NOW IN THEATERS
Johnny Depp unbuckles the swash and returns to serious acting in this often powerful but ultimately unfulfilled real-life crime drama that aspires to operatic proportions but settles for heavy metal. The story of James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp), the sociopathic crime boss who ruled South Boston with a murderous hand until he went on the lam in the mid-’90s, hits impressive high notes, but leaves underdone some crucial elements, as it plows through a gallery of brutal murders and other crimes. Bulger’s childhood pal John Connolly (an excellent Joel Edgerton), up from the same Southie neighborhood as Whitey, works another side of the street as an FBI agent who starts with good intentions but gets sucked into a bottomless moral compromise. The movie looks great, and is beautifully acted, shot, and edited. What it lacks is that sense of dimension to make us really care. Rated R. 122 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Jonathan Richards)
EVEREST
BLACK MASS
This adventure film is based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which several people died in a blizzard while trying to reach the mountain’s summit. Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, and John Hawkes play some of the climbers, and Keira Knightley and Emily Watson co-star. The film boasts such sweeping vistas that it was released in IMAX theaters a week before it showed in traditional theaters. Rated PG-13. 121 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
GRANDMA
Lily Tomlin is a powerhouse in this sweet, funny, thoughtful relationship movie written and directed by Paul Weitz. When her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) turns up needing an abortion, Elle (Tomlin) springs into action as the two visit a number of Elle’s friends and acquaintances trying to borrow the money. There’s terrific support from Marcia Gay Harden as Elle’s daughter and Sage’s mother, and from Sam Elliott, who takes us well beyond that lovable growl of a voice to uncover layers and depths of character he’s seldom called upon to tap. Grandma suffers a few awkward moments, but for the most part it stays sharp. Weitz does interesting things with old movie conventions about lesbian relationships and abortion, weaving them into a story that borrows from triedand-true familiar formats — it’s a bit of a road movie, a bit of a buddy movie — and then quietly goes its own way. Rated R.
79 minutes. Violet Crown. (Jonathan Richards)
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2
Adam Sandler again lends his goofy accent to Dracula in this sequel to the 2012 animated hit. This time, the gang of monsters (including voicework by Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, and David Spade) try to help the Count’s half-human grandson unleash his inner monster. Mel Brooks voices the kid’s human-hating greatgrandfather. Rated PG. 89 minutes. Screens in 3-D at Regal Stadium 14. Screens in 2-D only at Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
THE INTERN
In the latest movie by writer and director Nancy Meyers, Robert De Niro plays a retired widower who can’t figure out what to do with all of his time, so he becomes an intern for the founder of an online fashion site (Anne Hathaway). The jokes stem from the tough old-timer at an internet start-up, and the heartwarming bits from the boss leaning on his sturdy wisdom. Rated PG-13. 121 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Regal DeVargas; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
LEARNING TO DRIVE
Wendy (Patricia Clarkson), a New York book critic in the midst of a failing marriage, takes driving lessons from Darwan, a Sikh Indian (Ben Kingsley). A professor in India who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs, Darwan is now a part-time cab driver in the U.S., where he has won political asylum. As she learns to drive, these two people from very different backgrounds bond over their problems and form a friendship. Based on a New Yorker essay by Katha Pollitt. Rated R. 90 minutes.
Regal DeVargas. (Not reviewed)
THE MARTIAN
The recent information that there is liquid water on Mars is fortuitous for director Ridley Scott. In the director’s latest film, Matt Damon plays an astronaut who travels to the Red Planet, and is then presumed dead and left behind by his crew. He uses all of his resources to survive and return home. The screenplay is adapted from Andy Weir’s popular novel. Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, and Jessica Chastain co-star. Rated PG-13. 141 minutes. Screens in 3-D and 2-D at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS
At the end of the 2014 film The Maze Runner (based on the first book in a popular young-adult series), the kids escape the maze. So what can they possibly do for a sequel? This time, they must navigate the Scorch, a dangerous, decrepit, desert city — the movie was shot primarily in Albuquerque — and fight the oppressive organization WCKD. Rated PG-13. 131 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
MR. HOLMES
It is 1947. Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) is ninety, long retired, living in seclusion in Sussex, and keeping bees. He is cared for by his widowed housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney), and her precocious young son Roger (Milo Parker). Holmes is engaged in writing his own recollections of his final case, one that still troubles him, the case that led him to give up detecting. Watson’s account of the affair tricked it out with success, but Holmes remembers it differently — to the extent that he can remember it at all. That great mind is beginning to slip its moorings. There are three story strands covering different periods and places, and director Bill Condon weaves them together with unhurried skill, abetted by the great McKellen. Rated PG. 103 minutes. Regal DeVargas. (Jonathan Richards)
PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN
Over the years, the legendary dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor has gathered a lot of laurels; now in his eighties, he’s not content to rest on them. Kate Geis’ documentary shows the master still conjuring up ideas and distilling them through the bodies of his talented young dancers, who create poetry in motion by executing physically what he now can only do mentally. The film doesn’t minimize the drudgery and the pain of creating a dance. It will appeal mostly to dance aficionados; for the less passionate, it would be like someone not interested in tennis watching a documentary about Roger Federer doing stretches and calisthenics and drills in preparation for Wimbledon. The genius is apparent, but the process is not for everyone. Not rated. 82 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Jonathan Richards)
THE PERFECT GUY
Fresh from a breakup in which her whole life came crashing down, Leah (Sanaa Lathan) rebounds with someone who seems like the ideal partner (Michael Ealy). Before long, however, he starts to creep her out. Is he truly dangerous? Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
THE SECOND MOTHER
Director Anna Muylaert gives us a very enjoyable story, which nonetheless could have been more nuanced. Val (Regina Casé) is a full-time maid who has taken care of Barbara’s only child, Fabinho, since he was a toddler. Barbara (Karine Teles), a famous style-setter, is always busy working. Her husband, Dr. Carlos, is a spaced-out retiree — he has inherited some wealth and has given up his aspirations to be a painter. Val’s labors provide the grease to keep the family’s domestic life running. When Val’s teenage daughter, Jéssica (Camila Márdila), arrives for a temporary stay, this cozy existence is upended. Rated R. 112 minutes. In Portuguese with English subtitles. The Screen. (Priyanka Kumar)
SICARIO
The latest film by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) brings us inside an attempt by a shadowy U.S. task force to take down a Mexican drug lord. The details are vague, and that’s partly because we’re shown the mission through the eyes of an FBI agent (Emily Blunt), who is often kept in the dark as much as we are. She follows the orders of a casually no-nonsense chief (Josh Brolin) and the sicario, or hit man, who travels alongside him (Benicio Del Toro). The story can get very dark, but the film is mesmerizing due to its virtuoso acting, lean script, moral ambiguity, efficient editing, and the towering cinematography of Roger Deakins, who captures the rural and urban desert landscapes as evocatively as anyone in film has achieved. Indeed, the movie would come close to being considered a modern masterpiece if it didn’t lose focus in the home stretch. Rated R. 121 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)
THE VISIT
The latest film by M. Night Shyamalan centers on two children (Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould) who spend a week at their grandparents’ house. When they stay up past their strict bedtime, they learn that Nana (Deanna Dunagan) gets up to some pretty weird stuff at night. When Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) also starts acting strange, the question becomes whether or not they’ll survive the visit. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes.
Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)