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
“Anthropoid” —Sean Ellis’ meticulously calibrated account of a 1941 Czechoslovakian resistance plot to assassinate one of the architects of Hitler’s Final Solution: S.S. Gen. Reinhard Heydrich. Reviewed by Christopher Kompanek, Washington Post. (R) V. 120 minutes.??? ?
“Don’t Breathe”— “Evil Dead” director Fede Alvarez goes for suspense in this home-invasion thriller during which a blind homeowner (Stephen Lang) shows he can fight back. And then some. Taut, tense and tawdry tale. With Jane Levy. (R) L, S, V. 88 minutes.???
“Finding Dory”— Pixar’s fun, animated comic adventure, but lacking the imagination and creativity of “Finding Nemo” from 13 years ago. Dory the fish (Ellen DeGeneres) searches for her missing parents with help from an octopus (Ed O’Neill), Nemo (Aurora resident Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Albert Brooks). Really, a car chase in an ocean movie? (PG) 100 minutes.???
“Florence Foster Jenkins”— Meryl Streep wows us again as the titular character, a lovable, self-deluded woman in the 1940s who tries to sing opera, but can’t, and doesn’t let that stop her. A crowd-pleasing, eccentric comedy about romance, sort of. With Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg. (PG-13) S. 110 minutes.???½
“Hell or High Water”— Well-crafted modern western about two bankrobbing brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) and the Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) on their tails. (R) L, S, V. 102 minutes.???½
“Kubo and the Two Strings”— Gorgeous stop-motion action blends with other forms of animation in this Japanese-inspired family fantasy about a boy’s magical quest through dazzling animated landscapes. Voices by Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, and Matthew McConaughey. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG) 101 minutes.???
“Pete’s Dragon”— David Lowery’s reboot of the 1977 cheesy Walt Disney musical is a far superior work of amazing fantasy, all about the friendship between a young boy (a well-cast Oakes Fegley) and his giant dragon Elliott. (PG) 90 minutes.???
“Sausage Party”— Lewd, rude, insane animated adult comedy about living food substances in a supermarket hoping to be taken into heaven by shoppers. It’s like a Pixar movie on acid, but really a smart and smarting religious and political satire, too. With Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig. (R) D, L, S. 89 minutes.???½
“Sully”— Clint Eastwood directs a thrilling account of the “Miracle on the Hudson” with a stellar Tom Hanks as the US Airways captain, whose critical thinking skills and sheer cool save the day and make this a perfect movie for our time. With a wasted Laura Linney and well-cast Aaron Eckhart. (PG-13) L. 96 minutes.???½
Passables
“Bad Moms”— Three stressed-out mothers (Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell) fold under their daily pressures and go crazy by breaking all the routine mom rules. With Christina Applegate and Jada Pinkett Smith. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S. 101 minutes.??½
“Ben-Hur”— An abbreviated, more Christ-centered take on William Wyler’s 1959 film that garnered 11 Oscars. Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and Messala (Toby Kebbell) are like brothers until Messala becomes a Roman officer and falsely accuses Judah of betrayal, prompting him to exact vengeance during a thrilling chariot race. Reviewed by Sandy Cohen, Associated Press. (PG-13) V. 124 minutes.??
“Cafe Society”— Honeyed, hyper-ethnic nostalgia from Woody Allen, who directs, writes and narrates a bittersweet romantic triangle between a New York transplant (Jesse Eisenberg), his Hollywood agent uncle (Steve Carell) and his idealistic young secretary (Kristen Stewart). Superb lensing by Vittorio Storaro paired with Allen for the first time. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG-13) D, S, V. 96 minutes.??
“Complete Unknown”— An old flame (Rachel Weisz) — who often changes identities — re-enters the life of a married man (Chicago’s Michael Shannon), resulting in a long chat fest less interesting than it sounds. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. At the Century Centre, Chicago. (R) L. 90 minutes.??½
“Ghostbusters”— Plainfield’s Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon take over the job of saving New York City from supernatural entities in Paul Feig’s bold but noisy, unscary, witless remake of Ivan Reitman’s comedy. But hey, it has its funny moments and original cast cameos to keep us amused. (PG-13) supernatural action, crude humor. 105 minutes.??
“The Hollars”— “The Office” star John Krasinski directs a tepid, sitcom-like family comedy about a would-be cartoonist (Krasinski) who returns home when his mom (Margo Martindale) develops a brain tumor. Martindale and Richard Jenkins (as Dad) hijack the movie. With a wasted Anna Kendrick.??
“Indignation”— A garden-variety coming-of-age story becomes a poetic, even prayerful, meditation on the pitiless vagaries of character and regret in James Schamus’ adaptation of the 2008 novel by Philip Roth. Logan Lerman plays the son of a kosher butcher in Newark who flees to an Ohio college where he meets an unapologetic sinner named Olivia (Sarah Gadon). Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L, S. 110 minutes.??½
“The Light Between Oceans”— Well-acted, but stodgy, pretentiously photographed and sloggily edited period tragedy about a post-WWI couple (Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander) who live to regret finding a baby and passing her off as their own. From the best-seller by M.L. Stedman. (PG-13) S. 100 minutes.??½
“Morgan”— Another reinvented Frankenstein story, this one a derivative warning about the perils of creating humanoids from synthetic DNA. A corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) arrives at a secret lab to see if its created entity Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) should be closed out. Why are Jason Bourne-again fight scenes and car chases in this movie? (R) L, V. 92 minutes.??
