Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

HOME MOVIES

- KAREN MARTIN

Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele (R, 1 hour, 44 minutes) Jordan Peele’s directoria­l debut is an intriguing, creepy, genre-defying horror thriller spiced with more than a touch of insidiousl­y clever parody.

The story starts out convention­ally enough: An interracia­l couple (Daniel Kaluuya of Black Mirror and Allison Williams of Girls), nervous about meeting her neurosurge­on dad and hypnothera­pist mom during a luxurious weekend getaway, are pleased with the warm and seemingly accommodat­ing nature with which they’re treated. But as the weekend goes on, an array of increasing­ly disturbing discoverie­s in the neighborho­od change the tone, and not in a good way.

With Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, LilRel Howery, Lakeith Stanfield.

Barton Fink (R, 1 hour, 56 minutes) The Coen brothers’ heralded and memorably offbeat 1991 comedic satire, now available on Blu-ray, concerns the title character (John Turturro), a Broadway playwright who, despite reservatio­ns, is seduced to Hollywood by tales of riches and fame from a jerk of a studio head (Michael Lerner). Once there, he can’t seem to write. At all. Troubles ensue. With Judy Davis, John Mahoney, John Goodman, Tony Shalhoub.

My Life as a Zucchini (PG-13, 1 hour, 6 minutes) Cute, colorful stop-motion animated characters might fool viewers into thinking this is a cheery little cartoon aimed at kids. But it’s much more: the realistic story of a suddenly orphaned 9-yearold nicknamed Zucchini (voice of Erick Abbate) who, following the accidental death of his alcoholic mother, is placed in a foster home where he must find his way through a strange and sometimes hostile environmen­t. With voices of Will Forte, Amy Sedaris, Ellen Page, Nick Offerman; directed by Claude Barras. In French with English subtitles.

The Great Wall (PG-13, 1 hour, 44 minutes) Directed by renowned Yimou Zhang

(House of Flying Daggers), this visually brilliant but unexpected­ly dreary and dull adventure saga featuring Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe battling ancient monsters isn’t nearly the masterful epic it sets out to be.

Collide (PG-13, 1 hour, 39 minutes) Another example of how a good cast, stuck in caricature­d roles, can’t save a silly, illogicall­y plotted movie with idiotic dialogue. Here we have Casey Stein (Nicholas Hoult), a hapless criminal in possession of property that does not belong to him, which attracts the attention of and pursuit by vindictive mob boss Hagan (Anthony Hopkins). The snatching of Casey’s beloved Juliette (Felicity Jones) is only one of the problems he faces. There’s a car chase too. With Ben Kingsley; directed by Eran Creevy.

Logan (R, 2 hours, 15 minutes) Hugh Jackman appears for the last time (or so it’s said) in this surprising­ly affecting and intense superhero saga as X-Men mutant Wolverine, now in a diminished state with fading powers, a cumbersome drinking habit, and a sort-of job as a driver for hire along a remote stretch of the Mexican border. Then he’s called upon to come to the aid of an especially empowered girl who’s threatened by dark forces as well as a villain from Wolverine’s past. With Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen; directed by James Mangold.

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