Movie openings

Opening this Friday

“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime

Walk” (R): A 19-year-old Iraq War soldier, played by Joe Alwyn, endures harrowing experiences in combat and disorienting experiences on the home front in this screen adaptation of the novel. Director Ang Lee shot the movie at a super-sharp frame rate that will, he hopes, enhance, rather than detract from, the drama. “Bleed for This” (R): Miles Teller plays a real-life champion boxer Vinny Pazienza, who suffered a spinal injury in a car accident and whose trainer (Aaron Eckhart) helped him walk again and return to the ring just one year later. (In limited release). “The Edge of Seventeen” (R): Taking cues from “Sixteen Candles,” this coming-of-age film centers on high schooler Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) and her efforts to overcome growing pains. “Elle” (R): Paul Verhoeven directs this thriller about the head of a video game company (Isabelle Huppert) who gets attacked in her home. When she tracks down the assailant, the two engage in a strange, thrilling game that could suddenly veer way out of control. (In limited release). “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (PG-13): In the eagerly anticipated Harry Potter prequel, Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, who travels from Britain to New York City during the 1920s with his briefcase full of magical creatures. Also featuring Katherine Waterston, Gemma Chan and Johnny Depp. “National Bird” (Unrated): Documentary from Sonia Kennebeck follows three U.S. military veterans who argue more transparency is needed about America’s largely shrouded drone war and its costs. (In limited release) “Nocturnal Animals” (R): Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star as a divorced couple discovering dark truths about each other in this romantic thriller from Tom Ford. (In limited release) “A Street Cat Named Bob” (Unrated): The true story of young homeless man James Bowen and a stray cat named Bob that changed his life. (In limited release)

Expanding

“Loving” (PG-13): In 1958 Virginia, an interracial couple tests the American justice system and ends up making American history in writer-director Jeff Nichols’ biopic, which was well-reviewed in its Cannes Film Festival premiere earlier this year.