New in theaters this week
“Onward”: Elf brothers voiced by “Avengers: Endgame” co-stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt set out on a quest to restore their long-lost father, who’s only partly returned to them thanks to a half-working spell. Pixar’s latest is getting good reviews, and more than a few acknowledgments of tear-jerking moments. The voice cast also includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer and Pixar regular John Ratzenberger. “Emma”: Yes, it’s at least the fifth version of Jane Austen’s comedy about the 19th-century girl who’s so focused on matchmaking that she risks wrecking her own chance at romance in the process. But this new version, starring the singular Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma, is getting great reviews for her performance and for the movie’s cheeky style. “The Way Back”: Ben Affleck stars as a former high school basketball star who, with his life spiraling out of control after a tragedy and the grip of alcoholism, is talked into coaching his old school’s struggling team, in what could either be a disaster or redemption for them both.
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”: One of the best-reviewed movies ignored by this year’s Academy Awards, this period drama centers on a female painter in 1760s France who is commissioned to paint the portrait of a reluctant young bride to be. Director Celine Sciamma has been getting praise for her intimate portrayal of love, passion and freedom, and took home the best screenplay prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. “Greed”: An egotistical, tyrannical and very annoying gazillionaire throws himself an over-the-top 60th birthday party on a Greek island, and the 1% of the 1% turn out in writer-director Michael Winterbottom’s comic study of the wealthiest class. Steve Coogan, Winterbottom’s collaborator on those terrific “The Road to … ” movies and the even more terrific “24 Hour Party People,” plays the boorish, way-too-rich business magnate.
“Ordinary Love”: Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson play a long-married couple whose world is turned upside down when she’s diagnosed with breast cancer. The drama, by writer-director Owen McCafferty, is one of the best-reviewed new movies of 2020.