OPENING
Blind (R) Alec Baldwin stars in this drama as a novelist blinded in a fatal car accident who rediscovers his zest for life through an affair with a married woman (Demi Moore). Also with Dylan McDermott, Viva Bianca, Dorothy Lyman, and James McCaffrey. (Opens Friday at AMC Grapevine Mills)
Jagga Jasoos (NR) Ranbir Kapoor stars in this Indian comedy as a nerdy teenage detective who journeys across South Africa to find his father. Also with Katrina Kaif, Sayani Gupta, Saswata Chatterjee, Saurabh Shukla, and Denzil Smith. (Opens Friday at AMC Grapevine Mills)
The Little Hours (R) This comedy set in 14th-century Italy stars Dave Franco as an escaped servant who takes refuge at a convent full of sex-starved nuns by pretending to be deaf and mute. Also with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, Molly Shannon, Jemima Kirke, Paul Reiser, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, and John C. Reilly. (Opens Friday in Dallas)
Mom (NR) This Indian thriller stars Sridevi as a woman who goes looking for her own justice when her daughter’s rape goes unpunished. Also with Aksheya Khanna, Adnan Siddiqui, Sajal Ali, Abhimanyu Singh, and Nawzuddin Siddiqui. (Opens Friday at AMC Grapevine Mills)
War for the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) A ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson) sets the latest round of primate-on-primate violence in motion. Also with Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, and Ty Olsson. (Opens Friday)
Wish Upon (PG-13) Joey King stars in this horror film as a teenager who discovers a wish-granting magic box that carries a deadly price for its use. Also with Ryan Phillippe, Ki Hong Lee, Mitchell Slaggert, Shannon Purser, Sydney Park, Elisabeth Röhm, and Sherilyn Fenn. (Opens Friday)
Wukong (NR) Eddie Peng stars in yet another Chinese film that tells the legend of the Monkey King. Also with Shawn Yue, Ni Ni, Bai Xiao, Qu Hao, Yang Di, Yu Feihong, and Zhang Shuang. (Opens Friday at AMC Grapevine Mills)
NOW PLAYING
All Eyez on Me (R) Your dorky neighbor’s karaoke rendition of “California Love” will likely be more soulful than this paint-by-numbers biopic that stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac Shakur. The actor does a fair enough impression of the rapper and actor, but this movie has no idea who its main character is. One minute, he’s preaching about how his songs will change the world, and the next, he’s laughing along while Suge Knight (Dominic L. Santana) tortures some nobody for fun. The supporting players are given one note to play, which is perhaps why they overemote so shamelessly. The story of this seminal musician gets reduced to a gangsta morality play, and not even a good one. Also with Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Annie Ilonzeh, Lauren Cohan, Keith Robinson, Jamal Woolard, Deray Davis, Jarrett Ellis, and Hill Harper.
Baby Driver (R) A car-chase movie that’s also a musical. Ansel Elgort plays a youthful-looking getaway driver with a passion for music who works off a debt to an Atlanta crime boss (Kevin Spacey) by driving armed robbers away from the police. In his first American movie, writer-director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) uses his trademark repeated lines and skillfully set-up gags, but also stages car stunts that are all the sicker because you know they’re being performed for real. The supporting cast is terrific, but Elgort owns the show completely as he rocks out behind the wheel to Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms” and dances to Bob & Earl’s “Harlem Shuffle.” The movie’s match of music, editing, and performances makes for a delirious experience. Also with Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jon Bernthal, CJ Jones, Flea, Big Boi, Killer Mike, and Paul Williams.
Baywatch (R) Is there an actor around who’s better at playing dumb than Zac Efron? He brings his act to this big-screen version of the 1990s babes-and-bikinis TV show as a disgraced Olympic swimming champion who joins the lifeguard corps and winds up helping bust a crime ring, protesting all the while (as no one did on the show) that it’s a job for the police. The comedy here is more self-aware than that dopey TV program and Efron’s comic interplay with Dwayne Johnson as the head of Baywatch is good, but the women are eye candy once again, even Priyanka Chopra as the villain. Also with Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jon Bass, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Rob Huebel, Hannibal Buress, Oscar Nuñez, David Hasselhoff, and Pamela Anderson.
The Beguiled (R) An elegant and beautiful potboiler of the sort you’d expect from Sofia Coppola. Based on Thomas Cullinan’s Civil War novel, this stars Colin Farrell as a wounded Union soldier who stumbles into a sparsely populated girls’ school in Confederate Virginia and starts flirting with the two teachers (Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst) and all the students, possibly to set the women against one another or possibly because he’s played by Colin Farrell. The material might have benefitted more from a director more experienced with psychosexual thrillers, but Coppola finds good comedy in the ways this man disrupts the all-female household, and the violent climactic sequence over a dinner table is one you won’t soon forget. Also with Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Addison Riecke, Emma Howard, and Angourie Rice.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (PG) Dav Pilkey’s children’s books are turned into an animated film about two troublesome schoolkids (voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch) who hypnotize their principal (voiced by Ed Helms) into thinking he’s a superhero. Additional voices by Jordan Peele, Nick Kroll, Kristen Schaal, Brian Posehn, and Dee Rescher.
