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The Big Short One of the season’s most entertaining movies, this black comedy from comedy director Adam McKay finds intelligent amusement in the financial crisis, with a story about a handful of people who made a killing from the collapse. Christian Bale and Steve Carell are superb as a pair of hedge fund managers too sane and too eccentric not to admit the truth when they see it. Rated R. 130 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Bronze One of the worst of the year so far, this comedy, about a former Olympian who has become a sour and vicious has-been (Melissa Rauch, who also co-wrote the script), starts off as a nasty farce and then turns (or tries to turn) sentimental. After a promising opening 15 minutes, the movie goes off the rails and never comes back. Rated R. 107 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Brooklyn Rich in emotion and period detail, this is the story of a young Irish woman (Saoirse Ronan) who moves to Brooklyn in 1951. Rated PG-13. 112 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Brothers Grimsby Comedy about a British spy forced
to work with his brother, a football hooligan. With Sacha Baron Cohen. Not reviewed. Rated R. 83 minutes.
Creative Control This satire on Millennial malaise concerns a hipster whose high-tech glasses lead to romantic misadventures — both real and virtually real. The film is quite intelligent, but there are missed opportunities here. Rated R. 97 minutes.
— D. Lewis
Deadpool A wretched exercise, this latest in
dreadful comic book boredom is a brutal, incoherent, self-referential mess, unappealing from start to finish. Even worse, it’s just the sort of empty cleverness that might win the future. Rated R. 108 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Divergent Series: Allegiant — Part 1 The latest not-bad entry in the not-bad action series is full of incident, and despite some amateurish touches in the writing and directing, is a mildly satisfying diversion, with Tris (Shailene Woodley) venturing beyond the walls of Chicago for the first time. Rated PG-13. 121 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Ella Es Ramona Mexican comedy about a woman fired for her full figure. With standup comic Andrea Ortega Lee. Not reviewed. Not rated. 83 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Embrace of the Serpent This flawed but fascinating Colombian film is an anticolonial screed, an exploration of the “noble savage” concept and a mystical trip down the river into self-knowledge. It focuses on a native Colombian shaman who assists two Westerners in separate scientific voyages in the rain forest. There are a few over-the-top sequences, but the black-and-white
cinematography and dreamy mood are very impressive. Not rated. 123 minutes. In several European and Colombian tribal languages, with English subtitles. — W. Addiego
Eye in the Sky A chilling Helen Mirren, and Alan Rickman, superb in his final screen performance, are military officers intent on using missiles to wipe out a terrorist nest in this smart, evenhanded and multifaceted thriller that examines the moral dilemmas presented by drone warfare. Rated R. 102 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Gods of Egypt This disaster of a fantasy film takes place in an ancient Egypt that never existed, in which gods and men live together, with the gods in charge. In this world, there is a good king (Bryan Brown), and then there is a very, very bad king (Gerard Butler). The film is stuffed with dazzle and commotion that adds up to nothing. Rated PG-13. 127 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Hail, Caesar! This is the Coen brothers in their sloppy, zany mode, with Josh Brolin as real-life MGM executive Eddie Mannix, but a semi-fictional Mannix working with actors and directors only loosely based on real models. Sluggish at times, it’s also often very funny, and the parodies of early 1950s cinema are spot on. Rated PG-13. 106 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Hello, My Name Is
Doris Sally Field, in her first starring role in 20 years(!), is the reason to see this weird little film, about a peculiar woman in her late 60s who develops an obsessive romantic fixation on a co-worker 40 years her junior. Rated R. 90 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Here Come the Videofreex This engaging documentary explores the pioneer videographers of the 1960s who recorded the countercultural events of our time. Their footage is remarkable and of historic value. Not rated. 79 minutes. — D. Lewis
How to Be Single This attempt to make an unromantic romantic comedy benefits from the originality of the conceit and the casting of Dakota Johnson, but the movie loses steam in the last half, because there is so little at stake. Not bad, but not quite good enough. Rated R. 110 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Knight of Cups For those willing to get on director Terrence Malick’s wavelength, this is an ecstatic use of cinema — the story of a screenwriter (Christian Bale) in Hollywood as told through dream images and voice-over, with only fragments of scenes. It’s less a story than an invitation to see the beauty in all things, but if you go in expecting anything remotely conventional, you will either be confused or annoyed. Rated R. 118 minutes. — M. LaSalle Kung Fu Panda 3 The saga of Po the Panda (Jack Black) continues with an all-you-can-eat buffet of plot — introducing a parent who was presumed dead, a litter of baby pandas and a beast from another dimension. It’s hard to say anyone doesn’t get their money’s worth with this sequel, even as the story strains under the weight of it all. Rated PG. 95 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Lady in the Van Maggie Smith stars as a comically cranky, somewhat unhinged elderly woman who lives in a van outside the London home of playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) for 15 years. She drives him crazy, but he comes to realize there is much more to her than anyone could have imagined. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes. — D. Wiegand
London Has Fallen This action sequel to “Olympus Has Fallen,” which was set in Washington, D.C., leaves the British capital in ruins, thanks to terrorists who can kill heads of state and blow up well-guarded landmarks with the flick of a wrist. There’s no escaping the reality that you’ve already seen everything this film has to offer — many, many times. With Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart. Rated R. 99 minutes.
— D. Lewis Miracle From Heaven This Christian film centers on faith, and the miracle of an ill girl’s recovery from a terminal disease. The material is not exactly original, but the execution is solid. Rated PG. 109 minutes. — D. Lewis
Requiem for the American Dream An artfully illustrated feature-length interview with Noam Chomsky, this documentary shows the famous leftist professor expounding on the state of the United States economy, while drawing on precedents from across history and references going back to Adam Smith. Agree or disagree with his conclusions, he makes an interesting subject. Not rated. 73 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Revenant A man (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely wounded in a bear attack and abandoned by his colleagues in the American Northwest of 1820. It’s an impressively directed film (Alejandro Iñárritu), with a brilliant first half and a perfectly enjoyable but less striking second half. The bear attack scene is one for the ages. Rated R. 156 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Room An interesting experiment that becomes overlong and wearying, this is the story of a woman, held captive for seven years, creating a reality for her 5-year-old son, while living in confinement. Brie Larson is superb as the mother, but Jacob Tremblay as the child is a little hard to take. Rated R. 118 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Spotlight This trueto-life dramatization of the Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s child abuse scandal somehow finds excitement in the most dreary details of newspaper work. One of the best newspaper movies ever made. Rated R. 128 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens The best “Star Wars” sequel yet features a return of the original cast, with Harrison Ford delightful as a grumpy-asever Han Solo. The movie is brisk, with a riveting story, lots of surprises and plenty of time to introduce new and interesting characters. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Rated PG-13. 136 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Sweet 20 Vietnamese comedy about a grandmother who is transformed into her 20year-old self. Not reviewed. Not rated. 127 minutes. In Vietnamese with English subtitles.
10 Cloverfield Lane A horror story about a troubled man (John Goodman) who holds a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) captive in a bunker. It’s an irresistible thriller, directed with confidence and flair by Dan Tractenberg. Produced by J.J. Abrams. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Trapped S.F. filmmaker Dawn Porter’s docu-
mentary is about the fight to keep abortion clinics open in ground zero Southern states such as Alabama and Texas. Its focus is on TRAP laws (targeted regulations on abortion providers) that make abortion essentially illegal in about half the country. Not rated. 80 minutes. — G. Allen.
Johnson
The Wave This is a crisp and efficient Norwegian disaster film about a geologist who tries to save his family when their small town is destroyed by a tsunami. The modest scale is an important part of what makes the movie work. Rated R. 105 minutes. In Norwegian with English subtitles. — W. Addiego
Where to Invade Next The latest from Michael Moore fades in the last 40 minutes, but the points he
makes are interesting. This is the movie that everyone who has ever traveled to Europe has thought of making, a documentary about how they really have some good ideas over there, and we ought to think about trying them. Rated R. 119 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Tina Fey stars in this fact-based story about a TV news writer whose life changes when she impulsively decides to become a foreign correspondent in Afghanistan. The film, a mix of comedy and drama, captures the particular appeal of living with a constant adrenaline high. Rated R. 111 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Witch This wellmade horror story, about the supernatural undoing of a Puritanical family, occasionally casts a spell with some eerie production design, but its slow-boiling brew of dread turns out to be more tepid than terrifying. Rated R. 92 minutes. — D. Lewis
The Young Messiah The story of Jesus Christ at age 7, told from his perspective. Based on a novel by Anne Rice. Not reviewed. Rated PG-13. 111 minutes.
Zoolander 2 This very funny sequel to the 2001 cult classic has the rival fashion models, Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson), return to the fashion world to uncover a plot to kill the world’s pop stars. This is a freewheeling, bizarre, sometimes tasteless but almost always inspired comedy. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Zootopia The world building is fantastic is this animated detective story-comedy about an animal world where predator and prey are friends. As a cop bunny and con-man fox (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman) investigate a crime, the film comfortably confronts intolerance and discrimination. “Zootopia” has small flaws, but it continues a strong run by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Rated PG. 108 minutes. — P. Hartlaub