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
“Barbershop: The Next Cut”— A dozen years after the last sequel, “The Next Cut” delivers the same warm energy, subtle social commentary and big-hearted laughs as the originals. With Ice Cube, Common, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicki Minaj and Eve. Reviewed by Sandy Cohen, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S. 111 minutes.???
“Deadpool”— The naughty Marvel superhero (Ryan Reynolds, working to make us forget his “Green Lantern”) creeps on to the big screen. He uses his newfound powers to seek revenge against the person who nearly destroyed his life. Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) L, N, S, V. 100 minutes.???½
“Everybody Wants Some” — Richard Linklater directs a sequel of sorts to “Dazed and Confused” with a comic drama about a college baseball team in the 1980s. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (R) D, L, N, S. 116 minutes.?? ?
“Eye in the Sky”— An excellent morality play that couldn’t be more relevant. When U.S. military drones confirm terrorists are suiting up for suicide bombings in a Nairobi house, a U.S. colonel (Helen Mirren) insists a missile be dropped, igniting a smart, insightful, fascinating debate among American and British officials on how they should morally and politically proceed. With Alan Rickman and Jeremy Northam. (R) L, V. 102 minutes.?? ??
“The Jungle Book”— Visually stunning merger of live-action and CGI brings Rudyard Kipling’s beloved story to life, mingled with classic Walt Disney narrative touches, plus two songs, of course. Mowgli (perfectly cast Neel Sethi) meets Baloo the bear (Bill Murray) while trying to escape from a murderous tiger (Idris Elba). Simply delightful. (PG) 107 minutes.?? ??
“The Meddler”— Susan Sarandon’s transformative performance highlights Lorene Scafaria’s delightful, fact-based comedy about a meddling mother dealing with the death of her husband while driving her screenwriter daughter (Rose Byrne) crazy. At the River East 21 and Century Centre in Chicago, plus the Evanston Century 12. Opens wide May 6. (PG-13) D. 100 minutes.???½
“Midnight Special”— A rare, stimulating creation that grabs you and penetrates your bloodstream from start to finish with a unique tale about a kid with special powers. With Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Jaeden Lieberher, Sam Shepard, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG-13) V. 111 minutes.???½
“Purple Rain”— Albert Magnoi directs Prince’s impressive 1984 feature-length music video, intact with its implicit sexism. Morris Day actually steals this movie, even with Apollonia Kotero. (R) L, N, V. 111 minutes.???½
“Sing Street”— John Carney’s delightful coming-of-age tale of a Dublin teen (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) who throws together a rock band in 1985 to impress an older girl (Lucy Boynton). Nostalgia and music merge with cutting realism. At the Century Centre and River East 21 in Chicago, plus the Evanston Century 12. (PG-13) L, V. 106 minutes.???½
“10 Cloverfield Lane”— A provocative thriller about a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who wakes up after an accident, locked in a cellar with a nutty guy (John Goodman) who says he saved her and the world has been poisoned by Russians or Martians. Should she escape? Is he right? (PG-13) L, V. 105 minutes.???
“Zootopia”— Walt Disney’s animated fantasy is a “why can’t we just get along?” for the world, here a political allegory in which predators and prey work together in harmony. Until something bad happens and old prejudices bubble to the surface, throwing this comedy into a film noiry land of mystery and conspiracy. Voices by Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Idris Elba. (PG) 108 minutes.????
Passables
“Allegiant”— The disappointing third movie in the “Divergent” sci-fi series based on Barrington novelist Veronica Roth’s best-sellers. Tris (a cosmetics heavy Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) find out what’s beyond the wall around Chicago: a villainous Jeff Daniels! The movie pays more attention to the effects, sets and props than the characters and story. (PG-13) N, V. 139 minutes.??
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”— Excellent visual effects and quick pace compensate for a rather dour, mirthless confrontation between the two DC superheroes (Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill), orchestrated by Jesse Eisenberg’s annoyingly psychotic Lex Luthor. More for fanboys than general audiences. (PG-13) S, V. 131 minutes.??
“The Boss”— Melissa McCarthy’s edgy performance as an unlikable business tycoon highlights this erratic, flaccidly edited comedy about second chances and de facto families. With Kristen Bell and Peter Dinklage, neither up to handling McCarthy’s level of comedy. (R) D, L, S. 99 minutes.??
“Dough”— A London-based Jewish baker (Jonathan Pryce) reluctantly takes on a Muslim apprentice (Jerome Holder) who uses his job as a front for drug sales. It’s supposed to be a comedy, but director John Goldschmidt doesn’t treat it like one. At the Renaissance Place in Highland Park. (NR) L. 94 minutes.??
“Elvis & Nixon”— A fact-based comedy about the day in 1970 that the King (Chicago’s own Michael Shannon) met the president (Kevin Spacey) to request that he become an undercover drug agent. A diverting, often absurdly funny double portrait of two men engulfed by changes they can’t fathom, much less accept. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L. 87 minutes.??
