San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
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Adrift Shailene Woodley plays a woman adrift in the middle of the Pacific in this dull survival story, interspersed with scenes of the woman’s lackluster romance with a fellow adventurer (Sam Claflin). Rated PG-13. 105 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
American Animals Writer-director Bart Layton has made an interesting movie, a narrative feature with documentary elements, about an inept group of would-be thieves, who join forces to steal a rare book from a college library. The movie is funny, but with an extra undertone of uneasiness, partly because we know it’s a true story. Rated R. 116 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Avengers: Infinity War Too many characters, too involved a plot, too much going on with little for the Avengers to show their personalities, this latest installment in the series has its moments, but it’s overstuffed and doesn’t even come to a definite end. It’s just the setup for another equally bloated sequel. Rated PG-13. 149 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Book Club The presence of Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Diane Keaton isn’t enough to save this labored comedy, about a quartet of old friends who become inspired by “Fifty Shades of Grey” to spice up their sex lives. Rated PG-13. 104 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Deadpool 2 The new “Deadpool” gets all its nastiness out of the way, concentrating instead on some genuinely funny comedy and a story about Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) actually trying to do something good — save a young mutant from a time-traveling assassin (Josh Brolin) Rated R. 119 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Disobedience Rachel Weisz stars as a New York woman who, on the occasion of her father’s funeral, returns to London and to the Orthodox Jewish circle in which she lived. Soon she is drawn into the lives of her old friends, particularly that of Rachel McAdams as the wife of a rabbi. Intelligent and sober, the movie gives way into a grand passion, in a brilliant English-language debut for Chilean director Sebastian Lelio (“Gloria,” “A Fantastic Woman”). Rated R. 114 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
First Reformed Paul Schrader (the screenwriter of “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull”) has a career highlight in this film, which he wrote and directed, about a Protestant minister (Ethan Hawke) whose crisis of faith is amplified by his encounters with a troubled young couple. Rated R. 108 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Hearts Beat Loud A thoroughly charming film (and another success for director Brett Haley), this tells the story of a father (Nick Offerman) and daughter (Kiersey Clemons), who team up to write songs in the weeks leading up to her going away to college. Rated PG-13. 97 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Hereditary Hypnotic and intense throughout, this brilliantly executed supernatural thriller taps into the ghosts within all of us — the insidious roots of family dysfunction — and turns them upside down and all around. The psychological fallout is just as disturbing as the apparitions that come chillingly to life. Rated R. 127 minutes.
— D. Lewis
Hotel Artemis Written and directed by Drew Pearce, this is a highly original action film, tense but with comic elements, set in 2028, with Jodie Foster as a nurse specializing entirely in the treatment of wounded criminals. The hospital — or “hotel” — becomes the place where many colorful characters converge over the course of one particularly fraught night. Co-starring Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella and Jeff Goldblum. Rated R. 93 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Incredibles 2 Despite Pixar’s high production values and good performances from a strong cast (Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Catherine Keener), this sequel to the 2004 animation stalls, due to a stretched-out story full of digressions. Samuel Jackson is wasted in a lackluster role. Rated PG. 118 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom The latest installment of the long-running series finds the dinosaurs in danger of becoming extinct (again), but stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are there to save them. It’s a pretty good dinosaur thriller, given a lift by a very modern edge of social and political despair. PG-13. 128 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
A Kid Like Jake Well intended but overwrought, this film about a little boy who likes dressing in skirts shows too little of the child and too much of his mother, played by Claire Danes in just-about-to-lose-it mode. The mother supports her son, but gets edgy when anyone mentions his non-gender-conforming behavior. At its best, the film presents a child exploring activities that do not align with typical gender roles as natural and organic. Not rated. 92 minutes.
— C. Meyer
Let the Sunshine In A brilliant observed and beautifully acted character study from director Claire Denis and actress Juliette Binoche, the film tells the story of an artist in her 50s, looking for a stable romantic relationship. Rated R. 94 minutes. In French with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Mary Shelley As starched British dramas about literary figures go, this biopic about the author of “Frankenstein” has its moments. But the movie doesn’t illuminate the author’s creative drive and
ultimately doesn’t tell us any more than what we’d find in an encyclopedia entry. Still, Mary Shelley’s world was interesting, and that alone carries the movie a fair distance. Rated PG-13. 120 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Nancy Writer-director Christina Choe has created a compact, low-key gem, about an odd woman who decides that she is the long-lost daughter of an academic couple (Steve Buscemi and J. Smith-Cameron), whose child was abducted 30 years ago. All three are brilliant, with special honors going to Andrea Riseborough in the title role. Not rated. 87 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Nossa Chape Absorbing, emotional documentary of Brazilian soccer team and its community rebuilding after a 2016 plane crash killed nearly every player and administrator employed by the club. The emotional center: the three players who survived. Not rated. 101 minutes.
— G. Allen Johnson
Ocean’s 8 This continuation of the “Ocean’s” series, with Sandra
Bullock as Debbie Ocean, is a big shiny cubic zirconia of a movie. The film can be lots of fun — with its well-cast female leads, patriarchybreaking vibe and creative central heist. But there is something slightly off, partly in the pacing and also in the concept. It’s a slightly diminished copy, not a bold new direction. Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
On the Seventh Day A week in the life of a Mexican immigrant, a delivery boy for a Brooklyn restaurant, whose only outlet is his Sunday soccer games with his fellow immigrants. With the debate over immigration raging in the United States and World Cup fever enveloping the globe’s soccer fans, its release couldn’t have been better timed. Not rated. 97 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.
— G. Allen Johnson
A Quiet Place This is a new spin on sci-fi horror. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are parents trying to protect themselves and their children from alien invaders that hunt by sound. So they have to remain very, very quiet at all times. Genuinely scary and original. Directed by Krasinski. Rated PG-13. 90 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
RBG Even most people who are disposed to admire Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are unfamiliar with her background and personal story. This documentary sets the record straight, positing Ginsburg as the Thurgood Marshall of feminist jurisprudence. It’s an entertaining and uplifting documentary. Rated PG. 97 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Rider Intense and elegiac, this is a character study of a young rodeo cowboy of Lakota heritage who has suffered a devastating accident — he was trampled by a horse during a competition, and now has a steel plate in his head. He has been told his riding days are over. The film remarkably melds documentary and fictional elements — the cowboy is portrayed by Brady Jandreau, who in real life suffered the same injuries. Jandreau’s real-life father and sister are also in the movie, essentially playing themselves. The film was directed by the exceptionally gifted Chloe Zhao (“Songs My Brothers Taught Me”). Rated R. 104 minutes.
— W. Addiego
Solo: A Star Wars Story This is about as close as one can get to a borderline case: If this
were the first “Star Wars” movie, it would stand as a fairly mediocre sci-fi action movie when compared to recent films such as “Thor: Ragnarok.” But as part of a series, this origins story of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) will satisfy. Co-stars Emilia Clarke and Woody Harrelson tip this into the plus column. Rated PG-13. 135 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Spy Was a Catcher More serviceable than scintillating, this spy biopic is based on a true story about Moe Berg, a Jewish, possibly gay baseball player who went to bat for the U.S. intelligence services during World War II. The film is helped by a high-pedigree cast and decent production values. Rated R. 94 minutes.
— D. Lewis
Summer 1993 This languid yet lovely story, about an orphaned girl who must adapt to a new family, explores tricky territory that few films attempt: how a child deals with grief. It’s a well-observed character sketch that’s quietly and naturally profound. Not rated. 97 minutes.
— D. Lewis
SuperFly This reboot of the 1972 blaxploitation classic “Super Fly” journeys beyond the ridiculous, and into another cinematic dimension altogether. It lacks a moral center, and at times seems oblivious to the laughable things happening on screen. And yet “SuperFly” is entertaining, period. The dialogue is fast and fun, and the sense of fashion is so pervasive that it occasionally distracts from the movie. Rated R. 116 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Tag A big disappointment, this comedy brings together a group of funny actors (Ed Helms, Isla Fischer, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm) in the service of a labored, distasteful, unfunny script, about a group of old friends who have been playing tag since 1983. Rated R. 100 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Texture of Falling This indie drama, set in Portland, Ore., about two single women in relationships with married men, wants to make big statements about art and eroticism, but it’s undermined by numerous flaws. Not rated. 74 minutes. — W. Addiego
Upgrade This mystery/body horror/ thriller by Leigh Whannell has flaws in pacing and execution, and the vision of the future always seems about 45 percent complete. But there’s a renegade spirit to the film, which revels in new ideas and crowd-pleasing moments. And in the scenes when the execution matches the ambition (and there are plenty), it’s an outstanding effort. Rated R. 95 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Westwood: Punk, Icon,
Activist This documentary about the renowned British designer Vivienne Westwood is an interesting-enough introduction to the artist’s life and personality, but it bogs down in discussing Westwood’s social activism. We need to hear her talking about global warming about as much as we need to see dresses designed by Al Gore. Not rated. 83 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Won’t You Be My
Neighbor? This enlightening and extremely moving documentary recounts how Fred Rogers, in creating “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” provided an alternative to overbearing children’s TV with his gentle manner and abiding concern for the emotional lives of his preschool viewers. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes.
— W. Addiego