Film guide for box-office releases and ongoing movies
From news services
NEW THIS WEEK
“The Book of Henry” (PG-13) (for thematic elements and brief strong language) This appealing, quirky tale of a single mother’s loving relationship with her two young sons goes off the rails when it turns into a vigilante thriller. (The New Times) 1 hour, 45 minutes. Grade: **
“Cars 3” (G) Aging race car Lightning McQueen faces a midlife crisis in a sequel that is fun and dazzlingly animated but lacks the magic of Pixar’s more tender touchstones. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 49 minutes. Grade: **
“Rough Night” (R) (for crude sexual content, language throughout, drug use and brief bloody images) Despite its funny moments, this comedy about four women on a wild bachelorette weekend who accidentally kill someone and try to get away with it is too dark to stomach. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 49 minutes: Grade: **
CONTINUING
‘3 Idiotas’: (PG-13) (for some rude humor and brief strong language) A group of friends embark on a fun adventure determined to find a college roommate who disappeared without a trace on graduation day. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 46 minutes.
‘Alien: Covenant’: (R) (for sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/nudity) What was once a slithery straightforward monster movie in space has mutated into an impressively ambitious but overly ornate saga with a general sense of deja vu. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 2 minutes. Grade: ** 1/2
‘Baywatch’: (R) (for language throughout, crude sexual content, and graphic nudity) This raunchy spoof of the ‘90s TV show about a group of buff and beautiful crime-solving lifeguards is unwieldy, derivative and mostly unfunny. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 56 minutes. Grade: * 1/2
‘Beauty and the Beast’: (PG) (for some action violence, peril and frightening images) Live-action adaptation of the animated classic is equal parts dispiriting and enchanting: overflowing in handsome craft, but missing a spirit inside. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 9 minutes. Grade: ** 1/2
‘The Boss Baby’: (PG) (for some mild rude humor) Animated comedy about how a new baby’s arrival can upend a family, told from the viewpoint of an older sibling, is sabotaged by pointless side plots. (The San Francisco Chronicle) 1 hour, 37 minutes. Grade: **
‘Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie’: (PG) (for mild rude humor throughout) Animated feature about students hypnotizing their principal into thinking he’s a superhero is a little too dark, a little too nihilistic and not quite funny enough to forgive its weaknesses. (The New York Times) 1 hour, 29 minutes. Grade: *
‘Churchill’: (PG) (for thematic elements, brief war images, historical smoking throughout, and some language) Historical saga that follows the British prime minister over the course of several days leading up to the D-Day invasion is neither insightful nor entertaining. (The New York Times) 1 hour, 38 minutes. Grade: * 1/2
‘Dean’: (PG-13) (for language and some suggestive material) A comedy about loss, grief and the redemptive power of love, Dean is an NY illustrator who falls hard for an LA woman while trying to prevent his father from selling the family home in the wake of his mother’s death. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 27 minutes.
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul’ (PG) (for some rude humor) In addition to endlessly annoying, barely sympathetic characters, this deeply unfunny family road trip film has gross-out jokes to rival the R-rated “Vacation” remake. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 31 minutes. Grade: 1/2
‘Everything, Everything’: (PG-13) (for thematic elements and brief sensuality) A teenager who’s lived a sheltered life because she’s allergic to everything, falls for the boy who moves in next door. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 36 minutes.
‘The Fate of the Furious’: (PG-13) (for prolonged sequences of violence and destruction, suggestive content, and language) The action in this sequel satisfies, even if the lines veer past campy into full-on cheese territory and the story is hazier than the smoke from a broken tailpipe. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 16 minutes. Grade: ** 1/2
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’: (PG-13) (for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive content) Powered by dazzling visuals and irreverent humor, this sequel to Marvel’s swashbuckling space Western is even wilder and more inspired than its predecessor. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 16 minutes. Grade: ***
‘How to be a Latin Lover’: (PG-13) (for crude humor, sexual references and gestures, and for brief nudity) Finding himself dumped after 25 years of marriage, a man who made a career of seducing rich older women must move in with his estranged sister, where he begins to learn the value of family. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 55 minutes.
