Movies Quick Flicks
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★ Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★ KEY: D, Drug use; N, Nudity; P, Profanity; S, Sexual activity; V, Violence. Reviews are by Bill Goodykoontz unless noted. Listings are subject to late changes by theaters.
NEW THIS WEEK ‘AMERICAN MADE’ ★★★1⁄2
Tom Cruise plays a pilot splitting time working for the CIA while also running guns and smuggling drugs in the 1980s. Cruise is good but the film is a little slick to make a big impact. (R — 115 minutes) N, P, S.
‘FLATLINERS’
(Not reviewed) A remake of sorts, in which five medical students trigger near-death experiences to learn what the afterlife is like. Things go awry. With Ellen Page and Diego Luna. (PG-13 — 108 minutes) D,P, S, V.
‘LITERALLY, RIGHT BEFORE AARON’ ★
(Randy Cordova) Illogical, unfunny comedy about a man (Justin Long) who gets invited to the wedding of his ex-girlfriend (Cobie Smulders). (Not rated — 105 minutes)
‘A QUESTION OF FAITH’
(Not reviewed) Three families struck by tragedy, leading them on a path to faith in God. With Richard T. Jones and Kim Fields. (PG — 104 minutes)
‘VICTORIA AND ABDUL’ ★★★
Judi Dench is great as Queen Victoria in Stephen Frears’ film, about her unlikely friendship with an Indian Muslim (Ali Fazal), who definitely plays second fiddle in the film. (PG-13 —112 minutes) P.
‘WOODSHOCK’ ★★
(Barbara VanDenburgh) Kirsten Dunst is the muse for this desultory fever dream about drugs and death that is sublimely beautiful and hollow to the core. (R – 100 minutes) D, V.
STILL PLAYING ‘AMERICAN ASSASSIN’ ★1⁄2
(Randy Cordova) Vince Flynn’s series of novels about black ops agent Mitch Rapp inspires a terribly generic action yarn that doesn’t get any help by a charisma-impaired Dylan O’Brien in the lead role . (R — 111 minutes) P, N, V.
‘ANNABELLE: CREATION’ ★★★1⁄2
Director David F. Sandberg makes an impressive return to form for the latest in the “Conjuring” world, with an origin story of how the doll got so creepy and dangerous to begin with. (R — 109 minutes) V.
‘BABY DRIVER’ ★★★★
Edgar Wright’s film, about a getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who always listens to music, is a thrill ride, and doesn’t aim to be much more. A sensory experience. (R — 113 minutes) P, V.
‘THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES’ ★★★1⁄2
Emma Stone has never been better than as Billie Jean King, who faces off against Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell, also outstanding) in the 1973 tennis match pitting women’s rights against chauvinism. (PG-13 — 121 minutes) N, S.
‘BEACH RATS’ ★★★★
Writer and director Eliza Hittman’s film follows a Coney Island teenager (Harris Dickinson) during a summer as he struggles with his sexuality and identity. Sometimes the main character is inscrutable, but the film is poignant. (R — 95 minutes) D,N, P, S.
‘THE BIG SICK’ ★★★★1⁄2
Kumail Nanjiani stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a struggling comic who falls in love with a woman (Zoe Kazan) who gets sick. It’s a terrific (and funny) look at love and life. (R — 119 minutes) P, S.
‘BRAD’S STATUS’ ★★★★
Ben Stiller is terrific as a self-absorbed husband and father jealous of his successful friends. Austin Abrams is equally good as his grounded, musical-prodigy son. (R — 101 minutes) P.
‘CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER’ ★★★★
Doug Nichol’s film looks lovingly at the manual typewriter. Tom Hanks, Sam Shepard and others offer testimonials. It’s not a luddite project, but a delightful appreciation. (Not rated — 103 minutes)
‘COLUMBUS’ ★★★★
Haley Lu Richardson and John Cho are outstanding in Kogonada’s debut feature, about a couple of people stuck for different reasons in the beautiful city of Columbus, Ind. (Not rated — 100 minutes)
‘FRIEND REQUEST’
(Not reviewed) A college student accepts a Facebook friend request from someone she doesn’t know; soon her friends start to die. (R — 92 minutes) P, V.