“Star Trek Beyond”— More mano-a-alieno fights than an intergalactic WWE match, an interracial bromance, plus a swarm of nasty mechanical space bees highlight this visually engaging third chapter in the sci-fi reboot, which looks great, but doesn’t feel 100 percent Trek. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana return. (PG-13) V. 122 minutes.??½
“War Dogs”— Overwritten, underdeveloped and obvious business comedy about two best buds (Jonah Hill and Miles Teller) who become international arms dealers during the Iraq War. Directed by Todd “The Hangover” Phillips. (R) D, L, S. 114 minutes.??
Pits
“Hands of Stone”— An unfocused jumble of a movie that doubles as a cautionary tale about the importance of film editing. The story of Panamanian fighter Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramírez), although his legendary coach (“Raging Bull” star Robert De Niro) seems to hog the screen time. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (R) L, N, S. 105 minutes.?½
“Jason Bourne”— Frenetic, noisy, blurry action footage suffocates story and character as Matt Damon’s amnesiac CIA assassin discovers the truth about his father and settles a score with a ruthless new CIA director (Tommy Lee Jones). Perfunctory screenplay sets a record for utterances of “Copy that!” With Alicia Vikander and Julia Stiles. (PG-13) L, V. 123 minutes.?½
“The Secret Life of Pets”— Engaging animated comedy about what pets do all day while their owners are out working. If it didn’t condone bullying and violence as effective and efficient ways to solve problems, it would be a much better kids movie. Two canine rivals (Louis C.K. and Eric Stonestreet) must depend on each other to survive New York’s mean streets and animal control officers. Voices by Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey. (PG) 90 minutes.?½
“Suicide Squad”— The most anticipated summer movie turns out to be a dud, a muddled variation of “The Dirty Dozen” with thinly drawn supervillains recruited by a ruthless bureaucrat (Viola Davis) to stop an ancient warlock from stealing the ending to “Ghostbusters.” Only Margot Robbie’s sleazy Harley Quinn knows how to spin writer/director David Ayer’s material, extremely disturbing stuff blunted by a restrictive PG-13 rating. L, S, V. 123 minutes.?½
“The Wild Life”— The Robinson Crusoe story gets a kid-friendly animated adaptation with talking animals that completely strips the Daniel Defoe classic of its drama. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG) 90 minutes.?½
Unpreviewed
“Baar Baar Dekho”— The love life of a math teacher is told with flashbacks and flashforwards. Figures. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 140 minutes.
“The Disappointments Room”— The discovery of a secret room in a creepy old Southern mansion spells trouble for a young family (Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Lucas Till). The point: Stay in Brooklyn. Not screened for critics, socaveat emptor.(R) L, S, V. 100 minutes.
“Don’t Think Twice”— Mike Birbiglia directs and writes a comedy about a New York improv group breaking under the pressure of some of its members making it to the top. (R) D, L. 92 minutes.
“Freaky Ali”— A debt collector for an extortion racket turns out to have a natural knack for golf in this unusual sports underdog movie. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 120 minutes.
“Happy Birthday”— A drug-infused birthday party in Mexico goes bad for two pals (Matt Bush, Riley Litman), imprisoned and tortured by a drug cartel in a desolate hotel. The point: Party only in the USA. (R) D, N, L, S, V. 90 minutes.
“Janaan”— A comedy about Meena, who finds romance with two brothers. Contains the line: “Behind his tough, snobbish exterior is a big, soft, squishy baby of a man!” A Pakistani production in Urdu and Pushto with subtitles. (NR) 135 minutes.
“The Mechanic: Resurrection”— Jason Statham returns as Bishop in this sequel to the 2011 action thriller. Now he must complete an impossible list of assassinations ... or else! With Jessica Alba. Not screened for critics, just so you know. (R) L, V. 99 minutes.
“Naam Hai Akira”— A college student takes on corrupt police officers to prove herself innocent of crimes they committed.In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 139 minutes.
“Nine Lives”— After a terrible accident, an aloof, caustically unempathetic billionaire businessman (Kevin Spacey) wakes up in the body of his little daughter’s new cat. Can he learn to be a purrfect dad before it’s too late? WIth Jennifer Garner and Christopher Walken. (PG) 87 minutes.
“No Manches Frida”— A comedy about an ex-con who becomes a substitute teacher to retrieve the loot he buried under the school’s new gym. In Spanish with subtitles. (PG-13) D, L, S. 114 minutes.
“Rustom”— A mystery suspense romance about an officer and devoted family man who must defend his honor. (NR) 148 minutes.
“When the Bough Breaks”— Forget post-partem depression. Hot surrogate Anna (Jaz Sinclair) goes off the deep end while carrying a baby for John and Laura (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall), then does whatever’s necessary to replace the wife. Not screened for critics, socaveat emptor.(PG-13) L, N, S, V. 93 minutes.
