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.???
“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.???
“Get Out”— Jordan Peele’s horror comedy about a black man’s visit to the home of his white girlfriend’s parents masks a sharp, timely analysis of racism in America. Funny, scary and thought-provoking. With Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener. (R) L, S, V. 103 minutes.?? ??
“Going in Style”— Three geezer pals (Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin) decide to rob a bank after their pensions dry up in Zach Braff’s breezy remake of Martin Brest’s 1979 version. (PG-13) D, L, S. 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. (R) L, S. 94 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.???
“The Zookeeper’s Wife”— In German-occupied Poland during World War II, a zookeeper (Johan Heldenbergh) and his wife (Jessica Chastain) save hundreds of Jews in Niki Caro’s formulaic, simplified story of good vs evil. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG-13) N, S, V. 124 minutes.???
Passables
“Born in China”— Walt Disney’s doc follows a doting panda bear mother, a golden monkey and a mother snow leopard on an epic journey into the wilds of China. John Krasinski narrates. Reviewed by Jane Horwitz, Washington Post. (G) 79 minutes.??
“The Circle”— A woefully underused Tom Hanks heads a powerful social media firm that might be skirting ethics and privacy laws. Emma Watson gets hired to push the corporate agenda in this overworked technological thriller that becomes less convincing as the story plays out. Patton Oswalt, John Boyega and the late Bill Paxton are wasted in thin roles. (PG-13) D, L, S. 110 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
“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). (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
“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. At the River East 21 and Century Centre in Chicago and the Evanston Century 18. (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. At the River East 21 and Century Centre in Chicago, plus the Evanston Century 18. (PG) 92 minutes.??
“The Wall”— “The Bourne Identity” director Doug Liman gives us a taut, suspenseful tale of two U.S. soldiers (John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) pinned down in 2007 Iraq by a deadly sniper. But when the shooter calls up on the radio to chat and share life stories, things go south. (R) L, V. 81 minutes.??½
Pits
“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
“Smurfs: The Lost Village”— Smurfette goes on a journey of self-discovery to a Lost Village of all-female Smurfs. Voiced by Julia Roberts, Michelle Rodriguez and Mandy Patinkin. Anyone taller than a Smurf might turn blue long before its 81 minutes are over. Reviewed by Pat Padua, Washington Post. (PG) 81 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.
“Half Girlfriend”— A coming-of-age romance between a lower-class boy and an upper-class “Delhi high-society” girl. (NR) 99 minutes.
“Chuck” —The story of the New Jersey boxer (Liev Schreiber) who went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, inspiring Sylvester Stallone to write “Rocky.” With Elisabeth Moss and Naomi Watts. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 101 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.
“Lowriders”— A young L.A. street artist (Gabriel Chavarria) is caught in the old-school world of his lowrider father (Demián Bichir). With Eva Longoria. (PG-13) D, L, S, V. 99 minutes.
“Obit”— Vanessa Gould’s documentary on the obituary writers at the New York Times. At the Music Box Theatre, Chicago. (NR) 93 minutes.
“Meri Pyaari Bindu”— An old mix tape inspires a blocked writer (Ayushmann Khurrana) to finally create his novel. (NR) 120 minutes.
“Sarkar 3”— The third thriller in Ram Gopal Varma’s trilogy, which chronicles the exploits of a powerful political figure. (NR) 130 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. At the Century Centre in Chicago, the Century 18 Evanston and Renaissance Place in Highland Park. (PG) 110 minutes.
