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 ‘Alpha’ ★★1⁄2
(Kerry Lengel) A prehistoric hunter fights to survive a trek through the wilderness with the help of an unlikely companion, a gray wolf. The action and the visuals are fun, but endless parade of wildly improbable escapes makes it hard to suspend disbelief. (PG-13 — 96 minutes)
‘Billionaire Boys Club’
(Not reviewed) Inspired by a true story, the film follows a group of wealthy young men whose get-rich-quick scheme turns deadly. Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey star. (R — 108 minutes), P, S, V, D.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ ★★★★
Jon M. Chu’s film version of the Kevin Kwan bestseller about a woman dating a rich Asian man, is a treat, never skimping on the entertainment but also never skimping on the cultural elements. (PG-13 — 120 minutes) P.
‘Down a Dark Hall’ ★★★★
(Randy Cordova) An allfemale boarding school hides dark secrets in a superior supernatural chiller adapted from Lois Duncan’s 1974 novel. AnnaSophia Robb stars. (PG-13 — 96 minutes) P, V.
‘Geetha Govindam’
(Not reviewed) A charming young man (Vijay Deverakonda) falls in love, but staying together with Geetha (Rashmika Mandanna) proves difficult. (Not rated — 150 minutes)
‘Mile 22’
(Not reviewed) Mark Wahlberg leads a topsecret command unit in Peter Berg’s action thriller. (R — 95 minutes) P, V.
‘Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich’
(Not reviewed) Latest entry in the horror franchise about puppets who come to life with a desire to kill. (Not rated — 90 minutes)
‘Running for Grace’
(Not reviewed) An orphan of mixed race finds a family with a white doctor in Hawaii, and falls in love with the daughter of a plantation owner. (Not rated — 110 minutes)
‘Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood’ ★★★1⁄2
Scotty Bowers provided sexual partners for the rich and famous for years; Matt Tyrnauer’s film looks at the gossip and what’s behind it. (Not rated — 98 minutes)
‘Skate Kitchen’
(Not reviewed) Rachelle Vinberg plays a girl who becomes friends with an all-girl skateboarding crew. (R — D, N, P, S.
‘Summer of ’84’
(Not reviewed) A group of teenagers thinks their police-officer neighbor is a serial killer, and spend the summer investigating. (Not rated — 105 minutes)
STILL PLAYING ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ ★★★1⁄2
Paul Rudd and director Peyton Reed return for a sequel that improves on the original. A minimal plot allows for maximum goofiness; it works. (PG-13 — 118 minutes) V.
‘BlacKkKlansman’ ★★★★1⁄2
Spike Lee’s film is based on the true story of a black police officer (John David Washington) who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, sort of. It’s messy and maddening and powerful, Lee’s best in years. (R — 88 minutes) P, S, V.
‘Book Club’ ★1⁄2
A terrific cast — Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen — is wasted in this dopey comedy about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ reignited their spark. (PG-13 — 104 minutes) P, S.
‘Boundaries’ ★★★
(Randy Cordova) Roadtripping tale about a neurotic single mom (Vera Farmiga) and her father (Christopher Plummer) heading to California with her son in tow. Predictable, but the strong performances make you want to buy in. (R — 104 minutes) D, P.
‘The Cakemaker’ ★★★★
(Samantha Incorvaia) German pastry chef Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) travels to Jerusalem to find his dead lover’s family. (Not rated – 105 minutes).
‘Christopher Robin’ ★★★★
Ewan McGregor plays the grown-up Christopher, who encounters Winnie the Pooh, who helps him return to the Hundred Acre Wood. (PG — 104 minutes)
‘Damsel’ ★★★1⁄2
David and Nathan Zellner have fun with Western tropes in their offbeat film; they get a lot of help from Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. (R — 113 minutes) N, P, S, V.
‘Dark Money’ ★★★★
Kimberly Reed’s documentary focuses on the anonymous donations of the title polluting Montana politics, but its lessons apply everywhere. (Not rated — 99 minutes)
‘The Darkest Minds’ ★★1⁄2
(Kerry Lengel) In this formulaic incarnation of the dystopian sci-fi trend, Amandla Stenberg (Rue in “The Hunger Games”) stars as Ruby, one of a few teenagers to have survived a global plague — and gain superpowers. (PG-13 — 105 minutes) V.
