Quick Flicks

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★ Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

KEY: D, Drug use; N, Nudity; P, Profanity; S, Sexual activity; V, Violence. Reviews are by The Arizona Republic critics unless noted. Listings are subject to late changes by theaters.

NEW THIS WEEK

‘Becoming Astrid’ ★★★ 1⁄2

The early life of Pippi Longstocking writer Astrid Lindgren is explored in this tender Swedish drama. (Not rated – 123 minutes) S, N.

‘The Favourite’ ⁄2 1 ★★★★

Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz dazzle as ladies-in-waiting vying for power under Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) in this sharp, funny costume drama set in 18th century Great Britain. (Rated R — 121 minutes) N, P, S.

‘The Mercy’ ★★★1⁄2

Colin Firth stars as an ordinary man with extraordinary ambitions in this true-life drama about Donald Crowhurst, an amateur sailor who risked everything in an around-the-world race in 1968. (Not rated — 112 minutes)

‘Mowgli’

(Not reviewed) Andy Serkis directs his own version of the classic tale about a human child raised by wolves who faces off against a tiger named Shere Khan. (PG-13 — 104 minutes) V.

‘The Possession of Hannah Grace’

(Not reviewed) A cop who just got out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue where a series of bizarre events from a possessed corpse happen. (R —85 minutes) V.

‘Shoplifters’

(AP review) A Japanese movie about a family of small-time crooks that take in a child. (R — 121 minutes) N, S.

STILL PLAYING ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ★★★

Rami Malek struts convincingly and even sings a little in this biopic about Queen singer Freddie Mercury. (PG-13 — 134 minutes) D, P.

‘Boy Erased’ ★★★★

Moving, compassionate film about the experiences of a gay college student (Lucas Hedges) at a conversion camp. Smart, sensitive and never exploitative. (R — 114 minutes) S, P, V, D.

‘Creed II’ ★★★1⁄2

Just as Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) becomes the world boxing champion under the guidance of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Russian opponent with ties to his family’s past enters the ring in this serviceable sequel. (PG-13 — 130 minutes) V, P.

‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’

(Not reviewed) The familiar tale of a Christmas tyrant returns in a new version. (PG — 86 minutes)

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ ★★★

The second installment in the “Harry Potter” prequel series has an overcomplicated plot, underdeveloped characters and not nearly enough fantastic beasts.(PG-13 — 134 minutes)

‘The Front Runner’

(Not reviewed) The film traces the rise and fall of Sen. Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), whose political career was derailed after an extramarital affair. (R — 113 minutes) P.

‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ ★★

Overstuffed, drab tale with Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) returning, this time to steal a program that gives the owner access to the world’s nuclear weapons. (R — 117 minutes) V, P, S, N.

‘Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween’

(Not reviewed) Second film based on R.L. Stine’s series of children’s books. (PG — 100 minutes)

‘Green Book’ ★★★

An Italian bouncer and a black Pianist form a friendship on a road trip through the South in the 1960s in this pleasing if inappropriately quaint film. (PG-13 — 130 minutes) P, V. ‘Halloween’ ★★★★

(USA TODAY) A masked psycho returns to a suburban town to haunt the same woman (Jamie Lee Curtis) he attacked 40 years ago. (R — 109 minutes) V, P, D, N.

‘Instant Family’ ★★1⁄2

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne star as a childless couple who take three siblings into foster care in this sincere but problematic family comedy. (PG-13 — 117 minutes) P.

‘The Long Dumb Road’

(Not reviewed) Road-trip comedy pairing a college-bound teen student with a mechanic. (R — 90 minutes) P, S, D.

‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ ★★★

Teenage Clara as she discovers a magical world of mechanical toys brought to life, arriving just in time for a civil war between Mother Ginger and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Rated PG — 99 minutes)

‘Overlord’

(Not reviewed) American paratroopers discover a horrifying secret in the hours before DDay. (R — 109 minutes) V, P.

‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ ★★★

Wreck-It Ralph and Penelope von Schweetz slip through the forbidden WiFi portal on a quest to find a new video game part on eBay. The Disney sequel is a visually stunning visualization of our love affair with our gadgets and popular culture. (PG — 112 minutes)

‘Robin Hood’

(Not reviewed) Revisionist take on the tale of the heroic outlaw. (PG-13 — 114 minutes) V.

‘A Star Is Born’ ★★★★★

The latest version of the classic story is possibly the best take yet, with Lady Gaga as the star on the rise and Bradley Cooper as a superstar singer-songwriter on a downward spiral. (R — 135 minutes) P, S, D.

‘Venom’

(Not reviewed) Tom Hardy plays a reporter who undergoes a Jekyll and Hyde-style transformation. (PG-13 — 112 minutes) V, P.

‘Widows’ ★★★★

A righteous Viola Davis leads a group of desperate women to carry out a job left behind by their dead criminal husbands in this savage and artful heist film. (R — 129 minutes) P, V, S, N.

UPCOMING

‘Ben is Back’ (R) ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ (R) ‘Roma’ (R)