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All the Rage (Saved by Sarno) This is an advocacy film extolling the virtues of the late Dr. John Sarno’s unorthodox treatment for back pain. His idea was that much back pain has its genesis in repressed emotions from childhood, particularly anger. One of the filmmakers, Michael Galinsky, who gained some relief from Sarno’s methods, also turns the camera on himself. Whether this movie can convert a skeptic is questionable. Not rated. 94 minutes. — W. Addiego
American Made The movie’s light, breezy tone doesn’t quite seem right — or even make sense — for this story of a TWA pilot turned drug smuggler in the 1980s. Still, Tom Cruise is his own quality control, so the movie is brisk and entertaining, anyway. Rated R. 115 minutes. — M. LaSalle
A Bad Moms Christmas This rushed sequel to “Bad Moms” (2016) feels more like a financial decision than an artistic mandate. And yet, through all its plot and editing problems, the comedy does deliver a lot of laughs — with a trio of bad grandmothers joining bad moms Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn. Icy and disapproving Christine Baranski stands out among the newcomers. Rated R. 117 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Battle of the Sexes This dramatic feature about the 1973 tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King and the events leading up to it is a well-acted, breezy immersion into another time and consciousness, with Steve Carell especially brilliant in the way he captures Riggs’ strange, vulnerable appeal. Rated PG-13. 121 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Blade of the Immortal Action-horror maestro Takashi Miike’s 100th film — about an immortal samurai helping a 12-year-old girl revenge the death of her father — is a bloody mess. A promising start and goodlooking camerawork devolve into death by a thousand cuts — for the viewer. Rated R. 141 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles.
— G. Allen Johnson Blade Runner 2049 Long and slow but never boring, this sequel to the 1982 sci-fi staple is a somber rumination on what it means to be human, with a story of a replicant LAPD officer (Ryan Gosling) charged with finding and destroying older, disobedient replicants. Harrison Ford co-stars. Rated R. 164 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
BPM (Beats Per Minute) French director Robin Campillo directed and co-wrote this visceral memory piece about a period in the early ’90s when he worked with ACT UP in Paris. A little long-winded and ultimately monotonous, it’s nonetheless a powerful film that takes audiences back to that era with directness and immediacy. Not rated. 143 minutes. In French with En-
glish subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Brimstone and Glory Though only 67 minutes, this documentary feels padded, though the subject is bizarre enough — a Mexican town that practically blows itself up every year at its annual fireworks festival. Not rated. 67 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Departure This beautiful documentary, a meditation on the value of life, centers on an ex-Japanese punk rocker who has become a Buddhist monk — and devoted most of his time on Earth to helping suicidal people. It’s a must-see. Not rated. 87 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. — D. Lewis
Faces Places This may be the final film of Agnes Varda, one of the last surviving members of the French New Wave. It documents her tour of small and rural French towns in the company of a much younger artist (she’s 89), named JR, during which they photographed working-class people and posted huge, blown-up images of them on local structures. It’s good to spend time with Varda, Rated PG. 89 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — W. Addiego
The Florida Project This has a strong opening and a terrific finish, with 40 dead minutes in the middle. But it’s so original and so well-done when it’s working — a brilliant portrait of childhood as experienced inside a poverty motel in Orlando — that it’s hard to imagine anyone forgetting it. Rated R. 115 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Foreigner Jackie Chan is ideally cast as a little aging fellow, living in London, whose daughter’s death turns him into a somersaulting, fist-flying killing machine. This is one of the most satisfying action movies since “Taken.” Co-starring Pierce Brosnan. Rated R. 114 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Geostorm Sci-fi thriller about a network of satellites launching an attack against Earth by creating a worldwide storm. With Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish. Not reviewed. Rated PG-13. 109 minutes.
Goodbye Christopher Robin This is a beautiful and sometimes painful movie about the creation and consequences of “Winnie-the-Pooh,” a grand success that ended up disturbing the childhood of its inspiration, Christopher Robin Milne, son of “Pooh” author A.A. Milne. Directed by Simon Curtis (“My Week With Marilyn”). Rated PG. 107 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Happy Death Day “Halloween” meets “Groundhog Day” in this tame slasher movie about an obnoxious sorority sister who must relive the day of her murder. Lots of so-so joshery about college life, a big mawkish moment and a redemptive theme make this strictly mall fodder. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. — W. Addiego
Heal Documentary about how
thoughts, beliefs and emotions affect people’s health. Directed by Kelly Noonan Gores. Not reviewed. Not rated. 106 minutes.
Human Flow Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei doesn’t break any new ground in his documentary about the global refugee crisis, but he manages, in simple, artistic terms, to vividly illustrate the scale of the problem. Rated PG-13. 140 minutes. — D. Lewis
It Even if it didn’t have the homicidal clown and sink spewing blood and missing children getting yanked into sewers, what remains here would still be an engaging movie. This horror remake based on Stephen King’s book is smart and funny and makes great effort to capture not just a time and place, but the specific feelings of being on the verge of adulthood and thinking the world is against you. Rated R. 135 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Jade Pendant This melodrama, about Chinese immigrants in 1870s America, unabashedly pans for melodrama as if it were gold. It’s sometimes laughable, but it’s not boring. Not rated. 106 minutes. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles. — D. Lewis
Jane Using previously unseen footage stored for more than 50 years in National Geographic’s archive, this documentary offers a close-up, extraordinary look at Jane Goodall’s pioneering work with chimpanzees in 1960s Tanzania. The film wraps up too quickly and neatly, but that does not make the Tanzania footage less exquisite. Rated PG. 90 minutes. — C. Meyer
Jigsaw Horror thriller about a series of gruesome killings and the suspected killer, a man known as Jigsaw who has been dead 10 years. The movie is part of the “Saw” franchise. Not reviewed. Rated R. 92 minutes.
