NOW IN THEATERS
THE BIG SICK
This warm romantic comedy is drawn from the real life story of its screenwriters, Emily V. Gordon (played by the delightful Zoe Kazan) and her husband Kumail Nanjiani, a Pakistani actor who plays a version of himself. They meet at a Chicago club where he’s doing stand-up, and a feisty and fitful relationship ensues. Kumail’s culture is one of arranged marriage, and when Emily discovers he has never told his parents about her, she breaks off the relationship. Shortly thereafter she suffers a medical emergency that dominates most of the rest of the picture. The cast, which includes terrific input from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Emily’s parents, is uniformly good. The Big Sick is a smart romantic comedy with a richness of cultural insights, a beating heart, and genuine laughs. Rated R. 119 minutes. Violet Crown. (Jonathan Richards)
DESPICABLE ME 3
With two movies and a Minions spinoff now under its belt, this animated comedy series has its hero, Gru — the dastardly mastermind with a heart of gold — meeting his long-lost brother, Dru. In voicing both characters, Steve Carell manages once more to convey a surprising amount of personality for someone shouting in a weird Eastern European accent, but the real stars are once more the yellow, one-eyed Minions, as well as the villain — a 1980s-obsessed rogue voiced by Trey Parker. The story unfurls in a lively enough fashion, but the movie has too many unrelated subplots for a relatively scant running time, suggesting that the franchise is running low on ideas and simply cobbling together whatever they’ve got. Rated PG. 90 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Robert Ker)
THE EMOJI MOVIE
In what could be a sign of the ubiquity of smartphone culture or a sign that Hollywood is out of ideas, emojis — those little faces that you can add to text messages — now get their very own animated comedy. The story centers on Gene (T.J. Miller) an emoji with multiple expressions who yearns to have just one, like everyone else. Patrick Stewart, acclaimed thespian and a Royal Shakespeare Company veteran, voices the emoji for excrement. Rated PG. 86 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD
This odd-couple action-comedy flashes back to a movie formula that was popular in decades past with films such as Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours — a white man and African-American man team up for a few yuks and some hard-hitting action of the guns-and-cars variety. Samuel L. Jackson, no stranger to this genre, plays a talented hitman who is needed as a witness in a trial. Ryan Reynolds plays an elite bodyguard assigned to make sure he makes the court date alive. The two men now find that they must rely on each other to stay alive. This involves several exciting chase scenes and a lot of male bonding, which defies credibility but works within the film’s internal logic and through the chemistry shared by the two lead actors. Not everything works, the violence can get unpleasant, and there is more plot than needed, but the movie is satisfying and frequently more creatively adventurous than the material requires. Rated R. 118 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)
HOME AGAIN
Reese Witherspoon plays Alice Kinney, a divorced mother of two. While out celebrating her fortieth birthday, she meets three aspiring filmmakers (Pico Alexander, Nat Wolff, and Jon Rudnitsky) and invites them to move in with her. Her new living situation sends her life spinning in odd directions as potential romance bubbles up. This comedy is the feature debut for writer and director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of rom-com filmmaking legend Nancy Meyers, who produced the movie. Michael Sheen and Candice Bergen also star. Rated PG-13. 97 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
IT
In what feels like a limp effort to capitalize on the totally-’80s retro-revival in pop culture, Stephen King’s novel about a circle of childhood friends menaced by an evil clown in the late 1950s has been moved to the Reagan era in this adaptation. This gives the tone-deaf filmmaking team of director Andy Muschietti and three screenwriters the opportunity to stylistically crib from The Goonies and other ‘80s hits. (Incongruously, the young characters rib each other with raunchy jibes that seem better suited to a post
South Park world.) The scariest parts are the uncomfortably realistic portrayals of bullying and a controlling father’s sexually charged relationship with his daughter; the jump-scare scenes with the villainous clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) are laughable and annoyingly protracted. The credits suggest that a sequel — presumably telling the part of King’s tale that concerns the adult versions of the kids — is in the works. Oh goody. Rated R. 135 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Jeff Acker)
LEAP!