“Hardcore Henry”— Violent, first-person-shooter video-game-style sci-fi fantasy about a cyborg-like man whom everyone wants dead, except for a British guy named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 90 minutes.??
“Hello, My Name is Doris”— Sally Field shines in a condescending and compassionate, knowing and blinded, reassuring and unsettling comedy about a middle-aged accountant who falls for the company’s new, young art director (Max Greenfield). Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L. 90 minutes.? ?
“A Hologram for the King”— Tom Hanks stars as an aging corporate executive selling the Saudi government interactive holographic conferencing technology in Tom Tykwer’s intriguing, if uneven, adaptation of the Dave Eggers novel. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S. 97 minutes.??½
“Keanu”— Popular comedians Key and Peele play two suburban buddies who pretend to be gangsters in a gritty underworld where they try to retrieve a stolen cat. The fish-out-of-water premise is the stuff of a five-minute skit, but in the hands of Key and Peele, it turns into something more substantial. Reviewed by Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 100 minutes.??½
“Miles Ahead”— Don Cheadle directs himself as visionary jazz musician Miles Davis in a rollicking untraditional biopic that feels like a buddy action movie. With Ewan McGregor as an unethical journalist. a character created so that the movie would have a white co-lead. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 100 minutes.??½
“Miracles From Heaven”— A mother (Jennifer Garner) of a sick 10-year-old daughter needs a miracle cure, and, no surprise, this evangelical drama intends to render one. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG) 109 minutes.??
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2”— Fans of the 2004 hit might be pleasantly unsurprised by this safe, recycled sequel, again starring and written by Nia Vardalos. Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) deal with their distraught teen daughter (Elena Kampouris) while her parents (Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan) discover they’re not legally married. So sitcomy, you might hear a laugh track. (PG-13) S. 94 minutes.??
Pits
“Criminal”— Misdirected cornball thriller in which a dead CIA agent’s brains cells are transplanted into the skull of a sociopathic killer (Kevin Costner) to find a computer hacker before he releases U.S. missiles. With Gary Oldman, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. (R) L, V. 113 minutes.?
“The Huntsman: Winters War”— This star-studded nonsense prequel feels like it was put together by a committee of robots who were given copies of “Frozen,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and five minutes of “Snow White and the Huntsman” as source material. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG-13) S, V. 113 minutes.?½
“Mother’s Day”— Garry Marshall’s vapid, insipid comedy centers around family members preparing for Mother’s Day. A misconceived symphony of artificial emotions playing our heart strings with a sledgehammer. With Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Julia Roberts, Hector Elizondo. (PG-13) 118 minutes.?
“Papa: Hemingway in Cuba”— Nicely photographed, but inert fact-based drama about a Miami reporter (Giovanni Ribisi) who befriends Ernest Hemingway (Adrian Sparks) before the 1959 revolution. Hollywoodized tale lacking the master’s punch. (R) L, N, S, V. 109 minutes.?½
“Ratchet & Clank”— Ratchet, a catlike alien, partners with a “defective” warbot named Clank (David Kaye) and a bunch of trigger-happy, brawn-over-brains Rangers to save the galaxy from bad animation and cliched characters. Reviewed by Sandie Angulo Chen, Washington Post. (PG) 94 minutes.?
Unpreviewed
“Baaghi: A Rebel for Love”— An ex-military agent in hiding has a bounty on his head, and the best bounty hunter is on his heels. They do not realize they have a common enemy. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 135 minutes.
“Beautiful Planet”— An exploration of Earth and beyond as seen from the International Space Station. A documentary narrated by Jennifer Lawrence. (G) 45 minutes.
“Compadres”— Mexican superstar Omar Chaparro plays a cop out for revenge against a man who kidnapped his girlfriend and framed him for a crime. In English. (NR) 101 minutes.
“Fan”— “King of Bollywood” superstar Shah Rukh Khan — one of Newsweek’s 50 most powerful people in the world — plays dual roles of a superstar and his obsessed fan in this thriller. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 100 minutes.
“Kapoor & Sons Since 1924”— A comedy/drama/romance about two estranged brothers who return to their Indian home when their grandfather suffers a heart attack, only to learn things aren’t as ideal as they remembered. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 150 minutes.
“Ki and Ka”— A comedy about how a young married couple challenges the gender-based segregation of society. In Hindi, Tamil and Telugu with subtitles. (NR) 150 minutes.
“Term Life”— Peter Billingsley, the former kid from “A Christmas Story,” directs a comedy about a wanted man (former Buffalo Grove resident Vince Vaughn) whose new life insurance policy for his daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) won’t kick in for 21 days. Will he live that long? (R) L, S, V. 93 minutes.
