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Anomalisa One of the best animated films in years, written and co-directed by Charlie Kaufman, this is a movie about and for adults. It’s the story of an emotionally isolated man (the voice of David Thewlis) who finds a special connection with a lonely woman (the voice of Jennifer Jason Leigh). Rated R. 90 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Big Short One of the season’s most entertaining movies, this black comedy from comedy director Adam McKay finds intelligent amusement in the financial crisis, with a story about a handful of people who made a killing from the collapse. Christian Bale and Steve Carell are superb as a pair of hedge fund managers too sane
and too eccentric not to admit the truth when they see it. Rated R. 130 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Bridge of Spies The latest from Steven Spielberg is a sure, solid ride, with Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan, who is enlisted to represent a Soviet spy and then actually endeavors to give him good representation. It’s a wonderful, sprawling character portrait, set against a meticulously recreated 1950s America, without one false note or slow moment. One of the best movies of 2015. Rated PG-13. 141 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Brooklyn Rich in emotion and period detail, this story of a young Irish woman (Saoirse Ronan) who moves to Brooklyn in 1951 is one of the best films of the year. Rated PG-13. 112 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Carol Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara share acting honors, in this, one of the best films of the year, about two women, of different ages and backgrounds, who form an emotional connection in 1950s New York City. Directed by Todd Haynes. Rated R. 118 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Choice This obnoxious, vapid and ultimately mawkish Southern romance involves a preposterous relationship between a smug man and grating woman. In a word, awful. Rated PG-13. 111 minutes. — D. Lewis
Creed Director Ryan Coogler lends energy and a contemporary edge into the venerable Rocky franchise, with Stallone as the aging champ stepping in to train Adonis, the son of Rocky’s late friend, Apollo Creed. It’s terrific entertainment, with a lovely performance from Stallone, perhaps his best. PG-13. Rated PG-13. 133 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Danish Girl This historical drama about the life of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe has excellent acting and impeccable production values, though at times it seems hemmed in by its own
tasteful restraint. Rated R. 120 minutes. — D. Lewis
Deadpool A wretched exercise, this latest in dreadful comic book boredom is a brutal, incoherent, self-referential mess, unappealing from start to finish. Even worse, it’s just the sort of empty cleverness that might win the future. Rated R. 108 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Dirty Grandpa Comedy about a straitlaced young man tricked into driving his rude and crude grandfather to spring break in Florida. Not reviewed. Rated R. 102 minutes.
The 5th Wave This sci-fi film about a teenager to try to reunite with her younger brother after an alien invasion has a good first 30 minutes. Then it slowly — and thoroughly and irrevocably — falls apart. Rated PG-13. 112 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Fifty Shades of Black A spoof of “Fifty Shades of Gray,” starring Kali Hawk, Marlon Wayans, Jane Seymour. Not reviewed. Rated R. 92 minutes.
45 Years This is an extremely subtle and devastating portrait of a marriage that is upended when revelations from the past shed light on all the years since. Great performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. Rated R. 95 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Hail, Caesar! This is the Coen Brothers in their sloppy zany mode, with Josh Brolin as real-life MGM executive Eddie Mannix, but a semi-fictional Mannix working with actors and directors only loosely based on real models. Sluggish at times, it’s also often very funny, and the parodies of early 1950s cinema are spot on. Rated PG-13. 106 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Hateful Eight Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film is a very entertaining three hours, most of it spent with a group of desperate characters stuck in the same room. His postmodern take on the Western is highly enjoyable, though incredibly violent, featuring a terrific performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh as a depraved murderess. Rated R. 168 minutes. — M. LaSalle How to Be Single This attempt to make an unromantic romantic comedy benefits from the originality of the conceit and the casting of Dakota Johnson, but the movie loses steam in the last half, because there is so little at stake. Not bad, but not quite good enough. Rated R. 110 minutes. — M. LaSalle
In the Shadow of Women The latest from French New Wave director Philippe Garrel is a study of a marriage that, dispirited by professional disappointment and poverty, comes under the additional strain of infidelity. It’s small, delicate and very well-acted. Not rated. 73 minutes. In French with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words This is an entertaining and admiring documentary about one of Hollywood’s definitive stars, and it makes extensive use of Bergman’s own journals, home movies and letters to recount her rise and fall. Made with the cooperation of her family, and includes many remembrances from two of her children, Isabella Rossellini and Pia Lindstrom. Not rated. 114 minutes. In Swedish and English with English subtitles.