‘Death of a Nation’ ★
Poor even by Dinesh D’Souza’s standards, this polemic positions Democrats as racists and Fascists and a threat to the country, and compares Donald Trump to Abraham Lincoln. (PG-13 — 109 minutes) D, P, V.
‘Dog Days’ ★★
Ken Marino’s film is an ensemble comedy in which LA residents lives are loosely tied together by their dogs. Pretty standard stuff. (PG — 112 minutes) P.
‘Eighth Grade’ ★★★★1⁄2
Comedian Bo Burnham’s feature debut as a director is fantastic, and Elsie Fisher is brilliant as a girl navigating the perilous last days of junior high. (R — 94 minutes) P, S.
‘The Equalizer 2’ ★★★★
(Barbara VanDenburgh) Vengeance is personal for Denzel Washington’s deadly ex-CIA operative. (R — 121 minutes) P, V, D.
‘The First Purge’ ★★
Gerard McMurray takes over as director for this prequel, in which we learn how the Purge began. Once again, interesting ideas drown in a bloodbath. (R — 97 minutes) D, P, S, V.
‘Goodachari’
(Not reviewed) Action yarn involving a globetrotting spy. (Not rated — 124 minutes).
‘Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation’ ★★1⁄2
(Barbara VanDenburgh) Dracula goes on a cruise and falls in love with Van Helsing’s great-granddaughter. (PG — 97 minutes).
‘Incredibles 2’ ★★★★
Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) fights crime while Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) changes diapers in Pixar’s latest sequel. Not the original, but worthwhile, and having Elastigirl front and center is great. (PG — 118 minutes)
‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ ★★1⁄2
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return for another installment, with J.A. Bayona directing. The dinosaur action moves from the island TO A HOUSE in the confused story. (PG-13 — 128 minutes) V.
‘The King’ ★★★1⁄2
Director Eugene Jarecki uses Elvis Presley as a metaphor for America in his uneven, entertaining documentary. (R — 107 minutes) P.
‘Leave No Trace’ ★★★★1⁄2
Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie are great in Debra Granik’s film, about a father and daughter living off the grid. (PG — 109 minutes)
‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ ★★★★
(Randy Cordova) Sequel/ prequel brings us up-tospeed on characters from the 2008 film while digging deeper into the ABBA catalogue. (PG-13 — 114 minutes)
‘McQueen’ ★★★★
A documentary exploring the life of fashion designer Alexander McQueen, it’s both fascinating and at the same time a little too conventional to be truly great. (R — 111 minutes) N, P.
‘The Meg’ ★★1⁄2
Jason Statham fights a gigantic shark-like creature in John Turteltaub’s action thriller. It’s big and dumb and a little fun. (PG-13 — 113 minutes) P.
‘Mission: Impossible Fallout’ ★★★★
Tom Cruise is once again unstoppable in the latest film in the franchise, as he tries to halt a nuclear buffet of explosions. Rebecca Ferguson is good as his foil and love interest. Non-stop action and a lot of fun. (PG-13 — 147 minutes) P, V.
‘Night Comes On’
(Not reviewed) A girl, almost 18, is released from juvenile detention and embarks on a journey with her 10-yearold sister to avenge her mother’s death. (Not rated — 87 minutes)
‘Puzzle’ ★★★★
Kelly Macdonald is outstanding as a woman who discovers a hidden talent for puzzles, leading to surprising discoveries in her life. (R — 103 minutes) P.
‘Skyscraper’ ★★1⁄2
Dwayne Johnson stars as a former FBI agent trying to save his family from a fire threatening the world’s tallest building. Big and dumb, and a little fun. (PG-13 — 102 minutes) P, V.
‘Slender Man’
Sylvain White’s horror film is based on the urban legend about a tall, thin man who haunts childen. (PG-13 — 93 minutes) P, S.
‘Solo’ ★★★1⁄2
Alden Ehrenreich plays the young Han Solo in Ron Howard’s film. Well made and enjoyable, but absolutely inessential. (PG-13 — 135 minutes) V.
‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ ★★
(Barbara VanDenburgh) A tonally incongruous, plodding and graphically violent comedy about two best friends who accidentally become spies. Should be better than it is. (R – 116 minutes) P, V, N.
‘Teen Titans Go! To The Movies’ ★★
(Samantha Incorvaia) Robin and the Teen Titans want their own movie. But to be seen as more than “a joke,” and movie material, they need to find an arch nemesis. And they might have found one in Slade Wilson. (PG — 92 minutes).