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— G.A. Johnson
Paddington 2 A sequel to the charming 2015 children’s live-action film featuring a computeranimated bear (lent sweet voice by Ben Whishaw) lacks some of its predecessor’s spark. But it is so warmhearted and well-acted (and animated) that a slight drop in quality hardly matters. Plus, the sequel features a delightful goof of a performance by Hugh Grant as a vain thespian. Rated PG. 103 minutes.
— C. Meyer
Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter would undoubtedly hate this sarcastic/slapstick-filled update of her classic picture books. But if you’re mandated to update early 20th century children’s literature for shortattention-spanned 2018 families, “Peter Rabbit” is a pretty good template. The film is clever. It has a brisk pace. And the physical comedy, involving live action and animated characters, is wellexecuted. Rated PG. 94 minutes. — P. Hartlaub Phantom Thread Daniel Day-Lewis stars as a dress designer in 1950s London, whose obsessive work habits distort every relationship. This film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, traces the trajectory of one such relationship — with a waitress (Vicky Krieps), who comes into his life wanting something more. One of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best films, his first success in a while. Rated R. 130 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Pitch Perfect 3 The second sequel to the a cappella choir comedy feels less like a movie than a bunch of deleted scenes strung together in the guise of a plot. Anna Kendrick leads a cast that is still committed and some of the performances (“Let Me Ride,” “Freedom! ’90”) still soar. But the script is rushed and lazy, and the singing often feels like an afterthought. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes. — P. Hartlaub The Shape of Water Visually brilliant and psychologically strange, this Guillermo del Toro film, starring Sally Hawkins, is essentially about the power of love, but it functions as another of its director’s indulgences in cruelty, with Michael Shannon as a sadistic government agent. Still, the set design and cinematographer make this film impossible to dismiss. Rated R. 123 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Star Wars: The Last
Jedi Mark Hamill takes the all-time “Star Wars” acting prize, as a jaded man confronting a life of failure, in this latest installment, in which Luke Skywalker (Hamill) is asked by the new guard to lead the Resistance. At a certain point some battle fatigue settles in, but this is an appealing entry in the series. Rated PG-13. 152 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri Frances McDormand has one of her career-best showcases as a woman, mourning the murder of her daughter, who tries to prod the local police by renting three billboards criticizing them for their slow investigation. The movie is both funny and sad, with brilliant performances by Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson as local policemen. Rated R. 115 minutes. — M. LaSalle
12 Strong This telling of a remarkable military campaign, in which Americans joined forces with the Northern Alliance to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban, suffers from an overfictionalized story. But Chris Hemsworth is an appealing hero and Navid Negahban is superb as the Northern Alliance general. Rated R. 130 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Winchester Like the spirits of Sarah Winchester’s never-ending construction project in San Jose, the movie is stuck in its own limbo. It’s not an atrocious film — it just can’t pick a side. A haunted fun house full of jump scares? A gothic period piece with a romantic message? The film is both, and neither. Rated PG-13. 99 minutes. — P. Hartlaub