbing. —JB

Theaters: TC

War Dogs Three stars

Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas. Directed by Todd Phillips. 114 minutes. Rated R. War Dogs tells the true story of unlikely arms dealers Efraim Diveroli (Hill) and David Packouz (Teller), who leveraged low-level military contracts into a massive deal that found them in over their heads. Director and co-writer Phillips deploys just enough comedy to entice the audience while treating the story with appropriate seriousness. —JB

Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, DI, DTS, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

X-Men: Apocalypse Two and a half stars

Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac. Directed by Bryan Singer. 144 minutes. Rated PG-13. The latest adventure of the mutant superheroes reintroduces familiar characters in slightly new forms, and spends far too much time on set-up. World-ending villain Apocalypse (Isaac) is ridiculous and ineffective, and the overstuffed cast pushes too many new and/or reimagined characters to the margins. Even the big action climax is underwhelming. —JB

Theaters: SC

JMA Jeffrey M. Anderson; JB Josh Bell; MD Mike D’Angelo

Theaters

(AL) Regal Aliante

7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 ext. 4011

(BS) Regal Boulder Station

4111 Boulder Highway, 844-462-7342 ext. 269

(PAL) Brenden Theatres at the Palms

4321 W. Flamingo Road, 702-507-4849

(CAN) Galaxy Cannery

2121 E. Craig Road, North Las Vegas, 702-639-9779

(CH) Cinedome Henderson

851 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, 702-566-1570

(COL) Regal Colonnade

8880 S. Eastern Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 270

(DI) Las Vegas Drive-In

4150 W. Carey Ave., North Las Vegas, 702-646-3565

(DTS) Regal Downtown Summerlin

2070 Park Center Drive, 844-462-7342 ext. 4063

(FH) Regal Fiesta Henderson

777 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 1772

(GVR) Regal Green Valley Ranch

2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 267

(GVL) Galaxy Green Valley Luxury+

4500 E. Sunset Road, Henderson, 702-442-0244

(ORL) Century Orleans

4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-889-1220

(RP) AMC Rainbow Promenade

2321 N. Rainbow Blvd., 888-262-4386

(RR) Regal Red Rock

11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 844-462-7342 ext. 1756

(ST) Century Sam’s Town

5111 Boulder Highway, 702-547-1732

(SF) Century Santa Fe Station

4949 N. Rancho Drive, 702-655-8178

(SHO) United Artists Showcase

3769 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 844-462-7342 ext. 522

(SP) Century South Point

9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-260-4061

(SC) Century Suncoast

9090 Alta Drive, 702-869-1880

(SS) Regal Sunset Station

1301-A W. Sunset Road, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 268

(TX) Regal Texas Station

2101 Texas Star Lane, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 ext. 271

(TS) AMC Town Square

6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-362-7283

(TC) Regency Tropicana Cinemas

3330 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-438-3456

(VS) Regal Village Square

9400 W. Sahara Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 272

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