Four stars: superior. Three stars: good. Two stars: average. One star: poor. D (drug use), L (language), N (nudity), S (sexual situations, references), V (violence). Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald Film Critic, unless otherwise noted.
Picks
“Alien: Covenant”— Ridley Scott directs a taut, pulsating, scary return to the 1979 original’s creature feature basics. On their way to settling on a faraway planet, the crew of the Covenant stops off at a moon where they discover David the synthetic (Michael Fassbender from “Prometheus”), plus other stuff. A nifty prequel to “Alien.” With Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride. (R) L, N, S, V. 120 minutes.? ? ?½
“Beauty and the Beast”— Faithful, old-fashioned (read: conventional) live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1991 animated fairy tale classic, now starring a luminous Emma Watson as Belle. Good (but not great) musical as visual effects dominate characters and story, stretched to 129 minutes (from its 84-minute original). Dan Stevens is the Beast. Kevin Kline is Belle’s eccentric father. Luke Evans makes a perfect, narcissistic villain Gaston. Josh Gad’s LeFou is gay. A shocker. (PG) 129 minutes.???
“Boss Baby”— Alec Baldwin brings his vocal skills to play a talking, walking newborn with a plan to unite babies against a common enemy: cute dogs! His 7-year-old brother (Miles Christopher Bakshi) intends to expose him in what turns out to be a sweet tale of brotherhood. (PG) 97 minutes.???
“Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”— The animated toilet humor adventures of fourth-graders George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) and their invented superhero, Captain Underpants. Blissful silliness based on Dav Pilkey’s books. With Nick Kroll as Professor Poopypants. Reviewed by Jane Horwitz, Washington Post. (PG) 89 minutes.???
“The Case for Christ”— Fact-based drama based on former Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune editor Lee Strobel (Mike Vogel) and his attempt to prove to his believer wife (Erika Christensen) that Jesus Christ and Christianity are frauds. He fails. With Robert Forster and Faye Dunaway. (PG) 112 minutes.???
“The Exception”— A Nazi soldier (Jai Courtney) investigates exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer) in the Netherlands as Germany prepares to take Holland. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (R) L, N, S, V. 106 minutes.???
“I, Daniel Blake”— Ken Loach’s moving portrait of resilience amid despair tells the story of an unemployed craftsman (Brit comedian Dave Johns) railing against social service privatization. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L. 100 minutes.? ? ?
“It Comes at Night”— Less is more in Trey Edward Schults’ atmospheric, domestic thriller about two families surviving a pandemic in the tight confines of a cabin in the woods. A cautionary tale of fear and regret instead of conventional horror. With Joel Edgerton, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Riley Keough. (R) L, V. 97 minutes.? ? ?
“The Lovers”— Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tracy Letts and Debra Winger play middle-aged spouses who wind up cheating on their lovers with themselves in a smart, insightful and truth-driven romantic comedy. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L, S. 94 minutes.???
“Megan Leavey”— A troubled young woman (Kate Mara) joins the U.S. Marines and finds her purpose as the handler of a bomb-sniffing dog named Rex. An impressive, fact-based drama from doc filmmaker Gabriela “Blackfish” Cowperthwaite. (PG-13) L, S, V. 116 minutes.? ? ?
“Snatched”— Rude and randy, amusing and constantly surprising family bonding/chase comedy with Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer as a mom and daughter getting kidnapped while on vacation in Ecuador. (R) L, N, S. 91 minutes.???
“Wonder Woman”— Gal Gadot rocks as the DC Comics Amazonian warrior, constrained by the testosterone in 2016’s “Batman v. Superman.” Patty Jenkins directs an epically mounted, conventional origin story empowered by Gadot’s confident, physical performance as Wonder Woman, who joins an American soldier (Chris Pine) to fight a German ubervillain (Danny Huston) during World War I. (PG-13) V. 141 minutes.???
Passables
“Everything, Everything”— A new boy in town (Nick Robinson) falls for a sick teen (Amandla Stenberg) trapped in her hermetically sealed house protecting her from germs. They both contract Kristen Stewart Acting Syndrome, causing them to emit audible nasal exhalations and muffled snorts. Anika Noni Rose plays the teen’s obsessive doctor mom in a movie that succumbs to E.V.N. (Excessive Voiceover Narration). (PG-13) S. 96 minutes.??