‘THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD’ ★★
(Barbara VanDenburgh) An overlong oddcouple comedy-action film that pairs Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds and gives them little to do but be themselves. (R — 118 minutes) P, V.
‘HOME AGAIN’ ★★
Reese Witherspoon stars as a newly single mother in Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s romantic comedy that is as safe as can be. And boring. (PG-13 — 97 minutes) S.
‘IT’ ★★★★
Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel about evil disguised as a clown and the kids who band to defeat him is old-school in its scares, and its relationships. It’s a good combination. (R — 135 minutes) P, V.
‘KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE’ ★★
Taron Egerton returns for a sequel to the 2015 hit, as does Colin Firth, despite being killed off in the original. They have to save the world again, but this time it’s just so much overkill. Snore. (R — 141 minutes) D,P, S, V.
‘LAST RAMPAGE’
(Not reviewed) Robert Patrick stars as convicted murderer Gary Tison, whose 1978 escape from an Arizona prison and ensuing rampage shocked the nation. With Heather Graham and Bruce Davison. (R — 93 minutes) P, V.
‘THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE’ ★★★
Dave Franco provides the voice for Lloyd, the leader of a group of secret ninjas who project the island from a villain (Justin Theroux), who is Lloyd’s father. Fun, but not memorable. (PG — 101 minutes)
‘LOGAN LUCKY’ ★★★1⁄2
Steven Soderbergh’s return to feature films is a fun comedy about a down-on-his-luck hick (Channing Tatum) who decides to rob a race track. A great cast has a blast. (PG-13 — 119 minutes) P.
‘MOTHER!’ ★★★1⁄2
Jennifer Lawrence is outstanding in Darren Aronofsky’s film, about … well, eventually, everything. Javier Bardem plays Lawrence’s husband; house guests test their relationship. Just leave it at that. (R – 121 minutes) N,P, S, V.
‘REBEL IN THE RYE’ ★★
(Barbara VanDenburgh) A cliché biopic of writer J.D. Salinger that is little more than hero worship. (PG-13 – 106 minutes) P.
‘SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING’ ★★★★
Director Jon Watts remembers what is often forgotten in superhero movies: They’re supposed to be fun. Tom Holland is good in the title role, a teenager who wants to be an Avenger and go to homecoming. (PG-13 — 143 minutes) P, V.
‘STRONGER’ ★★★★
Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany are great in David Gordon Green’s film, about Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal), who survived the Boston Marathon bombing and faces a tough road ahead. (R — 116 minues) N, P, S.
‘VICEROY’S HOUSE’
(Not reviewed) Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) is dispatched to New Dehli to oversee the country’s transition to independence in Gurinder Chadha’s film. (Not rated — 107 minutes)
‘THE WILDE WEDDING’
(Not reviewed) Glenn Close stars as a retired film star marrying her fourth husband (Patrick Stewart). Preparations lead to sexual sparks and resulting consequences. (R — 96 minutes) D, P S.
‘WIND RIVER’ ★★★★
Taylor Sheridan’s film, about a murder on a Native American reservation, pairs Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen to solve the crime. Not quite up to “Hell or High Water,” which Sheridan also wrote, but not much is. (R — 107 minutes) P, V.
‘YEAR BY THE SEA’ ★★
Karen Allen’s engaging performance is the only saving grace in Alexander Janko’s clicheridden film, about a woman who takes a year off from her marriage to move to Cape Cod and find herself. Not quite as phony as the awful ‘Home Again,’ but in that neighborhood. (Not rated — 114 minutes)
UPCOMING
‘My Little Pony: The Movie’ (PG) ‘The Mountain Between Us’ (PG-13) ‘Blade Runner 2049’ (R)