New releases
★★ Arthur the King Dog lovers and fans of Mark Wahlberg will find much to enjoy in this true story about a fearless canine who joins a team of humans on a treacherous five-day endurance race. Others need not apply for this cliché-ridden romp through the Dominican Republic. Once again, human worth is proven through suffering and sports-based sacrifice. Nothing new has been added to the formula here. Simu Liu and Nathalie Emmanuel bring humor to their roles, but Wahlberg is so overtly earnest that whenever he talks to Arthur the dog, he evokes that Andy Samberg “SNL” skit “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals.” (90 min., PG-13) (Odie Henderson)
★★ Love Lies Bleeding Director Rose Glass’s follow-up to 2019’s “Saint Maud” is another tale of obsession and madness. This time, the ultra-violent, sexfilled plot involves elements of neo-noir and body horror as gym worker Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls hard for bodybuilder-drifter Jackie (Katy O’Brian) while living in the middle of nowhere. Ed Harris and Dave Franco round out the cast as very bad, violent men who underestimate the women they think they control. The squeamish need not apply once the viscera starts flying. Should be more satisfying than it is, but the film becomes bogged down by the numerous references to other, better films it keeps citing. (104 min., R) (Odie Henderson)
★★★ Shayda Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at last year’s Sundance, “Shayda” is a tribute to writer-director Noora Niasari’s own mother, whose story inspired this very personal film. Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”) plays Shayda, an Iranian mother who fled Iran for Melbourne after filing for divorce from her abusive husband, Hossein (Osamah Sami). Unlike most films of this type, “Shayda” focuses more on the liberation of its protagonist than the violence that befell her and her 6-year-old daughter, Mona (Selina Zahednia). However, a last-reel eruption of violence feels tacked on, as if the studio demanded a crowd-pleasing confrontation. In Farsi, subtitled. (117 min., PG-13) (Odie Henderson) Previously released
★★ Bob Marley: One Love Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch star in yet another standard-issue biopic. This one’s about legendary singer and activist Bob Marley (Ben-Adir), his famous 1978 One Love Peace Concert, and his relationship with wife, Rita (Lynch). It’s a damn shame that director Reinaldo Marcus Green and the lackluster screenplay by four writers turn Marley’s incredible story into a dull feature. The leads give their all and deserve better. (104 min., PG-13) (Odie Henderson)
★½ Dune: Part Two Instantly forgettable second chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” franchise has some great sandworm action sequences and little else to recommend. Timothée Chalamet returns as the rumored savior of Arrakis, along with most of the cast from Part One. Christopher Walken does a walkon as the Emperor, but even he can’t liven up a movie with endless desert scenes and dialogue about the Messiah. Will be an enormous hit. (166 min., PG13) (Odie Henderson)
★★ Kung Fu Panda 4 The beloved series featuring Jack Black’s Po the Dragon Warrior has finally run out of steam. Despite the best efforts of Viola Davis as shape-shifting villain The Chameleon, and the vocal gusto Black brings to Po, this is a pale imitation of the prior three installments. Part of the problem is Zhen (Awkwafina), a character who seems poised to take over the franchise as the new Dragon Warrior. She’s obnoxious and far less charismatic than Po. Additionally, the filmmakers bring back characters from the first three films, reminding us of how good they were and how limp this installment is. (94 min., PG) (Odie Henderson)
★★ Problemista In his debut, writer-director Julio Torres plays an aspiring Salvadoran toymaker in New York. His visa at risk, he’s hired by an artist’s widow (Tilda Swinton). Maybe she’ll come to the rescue? Sometimes funny and mostly sweet, this odd little film harbors a melancholy that Torres shies away from. In English and Spanish, with subtitles. (98 min., R) (Mark Feeney)