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
“Captain America: Civil War”— Self-aware humor offsets the deficiencies in this lengthy Marvel comic book-inspired thriller about a split between the Avengers over political autonomy. Captain America (Chris Evans) goes one way. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) goes the other. Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Scarlett Johansson and others play the super delegates who must choose sides. (PG-13) V. 146 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.?? ??
“Maggie’s Plan”— Rebecca Miller’s assured Woody Allenesque comedy charts the absurdity of love as an ethical woman (Greta Gerwig) plots to return her self-absorbed husband (Ethan Hawke) to his prickly first wife (Julianne Moore). At the River East 21, Century Centre and ArcLight theaters in Chicago, plus the Century 12 Evanston. (R) L, S. 98 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 daughter (Rose Byrne) crazy. (PG-13) D. 100 minutes.???½
“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”— A surprisingly smart script with pure grossout gags highlights this sequel in which the Radners (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) must deal with a new sorority in the old frat house next door. With Zac Efron and Chloe Grace Moretz. (R) D, L, N, S. 92 minutes.?? ?
“The Nice Guys”— Rollicking buddy action comedy about two private eyes (Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe) in 1977 searching for a missing dame, a secret porn film and some spending cash in Shane Black’s funny, violent criminal conspiracy tale. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 116 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
“Alice Through the Looking Glass”— Splendid visual effects, imaginative set designs and costumes dominate a generic story with dull characters as Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returns to Wonderland to cheer up her fading friend the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). She winds up in an insane asylum and this movie (a sequel to Tim Burton’s 2010 hit) winds up being instantly forgettable. (PG) 108 minutes.??
“The Angry Birds”— Loner bird Red (Jason Sudeikis) goes into group therapy for anger management just before some pigs, led by Leonard (Bill Hader), overrun Bird Island and start stealing eggs! An animated comedy. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG) 97 minutes.??½
“The Lobster”— In this fantasy, single people are rounded up at a country resort where they have 45 days to find a mate or they will be turned into an animal of their choice. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly star. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (R) L, S, V. 118 minutes.??½
“Love & Friendship”— Whit Stillman directs a romance adapted from Jane Austen’s unfinished novella “Lady Susan.” It’s a talky tale centered on the manipulative ways of an attractive young widow played by Kate Beckinsale. Chloë Sevigny and Tom Bennett star. Reviewed by Sandy Cohen, Associated Press. (PG) 93 minutes.??½
“The Man Who Knew Infinity”— A trite but well-acted biopic about the relationship between a Cambridge academic (Jeremy Irons) and the young Indian math genius (Dev Patel) he mentors. At the Renaissance Place in Highland Park and other select theaters. PG-13 for smoking. 108 minutes.??½
“Me Before You”— A wealthy, handsome paralyzed Londoner (Sam Caflin) wants to end his life. Then his mother hires a spunky small-town English woman (Emilia Clarke) to lift his spirits. Can she persuade him to take a more positive view of life? Adapted from the best-selling novel by Jo Jo Moyes. Reviewed by Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press. (PG-13) S. 110 minutes.??
“Money Monster”— This could have been an important movie about 21st-century journalism, but instead director Jodie Foster treats it as a routine thriller with shards of shrill humor and a tentative third-act moral epiphany. A disgruntled investor (Jack O’Connell) takes a bombastic Wall Street TV show host (George Clooney) and his staff (including Julia Roberts as the show’s director) hostage. (R) L, S, V. 90 minutes.??½
“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.??
“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”— Andy Samberg’s faux doc comedy is a lewd, frequently hilarious “Saturday Night Live” segment s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d into a tenuous “Spinal Tap” wannabe. Samberg plays the vapid, pompous pop star struggling to stay relevant in a changing world. (R) D, L, N, S. 86 minutes.??½
“X-Men: Apocalypse”— An eternal mutant resurrected in 1983, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) wants to wipe out humans and restore the mutants to a deified status. Professor X (James McAvoy) leads a team of X-Men against him in a movie with grand scope and great special effects. Reviewed by Sandy Cohen, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 147 minutes.??½
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. Gary Oldman, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds star. (R) L, V. 113 minutes.?
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”— The Turtles are a mere shell of their former selves in this wit-challenged, juvenile Michael Bay-produced sequel. Shredder (Brian Tee) and a mad scientist (Tyler Perry) team up with a blobby alien (Brad Garrett) to destroy the world. Will Arnett, Megan Fox and Tony Shalhoub help the Turtles. (PG-13) V. 97 minutes.?½
Unpreviewed
“Andron”— Alec Baldwin, Danny Glover and Michelle Ryan star in a sci-fi thriller about a future society in which slaves must survive a maze of assassins. (R) L, V. 100 minutes.
“A Bigger Splash”— A “sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock ’n’ roll.” Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson. (R) D, L, N, S. 124 minutes.
“Housefull 3”— Three men decide to marry three sisters because they’re rich. Not so fast. Their dad concocts a scheme to thwart their plans. A romantic comedy in Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 145 minutes.
“Sarbjit”— An Indian farmer (Randeep Hooda) wanders over the border into Pakistan in 1990 and is convicted of terrorism in this fact-based drama. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 145 minutes.
“Urge”— A nightclub owner (erstwhile 007 Pierce Brosnan) gives a new designer drug to patrons who lose their inhibitions, then their humanity as things turn deadly. With “Twilight” actress Ashley Greene. (R) D, L, S, V. 90 minutes.
