‘Kingsman,’ ‘Stronger.’
‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
The Kingsmen are back — even the guy who died the last time — in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”
The secret British spy organization, which saved the world in the 2014 action-fest, is targeted by a new supervillain, a drug lord (Julianne Moore) with a thing for 1950s kitsch.
To take her on, the Brits — including Taron Egerton, Mark Strong and brought-back-fromthe-dead Colin Firth — turn to their American allies, the Statesmen, with a thing for whips and bourbon.
Despite an even bigger cast than the original — Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry co-star, among others — this “Kingsman” is not getting good reviews.
“If the first ‘Kingsman,’ at its best, felt like a dry martini of a joke, then this one is more Jack and Mountain Dew — unsubtle, unrefreshing, and unnecessary,” wrote Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Nashawaty, who gave it a C-minus.
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is rated R for violence, drug content, pervasive language and some sexual material. It runs for 141 minutes.
‘Stronger’
He was just there to cheer on his ex-girlfriend.
Instead, Jeff Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, had to find the strength to cheer on himself.
Based on Bauman’s memoir, “Stronger” stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman, Tatiana Maslany as his girlfriend, and Miranda Richardson as his hard-living mother.
The movie is getting raves, for its performances and its lack of clichés. “Perhaps the most striking thing about David Gordon Green’s ‘Stronger’ is how it refuses to turn its subject into a hero or even a small-time symbol of courage, as one might legitimately expect of a survivor story, even while the world is clamoring to put him on a pedestal,” Hollywood Reporter critic Deborah Young wrote.
“Stronger” is rated R for pervasive language, some graphic injury images and brief sexuality/ nudity. It runs for 116 minutes.
‘Lego Ninjago Movie’
How deep into the Lego well can Hollywood dip? We’re about to find out with “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”
Actually, “Ninjago” may have more behind it than either “The Lego Movie” and “The Lego Batman Movie,” since it’s loosely inspired by a Legos set that also has a video series to go with it. But it’s on the same comic path as the other two animated movies, focusing on a young ninja who must battle an evil warlord — who just happens to be his father.
The voice cast includes Dave Franco, Jackie Chan, Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn and Fred Armisen.
“The Lego Ninjago Movie” is rated PG for some rude humor. It runs for 101 minutes.
‘Brad’s Status’
Ben Stiller plays a father accompanying his son (Austin Abrams) to college, only to find himself being taken to school in “Brad’s Status.”
Although happy with his suburban life and wife (Jenna Fischer), the trip reconnects him with his seemingly much more successful college buddies (Mike White, who also directed; Luke Wilson, Michael Sheen, Jemaine Clement), leading Stiller to question whether he’s a failure.
Reviews for “Brad’s Status,” good and bad, centered on the story’s predictability and Stiller’s made-to-order-ness as the dad in full midlifecrisis-meltdown. “Some of ‘Status’ ‘ cringe comedy feels forced or simply wasted on soft targets,” Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt said in her review, giving the movie a B.
“Brad’s Status” is rated R for language. It runs for 102 minutes.
‘Friend Request’
Creeped out by a classmate’s obsession with her, a popular college student unfriends her on Facebook.
The moral of “Friend Request”: Be careful what you click for.
Soon, the popular girl, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, is losing friends left and right — not via unfriending, but in cruel, violent deaths.
“Friend Request” is not getting great reviews, although Time Out’s Kate Lloyd gave it 3 stars (out of 5): “It’s scary, a bit cheesy and bang on the zeitgeist.”
“Friend Request” is rated R for violence, gore, disturbing images and language. It runs for 92 minutes.
‘Shot’
One minute, he’s trying to convince his wife they can make it work; the next, he’s on the street, bleeding from a bullet fired accidentally by a teenager nearby.
“Shot” sets out to show the bullet’s impact on all three of them.
Noah Wyle plays the man hit by the bullet; Sharon Leal is his wife; and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is the teenager, who’d just been given the gun to help protect himself.
“Shot” is rated R for violence, language and some sexuality. It runs for 89 minutes.