TOY STORY 4

predictable. As Spidey and Mysterio bond — “Let’s get a drink,” the older man says, always music to a younger man’s ears — the movie seems to be getting too earnest too soon. That’s intentional. As we’ll learn, in a terrifically staged scene that splits the story in two, Mysterio has more dimensions to his personality than Peter realizes. — Rafer Guzmán, Newsday

STUBER

R, 93 minutes. Through tonight only at Niantic. Still playing at Waterford, Stonington, Westbook, Lisbon. There is absolutely no reason to catch a ride with the nasty, brutish and shrill “Stuber,” a horror movie about our current American nightmare of late capitalist economics and unchecked law enforcement masquerading as an “action comedy.” If that’s not sobering enough, “Stuber,” written by Tripper Clancy and directed by Michael Dowse, is also deeply unfunny. It centers on the odd-couple pairing of Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista, who try to cover up their complete lack of chemistry with increasingly deafening screams. You know what’s just a laugh riot? Consider that the hero of our film, the titular “Stuber,” Stu (Nanjiani), drives Uber on the side because he doesn’t make enough at his low-wage gig at a big box sporting goods store while also trying to open a business with his best friend/crush (Betty Gilpin). You know what’s even funnier? When he’s kidnapped by an off-duty LAPD officer, Vic (Bautista), who is on a vengeance mission and conscripts Stu into the torture and murder of civilians. Ha. Ha. Ha. Those murderous off-duty LAPD officers sure are hilarious. It’s a busted, blatant, bumbling rip-off of Michael Mann’s “Collateral,” but rather than a smooth assassin and a panicked cabbie, it’s a rogue cop with impaired vision due to LASIK surgery and a motor-mouth sweetie behind the wheel of a leased Nissan Leaf. One can see the appeal of the concept in theory. But it’s lost in the loud and messy execution. In throwing together sensitive beta Stu and the testosterone-fueled Vic, “Stuber” is trying to say something about the hot topic of toxic masculinity (aren’t we all?), but it has its cake and eats it too. Stu might yell at Vic to talk about his feelings or being a better father, and yes, he does call out just how illegal everything Vic does that day, repeatedly. But for every one of these moments, there’s a scene where Stu learns to “man up” by becoming violent himself, shedding his compassion, empathy and respect for human life. At the end of the day, the two men have apparently learned new ways of being men from each other. Vic becomes more sensitive, while Stu embraces his own power. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service G, 100 minutes. Through tonight only at Niantic. Still playing at Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. It’s easy to question the necessity of another “Toy Story” movie, especially after the emotionally devastating “Toy Story 3.” Arriving nine years later, “Toy Story 4” has to earn its relevance. It does so in spades, with astonishingly beautiful animation, smart humor and a story filled with the kind of pathos and poignancy we expect. In a summer glutted with tiresome sequels, the team at Pixar more than makes the argument for another “Toy Story” by combining the beloved characters and tone of the original trilogy with fresh comedic elements and new additions to the toy crew — most importantly, a spork named Forky who isn’t even sure he’s actually a toy. Writers Valerie LaPointe, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Martin Hynes, Stephany Folsom and co-writer/director Josh Cooley update the original tale by Andrew Stanton and John Lasseter featuring beloved cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks), who has been passed down to a new child, Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), after his tenure with Andy. Woody’s had to embrace change over the passage of time, saying goodbye to old friends like Andy, and old toys, like Bo Peep (Annie Potts), relegated to the donation box. But despite the losses, Woody clings to routine, and to his mission: Be there for your kid. With that calling in mind, Woody takes on the task of protecting Bonnie’s newest favorite plaything, a spork dressed up with googly eyes and a pipe cleaner called Forky. Taking care of the existentially bereft Forky (Tony Hale) is a unique challenge. He thinks he’s trash, not a toy, flinging his flimsy body into every garbage receptacle he can. Woody is forced to grapple with his own existence when the family heads out on a road trip and Woody and Forky get separated from the group. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

WILD ROSE

R, 100 minutes. Westbrook. “Three chords and the truth.” It’s the tattoo that adorns spitfire Rose-Lynn Harlan’s (Jessie Buckley) forearm. And it’s the reason the Glaswegian lass proclaims she loves good-old American country music. But although she walks the walk, talks the talk and belts the tunes with an astonishing sense of soul and clarity, it’s the truth part that trips her up. Her journey to discover that is the tale of “Wild Rose,” a Scottish love letter to American country music, written by Nicole Taylor and directed by Tom Harper. Buckley commands the screen as the unfiltered Rose-Lynn, the tornado at the center of the story, a wild woman with fire in her veins and a love of music that seems to burst out of her. She’s barely contained, and she embodies the outlaw spirit of country, quite literally. As we meet her, she’s being released from jail, strapping on an ankle monitor underneath her signature white cowboy boots. “Johnny Cash was a convicted felon,” she declares proudly, before throwing down with a rival singer at an old haunt. Despite all the limitations on her life, RoseLynn is one of the most free-spirited creatures to ever be put on film. It’s a tailor-made role for the electrifying Buckley, an actor who communicates pure primal instinct with a startling immediacy. As Rose-Lynn, she communicates every emotion physically, on her face, in her body and her voice. When she’s backed into a corner, she runs, her white boots pumping the pavement at a full sprint. While Buckley has stunned in complex dramatic roles in the film “Beast” and the HBO series “Chernobyl,” the role of Rose-Lynn shows off both her acting talent and her spectacular pipes. She was discovered at 18 on the BBC reality show “I’d Do Anything,” vying for a role in the West End revival of the musical “Oliver!” “Wild Rose” is filled with Buckley’s incredible vocal performances. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

YESTERDAY

1/2 PG-13, 116 minutes. Starts Friday at Niantic. Still playing at Madison Art Cinemas, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis’ “Yesterday” requires its viewers to take quite a few leaps of faith. First, you have to wholeheartedly buy into the rule that, categorically, the best songs ever written are by The Beatles. They’re great songs, to be sure. But in “Yesterday,” they are revelatory, tear-jerking, Best Songs Ever, no matter the context or who is singing them. It’s very high stakes, but then again, most everything about “Yesterday” is high stakes. This heightened high-concept magical dramedy presents the idea that a weird electrical blip/solar flare causes electricity all over the world to go out, while simultaneously wiping our collective consciousness clean of all traces of The Beatles. Jack (Himesh Patel), a struggling pub musician and busker, is at that moment hit by a bus, totaling his teeth and his bike tire. But somehow, his memory of The Beatles remains magically intact. He discovers the quirk when, as a get well gift, his pals get him a guitar. And because “a great guitar deserves a great song,” he plays a few bars of The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” absolutely flooring his friends, who wonder when and how he wrote the tune. Jack’s the only person in the world who remembers the band (or so it seems). He decides to capitalize on it, sending his career into overdrive. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service