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Brad Pitt stars as Roy McBride, an astronaut who undertakes a mission to travel deep into space to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones), who disappeared over a decade ago and is performing experiments that threaten the universe. Roy’s voyage, portrayed with a blend of realism and fantasy, takes him across the solar system, with a variety of stops and plenty of surprises along the way. James Gray (The Lost City of Z) co-wrote and directs. Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, and Liv Tyler also star. Science fiction, 122 minutes, rated PG-13, Regal Santa Fe 6, Regal Stadium 14, and Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
DOWNTON ABBEY
Drama, rated PG, 122 minutes, Regal Santa Fe 6, Regal Stadium 14, and Violet Crown. See review, Page 40.
ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS
Gabrielle Brady’s documentary looks at Christmas Island, a remote territory in the Indian Ocean. Here, 40 million crabs migrate through the jungle and out to sea. The island is also a stopping point in human migration: The landscape includes a high-security detention facility run by the Australian government, a place where asylum-seekers are held as they await permission to continue to Australia. While filming the crabs, Brady also extensively interviews Poh Lin, a trauma therapist working with the refugees. Documentary, 98 minutes, not rated, Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Not reviewed)
MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL
This documentary takes viewers through the life and career of jazz legend Miles Davis. It was a turbulent ride. On the one hand he was one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, and recorded classic albums in a host of styles, from Steamin’ with
the Miles Davis Quintet to Bitches Brew. On the other, he was by all accounts an unpleasant person, who struggled with drugs and treated women poorly. This film takes an honest look at both aspects of the man. Documentary, 115 minutes, not rated, Center for Contemporary Arts. (Not reviewed)
RAMBO: LAST BLOOD
Sylvester Stallone ties the band around his forehead one last time to play John Rambo, one of the biggest action-movie heroes of all time. In this final chapter, Rambo travels to Mexico to rescue his niece (Yvette Monreal) from a drug cartel. Along the way, he dispatches his foes with extreme violence and digs into the secrets of his own past. Action, 89 minutes, rated R, Regal Stadium 14 and Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID
This mix of social realism and magical realism by writer-director Issa López centers on a girl named Estrella (Paola Lara) who comes home one day to find her mother has disappeared. She quickly falls in with a survivalist group led by the small but tough-talking El Shine (Juan Ramón López), a boy who has come into possession of a pistol and a cell phone, the latter containing a video that incriminates a cartel thug (Ianis Guerrero) and a corrupt politician (Tenoch Huerta). But the contours of the story do not follow the path you might think. Yes, the children are pursued. There are ghosts, too, and a talking stuffed animal. And a trickle of blood follows them, quite literally, from one scene to the next. López elicits solid performances from the young actors, and her vision is clear and uncompromising. It isn’t always obvious, however, what the moral of this story is. Horror, 83 minutes, not rated, in Spanish with subtitles, Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Michael O’Sullivan/The Washington Post)