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Best Fake Friends In this revenge drama, a woman (Lauren Bowles) can’t seem to fit in to her new community until she takes up with the evil and nasty crowd in their trashy outfits and starts snorting bad things up her pert little nose. Directed by Paul Kampf. Not rated. 102 minutes. — S. Rubenstein L
Blair Witch The sequelof-sorts to “The Blair Witch Project” has no element of surprise, and it’s diminished because of it. Excellent young horror director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett add some of their own ideas, and the twists get better as the momentum builds. But unlike its relatable predecessor, it’s hard to care about the dopey new characters. Rated R. 89 minutes. — P. Hartlaub L Bridget Jones’s Baby The third installment of the rom-com franchise finds Bridget (Renee Zellweger) pregnant at age 43 and not sure who the father is. This is an improvement over the abysmal second film, but it’s still for Bridget diehards only. The humor is labored and based on a surprisingly oldfashioned notion of what’s racy. Colin Firth is back, which is good, but Patrick Dempsey is an inadequate replacement for Hugh Grant, who dropped out of this project. Rated R. 122 minutes. — W. Addiego M
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 M
Cameraperson Despite a few slow spots, this is an inspired and original documentary, in which Kirsten Johnson — the cameraperson on a number of distinguished
documentaries — tells a kind of autobiography solely through footage from various documentaries she has shot. It’s fascinating how her personality emerges from these images. Not rated. 102 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Danny Says An entertaining and revelatory documentary about Danny Fields, the man behind some of the greatest music groups of the 1960s and ’70s, such as the Doors, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges and the Ramones. Not rated. 104 minutes. — L. Hertz
Deepwater Horizon The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which led to an 87-day ecological disaster in 2010, is the subject of this dramatic feature, which is too focused on action to fully engage as drama. It’s more of a spectacle than a human story, despite a creditable Mark Wahlberg as the rig’s chief electronics officer. Rated PG-13. 107 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Demon This horror comedy, about a groom who becomes possessed at his wedding, is chilling, funny and filled with indelible images, even if the final act doesn’t quite come together. Rated R. 94 minutes. In Polish, English and Yiddish, with English subtitles.
— D. Lewis
Don’t Breathe This home-invasion horror chiller, directed by Fede Alvarez (2013’s “Evil Dead”), is a throwback to the scary ’70s heyday of Wes Craven. Three young adults break into the house of a blind veteran seeking a large stash of cash, and he brutally turns the table on them. The movie is for viewers who like their thrills in strong doses. Rated R. 88 minutes. — W. Addiego
The Dressmaker Tonal inconsistencies hurt this dark comic fantasy about a young fashion designer (Kate Winslet) who returns to her dismal Australian hometown, planning to use haute couture to wreak revenge for past wrongs. The film pounds home the notion that the villagers are narrowminded, petty boobs, and drags in elements from other genres — mysteries and romances. However, Judy Davis gives a notable performance as the Winslet character’s mom, another victim of the town’s loathsome populace. Rated R. 118 minutes.
— W. Addiego Florence Foster Jenkins The real-life story of the 1940s N.Y. socialite who thought she could sing opera, but in fact was the worst singer on Earth, becomes the subject of a sporadically engaging but ultimately unsatisfying comedy-drama, which begs the audience’s sympathy in place of finding any richness or point in Jenkins’ story. Meryl Streep’s sentimental performance in the lead role doesn’t help. PG-13. 110 minutes. — M. LaSalle Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Goat Andrew Neel’s adaptation of Brad Land’s
memoir of fraternity hazing and a death that results from the demeaning practices is one of the most disgusting, distasteful films of the year. It’s 102 minutes of gratuitous violence, both physical and verbal, misogyny and testosterone with not one likable character — what cinema-goer would ever want to go through this? Rated R. 102 minutes.
— G. Allen Johnson
Hell or High Water An exceptionally good modern Western, focusing on two bank-robbing brothers (Chris Pine, Ben Foster) pursued by a pair of Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham) across dusty and economically depressed West Texas. Weighty themes are examined here — the law, racial issues, American history, family loyalty, institutional responsibility — but there are some very humorous moments, as well. Directed by David Mackenzie. Rated R. 102 minutes. — W. Addiego
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
Ixcanul This drama, about a Guatemalan girl caught between modernity and tradition, is a lyrical meditation, before it turns on its afterburners in the final half-hour. The effect is powerful. Not rated. 93 minutes. In Kaqchikel and Spanish with English subtitles.
— D. Lewis
Kubo and the Two Strings A visually impressive animated fantasy from Laika (“Coraline”) set in ancient Japan about a boy’s magical quest for the sword, helmet and armor of his late father, a renowned warrior. There are some impressive adventures as the youngster and his companions are pursued by the wicked daughters of the moon god. But the film relies on too many familiar plot turns, and some of the humor clashes with its attempts to establish a mood of mystery and otherworldliness. Rated PG. 101 minutes.
— W. Addiego
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World German-born filmmaker-philosopher Werner Herzog aims to give us not a history of the Internet, but a portrait of how completely it has taken over our lives and what it means for the future of mankind. There are only two possible paths, it seems: It will destroy us or liberate us. Folks such as Tesla and Space X kingpin Elon Musk and Stanford professor and A.I. expert Sebastian Thrun help us understand. Rated PG-13. 98 minutes. — G. Allen Johnson
The Lovers and the Despot In a documentary that unfolds like a John le Carré thriller, directors Ross Adam and Robert Cannan tell the story of two of South Korea’s brightest filmmaking talents, actress Choi Eun-hee and director Shin Sang-ok, who were kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean agents on the orders of dictator Kim Jong-il and forced to make movies to boost the North Korean film industry. The story is told masterfully through archival material, film clips, spot-on re-enactments and interviews with those involved. Not rated. 98 minutes. In Korean with English subtitles. — G. Allen Johnson
The Magnificent Seven Director Antoine Fuqua gets the vibe of this remake right — he can film an entrance, explosions, knife fights and long stare-downs in saloons that are dimly lit by sunlight coming through a filthy window. But as solid as he is crafting the look of a good Western, Fuqua fails to build much momentum, or engagement with the characters. It takes effort to make a film where Chris Pratt isn’t very likable. Rated PG-13. 132 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Masterminds Caper comedy about a guard at an armored car company who plans a bank heist. With Zack Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Tim Burton’s latest, featuring children with supernatural powers, is well composed and stylish but also confounding, with sinister edges and a bloated plot to match the marquee-filler of a title. Mainstream audiences may be frustrated, especially if skittish young children are tagging along. The second half in particular just keeps going, adding layers of tangents and terrifying imagery. Rated PG-13. 126 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Operation Avalanche A found-footage thriller about two young CIA agents in 1967 who create fake footage of a U.S. moon landing. There are clever and ironic moments, but implausabilities abound and the movie accomplishes little other than to create a murky sense of conspiracy. In the end it feels flat. Rated R. 94 minutes.
— W. Addiego
The People vs. Fritz Bauer A gripping drama about Fritz Bauer, the German who hunted down Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Not rated. 105 minutes. In German with English subtitles. — L. Hertz
Pete’s Dragon This remake of the 1977 movie musical plays like a lost movie from Carroll Ballard (“The Black Stallion”) that Hollywood released by