— W. Addiego
Ip Man 3 The presence of superstar Donnie Yen makes this martial arts action film worth watching. It’s the third in a trilogy about the grandmaster who brought the Wing Chun fighting style to Hong Kong, and was Bruce Lee’s teacher. Yen is appealing, and the story moves right along. Mike Tyson has a modest role as an American bad guy. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles. — W. Addiego Kung Fu Panda 3 The saga of Po the Panda (Jack Black) continues with an all-you-can-eat buffet of plot — introducing a parent who was presumed dead, a litter of baby pandas and a beast from another dimension. It’s hard to say anyone doesn’t get their money’s worth with this sequel, even as the story strains under the weight of it all. Rated PG. 95 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
The Lady in the Van Maggie Smith stars as a comically cranky, somewhat unhinged elderly woman who lives in a van outside the London home of playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) for 15 years. She drives him crazy, but he comes to realize there is much more to her than anyone could have imagined. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes. — D. Wiegand
Mustang This impressive, nuanced tale of self-determination follows five Turkish sisters whose home is a “wife factory” that forces them into arranged marriages. It’s by turns depressing, funny, horrifying and ultimately optimistic. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes. In Turkish with English subtitles.
— D. Lewis
Oscar Nominated Shorts 2016: Animation This year’s program boasts three highlights: “Sanjay’s Super Team,” a Pixar short that reflects the studio’s high standards; “World of Tomorrow,” a melancholy look at a future damaged by technology; and “Bear Story,” the Chilean tale of a bear puppeteer that’s an allegory for the human rights abuses of the Pinochet regime. Note that a separate program (not reviewed) of Oscar-nominated live-action shorts is also being released. Not rated. 87 minutes. — W. Addiego
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies This is so-so Austen, but pretty good as zombie movies go. Based on the zombie/Austen novel mashup, this gets as much from one joke as it possibly can. It benefits from a cast that could play Austen straight, if given the chance. Rated PG-13. 108 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Rams Icelandic film about two shepherd brothers entrenched in a 40-year feud who are thrown into crisis mode when disease
threatens their flocks won a prize at Cannes, but will test all but the most hardy filmgoer’s endurance. Rated R. 93 minutes. In Icelandic with English subtitles. — G. Allen Johnson
The Revenant A man (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely wounded in a bear attack and abandoned by his colleagues in the American Northwest of 1820. It’s an impressively directed film (Alejandro Inarritu), with a brilliant first half and a perfectly enjoyable but less striking second half. The bear attack scene is one for the ages. Rated R. 156 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Ride Along 2 This sequel to the mildly funny 2014 buddy film, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, implodes early, under a weak script that makes Hart more neurotic than funny. Olivia Munn co-stars, but in a role that’s mostly decorative. Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Room An interesting experiment that becomes over-long and wearying, this is the story of a woman, held captive for seven years, creating a reality for her 5-year-old son, while living in confinement. Brie Larson is superb as the mother but Jacob Tremblay as the child is a little hard to take. Rated R. 118 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Son of Saul The holocaust film has become a familiar cinematic staple, but this Hungarian effort is something different. It keeps the camera tight on a prisoner charged with herding fellow Jews into the gas chambers. At times difficult to watch, this is nonetheless worth watching, and the opening two shots are among the best cinema of 2015. Rated R. 107 minutes. In Hungarian and German with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Spotlight This true-to-life dramatization of the Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s child-abuse scandal somehow finds excitement in the most dreary details of newspaper work. One of the best newspaper movies ever made. Rated R. 128 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Star Wars: The Force
Awakens The best “Star Wars” sequel yet features a return of the original cast, with Harrison Ford delightful as a grumpy-as-ever Han Solo.One of the best movies of the year. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Rated PG-13. 136 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Trumbo A lot funnier than you might expect, this account of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s 10-year struggle with the Hollywood blacklist is highlighted by strong performances by Bryan Cranston in the title role and Helen Mirren as Hedda Hopper. Rated R. 124 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Where to Invade Next The latest from Michael Moore fades in the last 40 minutes, but the points he makes are interesting. This is the movie that everyone who has ever traveled to Europe has thought of making, about how they really have some good ideas over there, and we ought to think about trying them. Rated R. 119 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Zoolander 2 This very funny sequel to the 2001 cult classic has the rival fashion models, Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson), return to the fashion world to uncover a plot to kill the world’s pop stars. This is a freewheeling, bizarre, sometimes tasteless but almost always inspired comedy. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Also Noted
AT THE ART HOUSES
Balboa: Sun.-Thurs.: “Deadpool.” Thurs.: “Key Largo.” Sat.: “Charlotte’s Web.” 630 Balboa St., San Francisco. (415) 2218184, www.cinemasf.com/ balboa
Castro: Sun.: “Casablanca,” “Norotious,” “Hitchcock Truffaut.” Mon.: “American Graffiti,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Tues.: “Chimes at Midnight,” “Othello.” Wed.: “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Sympathy for the Devil.” Thurs.: “Jules et Jim,” “The Summer of Sangaile.” Fri.: “Inforum Presents Senator Cory Booker: United.” 429 Castro St., San Francisco. (415) 621-6120, www.castrotheatre.com.
Roxie: Sun.-Sat.: “San Francisco Indiefest.” 3117 16th St., San Francisco. (415) 863-1087, www.roxie.com.
FILM PROGRAMS
Rafael Film Center: Thurs.: “Bartleby.” Fri.: “The Club.” 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. (415) 454-1222, www.cafilm.org.