RINGS

R, 122 minutes. Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. If you didn’t catch 2014’s surprise action hit “John Wick,” launching Keanu Reeves right into a Liam Neeson-style career rebirth, it’s OK. Peter Stormare is here to explain “John Wick” to you at the beginning of “John Wick: Chapter 2.” Playing a Russian gangster, he serves as a connection to the prior film, wherein retired assassin Wick killed everyone in sight while avenging his dog. In fairness, the dog was really cute. Stormare serves as an audience proxy, a fan of Wick. “He killed three men in a bar with pencil!” Stormare exclaims. And in the way that every character recognizes him on sight, uttering “John Wick…,” it’s like they all saw the first movie too. Writer Derek Kolstad and director Chad Stahelski are back for the sequel alongside Reeves, brewing up more of that uniquely Wickian magic. The screenplay is once again taciturn, nearly wordless; Wick speaks infrequently, in monosyllables (perfect for Reeves’ stoner intonation), and new co-star Ruby Rose doesn’t utter a word. But the film is noisy, speaking in the whine of motorcycles, rumbling engines, gunshots, knife swipes and text message alerts announcing a bounty on John Wick’s head. Like its predecessor, “John Wick: Chapter 2” is a symphony of violence, a ballet even, and the visuals are abstracted to the surreal. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

LA LA LAND

PG-13, 128 minutes. Niantic, Westbrook, Lisbon. “La La Land” is a lollapalooza, a splashy, old-fashioned Hollywood extravaganza. Writing/directing wunderkind Damien Chazelle fills it brimming with enchanting star magnetism, synchronized choreography, a melodic original score and jewel-colored CinemaScope sparkle (which is actually how it was shot). In distinct timelines, it’s both a Valentine to a more-glorious studio era of the past and a touchingly wised-up modern critique of bygone glory days, nostalgic romance and modern realism sharing a lovely dance. That’s a big array of ingredients to combine. Rather than turning hopelessly convoluted through the orchestration of many moving parts, this fantasia intertwines them in exquisite harmony. The setting PG, 104 minutes. Niantic, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. One of the weaknesses of most Batman films is that they’re unwilling to question the nature of Batman himself, to interrogate the vigilante who patrols Gotham City single-handedly and anonymously. On paper, what Batman represents isn’t all that great — Bruce Wayne is a privileged one-percenter, an individualist who happily bypasses government programs to work alone and decide what’s best and who’s bad or not. Which is why “The LEGO Batman Movie” is quite possibly the best Batman movie ever made, if not a close runner up to “Batman Returns.” Liberated from the constraints of “dark,” “edgy” or even “campy,” “LEGO Batman” is able to poke fun at the costumed gentleman hero, and really dig into the elements of Batman that make the character who he is, for better or for worse. Who’da thunk you’d get all that from the sequel to an adaptation of building blocks. “LEGO Batman” is very much in the vein of “The LEGO Movie,” from which this was spun off. Will Arnett’s growly, sarcastic, heavy metal-loving Batman was such a hit in that movie that he deserved his own project. It was always going to be a fun LEGO property, but no one probably expected this to be one of the best and most refreshing Batman movies. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

LION

1/2 PG-13, 120 minutes. Starts Friday at Niantic, Westbrook. Still playing at Madison Art Cinemas, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Lisbon. The moving “Lion” is the incredible true story of two profoundly remarkable journeys that Saroo Brierley took in his life — one far away from home, and his return trip back. Based on his memoir, “A Long Way Home,” the film is split into two halves that reflect his round trip. But the film, directed by Garth Davis, with a screenplay adapted by Luke Davies, covers far more than just distance, delving into the deep emotional journey required for such a voyage. The first half depicts the travels of young Saroo (Sunny Pawar), just 5 years old when he becomes R, 133 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook. An effective, efficient and quite dramatic examination of the events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured 264, “Patriots Day” is a tribute to people who earned it: the investigators and first responders who ensured that a horrible situation did not become even worse. — Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times PG-13, 102 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook. Like a long-forgotten corpse that’s been quietly decomposing for 12 years, but then suddenly sits bolt upright and projectile-vomits in the direction of your local multiplex, “The Ring” franchise lives — sort of. Sporting some recycled poster art and a tagline that’s more clickbaity than terrifying (“First you watch it. Then you die”), “Rings” isn’t just another pointless, long-deferred sequel in the “Zoolander 2” vein. Directed by newcomer F. Javier Gutierrez, it’s a full-blown young-adultfriendly reboot, which means that it has only a cursory narrative relationship to either “The Ring” (2002) or “The Ring Two” (2005) — let alone “Ringu” (1998), the Hideo Nakata-directed Japanese thriller that first set this English-language cycle of remakes in motion. — Justin Change, Los Angeles Times PG-13, 117 minutes. Through today only at Stonington, Westbrook. Still at Waterford, Westbrook, Lisbon. Through the ups and downs of his career, the name M. Night Shyamalan has always been synonymous with one thing: twist. While watching his films, it’s easy to spend more time wondering if he will, won’t, and how he’ll twist, and it can take away the power of what’s actually on screen. Which is a shame when the filmmaking and performances are particularly exceptional. In the multiple-personality psycho-thriller “Split,” Anya Taylor-Joy and James McAvoy shine as predator and prey who understand each other far more than they know. As Kevin/ Barry/Dennis/Patricia/Hedwig/Orwell/ Jade, McAvoy ferociously sinks his teeth into the role of a troubled young man who developed dissociative identity disorder as a coping mechanism to deal with a turbulent, abusive childhood. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service