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The Mustang, directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
(R, 1 hour, 36 minutes) This is not your everyday prison drama. Although the outcome is predictable, The Mustang is a muscular character study, illustrated by the rugged beauty of the American West, with subtle, stellar performances.
Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) a convict in a rural Nevada prison with a frighteningly violent past, is given a chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving training wild mustangs. Under the direction of a veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and with the help of a fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), he takes on the challenge of taming an especially defiant mustang.
With Gideon Adlon, Connie Britton, Josh Stewart; the director is a French actress making her feature directorial debut at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute lab for emerging talent.
Five Feet Apart (PG-13, 1 hour, 56 minutes) An emotional and often sentimental tale, hardly original yet well performed, of teenagers Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) and Will (Cole Sprouse), who both spend much of their young lives under strict medical regimens in the hospital as they’re being treated for cystic fibrosis. That’s where they fall in love. With Parminder Nagra, Gary Weeks, Claire Forlani; directed by Justin Baldoni.
A Star Is Born (R, 2 hours, 16 minutes) The fifth version of this story (it started in 1932 as What Price Hollywood? with Con
stance Bennett and Lowell Sherman; as A Star Is Born in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March; in 1954 it was Judy Garland and James Mason; then in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson) follows a similar plot line of lovers trying to succeed while taking care of each other A country-rock music star (Bradley Cooper) helps a young singer (Lady Gaga) find fame as age and alcoholism threaten to end his career. It’s overwrought, but the performances are impressive, as is the music. With Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Anthony Ramos; directed by Cooper.
Captain Marvel (PG-13, 2 hours, 3 minutes) Aliens beware! When our beloved planet gets dragged into the middle of a galactic war between two other planets, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) steps into the fray to become a powerful hero of the universe. It’s not the best of Marvel’s superhero series, but its flash, action, and humor allow it to stand on its own as solid entertainment. With Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace; directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
Mean Girls (PG-13, 1 hour, 37 minutes) A standard-setter for comedy since its release in 2004, Mean Girls is by turns hilarious and frightening in its revelation of how the high school social hierarchy affects teenage girls. It concerns Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), 15, who was mostly home schooled by her zoologist parents in Africa. When the family moves to suburban Illinois, Cady falls in with a cruel, conniving crew (Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried) whose ironclad grip on behavior — and thirst for revenge against what may seem innocent slights — makes for rough going. With Amy Poehler, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Tina Fey (who wrote the screenplay); directed by Mark Waters.
Captive State (PG-13, 1 hour, 49 minutes) Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, good-intentioned but confusing Captive State explores the lives on both sides of the conflict: the collaborators and dissidents. With Vera Farmiga, John Goodman, D.B. Sweeney, Ben Daniels; written and directed by Rupert Wyatt.