“The Fate of the Furious”— No. 8 in the cartoony “Furious” franchise turns Dom (Vin Diesel) into a slave drone for a super cyberterrorist (a narcotized Charlize Theron) determined to detonate a few nukes to teach the world a lesson. The stunts range from inspired to silly, the acting from stilted to really stilted, and the dialogue from perfunctory to embarrassing. In short, everything that makes a “Furious” film popular. (PG-13) L, S, V. 136 minutes.??½
“Gifted”— An appealing cast, tart dialogue and genuine emotion trump manipulative plot points in this drama about a custody battle between an uncle (Chris Evans) and a controlling grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) over a young math prodigy (Mckenna Grace). Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, S. 101 minutes.??½
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”— Visually dense and surprisingly suspenseless sequel to the breezy, irreverent 2014 box office smash about misfit Guardians, now a squabbling family attempting to be mercenaries. Quill (Chris Pratt) finds his biological dad in Ego the Living Planet (a game Kurt Russell) while assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) plays Mom to Quill and Rocket (Bradley Cooper), even as her criminal sister (Karen Gillan) wants to kill her. Some good comic bits in a Marvel movie that tries too hard. (PG-13) L, S, V. 137 minutes.? ?½
“The Hunter’s Prayer”— Boilerplate thriller about a drug-addicted assassin (Sam Worthington) who protects his latest target, an innocent teenager (Odeya Rush) resembling Mila Kunis’ way-younger sister. Deft action sequences undermined by stupid professional killers with terrible marksmanship. At the Woodridge 18. (R) D, L, V. 91 minutes.??½
“The Mummy”— More of an action comedy than horror as Tom Cruise injects a “Mission: Impossible” vibe into this CGI-packed familiar story of a revived mummy (Sofia Boutella) out to take over the world. Think of it as an attempt to give “The Mummy” a “Ghostbusters” reboot. (PG-13) N, S, V. 120 minutes.??½
“My Cousin Rachel”— In 19th-century Cornwall, a young heir-to-be (Sam Claflin) falls for a mystery woman (Rachel Weisz) he suspects killed his beloved guardian in Italy. A drama that loosens and flutters just when it should be tightening the screws. (PG-13) L, S. 106 minutes.? ?
“Norman”— Richard Gere stars as a none-too-bright New York “fixer” who befriends influential people to augment his own sense of self-worth. A provocative character, but one so mysterious that we can’t truly identify with him. With Michael Sheen and Hank Azaria. (R) L. 118 minutes.??
“Paris Can Wait”— A modest, genteel piece of cinematic escapism, a silky testament to sensuality as impeccably tasteful as it is utterly undemanding. The ignored wife (Diane Lane) of a big movie producer (Alec Baldwin) takes a road trip to Paris with a French business associate (Arnaud Viard) who may be attempting to seduce her. At least with food. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG) 92 minutes.??
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”— No. 5 in the series is a superficial retread pumped full of dicey visual effects, numbing chases and malnourished characterizations. Henry (Brenton Thwaites) and a sassy astronomer (Kaya Scodelario) seek Poseidon’s trident so all the seas’ curses will become null and void. Johnny Depp’s foppish Captain Jack feels worn and tired dealing with Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Spanish ghost Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem). (PG-13) S, V. 135 minutes.??
“Wakefield”— A burned-out, narcissistic attorney (Bryan Cranston) pretends to disappear, but hides in an attic above his detached garage where he observes his wife (Jennifer Garner) and two daughters dealing with his absence. An interesting attempt at an Edgar Allen Poe-influenced narrative. Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) L, S. 106 minutes.? ?
Pits
“Baywatch”— Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron waste their talents in this unwieldy, derivative and mostly unfunny expansion of David Hasselhoff’s popular lifeguard TV series. They and three women plus a dude don’t just save drowning swimmers, they solve crimes and make time-wasting films. Reviewed by Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press. (R) L, N, S. 116 minutes.?½
“Churchill”— Brian Cox plays Britain’s cherished Prime Minister, remembered here only because he was propped up by people stronger than he, such as his noble wife (Miranda Richardson). A frustrating and incongruent portrait. Reviewed by Alan Zilberman, Washington Post. (PG) 98 minutes.?½
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”— An unfunny family road trip film to Meemaw’s house with enough gross-out jokes to rival the R-rated “Vacation” remake. With Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG) 90 minutes.One-half star.
“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”— Dark, soulless and grim reinvention of the origin of Arthur (Charlie Hunnam), now raised by kindly prostitutes after his king daddy (Eric Bana) was assassinated by his evil uncle (Jude Law, resembling a shady 1960s advertising executive). No magic in this movie that wants to be a PG-13 version of “Game of Thrones.” L, S, V. 125 minutes.?½
Unpreviewed
“Baahubali 2”— The sequel to 2015’s “Baahubali: The Beginning,” one of the top-grossing Indian epic historical fantasy films from S.S. Rajamouli. (NR) 197 minutes.
“11:55”— A U.S. Marine (Victor Almanzar) returns to his economically depressed hometown, only to discover he’s still trapped by the violent past he tried to escape. With Julia Stiles and John Leguizamo. (NR) 80 minutes.
“Hindi Medium”— A lighthearted romance about a couple, Raj (Irrfan Khan) and Mita (Saba Qamar), who integrate into English-speaking society for their daughter’s sake. (NR) 150 minutes.
“How to Be a Latin Lover”— An aging gigolo (Eugenio Derbez) is forced to move in with his estranged sister (Salma Hayek). He attempts to woo a wealthy widowed grandmother (Raquel Welch) to be his sugar mama. With Rob Lowe and Kristen Bell. (PG-13) N, S. 115 minutes.
“Raabta”— A man and woman (Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon) meet and fall in love, unaware they were connected by events from several hundred years ago. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 120 minutes.
“Sachin: A Billion Dreams”— A movie based on the life of Indian cricket icon and living legend Sachin Tendulkar. (NR) 138 minutes.
“3 Idiotas”— A comedy about two friends who set out to search for a long-lost pal who mysteriously disappeared the night before their college graduation. (PG-13) L. 106 minutes.
“The Wedding Plan”— A woman (Noa Koler) continues with her planned wedding a month away, even though her betrothed has called it off. Maybe she’ll find Mr. Right on a deadline. A comic drama directed and written by Rama Burshtein. (PG) 110 minutes.
