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Cruise barely holds messy 'Mummy' together
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THE MUMMY 2 stars Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance; PG-13 (violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity); in general release

The Mummy is kind of a mess.

Its sobering to think of what director Alex Kurtzmans effort would look like without Tom Cruise in the drivers seat. Cruise plays Nick Morton, an Army sergeant in Iraq who is more interested in pawning rare antiquities than contributing to the war effort. When he and his sidekick Chris (Jake Johnson) stumble onto a vast underground tomb, they catch the attention of Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis), an archeologist fresh off a brief fling with Nick.

Jenny is part of a group led by a studious Brit named Henry (Russell Crowe) with a secret of his own that has been tracking an overlooked chapter of Egyptian history. Apparently, 5,000 years ago a princess named Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) made a deal with the Egyptian god of death to make her pharaoh. But her fathers servants mummified her alive and stuck her in a cursed tomb in Mesopotamia now Iraq before she could complete her plan.

By disturbing the tomb, Nick and company release Ahmanets undead soul, and she sets about finishing her plan, which requires a male chosen one. For his role in the disturbance, Nick is appointed the new chosen one, and Ahmanet begins luring him with telepathic visions. His inherent selfishness was obstacle enough, but now he must fight the demon in his head in order to set things right.

This simple Cruise-versus-the-Mummy plot quickly gets overloaded with a lot of confusing elements that individually show potential but never build into a coherent narrative. Half the time Cruise plays against type as a stumblebum with questionable ethics who feels like a wanna-be Indiana Jones. But as soon as the action ramps up, Nick morphs into Cruises traditional superhuman action hero who operates one step ahead of everyone around him.

Stumblebum Nick is matched with Chris, who engages with him in just enough witty banter to feel forced, and is much more enjoyable once mild spoiler alert he dies and subsequently returns as a zombie only Nick can see.

There are actually lots of zombies in The Mummy." Ahmanet resurrects all sorts of freshly and anciently dead minions in one memorable sequence, a pack of them pursue Cruise through a flooded tomb in London. Boutella isnt given the most dynamic role as the perpetually menacing Ahmanet, but she emotes well, and must be getting used to spending all her time in heavy makeup between this job and her role as the alien Jaylah in last years Star Trek Beyond.

Nicks demonic mind-meld with Ahmanet is one of The Mummys more compelling elements, and it easily overshadows the underdeveloped chemistry the protagonist is supposed to have with Jenny. And Crowe is compelling as Henry, even if his character suggests a completely unexpected tangent for the film and, presumably, its franchise potential.

To its credit, The Mummy benefits from some exciting set pieces, including the aforementioned flooded tomb and a fantastic plane crash sequence. Its definitely watchable, and Cruise gives the effort just enough of an anchor to hold the production together. But once the dust of the films beautiful desert vistas begins to settle, audiences will realize that The Mummy is at best a muddled echo of the kinds of things that more seasoned franchises do much better.

The Mummy is rated PG-13 for violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity; running time: 110 minutes.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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