Movies

Becoming Astrid

The Favourite

Mowgli

Roma

Searching for Ingmar Bergman

Shirkers

MThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs The Coen brothers’ latest is an anthology of six films, set in the Old West, all of them informed by the Coens’ wit and skill, but all of them so bleak and pessimistic that the films are philosophically boring, even if they aren’t boring as entertainment. So it’s an interesting entry, but one wishes the Coens might find something deeper to express than unfelt, reflexive despair. Rated R. 132 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

KBeautiful Boy Drug addict stories are repetitious and hence, they tend to be undramatic. This one, based on the memoir by David Sheff, about his son’s struggle with addiction, is worse than most, in that the father (Steve Carell) becomes the sympathetic focus and the son (Timothée Chalamet) becomes the inadvertent object of the audience’s disdain. Rated R. 112 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

LBecoming Astrid This Swedish-made biopic of “Pippi Longstocking” author Astrid Lindgren traces her tumultuous early life, in slow and loving detail, without ever getting to her years of achievement. It’s a bit of a slog, but benefits from Alba August’s lively performance in the title role. Not rated. 123 minutes. In Swedish with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle

MBohemian Rhapsody Big and splashy, sentimental and not completely true, this is the biopic that Freddie Mercury deserved, an absorbing story about an outsider who was either going to be a weirdo or an artist, and so he became a very flamboyant artist. The sound track is full of Queen songs, and even if you’re not a big Queen fan, you’ll find they sound better in the movie than they do on the radio. Rated PG-13. 135 minutes. — M. LaSalle

MBoy Erased This factbased story about a teenage boy who is put into gay conversion therapy doesn’t go to the depths of horror — it’s only a mildly dramatic story — but it’s wellacted by a strong cast (Lucas Hedges,R. 114 minutes. Rated R. 115 minutes. — M. LaSalle

LBurning Master filmmaker Lee Chang-dong assails South Korea’s current image-obsessed culture in an intriguing but ultimately frustrating tale of a young rural wanna-be writer caught in the strange orbit of a Gatsby-like rich guy and his girlfriend, a one-time schoolmate of the writer with whom he is in love. It’s at times absorbing, but the intentionally obtuse second half leads to an ending that satisfies no one, especially after 2½ hours. Not rated. 148 minutes.

— G. Allen Johnson

NCan You Ever Forgive Me? Melissa McCarthy is terrific in this real-life story of the writer Lee Israel who, after the collapse of her literary career, found a lucrative second career as the forger of letters by historical people. Directed by Marielle Heller, it’s a film of wit and atmosphere and about the most twisted rags-to-riches story you could ever hope to see. Rated R. 106 minutes. — M. LaSalle

LChef Flynn Documentary portrait of Flynn McGarry, tagged the Justin Bieber of chefs, who

began pop-up restaurants at age 11 and has, at 19, become one of the biggest stars in the chef world. The food and his creativity are amazing, but although he seems like a nice enough kid, McGarry seems to have passion for only food and himself. Not rated. 82 minutes.

— G. Allen Johnson

MColette This is an intelligent and interesting look at the early life of the French novelist Colette, from her early days as a country girl in Burgundy through her marriage to a writer-editor who helped shape her career and introduced her to the libertine Parisian life. Keira Knightley might seem unlikely casting, but she rises to the challenge. Rated R. 111 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

MCreed II The sequel to the 2015 “Creed” doesn’t have the newness of its predecessor, but it does show that the characters and relationships established in the earlier movie will be good for the long haul. This is an entertaining Rocky-type film, with young Adonis Creed fighting the son of the man who killed his father in the ring. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

MAt Eternity’s Gate An inspired and heartfelt performance by Willem Dafoe as Vincent van Gogh raises this movie far above the standard biopic. With Oscar Isaac as Paul Gauguin and Rupert Friend as Vincent’s brother, Theo. Directed by Julian Schnabel. Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. — W. Addiego

NThe Favourite Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are brilliant in this comedy-drama set during the reign of Queen Anne. Brilliantly directed by Yorgos Lanthimos on the knife edge between farce and drama, historical truth and anachronism. Rated R. 119 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

NFree Solo Thrilling, vertigo-inducing documentary that chronicles Alex Honnold’s quest to scale the 3,000-foot vertical rock face of Yosemite’s El Capitan — with just his hands and feet — no ropes. It’s never been done; will he be the first? The photography is incredible, as is its subject. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes.

— G. Allen Johnson

LThe Front Runner The subject is inherently interesting — the scandal that imploded Gary Hart’s presidential bid — and Hugh Jackson is charismatic in the central role. But the movie is undramatic, and the film’s casual treatment of facts makes this a so-so proposition, after all. Directed by Jason Reitman. Rated R. 113 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

KThe Girl in the Spider’s Web Claire Foy is miscast in this confused, charmless, dead-onarrival installment in the Lisbeth Salander saga. This film, which was not written by Salander-creator Stieg Larsson (who died in 2004) is not in the same league with previous American and Swedish films that have presented this character. Rated R. 117 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

NGreen Book Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are ideally paired as an Italian American driver and an African American pianist on a concert tour through the deep South in 1962. Mortensen completely transforms and is probably on his way to an Oscar nomination. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes. — M. LaSalle

LThe Grinch The makers of “Minions” and the “Despicable Me” movies find a consistent offbeat humor in this “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” adaptation, while retaining the sneaky emotional core. But the uneven new film highlights the greatest problem of any big screen Seuss reimagination: It’s very hard to turn this 69-page picture book into a featurelength movie. Rated PG. 86 minutes. — P. Hartlaub

MThe Guilty This Danish police thriller concerns an emergency dispatcher who gets ensnared in a messy abduction case. Most of the characters are offscreen, and we hear them only over the phone, but the film is consistently riveting, with some nice plot twists. Rated R. 85 minutes. In Danish with English subtitles. — D. Lewis

MHale County This Morning, This Evening

This documentary, an impressionistic look at African American life in rural Alabama, is a 76-minute visual poem that pays homage to folks who still harbor hopes and dreams despite a hardscrabble existence. It’s often beguiling. Not rated. 76 minutes. — D. Lewis

MThe Hate U Give Amandla Stenberg is splendid in this overlong, sometimes over-earnest and yet effective drama, about a teenage girl who is the sole witness to the murder of a friend by police. Rated PG-13. 132 minutes. — M. LaSalle

MInstant Family This disarmingly effective dramedy, about a couple who become foster parents, manages to do a tricky tap dance: It’s often cutesy in the way of “The Brady Bunch,” yet it’s also not afraid to wade into some complex territory about foster care. This is a funny-serious, family-friendly movie about a weighty subject, and somehow it works. Rated PG-13. 118 minutes. — D. Lewis

Kusama: Infinity Fascinating documentary portrait of a fascinating avant-garde artist — Japan’s Yayoi Kusama, now 89 and that nation’s most successful living artist. The film depicts the difficult years she experienced from World War II-era Japan to the 1960s art scene in New York. Not rated. 80 minutes.

— G. Allen Johnson

MMLife and Nothing More The tribulations of an African American family struggling to hold together are the heart of this well-directed and affecting drama, made in a way that suggests a documentary. It’s all the more impressive because the actors are nonprofessionals and the director, Antonio Mendez Esparza, is a Spanish American making his first English-language film. Regina Williams is outstanding as the struggling mother of a teenage boy on the edge of trouble. Not rated. 114 minutes.

— W. Addiego

NMaria by Callas This is a terrific documentary, especially for people already familiar with Callas’ work and career. It brings together previously unseen interview footage and more familiar performance footage for an impressionist look at Callas, that brings us closer to life as she experienced it. Rated PG. 116 minutes.

— M. LaSalle

MMid90s This highly personal coming-ofage dramedy, which centers on skateboarders in Los Angeles, is a series of beautifully observed moments, an authentic slice of life that perfectly captures a time and place. It’s telling — in a refreshing way — that the movie doesn’t contain one skating stunt. Directed by Jonah Hill. Rated R. 84 minutes. — D. Lewis Mirai Japanese animated fantasy about a 4-year-old boy whose backyard garden magically allows him to travel back in time. Not reviewed. Rated PG. 100 minutes.

MMowgli: Legend of the Jungle This adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s stories couldn’t be more different from Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” But the long-delayed film is a good one. Director Andy Serkis channels the sensitivity seen in his “Planet of the Apes” and other motioncapture portrayals into the entire production, offering an often bleak but beautiful look at a well-traveled story. Rated PG-13. 104 minutes.

M— P. Hartlaub

Museo This stylishly executed heist movie uses a real-life art theft in Mexico City as the starting point for a tall tale that gets more surreal with each passing frame. It’s impressive, thoughtprovoking filmmaking. Not rated. 128 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.

— D. Lewis

LThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms Spectacular to look at but not exactly suspenseful, Disney’s ballet-inspired fantasy/adventure takes the Victorian-era Clara (Mackenzie Foy) to a fantastical world where she and the nutcracker (Jayden Fowara-Knight) battle to save the Four Realms from sinister Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren). With Keira Knightly, Morgan Freeman and Misty Copeland. Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston. Rated PG. 99 minutes. — C. Bauer

MThe Old Man & the Gun Robert Redford, in what he says will be his final role, goes out strong, in this story about an old crook who can’t stop robbing banks. The role calls upon some of Redford’s most characteristic qualities — his breeziness, edginess and air of mystery. Rated PG-13. 93 minutes.

— M. LaSalle