The Killing of a Sacred
Deer Interesting and very low-key horror film, with Colin Farrell as an emotionally disconnected, flawed heart surgeon whose family becomes terrorized by a malevolent and destructive force. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Rated R. 121 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Kingsman: The Golden
Circle For all its breathless action, mind-boggling gadgets and stylized fight sequences, nothing much happens in this belabored comic-book spy caper. It’s a sequel trying to set up the next sequel. Rated R. 141 minutes. — D. Lewis
LBJ Weirdly structured and seemingly purposeless, the movie is somewhat redeemed by its subject, though watching it is like watching some crazy revisionist history that imagines what America might be like were Woody Harrelson the 36th president. A wacky but likable misfire. Directed by Rob Reiner. Rated R. 98 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Lego Ninjago Movie “Lego Ninjago” is its best — and funniest — when it centers on the absurd human drama between the two main characters, ninja Lloyd and his oblivious and evil father, Lord Garmadon. Much of the rest of the film feels like an effort to sell toys. Still amusing, but the Lego movies are suffering from diminishing returns. Rated PG. 100 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Loving Vincent This animation tells a story about the aftermath of Vincent Van Gogh’s death through the visual idiom of his paintings, and for 10 or 15 this is one of the greatest animated films ever made. But it goes on for another 80 minutes, and the movie suffers
from a weak, flat narrative. Rated PG-13. 95 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Lucky This is an affecting love letter to the late character actor Harry Dean Stanton, who portrays the title character, a cantankerous nonagenarian living in a tiny desert town who shuffles through his daily routine while coming to terms with his mortality. With appearances by David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Skerrit, Beth Grant and James Darren. Not rated. 88 minutes. — W. Addiego
Marshall Chadwick Boseman plays the coolest guy in the world, who just happens to be future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, shown here as a young man in one of his earliest cases. This is a terrific courtroom drama and also a satisfying buddy movie, with Josh Gad as Marshall’s co-counsel and temperamental opposite. Rated PG-13. 118 minutes. — M. LaSalle
My Little Pony: The Movie This rainbowhued animated pony movie is well-intentioned, but filled with low production values. Putting the words “The Movie” in the title turns out to be a necessary reminder. The film looks like the cable network cartoon, simply expanded to larger physical dimensions for the big screen. Rated PG. 99 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Novitiate Easily one of the best movies of the year, this story of young nuns in training, set in a cloistered convent in 1964, features five — count ’em, five — knockout performances, though Melissa Leo takes the prize as the mother superior. Rated R. 123 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Only the Brave The ensemble drama rises to challenges it never knew it was going to face — solidly honoring frontline firefighters while detailing the risks they take. The film is mainstream entertainment, but it’s also boldly staged, with an inventive and informative approach to action filmmaking. Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller stand out in the solid cast. Rated PG-13. 133 minutes. — P. Hartlaub Rat Film A documentary that uses rats to explore the history of Baltimore. Written and directed by Theo Anthony. Not reviewed. Not rated. 82 minutes.
Suburbicon It’s the worst of both worlds as the zany outlandishness of a Coen Brothers screenplay meets the liberal earnestness of George Clooney’s direction, and the result is something neither funny nor persuasive. Still, there are a handful of exceptional scenes, in this story of a murder investigation taking place in 1950s suburbia. Starring Matt Damon and Julianne Moore. Rated R. 105 minutes. — M. LaSalle Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton This documentary doesn’t exactly wade deep into the psyche of the legendary surfer, but his spectacularly filmed exploits on the water are awfully fun to watch, even for those not immersed in the sport. Not rated. 118 minutes.
— D. Lewis Thank You for Your Service Good intentions go a long way in this film about veterans returning from war with post-traumatic stress disorder, a rare nuanced look at the subject. Its existence will help people, and bring understanding, boosted by a strong lead performance by Miles Teller. But as a piece of cinema, “Thank You” is flawed, with pacing and structure problems. Rated R. 108 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Thor: Ragnarok The best of the “Thor” movies, this returns to the light, fun spirit of the original, while bringing on the blockbuster action sequences. The movie is funny, with strong turns from Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Hopkins as the King, and especially Cate Blanchett, who eats up the scenery as the Goddess of Death. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Tom of Finland This Finnish film about the renowned gay artist who helped create the leather culture and empower the gay community in the 1950s and ’60s is sensitively told. Fascinating figure. The film, while solid, is something you could take your straight grandmother to. Not rated. 116 minutes. In Finnish and English with English subtitles.
— G. Allen Johnson
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween The latest of Tyler Perry’s Madea comedies is a follow-up to last year’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween.” Not reviewed. Rated PG-13. 101 minutes.
Victoria and Abdul An unknown chapter of history is brought to light in this story of the elderly Queen Victoria’s friendship with an Indian clerk and the jealousies this provoked in the royal household. The motives of the clerk remain obscured, but the movie is very good at illuminating the inner life of a queen in her final days. Rated PG-13. 112 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Wonderstruck The latest from director Todd Haynes, which intercuts two stories, one set in 1927 and the other in 1977, each involving a deaf child exploring Manhattan, had interesting cinematic possibilities. But despite some winning moments, this is the movie equivalent of knockout drops, a movie that almost resists being watched. Starring Julianne Moore. Based on the book by Brian Selznick. Rated PG. 117 minutes. — M. LaSalle