THE GLASS CASTLE

BIRTH OF THE DRAGON

PG-13, 91 minutes. Lisbon. Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, “Birth of the Dragon” is inspired by the films associated with late martial arts star Bruce Lee.

CARS 3

H1/2 G, 109 minutes. Through today only at Niantic, Westbrook. The wheel on that screen keeps on turning, as a third installment of the “Cars” franchise rolls into theaters, in an obvious attempt to churn out more grist for the merchandising mill. It’s ironic then, that one of the plot points in the film involves the distasteful option that Lightning McQueen might have to sell out, slapping his number and likeness on everything from mud flaps to detergent. It’s part of the “brand,” his new sponsor purrs, and we’re to understand that this is bad; it takes away from McQueen’s individuality and personal freedom. And yet, what is a “Cars” sequel if not a brand extension? — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

DESPICABLE ME 3

H1/2 PG, 90 min. Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. Though the Minions now have their own film, they still pull back-up duty in the “Despicable Me” franchise, and yes, they are somewhat awkwardly shoehorned into “Despicable Me 3,” a serviceable stop on the inevitable way to “Despicable Me 4.” — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

DUNKIRK

R, 107 min. Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. With a bare minimum of dialogue, and a brutal maximum of scenes depicting near-drowning situations in and around Dunkirk, France, in late May and early June 1940, Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” is a unique waterboarding of a film experience. Many will respond to it, primally, as a grueling dramatization of what the English call “the Dunkirk spirit,” one that turned a perilous mass evacuation of British and Allied troops, under German fire, into a show of collective resilience at a crucial early crossroads of World War II. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

THE EMOJI MOVIE

PG, 86 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook. Still playing at Stonington, Lisbon. “Words aren’t cool” is the courtship advice imparted by one texting teen to another in “The Emoji Movie.” That statement is the canary in the coal mine that “Cyrano de Bergerac” this movie is most decidedly not. Will Alex (Jake T. Austin) choose the right emoji to express his ardor for Addie (Tati Gabrielle)? Or will “meh” emoji Gene (T.J. Miller) mess it all up for him? — Katie Walsh, Tribune Content Agency PG-13, 127 minutes. Through tonight only at Niantic. Still playing at Westbrook. No standard horror film delivers as many battles with demons, showdowns with the unknown and confrontations with emotional and physical struggles as the family drama “The Glass Castle.” The film, based on Jeannette Walls’ memoir about her life growing up with an alcoholic father, Rex (Woody Harrelson), and outof-touch mother, Rose Mary (Naomi Watts), puts the four children in the Walls family in proximity to an evil that is deeply rooted in reality. That’s why the film from director-writer Destin Daniel Cretton is such a strong story of the power of the human will, the strength that comes from family and the endless protection from human evil provided by hope. — Rick Bentley, Tribune News Service

THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD

H1/2 R, 118 minutes. Niantic, Stonington, Waterford, Lisbon, Westbrook. If you’re feeling nostalgic for a 1990s-style buddy action comedy with some early 2000s edge, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is the film for you. Recycling vintage character types, tropes and even politics, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” already feels like you’re half-watching it on TNT on a Saturday afternoon. Directed by “The Expendables 3” director Patrick Hughes, the script by Tom O’Connor could have been written in 2005 and never updated, as a ripoff Tarantino that thinks swearing stands in for wit, with the kind of casual sexism and objectification of women that movies got away with before we all got sick of it. But this is a film that lives and dies on its stars, and Samuel L. Jackson, as the hitman, and Ryan Reynolds, as the bodyguard, working within their already well-established personas, make for a fine pair of unlikely partners, and hit a few well-placed punchlines with expert delivery. — Katie Walsh, Tribune Content Agency

LEAP!

PG, 89 minutes. Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Waterford, Westbrook, Lisbon. The animated feature “Leap!” pirouettes onto screens this weekend, hoping to snag the attention of young audiences during the dog days of summer. This Canadian production, originally titled, “Ballerina,” finally hits U.S. theaters equipped with a Carly Rae Jepsen summer jam, “Cut to the Feeling.” But you’ll spend an hour and 27 minutes waiting for the film to cut to that tune because the ramshackle storytelling leaves much to be desired in this tale of a young girl finding passion and purpose through dance. We’re plunged into the drama right away, as dreamers Félicie (Ellie Fanning) and Victor (Nat Wolff) bid “bye bye” to their draconian orphanage in the French countryside and hitch a ride to Paris. She wants to be a dancer, and he wants to be an inventor, not that this is well-established at all. Within a day, Victor is working for an unnamed Gustav Eiffel, and Félicie has scammed her way into a prestigious ballet school after taking the acceptance letter intended for spoiled brat Camille (Maddie Ziegler), for whose evil mother (Kate McKinnon) Félicie has been working. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