Cars 3 (PG) Basically, this is like Creed with talking cars. In this latest Pixar installment, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) faces his sporting mortality after a bad run of results and makes drastic changes to his training regimen thanks to a new billionaire sponsor (voiced by Nathan Fillion) who’s so nice that he can’t possibly be a good guy. Once Lightning’s new young trainer (voiced by Cristela Alonzo) is shown topping out over 200 on a racing simulator, we know where this is going. Even so, the base material has a power of its own as the old veteran finds he has to dig into a bag of tricks to stay competitive with the younger racers, and Pixar’s customary in-jokes and throwaway gags help it all go down easy. Check for F1 champion Lewis Hamilton as an electronic assistant named Hamilton. Additional voices by Larry the Cable Guy, Chris Cooper, Bonnie Hunt, Armie Hammer, Tony Shalhoub, Lea DeLaria, Margo Martindale, Kerry Washington, Bob Costas, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Cheech Marin, John Ratzenberger, and the late Paul Newman.
Despicable Me 3 (PG) There’s all sorts of things going on in this third installment, what with Gru meeting his long-lost twin brother (both voiced by Steve Carell), Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) learning to be a mom, the minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) exiled to their own subplot doing God knows what, and a 1980s kid actor-turned-supervillain (voiced by Trey Parker) trying to destroy Hollywood. All of it fails because the filmmakers behind this seem to have run out of ideas sometime during the last movie. It’s time for Gru to retire and spend more time with his family, away from our screens. Additional voices by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, and Julie Andrews.
47 Meters Down (PG-13) Since The Shallows became a hit last summer, everybody else has to have a shark flick. This one can’t hold a candle or even a shaky flashlight to that film from last year. Mandy Moore and Claire Holt star as two sisters who are trapped in a shark cage that comes loose from the boat and hits the ocean floor. English director Johannes Roberts (The Other Side of the Door) can’t think of anything inventive to do with the situation or with the open ocean and limited visibility that the setting offers. The acting from the two actresses is undistinguished at best as well. Look elsewhere for your B-grade thrills. Also with Matthew Modine, Yani Gellman, Chris Johnson, and Santiago Segura.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (PG-13) More goes right than wrong in this sequel, in which our band of ragtag space rogues crash-lands on a distant planet that’s sentient, can take human form (Kurt Russell), and happens to be the long-lost father of Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt). There’s tons more funny business, some involving baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) dancing and bringing the wrong items to Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) as they’re trying to break out of prison. I just wish the sequel had retained more of the original’s caper feel instead of making all its characters go through some hackneyed emotional arc — our Star-Lord was more fun as a common thief than as a guy with superpowers and daddy issues. Still, enough of the original’s jokey spirit remains to prime you for the third mix. Also with Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen GIllan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn, Chris Sullivan, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh, Sylvester Stallone, and an uncredited David Hasselhoff.
The Hero (R) Brett Haley (I’ll See You in My Dreams) directs and co-writes this drama starring Sam Elliott as a movie star coming to terms with his mortality. Also with Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, Patrika Darbo, and Katharine Ross.
The House (R) Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are both well off their game in this comedy about parents who open an illegal casino in the home of their gambling-addicted neighbor (Jason Mantzoukas) because they can’t pay for college tuition for their teenage daughter (Ryan Simpkins). Having a Vegas-type casino open in suburbia and having suburban types go crazy for the action seems like a fantastic idea, and yet the proceedings stubbornly fail to spark even with the wealth of comic talent in the supporting cast. The film bogs down in a fraud conspiracy at city hall and Ferrell’s character being pathologically afraid of numbers. You’ll lose your money for sure at this place. Also with Nick Kroll, Allison Tollman, Rob Huebel, Randall Park, Andrea Savage, Lennon Parham, Jessica St. Clair, Michaela Watkins, Alexandra Daddario, and Jeremy Renner.
Megan Leavey (PG-13) Kate Mara stars in this biopic about a Marine corporal whose bond with her military combat dog saves the lives of hundreds of fellow soldiers during the Iraq War. Also with Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Geraldine James, Will Patton, Common, and Edie Falco.
The Mummy (PG-13) Great, now that Disney and Marvel have built a whole continuous universe of blockbuster films, everybody else has to have one of those, too. Universal’s attempt to redo all its horror classics is incredibly lame as Tom Cruise plays a soldier-turned-tomb raider who unleashes an undead Egyptian princess (Sofia Boutella) on the world. At different points, everything stops so that some character can unload gobs of exposition about ancient Egyptian mythology, and when Russell Crowe introduces himself as Dr. Jekyll, it seems like nobody has read the Robert Louis Stevenson book. If Alex Kurtzman’s direction were a bit more energetic, then the whole thing would be laughable. As it is, it’s just dull. Also with Annabelle Wallis, Javier Botet, Jake Johnson, and Courtney B. Vance.
