ONE- MINUTE MOVIE CRITIC

Madness abounds in this intense, intricate, darkly amusing and action- infused thriller starring Ben Affleck as a seemingly mild- mannered accountant savant who also is a dangerous killing machine. It doesn’t always add up, but who cares — it’s BIG FUN. ( R, 128 min.) — Richard Roeper Ewan McGregor is the director and miscast lead actor in a ponderous, stagey- looking, emotionally uninvolving, unpleasant and often shrill adaptation that loses most of the memorably heartbreaking elegance and deep insight of Philip Roth’s novel. ( R, 108 min.) — Richard Roeper Writer- director Nate Parker also stars in this violent historical drama as Nat Turner, leader of a slave rebellion in 1830s Virginia. He reaches with both hands for greatness and falls short — but this is nevertheless a solid and strong and valuable piece of work. ( R, 110 min.) — Richard Roeper Four determined Montana women struggle to come to terms with the hand life has dealt them. The dialogue is as sparse as the wintry countryside setting; the howling wind provides much of the movie’s equally minimalist soundtrack. The quiet speaks volumes. ( R, 107 min.) — Miriam Di Nunzio Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell play the real- life good guys aboard the oil rig before and after the explosion. This is a well- made, sometimes horrifyingly realistic re- creation of events, but it often feels like a formulaic disaster film. ( PG- 13, 92 min.) — Richard Roeper A Holocaust denier sues one of his critics in a powerful but often stilted drama bolstered by the work of Timothy Spall and Tom Wilkinson and nearly sunk by Rachel Weisz’ shaky New York accent. Despite the drawbacks, the power of the story shines through. ( PG- 13, 110 min.) — Richard Roeper Gael García Bernal plays the de facto leader of a group of Mexicans illegally crossing the U. S. border. From the moment a rogue migrant hunter ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan) fires the first chilling shot, “Desierto” becomes nothing more than a well- filmed but sadistic thriller. ( R, 94 min.) — Richard Roeper Things go horribly wrong for three teenagers trying to burglarize the home of a blind veteran ( Stephen Lang) in an impressively photographed, wellacted, relentlessly paced horror film sure to sicken some and delight others with its twisted sense of humor. ( R, 88 min.) — Richard Roeper Emily Blunt gives a fine performance as a complex alcoholic fixated on her ex, his wife and their seemingly perfect neighbors in a murder mystery that gets tripped up by its own screenplay and grows increasingly ludicrous and melodramatic. This is no “Gone Girl.” ( R, 112 min.) — Richard Roeper Myriad twists and turns follow after a conniving Korean woman takes a job as a handmaiden as part of a con. With each passing “reveal” about the main characters, director Park Chan- Wook’s multi- layered tale becomes more intriguing, more engrossing. ( NR, 145 min.) — Richard Roeper In his third film with Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon, director Ron Howard weaves some nice historical and literary storytelling into a thrill ride that is jam- packed with several layers of mystery. The visuals in Florence and Istanbul add to the appeal. ( PG- 13, 120 min.) — Bill Zwecker The first “Jack Reacher” was a dud. This one’s worse. Nearly every scene plays like a near- parody of a Tom Cruise actioner. It’s apropos Cruise often is seen wielding a cellular device, because this is the very definition of phoning it in. ( PG- 13, 118 min.) — Richard Roeper Relying solely on the charisma of lead actors Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis and Gal Gadot to elevate too- familiar material, this is a merely genial comedy that aims for baseline competence and no higher. ( PG- 13, 101 min.) — Barbara VandenBurgh, USA TODAY Network In a concert film shot at a Philadelphia arena, cameras catch the comedian in close- up as he mocks himself, imitates family members and spins outrageous anecdotes spun from kernels of real- life experiences. He’s really good, and he clearly enjoys what he’s doing. ( R, 96 min.) — Richard Roeper A team of mercenaries is hired to protect a mining town in a rousing, albeit sometimes cheesy, action- packed Western bolstered by Denzel Washington’s lead performance and some of the most impressively choreographed shootout sequences in recent memory. ( PG- 13, 133 min.) — Richard Roeper Tim Burton’s adaptation of the children’s book about a school for freakishly gifted children is a confusing, uninvolving mishmash of old- school practical effects and CGI battles. It’s like watching a master musician play a piano he doesn’t realize is out of tune. ( PG- 13, 122 min.) — Richard Roeper Gorgeous and yet bleak, uplifting and yet sobering, writer- director Barry Jenkins’ modern masterpiece chronicles pivotal periods in boyhood, adolescence and adulthood in the life of a person played by three skilled actors. This is a film brimming with memorable work. ( R, 110 min.) — Richard Roeper Set in 1967, this prequel is better in every department than 2014’ s “Ouija.” Things approach Linda Blair territory after a medium and her daughters use the mysterious board in a scam. The final scene is the stuff from which nightmares are made. ( PG- 13, 99 min.) — Randy Cordova, USA TODAY Network This uplifting story of a poor Ugandan girl with a knack for chess follows the formula of Disney sports movies but works because of Mira Nair’s energetic direction and an endearing cast led by Lupita Nyong’o and newcomer Madina Nalwanga. ( PG, 124 min.) — Richard Roeper His employer is out of the baby- delivering business, but one stork ( Andy Samberg) gets stuck with an infant who needs a home in this plodding animated affair, short on laughs and teeming with loud, forgettable minor characters. ( PG, 89 min.) — Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY Network Writer- director David Ayer has missed a golden opportunity with a top- notch cast. Comic book villains are tapped to do good in a film that never lives up to its DC Universe inspiration. ( PG- 13, 130 min.) — Richard Roeper Director Clint Eastwood gives us an electrifying thriller, an in- depth character study and a fascinating airline safety procedural, while Tom Hanks delivers another memorable performance, playing the pilot who made an emergency crash landing on the Hudson River. ( PG- 13, 95 min.) — Richard Roeper