‘It Comes At Night’: (R) (for violence, disturbing images, and language) A well-crafted psychological thriller about an isolated family of survivalists who fall victim to doubt and paranoia when their protected fortress is threatened. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 37 minutes. Grade: ***
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’: (PG-13) (for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content and brief strong language) Director Guy Ritchie reimagines the Excalibur myth for a modern “Game of Thrones” audience in this reasonably entertaining if somewhat forgettable CGI-laden offering. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 6 minutes. Grade: **
‘The Lovers’: (R) (for sexuality and language) A long-married, dispassionate couple who are both in the midst of serious affairs are on the brink of calling it quits, before a spark between them suddenly reignites, leading them into an impulsive romance. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 34 minutes.
‘Lowriders’: (PG-13) (for language, some violence, sensuality, thematic elements and brief drug use) A young street artist in East Los Angeles is caught between his father’s obsession with lowrider car culture, his ex-felon brother and his need for self-expression. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 39 minutes.
‘Megan Leavey’: (PG-13) (for war violence, language, suggestive material, and thematic elements) This true story of a Marine and her combat dog is really about love — the real, actual, soul-nurturing, life-expanding kind that can happen between a human and an animal. (The New York Times) 1 hour, 56 minutes. Grade: ***
‘The Mummy’: (PG-13) (for violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity) Tom Cruise is a poor fit as a soldier of fortune who battles an ancient evil princess released from her crypt in this convoluted mishmash. (The Associated Press) 1 hour, 50 minutes. Grade: * 1/2
‘My Cousin Rachel’: (PG-13) (for some sexuality and brief strong language) A young Englishman plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 46 minutes.
‘Paris Can Wait’: (PG) (for thematic elements, smoking and some language) A woman takes a car trip from Cannes to Paris with a business associate of her husband. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure replete with diversions. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 32 minutes.
‘Past Life’: (Not rated) Tracks the daring late 1970s odyssey of two sisters – an introverted classical musician and a rambunctious scandal sheet journalist – as they unravel a shocking wartime mystery that has cast a dark shadow on their entire lives. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 49 minutes.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’: (PG-13) (for sequences of adventure violence, and some suggestive content) This weary, battered fifth chapter in the franchise is high on CGI tricks but has a hopelessly muddled plot and recurring characters basically running on fumes. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 9 minutes. Grade: *
‘Radio Dreams’: (Not rated) A brilliant and misunderstood Iranian writer struggles to pursue his ambitious goal of bringing together Metallica and Kabul Dreams, Afghanistan’s first rock band. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 33 minutes.
‘Snatched’: (R) (for crude sexual content, brief nudity, and language throughout) When her boyfriend dumps her before their exotic vacation, a young woman persuades her ultra-cautious mother to travel with her to paradise, with unexpected results. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 30 minutes.
‘The Wedding Plan’: (PG) (for thematic elements) When her fiancé bows out on the eve of her wedding, Michal refuses to cancel the wedding arrangements. An Orthodox Jew, she insists that God will supply her a husband, as the clock ticks down. (imdb.com) 1 hour, 50 minutes.
‘Wonder Woman’: (PG-13) (for sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive content) This coming-of-age story about how a naive Amazonian princess becomes Wonder Woman isn’t perfect, but it’s often good, sometimes great and exceptionally re-watchable. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 21 minutes. Grade: ***
‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’: (PG-13) (for thematic elements, disturbing images, violence, brief sexuality, nudity and smoking) A riveting and inspiring real-life story about a zookeeper and his wife who saved hundreds of Jews in Poland during World War II by secretly giving them refuge on zoo grounds. (The Associated Press) 2 hours, 4 minutes. Grade: ***
Rating system
G: All ages admitted
PG: Parental guidance suggested. All ages admitted
PG-13: Parental guidance suggested; not recommended for younger than 13
R: Restricted. Those younger than 17 not admitted unless accompanied by a parent or guardian