LOGAN LUCKY

PG-13, 119 minutes. Through tonight only at Niantic, Lisbon. Still playing at Stonington, Waterford, Westbrook. The trailer for “Logan Lucky,” the new film from Steven Soderbergh, his first after his short-lived retirement, announces that it’s from the director of “Ocean’s 11, 12, 13,” and “Magic Mike.” None of his many other films are needed to position “Logan Lucky” for audiences. This is Soderbergh at his most fun, working in slick heist caper mode, featuring his muse of the moment, Channing Tatum. Since Tatum’s physical talents are the inspiration for “Magic Mike,” it’s ironic that Soderbergh has saddled his character, Jimmy Logan, with a bum knee, an injury that killed his NFL dreams and continues to impede his job prospects. Tatum portrays a charming lunkhead type, and uses his comedic talent to power this light-hearted crime comedy. — Katie Walsh, Tribune Content Agency

MENASHE

Not rated, 81 minutes. Through today only at Mystic Luxury Cinemas. This is a a gentle, melancholy fatherand-son story that’s as notable for an evocation of its self-contained world as it is for its drama. “Menashe” is loosely based on the life experience of its star, Menashe Lustig, who has something of a YouTube presence in the Hasidic world. — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

THE MIDWIFE

Not rated, 117 minutes. Through tonight only at Mystic Luxury Cinemas. This Martin Provost film stars Catherine Deneuve about a midwife who bonds with her dead father’s ex-mistress. PG-13, 133 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook, Lisbon. Still playing at Stonington. Few movies have as much riding on them as “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” After a long custody battle over the Marvel family — Sony got Spidey while Disney got nearly everyone else — “Spider-Man: Homecoming” must not only restore its hero to his rightful place in the Avengers’ universe, but win over audiences still soured by a fizzled reboot just a few years ago. Good news: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” admirably rises to the occasion. — Rafer Guzmán, Newsday

THE TRIP TO SPAIN

R, 108 minutes. Niantic Cinemas. The comic duel of egos, unabated and envenomed, that has formed the Steve Coogan/Rob Brydon Trip movies has changed over the years. It began in 2010 with “The Trip,” in which the duo traveled to the finest restaurants in the British countryside. In 2014, they did the same in “The Trip to Italy.” Now, there is not so much venom, and although they still cross swords, affection carries the day as they play slightly fictionalized versions of themselves traveling Europe, dining, sightseeing, and comparing the size of their careers.As they pile into to Coogan’s Range Rover for their “Trip to Spain,” the camera shows us that Brydon has a bald spot, and we know that Coogan is certain to mention it. Coogan teases Brydon about his hair, Brydon teases Coogan about his vanity. Coogan teases Brydon about feet, Brydon teases Coogan about his vanity, and so forth. Coogan’s self-regard is under assault as never before — things in his life are “not ideal,” as he acknowledges, with British understatement. His latest girlfriend is cool to him, so is his agent, and Hollywood wants a younger screenwriter to “polish” his latest script. More horrors await. Coogan is even getting diminished pleasure from telling everyone in Spain, especially the young women, that he earned an Oscar nomination for his script for “Philomena.” The country is full of religious relics, and its history is deeply R, 107 minutes. Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Madison Art Cinemas. Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, this drama is about a forced marriage and the new bride’s affair with a struggling young painter. With Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Christoph Waltz, Zach Galifianakis, Judi Dench. Written by Tom Stoppard, based on the novel by Deborah Moggach.

WIND RIVER

1/2 R, 111 min. Niantic, Madison Art Cinemas, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. Wind River is the name of Wyoming’s only American Indian reservation, 2.2 million acres of mountain and snow, poverty and drug addiction, crime and predators — not all of them wolf or bear. It’s also the setting for a classy shocker that adds to the already impressive filmography of Taylor Sheridan. Here the screenwriter of the excellent quasi-Westerns “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water” proves extremely talented on both sides of the camera. Directing his own script, he displays the cool, confident control of a seasoned veteran. Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) discovers the frozen body of the Native American girl in the wilds. His report triggers an investigation by the FBI to determine if her death was a homicide committed on the reservation and thereby under federal jurisdiction. The assignment goes to novice Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen). — Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

WONDER WOMAN

1/2 PG-13, 141 minutes. Westbrook. It’s taken 76 years for Wonder Woman to get her own film. It’s a pleasure to report that “Wonder Woman” more than delivers on its promise. The keys to its success lie in the two women at the heart of the film, director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service