FILM BRIEFS
Will ‘ The Circle’ be OK?
The highest- profile new release of the week is “The Circle,” based on the bestselling novel by Dave Eggers and directed by James Ponsoldt, whose previous films include the well- received “The Spectacular Now” and “The End of the Tour.” Emma Watson stars as a new hire at a powerful tech company whose founder ( Tom Hanks) lures her into an experiment erasing her privacy. “The Circle” was not made available to critics; look for Richard Roeper’s review today at chicago. suntimes. com.
Romancing the crones
Mexican comedy superstar Eugenio Derbez, of “Instructions Not Included” and “Jack & Jill” fame, makes his most aggressive push yet toward U. S. success with “How to Be a Latin Lover,” opening Friday at local theaters. He plays a suave bum who decides marrying a rich older woman is easier than working for a living. But when his 80- year- old wife dumps him after 25 years of marriage, he has to rethink that strategy. The high- wattage supporting cast includes Salma Hayek, Kristen Bell and Michael Cera.
A chef’s rise and fall
The glory days of chef Jeremiah Tower were in the ’ 70s and early ’ 80s, when he was in the vanguard of food lovers creating the California cuisine movement. First at Chez Panisse alongside founder Alice Waters and then at his own Stars in San Francisco, he dazzled diners until abruptly disappearing years later. His history and his re- emergence are the subject of “Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent,” a documentary produced by Anthony Bourdain and opening Friday at Landmark Century Centre.
Head- banging horror
The creepiest house this side of Amityville is the rural Texas mansion cheaply acquired by a couple of metalheads ( Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby) and shared with their teenage daughter in “The Devil’s Candy,” playing midnight shows at the Music Box.
Hassle in the castle
Daenerys herself, Emilia Clarke, plays the new nurse at a seemingly haunted castle in “Voice from the Stone,” opening Friday at the Pickwick in Park Ridge and on demand.