OPENING THIS WEEK
APPROACHING THE UNKNOWN
Arriving not long after 2015’s The Martian, this movie takes a much more low-budget approach to similar material. William Stanaforth (Mark Strong) is an astronaut attempting a solitary mission to Mars. When the safety of his spacecraft is compromised, he decides to press on against all odds. Luke Wilson co-stars. Rated R. 90 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Not reviewed)
THE CONJURING 2
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who in the 1970s and 1980s, looked into a number of spooky happenings — including, most famously, the Amityville Horror. In this dramatization of a 1977 investigation, the couple travels to the U.K. to look into poltergeist activity at a council house in North London. Rated R. 133 minutes. Regal DeVargas; Regal Stadium 14; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
DARK HORSE
Around the turn of the millennium, Janet Vokes, a barmaid in an economically depressed Wales mining town, convinced her friends and customers to pitch in together, purchase a thoroughbred, and pay for its training. They bought and bred Dream Alliance, and the horse eventually enjoyed success on the racing circuit in the U.K. — attracting a good deal of media attention for how the story upturned class-structure norms. Through new interviews, dramatic recreations, and archival footage, this documentary tells Dream Alliance’s story. Rated PG. 85 minutes. Regal DeVargas. (Not reviewed)
DOUGH
Not rated. 94 minutes. The Screen. See review, Page 46.
THE IDOL
Not rated. 100 minutes. In Arabic with subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 45.
MAGGIE’S PLAN
Rated R. 98 minutes. Violet Crown. See review, Page 42.
MEN & CHICKEN
In this quirky comedy from Denmark, David Dencik and Mads Mikkelsen play brothers who learn at their father’s deathbed that they’re adopted. They travel to find their real father, and discover that he’s a geneticist and that they have other brothers — all of whom, including them, have been experimented on by their father. Not rated. 104 minutes. In Danish with subtitles. Jean Cocteau. (Not reviewed)
NOW YOU SEE ME 2
In 2013, Now You See Me — a relatively unheralded movie about four magicians who are framed for theft, pull off a series of unbelievable tricks, and fool a master (Morgan Freeman) — broke through the blockbusters of summer and found an audience. Those illusionists (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and now Lizzy Caplan) are back, and this time are forced to pull off their greatest heist yet by a crooked tech-genius mastermind (Daniel Radcliffe). Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Caine also return from the first film. Rated PG-13. 129 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)
VITA ACTIVA: THE SPIRIT OF HANNAH ARENDT
Not rated. 125 minutes. The Screen. In English, Hebrew, German, and French, with subtitles. See review, Page 44.
WARCRAFT
If you’re one of the millions of subscribers to the World of Warcraft MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), then it’s time to leave the PC for the multiplex, as the big-screen adaptation is here. If you’re of the billions who have never joined an online guild to complete a quest (or never heard the term MMORPG), don’t fret — the movie is just your basic effects-heavy, orcs-and-warriors fantasy flick. Duncan Jones
(Moon) directs. Rated PG-13. 123 minutes. Screens in 3-D and 2-D at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. Screens in 2-D only at DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed)