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Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Somehow “Ab Fab,” very funny on television, just can’t succeed on the big screen, because the characters are static, and if you force them to grow, they must become self-aware, which will kill the comedy. Most of the laughs that the principals (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) manage to get are in the first few minutes. Rated R. 91 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The BFG Though this film doesn’t quite have the emotional depth of other Steven Spielberg movies, this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel, about a little girl who becomes friends with a big friendly giant, is one of the season’s highlights, thanks to some terrific acting, from Mark Rylance and newcomer Ruby Barnhill, and beautifully imagined special effects. Rated PG. 117 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Breaking a Monster This documentary recounts the extremely rapid rise to fame of Unlocking the Truth, a heavy metal band made up of three African American middle-schoolers from Brooklyn. The film lingers on the obvious ironies of the story, but the group’s members are agreeable (despite occasional squabbles) and the movie is entertaining. Not rated. 93 minutes.
— W. Addiego
Café Society Woody Allen’s latest, about a young man (Jesse Eisenberg) who goes west to get into the movie business, circa 1936, is like a long and complicated anecdote, without much of a point. But it holds interest and features a terrific performance from Kristen Stewart. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Captain Fantastic This is an interesting and thought-provoking drama, with Viggo Mortensen as a leftist survivalist raising a family of six in the woods. They’re called back into the world with compelling results. Rated R. 119 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Central Intelligence This Kevin Hart/Dwayne Johnson vehicle offers few surprises — the multiplex equivalent of putting your investment in bonds. It’s a completely routine action comedy, made a few iotas better than average due to the performances of its reliable stars. Hart is a man who peaked in high school, and Johnson is a former geek who is in the CIA. Rated PG-13. 107 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Conjuring 2 The sequel is a half step below its 2013 predecessor, but it’s still better than any mainstream horror film since “It Follows.” The drama returns “The Conjuring” exorcists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who help a London family terrorized by a demon. Director James Wan rewards audience patience, focusing on character development that makes the scary parts more terrifying. Rated R. 134 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His
Own Words Frank Zappa has the stage in this documentary made up of excerpts from Zappa’s many interviews, interspersed with loads of concert and behind-
the-scenes footage. Included are early appearances on “The Steve Allen Show” and “What’s My Line?” and a poignant final interview shortly before Zappa’s death from prostate cancer in 1993 at age 52. The film will please not only Zappa fans but also those looking for an introduction to an important artist who was ahead of his time. (Not rated. 90 minutes.
— G. Allen Johnson
Finding Dory Blue tang Dory is at the center of this “Finding Nemo” sequel, which is filled with crowd-pleasing action, adventure and fun characters new and old. It rises above a sometimes crowded narrative with an intense emotional core, taking a protagonist whose affliction had been played mostly for comedy, and exploring the emptiness and loneliness of her plight. Rated PG. 103 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Hunt for the Wilderpeople The New Zealand comedy-drama, directed by the gifted Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows”), stars Sam Neill as a gruff mountain man who inadvertently inherits a juvenile delinquent. During a months-long wilderness trek, they become the subject of a nationwide manhunt. The movie is oddball on the outside, warm and fuzzy on the inside and gives Neill his best role in years. Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. — G. Allen Johnson
Ice Age: Collision Course The makers of the “Ice Age” series keep adding more characters, like cinematic hoarders, and the result is a mess of a movie. This one, the fifth in the series, features a combination of the plots of “Father of the Bride” and “Armageddon,” with Manny the woolly mammoth fretting over his daughters wedding while the rest of the pack tries to divert an Earthbound asteroid. Root for the asteroid. Rated PG. 100 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Independence Day: Resurgence The first “Independence Day” in 1996 was a rousing summer action movie success; silly, but fun. The sequel is even more silly, and way less fun. With just a couple of exceptions, everyone seems depressed, or detached from the action. The 3-D, at its best, looks like 2.5-D. It feels like watching the first “Independence Day,” with a bad hangover. Rated PG-13. 120 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Infiltrator This is a rare undercover film in that it makes the undercover life seem extremely tense, with Bryan Cranston as a real-life federal agent who helped dismantle a major Colombian drug ring by posing as a money launderer for the mob. Rated R. 127 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Innocents Anne Fontaine’s latest is a portrait of a young French doctor (Lou de Laage) who discovers a Polish convent full of pregnant nuns — all victims of rape by Russian soldiers. Set in 1945, this is a solid movie about war and its aftermath from a woman’s perspective. Rated PG-13. 115 minutes. In French and Polish with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Legend of Tarzan The Tarzan story becomes mixed up with the real life story of Belgium’s exploitation of the Congo, and the result is a bad concoction, always inert and often confusing, lifted only by Christoph Waltz’s performance of the real-life villain (fictionalized here) Leon Rom. Rated PG-13. 109 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Life, Animated This documentary based on Ron Suskind’s book, about his autistic son and their connection through Disney movies, often feels like a good short film extended into feature length. But it wonderfully explains elements of autistic life, offering a primer for the uninitiated, while profiling a family that was rewarded for its willingness to approach an obstacle with patience and love. Rated PG. 91 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Lights Out This is a smart little horror movie with a strong central concept — a monster that disappears when the lights are on but is lethal in the shadows. It’s directed and co-written by David F. Sandberg, who avoids the pitfalls of the genre and creates something new and enjoyable. Rated PG-13. 81 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Lobster This is a surreal, darkly comic and sometimes mystifying look at a beleaguered individual coping with a society that takes harsh measures against people who fail to pair up romantically, transforming them into animals. What elevates it above the exhausted run of dystopian movies is a genuine sadness at the characters’ internal deadness. There’s a fine and atypical lead performance from Colin Farrell, with good support from Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, John C. Reilly and Lea Seydoux. The second half of the movie is less strong. Rated R. 118 minutes.
— W. Addiego Love & Friendship Director Whit Stillman meets Jane Austen, in this adaptation of Austen’s caustic, unpublished novel (“Lady Susan”), about a charming, unscrupulous widow using her wiles to find a successful marital match for herself and her daughter. Rated PG. 93 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Maggie's Plan Greta Gerwig is brilliant in this odd and wellwritten romantic comedy, from director Rebecca Miller, about a woman who meddles in the lives of others. Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore co-star. Rated R. 98 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Microbe and Gasoline A not-bad but undramatic film about young friendship, this latest from Michel Gondry are about two boys in middle school, one shy and one outgoing, who team up to build a makeshift car and drive it into the French countryside. Rated R. 104 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Mike and Dave Need
Wedding Dates Vulgar and coarse and sidesplitting, this comedy — about raucous brothers who bring even more raucous dates to their sister’s wedding — is also a very polished work of comedy, with a series of wellthought out situations that play with the precision of a late-17th century farce. Rated R. 98 minutes. — M. LaSalle The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble This shambling documentary by director Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”) focuses on cellist Ma and the members of the Silk Road Ensemble, the multicultural pickup band he assembled in 2000. They’re good people to spend time with, but the music is underserved and the film lurches from one topic to another like an easily distracted toddler. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. — J. Kosman
My Love, Don't Cross That
River Documentary about a South Korean married couple who have been together for 76 years. Directed by Mo-young Jin. Not reviewed. Not rated. 86 minutes. In Korean with English subtitles. Now You See Me 2 Super-antihero magicians return to battle evil capitalists in this sleightof-hand sequel that has some enjoyable razzle-dazzle but little in the way of interesting characters. Rated PG-13. 129 minutes. — D. Lewis
Our Little Sister The latest masterpiece from Hirokazu Koreeda (“Maborosi,” “Still Walking”) is a tender, touching film about three sisters who meet their 15-year-old half-sister at their father’s funeral. Though she is the product of the affair that caused their father to abandon the family, they invite her to live with them, trying in a sense to make a broken family whole again. One of the best films of 2016. Rated PG. 126 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles.
— G. Allen Johnson
The Purge: Election
Year There’s not a lot of nuance or sense in the third “Purge” film. The action scenes are only semi-coherent. But it still manages to coast on a combination of self-awareness, crowd-pleasing carnage and a plot that ties perfectly into current events. You would think our real-life political leaders got in a room with the United Kingdom’s, and conspired to make this ridiculous movie seem relevant. Rated R. 105 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Secret Life of
Pets The story is weak in this pet-saturated animated comedy, but the characters are strong, benefiting from sharply written humor. Louis C.K. highlights a series of good pet/actor casting moves, voicing a Jack Russell Terrier who panics when a Newfoundland (Eric Stonestreet) moves on his turf. It’s likely no one will remember this movie in 50 years. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it now. Rated PG. 91 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Shallows This earnest woman-versusshark film delivers the requisite thrills, including a surprisingly satisfying resolution. But the most important parts, the ones involving the shark, don’t feel genuine. The shark in “Jaws” was scary because of what we didn’t know. This shark acts like a horror movie villain, as predict-
ably relentless as Jason in a “Friday the 13th” sequel. Rated PG-13. 87 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Star Trek Beyond The latest episode in the rebooted series is a routine entry, which is a disappointment given the quality of the two previous installments. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew are captured and stranded on a rocky island and have to get free and save civilization. You know, the usual. The film has its moments, thanks to the interaction of the characters. Rated PG-13. 122 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Swiss Army Man Paul Dano plays a man on a deserted island, so lonely that he develops an intense friendship with a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) who washes up on the shore. Boring and often repulsive, think “Weekend at Bernie’s” without the wit, or “Cast Away” in which Wilson is replaced by a decomposing body. Rated R. 95 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Tickled This is an unexpectedly dark documentary, about a New Zealand journalist who pursues a story about a “com-
petitive tickling” contest, hoping for a cute human interest story, and finds himself on the receiving end of some scary threats. Rated R. 92 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Weiner Anthony Weiner wanted to be mayor. He’ll have to settle for being the star of a great documentary. It’s an inside look at his New York mayoral campaign, as it imploded after sexting revelations. Rated R. 96 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Wiener-Dog Todd Solondz’s (“Happiness”) latest exercise in misanthropy concerns a dachshund who gets herded from one pathetic owner to the next. It’s all somehow engagingly nihilistic. Rated R. 88 minutes. — D. Lewis
Zero Days Alex Gibney’s latest documentary uncovers the details surrounding the U.S. government’s use of malware to infiltrate and hobble the Iranian nuclear program. It’s a very thorough documentary, and brings up interesting issues, but it’s at times tedious. Rated PG-13. 116 minutes. — M. LaSalle