Paris Can Wait (PG) Eleanor Coppola’s filmmaking debut stars Diane Lane as an American woman who drives from Budapest to Paris with her husband’s friend (Arnaud Viard). Also with Alec Baldwin.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (PG-13) The same goes for dead franchises. Much like its three predecessors, the fifth film in the series goes madly in circles as it brings on a new pair of young lovers (Kaya Scodelario and the flavorless Brenton Thwaites) to join Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he’s pursued by an undead Spanish captain (Javier Bardem) seeking revenge on Jack for his death. The story is powered by rote action sequences and so much mumbo-jumbo about a magical gadget that controls the seas. It’s harder to laugh at Depp’s comic drunk act now, when you’re wondering whether it’s really an act. The Norwegian directing team of Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) fail to bring anything in the way of originality to this. Also with Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Golshifteh Farahani, Paul McCartney, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley.
Rough Night (R) This raunchy comedy is agreeable enough, but given the talent onscreen and off, it should have come to more. Scarlett Johansson stars as a state-level politician who gets away for her bachelorette party in Miami with her friends when they accidentally kill the male stripper (Ryan Cooper) whom they’ve hired. TV’s Broad City contributes director Lucia Aniello and co-writer Paul W. Downs (who also plays Johansson’s fiancé), and there are scene-stealing bits from Jillian Bell as the needy best friend and Kate McKinnon as a New Agey Australian. As many funny bits as there are, the filmmakers can’t generate any momentum to give us the sense that these women are careening into further comic peril. The movie winds up going in frantic circles. Also with Zoë Kravitz, Ilana Glazer, Ty Burrell, Enrique Murciano, Dean Winters, Karan Soni, and Demi Moore.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (PG-13) The best high-school movie so far this year. After a bunch of angst-ridden Spider-Men, Tom Holland headlines this relatively and invigoratingly carefree outing. Director/co-writer Jon Watts (Cop Car) keeps the whole thing from Peter Parker’s teenage perspective, where participating in the academic decathlon looms as large as battling the villain (Michael Keaton), a screwed-over salvage worker now making weapons for the supervillain. The supporting cast is subtly loaded, but the best parts go to Peter’s school friends, and the most rewarding scenes are him interacting with his Star Wars geek pal (Jacob Batalon), the pretty girl he wants to ask out (Laura Harrier), the cool loser chick (Zendaya), and the nerd bully (Tony Revolori). A predictable third-act twist notwithstanding, the web-slinger’s latest reboot is well worthy of him. Also with Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Martin Starr, Hannibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Chernus, Selenis Leyva, Abraham Attah, Angourie Rice, Tyne Daly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Evans, and Jennifer Connelly.
Transformers: The Last Knight (PG-13) Having the robots in disguise interact with King Arthur and his knights should have been the touch of insanity that the series needed, but then we’re underestimating the ability of Michael Bay to suck the fun out of everything he does. Even though there’s constant gunfire and explosions in this thing, the pace still manages to seem somehow glacial as Bay keeps cutting away to shots of Mark Wahlberg with his hair flapping in the wind in front of American flags as he fights off a planet-devouring entity and its henchrobots with a sword that belonged to Merlin. Too bad I don’t have some of whatever substance the filmmakers were clearly high on during the whole of this movie. It might make this easier to sit through. Also with Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock, Isabella Moner, Santiago Cabrera, Stanley Tucci, and John Turturro. Voices by Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Jim Carter, Omar Sy, Ken Watanabe, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman.
Wonder Woman (PG-13) Not all that good, but still yards better than the other DC Comics movies. Gal Gadot plays the warrior princess who gives up her birthright and leaves her island to help an American spy (Chris Pine) bring a successful end to World War I. The origin story means that the other superheroes don’t get awkwardly shoehorned in for cameos, Wonder Woman has a character arc (wobbly though it is) that’s more satisfying than any of those superheroes have had, and the film owes a great deal to Pine and his comic instincts to keep the story grounded. The movie does leave all sorts of things on the table and doesn’t appear to leave the heroine with much place to go as a character, but the good outweighs the bad, on balance. Never send a Man of Steel to do a Wonder Woman’s job. Also with Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Danny Huston.
DALLAS EXCLUSIVES
The Journey (PG-13) This fictionalized account of a conversation between two enemies during the Northern Ireland peace talks stars Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney. Also with Toby Stephens, Freddie Highmore, Catherine McCormack, Ian Beattie, Ian McElhinney, and the late John Hurt.
Maudie (PG-13) Sally Hawkins stars in this biography of Maud Lewis, a housekeeper in Nova Scotia who suddenly attains fame as a self-taught artist. Also with Ethan Hawke, Kari Matchett, Zachary Bennett, Billy MacLellan, and Gabrielle Rose.
The Women’s Balcony (NR) This comedy is about a tightly knit village in Israel that threatens to come apart after an extreme Orthodox rabbi (Avraham Aviv Alush) takes over the synagogue. Also with Igal Naor, Yafit Asulin, Orna Banai, Itzik Cohen, Sharon Elimelech, Einat Saruf, and Herzl Tobey.
