Movie guide

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

“Beatriz at Dinner”— A saintly Selma Hayek blows a cork at a wine dinner where her Mexican immigrant therapist locks political horns with a ruthless, ultrarich real estate developer (John Lithgow). Written by Mike White. So vital and current, even a boneheaded ending can’t ruin it. (R) L, V. 83 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.???

“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.? ? ?

“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

“Band Aid”— A bickering young couple (director Zoe Lister-Jones and Adam Pally) turn their domestic squabbles into songs as a form of therapy. Fred Armisen plays their sex addict neighbor and drummer. Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (NR) D, L, N, S. 94 minutes.??½

“Cars 3”— Not the fastest entry in the Pixar library. Loads of jokes about old age dominate the screenplay as a high-mileage Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) runs into young upstart Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer). It has trouble shifting out of neutral. (G) 109 minutes.? ?

“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

“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 Hero”— Sam Elliott gives an absorbing performance in a lackluster drama about an aging actor re-evaluating his life upon news he’s receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Western Appreciation Guild. With Nick Offerman and Laura Prepon. Reviewed by Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press. (R) D, L, S. 93 minutes.??½

“Kill Switch”— Sci-fi thriller about a physicist (Dan Stevens) dealing with the catastrophic effects of a new energy system sucking power from an alternate Earth. A film diminished by extensive use of the overrated “first-person shooter” video game aesthetic. (R) L, V. 91 minutes.? ?

“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. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, S. 106 minutes.? ?

“Paris Can Wait”— A modest, genteel piece of cinematic escapism about the ignored wife (Diane Lane) of a big movie producer (Alec Baldwin) who takes a road trip to Paris with a French business associate (Arnaud Viard) who may be attempting to seduce her. 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.??

“Rough Night”— Five college pals — Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer and Zoë Kravitz — reunite for a fun time at a Miami beach house when an accidental killing puts a kink in their plans. Not as fresh, tightly scripted or as funny as “Bridesmaids.” Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (R) D, L, S, V. 101 minutes.??½

“The Women’s Balcony”— A physically crumbling Jerusalem synagogue’s new, more conservative rabbi (Aviv Alush) pits the women against the men as conflicts increase. Reviewed by Pat Padua, Washington Post. In Hebrew with subtitles. (NR) 96 minutes.??½

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

“The Book of Henry”— A formulaic family dramedy from “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow that turns into a weepy medical melodrama, an uplifting romantic story and, ultimately, a vigilante thriller so out of left field it seems spliced onto this movie from a completely different one. With Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher and Jacob Tremblay. Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG) 105 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.

“Once Upon a Time in Venice”— Slumming actors Bruce Willis and John Goodman play best pals in this anemic black comedy about an aging private eye whose dog gets kidnapped by a stupid drug dealer in Venice, California. Few laughs, fewer thrills, even with a buck-naked Willis escaping on a skateboard through a bar. (NR) L, N, S, V. 109 minutes.?

“The Recall”— Wesley Snipes’ over-the-top performance as a militant UFO abductee highlights this comically overwrought mix of “Signs” and “Cabin in the Woods” as five young people deal with an alien invasion. So cheesy, some of it’s fun. (R) L, N, V. 91 minutes.?½

Unpreviewed

“All Eyez on Me”— The story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur, played by Demetrius Shipp Jr. With Kat Graham as Jada Pinkett and Jamal Woolard as Biggie Smalls. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 140 minutes.

“47 Meters Down”— Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play siblings on a Mexico vacation when they become trapped at the bottom of the sea in a shark cage. With sharks waiting for their snacks to come out for air. With Matthew Modine. (PG-13) L, V. 89 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.