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“Joker”
R, 2:02, drama
As Arthur Fleck, a perpetually humiliated, bullied and marginalized Gotham City clown for hire dreaming of a career in stand-up comedy, Joaquin Phoenix regards himself in a makeup mirror until a tear rolls down his whiteface cheek. The movie, directed by and co-written by Todd Phillips, honors his pain by being one. For a while “Joker” (an origin story for the “Batman” villain) gets by on sheer morbidity, saving its most explicit bursts of violence for the final third. Except for one murder committed off-screen, everybody this proto-Joker kills has it coming. His killings are emotionally and even morally justified in the filmmaker’s eyes. You’d be an idiot to bring kids to this. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“The Addams Family”
PG, 1:27, animation
The Addams might look, talk and act darker and weirder than most, but what makes them the weirdest is they’re a loving, tight-knit family: Gomez (voiced by Oscar Isaac) is smitten with his wasp-waisted wife, Morticia (Charlize Theron), and both are invested for their children, Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard), and their extended families. There are some good gags about Wednesday’s unique methods of rebellion, and Nick Kroll brings an inspired vocal performance to Uncle Fester. But the real inventiveness lies in a perky home and garden TV host, Margaux (Allison Janney), who sets her sights on gentrifying the Addams’ neighborhood. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
“Gemini Man”
PG-13, 1:57, thriller
One job away from retirement after 70-plus killings, Henry Brogan (Will Smith) takes aim at his latest government-sanctioned target, a bioterrorist on a bullet train in Belgium. Director Ang Lee’s handling of this sequence puts us in good hands; the violence is more suggested than blasted. Our hero quickly learns he has been hung out to dry by his U.S. agency. “Gemini Man” takes its title from a super-secret cloning project overseen by a steely Agency official (Clive Owen), who has raised the cloned Henry from childhood. He is fully computer-animated. The movie’s an easy watch, but the writing feels like a digitally animated approximation of the real thing. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“Abominable”
PG, 1:37, animation
Equal parts “E.T.” and “King Kong,” this film fits in with movies like “The Iron Giant,” “Lilo & Stitch” and the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, where plucky kids bond with strange, exotic creatures and attempt to save them from the capitalistic forces of exploitation. “Abominable” doesn’t change this formula; it just executes it exceptionally well, with a fresh perspective and plenty of magic. The creature in question is a Yeti, whom Yi (Chloe Bennet) encounters on the roof of her Shanghai apartment building while he seeks shelter from the predatory Burnish Industries. In short order, she decides to help the Yeti, whom she nicknames Everest, find his way home. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
“Downton Abbey”
PG, 2:03, drama
King George V and Queen Mary are coming to Yorkshire to stay at the pleasantly expansive manse of the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville, who gets weirdly little to do). What else happens? A lot, yet it feels like a little. Retired butler Carson (Jim Carter) swings back into service, gratefully, while Barrow (Robert James-Collier), onetime footman, is introduced into Yorkshire’s gay underground. A new character, Lady Maud (Imelda Staunton), matches wits with the resident zinger dispenser Lady Violet (Maggie Smith). All franchises lean into fan service; this one leans so far it falls onto a fainting couch. It’s not a movie; it’s a commemorative throw pillow. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune