MOVIE MINIS

NOW PLAYING “The Boss Baby”

C+ A baby comes along, but he’s really an ambitious young executive trying to find out about a new product launch. It’s funny for adults, but it remains to be seen whether kids will get it. Starring the voices of Alec Baldwin, Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow. Directed by Tom McGrath. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG for some mild rude humor. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 37 minutes. PARENTS GUIDE: Fine for kids of all ages.

“For Here or To Go?”

Review not available in time for publication. An immigrant works to get a better job, but when the employer realizes his work visa expires in less than a year, the offer disappears. Starring Ali Fazal and Melanie Chandra. Directed by Rucha Humnabadkar. Not rated. At AMC North DeKalb and Regal Medlock Crossing. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

“Frantz”

A

woman mourns her fiance who has died in the war when she meets someone who knew him during the battles. The film has a beautiful stillness, making the audience feel we are there in the midst of their lives. Starring Paula Beer and Pierre Niney. Directed by Francois Ozon. In French and German with English subtitles. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including brief war violence. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 53 minutes.

“Ghost in the Shell”

Review not available in time for publication. A woman is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier after she was saved from a crash, but then she finds out her life was not saved but stolen. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Michael Pitt. Directed by Rupert Sanders. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, suggestive content and some disturbing images. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 46 minutes.

“The Zookeeper’s Wife”

B During Nazi occupation, the zookeeper’s wife helps harbor Jewish families in her zoo and her home and ultimately help them escape. The film’s flaws are overlooked in the shadow of the moving performances and the clarifying power of empathy in the film. Starring Jessica Chastain, Daniel Bruhl and Johan Heldenbergh. Directed by Niki Caro. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, disturbing images, violence, brief sexuality, nudity and smoking. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 4 minutes.

STILL SHOWING “Beauty and the Beast”

C+ The live-action take on the fairy tale stays true to the story of a beautiful girl falling for her captor, a beast. The film lacks a unique cinematic identity and it can’t decide between complete faithfulness to the original and story innovation. Starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans. Directed by Bill Condon. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG for some action violence, peril and frightening images. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 9 minutes.

“Before I Fall”

B A high school girl relives the same Friday, over and over, preceding a dangerous car crash and each day, she learns to do something different to attempt to change the outcome. It’s cerebral and philosophical, and goes far beyond the shallow themes of most young adult thrillers. Starring Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage and Jennifer Beals. Directed by Ry Russo-Young. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG13 for mature thematic content involving drinking, sexuality, bullying, some violent images, and language-all involving teens. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 39 minutes.

“CHiPS”

C+ The pair of California Highway Patrol officers from the famous TV series from the 1970s and ’80s work an inside job heist, but the movie is really about their bonding brotherhood. It has its faults, but overall is a light comedy worth a watch. Starring Dax Shepard, Michael Pena and Adam Brody. Directed by Dax Shepard. Rated R for crude sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language, some violence and drug use. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 41 minutes. PARENTS GUIDE Way too sexually explicit for kids. Fine for older teens.

“A Dog’s Purpose”

C A stray puppy dies and is constantly reincarnated, but he’s always the same dog inside. The film, based on a book, has the emotional resonance of a novelty coffee table book. It’s adorable, but forgettable. Starring Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad and Bryce Gheisar. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG for thematic elements and some peril. At metro theaters. 2 hours.

“Fifty Shades Darker”

C The submissive woman is reunited with her dominant partner to explore their relationship further. The plot is fairly mundane and the sex is pretty tame. Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan and Marcia Gay Harden. Directed by James Foley. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language. At Austell Stadium and Regal Town Center. 1 hour, 58 minutes.

“Fist Fight”

C+ Two teachers at a failing high school face off with threats and a fist fight to try to keep their jobs. There is a theme of can’t-we-all-just-get-along, but everyone is really just going to see the face-off. Starring Ice Cube, Charlie Day and Tracy Morgan. Directed by Richie Keen. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Rated R for strong language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug material. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 31 minutes.

“The Founder”

B Ray Kroc was a salesman peddling milkshake mixers out of the trunk of his car when he happened upon the McDonald’s hamburger bar and knew it was the way to the top. There are moments where the film is uneven, with wonky staged archival footage, but the main character is fascinating. Starring Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch. Directed by John Lee Hancock. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. At Carmike 12. 1 hour, 55 minutes.

“Get Out”

A A black man goes to dinner at his white girlfriend’s house and suddenly feels like he went from predator to prey. The film and its heightened scenario forces the audience to confront uncomfortable truths here. Starring Daniel Kaluuye, Allison Williams and Bradley Whitford. Directed by Jordan Peele. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for violence, bloody images, and language including sexual references. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 43 minutes.

“The Great Wall”

C+ Hordes of slobbering reptilian hyenas with T-Rex heads arrive at The Great Wall of China via meteor and it takes armies to fight them off. There’s lots of fun, but after the impressive initial display, it goes a bit downhill with silly schemes. Starring Matt Damon, Tian Jing and Pedro Pascal. Directed by Zhang Yimou. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy action violence. At Regal Hollywood and AMC Southlake. 1 hour 43 minutes.

“John Wick: Chapter 2”

B The hitman is forced out of retirement to keep a former associate from seizing control of an international assassins’ guild. The film stumbles in its plotting, but the surreal violence in the art exhibit is delicious. Starring Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane and Ruby Rose. Directed by Chad Stahelski. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 2 minutes.

“Kong: Skull Island”

B A motley crew gets a military escort to an unknown island to check it out before the Russians do and find Kong defending the island against prehistoric monsters. The film is sumptuous and full of color as well as a constantly moving camera and visual jokes and puns punctuate the action. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and John Goodman. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for brief strong language. At metro theaters. 2 hours.

“Life”

C A six-member space crew finds life on Mars, but that life grows and begins to eat the humans. It’s unoriginal, throwing back too much to “Alien,” but it has its taut moments. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson. Directed by Daniel Espinosa. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Rated R for strong language, sci-fi violence and terror. At metro theaters. 1 hours, 43 minutes.

“Personal Shopper”

B A woman’s twin brother dies and she stays at her job as a personal shopper for a celebrity hoping to hear from him from beyond. It’s a ghost story, but done with an elegant tension. Starring Kristen Stewart and Lars Eidinger. Directed by Olivier Assayas. (Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times) Rated R for some language, sexuality, nudity and a bloody violent image. At AMC Phipps Plaza and Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 50 minutes.

“Power Rangers”

C+ The group of misfits who discover their new startling powers take on a gold monster who wants to steal the Earth’s life crystal. The film maintains the essence of its origins, but it errs on the side of goofy rather than gritty. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston and R.J. Cyler, Dacre Montgomery. Directed by Dean Israelite. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, language, and for some crude humor. At metro theaters. 2 hours, 4 minutes.

“Raw”

A A group of first-year veterinary students are forced to eat animal organs as part of a hazing ritual when some of the students take a liking to “cannibalism.” The film is horrific, a weird and riotous iteration, shirking most generic conventions and the interpretation of cannibalism becomes a symbol of independence and freedom. Starring Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf and Rabah Nait Oufella. Directed by Julia Ducournau. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for aberrant behavior, bloody and grisly images, strong sexuality, nudity, language and drug use/partying. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 39 minutes.

“Slamma Jamma”

Review not available in time for publication. After being wrongfully accused and sent to prison, a former basketball player prepares for the national slam dunk competition. Starring Chris Staples, Michael Irvin and Jose Canseco. Directed by Timothy A. Chey. Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and language. At metro theaters.

“T2 Trainspotting”

C+ Renton returns to Edinburgh where he reminisces the old days with the rest of the gang from the original film. It can’t escape its own memorializing and there’s no new ground for “T2” to tread. Starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle. Directed by Danny Boyle. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for drug use, language throughout, strong sexual content, graphic nudity and some violence. At Tara Theatre. 1 hour, 57 minutes.

“Wilson”

C A man reconnects with his ex-wife and attempts to connect with a teenage daughter he never knew. Based on a graphic novel, the film seems to settle for bland, indistinct flavors. Starring Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern. Directed by Craig Johnson. (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune) Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 34 minutes.