A glimpse of nitrate glory
In an age when even seeing a film on celluloid is becoming a thing of the past, any chance to see nitrate, that legendary, highly combustible substance that creates pure on-screen magic, comes by so rarely that it should be embraced, especially when the examples shown are as vivid as the 35-mm prints the American Cinematheque is getting ready to display on separate programs.
In partnership with the George Eastman Museum and the Academy Film Archive, the Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood will show a pair of gems: Carol Reed’s luminous black-and-white “The Fallen Idol,” taken from a Graham Greene story; and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “Black Narcissus,” one of the most beautiful color films ever made. Events not to be missed. — Kenneth Turan
Nitrate Nights, “The Fallen Idol,” 7:30 p.m. Friday. “Black Narcissus,” 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. $13-$15. www.americancinemathequecalendar.com
Movie recommendations from critics Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang.
Annihilation
Natalie Portman plays a biologist who joins an allfemale expedition into the heart of an environmental disaster zone in this eerily beautiful and hypnotically unsettling mind-bender from “Ex Machina” writerdirector Alex Garland. (Justin Chang) R.
Black Panther
A superhero movie with characters who have integrity and dramatic heft, filled with engaging exploits and credible crises grounded in a vibrant and convincing reality, laced with socially conscious commentary as well as wicked laughs, this is the model of what an involving popular entertainment should be. And even something more. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.
Call Me by Your Name
Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer give superb performances as two young men falling in love in the northern Italian countryside in this rapturously beautiful collaboration between director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter James Ivory. (Justin Chang) R.
Early Man
Four-time Oscar-winning director Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, is back with a droll romp through prehistoric times that will put a smile on your face. (Kenneth Turan) PG.
A Fantastic Woman
Chilean writer-director Sebastián Lelio’s follow-up to “Gloria” is a compassionate and captivating portrait of a young transgender woman (a superb Daniela Vega) dealing with hostility and intolerance in the wake of her lover’s death. (Justin Chang) R.
Foxtrot
An intricate, dazzling cinematic dance starring top Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi, Samuel Moaz’s drama is profound and moving and wild and crazy at the same time, telling a specific story and offering an emotional snapshot of the toll constant war can take on a nation’s psyche. (Kenneth Turan) R.
Lady Bird
As warm as it is smart, and it is very smart, this portrait of a high school senior year marks actor-screenwriter Greta Gerwig’s superb debut as a solo director and yet another astonishing performance by star Saoirse Ronan. (Kenneth Turan) R.
The Post
Director Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks combine for a thriller cum civics lesson showing the value of newspapers hanging together and holding government accountable for deception. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.
The Shape of Water
Magical, thrilling and romantic to the core, a sensual and fantastical “Beauty and the Beast” tale with moral overtones, Guillermo del Toro’s film plays by all the rules and none of them, going its own way with fierce abandon. (Kenneth Turan) R.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Uncommon writer-director Martin McDonagh and a splendid cast top-lined by Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell present a savage film, even a dangerous one — the blackest take-noprisoners farce in quite some time. (Kenneth Turan) R.