This animated comedy from French directors Éric Summer and Éric Warin came out overseas under the name Ballerina, and now reaches American shores as Leap! The story centers on an orphan girl in the 1880s (voiced by Elle Fanning) who dreams of becoming a ballerina. She steals the identity of another girl in order to train at the Paris Opera Ballet, where she runs into a series of setbacks en route to achieving her dream. Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen voices her mentor. Rated PG. 89 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD
A spectacular trove of archival footage from early 20th-century Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern locales provides the visual backdrop for the remarkable story of Gertrude Bell, an English archaeologist, author, and diplomat who worked fervently to establish an independent Arab state (which became Iraq) after the First World War. The words are Bell’s own, taken directly from her correspondence with her family and friends and spoken by Tilda Swinton (who also served as an executive producer). Testimonies from those who knew Bell are woven in as “interviews” with actors who address the camera (their words, too, are lifted from surviving letters and other sources). A few title cards represent the solitary intrusion of the filmmakers, who need not editorialize — the conflict that has plagued the region and the persistence of dilemmas that kept Bell up at night speak for themselves. This is a beautiful elegy for a world that seems long gone. Not rated. 95 minutes. In English and Arabic with subtitles. The Screen. (Jeff Acker)
LOGAN LUCKY
In 2013, director Steven Soderbergh dramatically announced that he was retiring from making movies, shifting his focus to television. Now, he’s made a comeback with a new film, and it’s the kind of star-studded caper he enjoyed great success with the Ocean’s Eleven films. Adam Driver and Channing Tatum play the Logan brothers, who attempt a heist at a NASCAR race. In doing so, they rope in characters played by Katie Holmes, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig, and others. Rated PG-13. 119 minutes. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
MARJORIE PRIME
At some point in the future, a program allows people to resurrect a loved one through holograms at whatever age they prefer them. In her late eighties, Marjorie (veteran actress Lois Smith) has chosen to bring back her husband Walter (Jon Hamm) at the age they first met, which means that they both have a foggy idea of the past. Her son-in-law (a welcome Tim Robbins) helps to “program” Walter, while her daughter (a very good Geena Davis) is skeeved out by the whole proposition. Though the film surrenders to too much talkiness as the family tries to work out this bizarre scenario, there’s real poignancy in its memorable reflection on intimacy and mortality. Directed by Michael Almereyda, who wrote the similarly weird futuristic cult classic Cherry 2000 (1987). Not rated. 98 minutes. The Screen. (Molly Boyle)
MAUDIE
Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) is one of those British actors who is so good most people here don’t even know who she is. In this film, inspired by the life of Maud Lewis (1903-1970), she gives an Oscar-caliber performance as the Nova Scotia folk artist whose hand-painted cards sell for nickels and dimes, mostly to the clients of her fish-peddler husband (a very good Ethan Hawke). Eventually she moves on to paintings, and her price rockets to $5, and then $10. Local television does a story on her, and everyone, including Lewis, begins to show her a little respect. Gnarled and scrunched from childhood rheumatoid arthritis, Maudie maintains a cheerful demeanor. As much as it is the story of her painting, director Aisling Walsh’s biopic is about survival and positivity in the face of crippling adversity. The real Maud Lewis died in poverty, but her paintings now sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Not rated. 115 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Jonathan Richards)
MENASHE
Menashe (Menashe Lustig) is a bumbling grocery clerk in Brooklyn’s Borough Park Hasidic community, a sad sack, a schlemiel, a tubby, disheveled man who gets no respect. He’s a recent widower, struggling to retain custody of his son Rieven (Ruben Niborski), who, by the decree of his rabbi, cannot be raised in a single-parent home. The story is closely based on Lustig’s own circumstances, and he and Niborski create a close and credible bond. Aside from their relationship, the most recognizably human interaction is between Menashe and his two Hispanic co-workers at the kosher grocery. It’s not exactly a criticism of the rigid religiosity of the Hasidic community, but it does suggest a wistful peek over the fence at the wider world beyond. In his first feature, documentarian
Joshua Z. Weinstein’s skills are most evident in the film’s almost stealthy observation of a community that does not encourage exposure to the outside world. Not rated. 82 minutes. In Yiddish with subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Jonathan Richards)
THE OATH
Iceland’s greatest filmmaker, Baltasar Kormákur, returns with another explosive action film that will satisfy fans of his chilling Nordic noir, seen in such earlier hits as The Deep, The Sea and Everest. What’s new here? Kormákur stretches out and plays the lead role himself – a highly respected heart surgeon who has to get down and dirty after finding out his teenage daughter is hanging around with a scuzzy drug dealer. It’s a tough balancing act, but Kormákur seems to thread the needle well. As always, the visuals here are stunning, owing to the crisp cinematography of Ottar Gudnason. Not rated. 103 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Jon Bowman)
SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING
In this first solo film for the new Spider-Man reboot, the character is a high-school student (played with exuberance by Tom Holland), hanging with his pals and waiting for the call to officially join the Avengers. Meanwhile, a local crook called the Vulture (a magnificent Michael Keaton) is scooping up alien tech and selling it on the black market, prompting Spidey to investigate. Marvel Studios’ marquee draw, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), also elbows his way in as a mentor figure. Moving Spider-Man into the Marvel stable should have propelled the character to greater stories, but the movie feels confined by this transition: The Avengers tie-in bogs the movie down, and Spidey’s adventures — once visually thrilling as directed by the singular Sam Raimi — now look and feel like every other Marvel movie. Rated PG-13. 133 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Robert Ker)
THE TRIP TO SPAIN
It’s British comedians Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan’s third outing in the series directed by Michael Winterbottom, wherein the stars moonlight as food critics at fine restaurants all over Europe. As usual, the cuisine takes a backseat to Brydon and Coogan’s conversational chemistry at the dinner table, whether it’s giving Coogan’s Mick Jagger impression a workout or revisiting the pair’s competitive Michael Caine mimicry. As Coogan and Brydon play Don Quixote and Sancho Panza at haute hotels across Spain, the landscape is utterly lovely to behold, the behindthe-scenes restaurant interstitials are well shot, and as usual, Coogan’s messy personal life threatens to overshadow the fun. Aside from the hilarious verbal jousting, the pleasure of
The Trip films lies in watching the men wind their way through anyone’s dream vacation while contending with the real-world problems of (not enough) fame, love, and family. Not rated. 108 minutes. Violet Crown. (Molly Boyle)
TULIP FEVER
Director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) and co-screenwriter Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) adapt Deborah Moggach’s novel about love and extramarital affairs in 17thcentury Amsterdam during the height of tulip mania. Alicia Vikander plays Sophia, a young woman who is married to a wealthy older man named Cornelis (Christoph Waltz). When Cornelis commissions a dashing young painter (Dane DeHaan) to create a portrait of his wife, artist and subject soon fall in love and make plans to run away together. Judi Dench also stars. Rated R. 107 minutes. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
The third prequel to 1968’s Planet of the Apes takes place in a world in which humans have been wiped out by the simian flu and monkeys are evolving at a rapid rate. Ape leader Caesar (performed once more by a motion-captured Andy Serkis) must travel north on a revenge mission to find a crazed Army colonel gone rogue (Woody Harrelson). Director Matt Reeves tackles the story with a commitment to excellence across the technical components of the film, including some of the best special effects you’ll ever see, wonderful sound effects, a compelling score, and an eye for memorable images. The story can feel bleak and emotionally manipulative at times. It’s also uncommonly rich for a summer blockbuster. Rated PG-13. 140 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14. (Robert Ker)
WIND RIVER
Filmmaker Taylor Sheridan (screenwriter of Hell or
High Water) has crafted an intelligent genre film that is replete with tension, sensitivity, and enough sudden outbursts of violence to remind us that the West can be a very dangerous place to live. Jeremy Renner crafts a nuanced performance as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker who finds himself channeling his grief into a manhunt to find the culprits behind the death of a Native American teen. His teammates are a novice F.B.I. agent (Elizabeth Olsen) and a savvy, common-sense tribal police officer (Graham Greene, who is terrific). The trio are up against the cold, isolated expanse of a land that shapes men into killers and leaves the innocent to die. The film is marred by one too many scripting flaws, but it delivers a strong emotional payoff and includes some fast-paced and unexpected shoot-outs. Rated R. 107 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Robert Nott)
THE WOMEN’S BALCONY
When the women’s balcony of a gender-segregated Jerusalem synagogue collapses during a bar mitzvah, it produces far-reaching consequences. But the full force of the collapse falls on the congregation. A charismatic ultra-conservative young rabbi enters the vacuum. He believes the collapsed balcony is a sign from God, and insists on things being done strictly by the book. The men are putty in Rabbi David’s hands, but the women resist. This deft, accomplished first feature from television veteran Emil Ben-Shimon is about gender politics, religious fundamentalism, and the value of reason and common sense in modern life. It’s funny, touching, and pertinent, and it packs a punch. Not rated. 96 minutes. In Hebrew with subtitles. The Screen. (Jonathan Richards)