Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one 17 and younger admitted.
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Capsule reviews are by Kenneth Turan (K.Tu.), Betsy Sharkey (B.S.), Mark Olsen (M.O.) and other reviewers. Compiled by Oliver Gettell.
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OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK
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“Beyond the Mask” — After being double-crossed, a mercenary for the British East India Company goes on the run in the American colonies to clear his name and win back the woman he loves. With Andrew Cheney, Kara Killmer and John Rhys-Davies. Written by Stephen Kendrick and Paul McCusker. Directed by Chad Burns. (1:43) PG.
“Club Life” — A young promoter in the New York City club scene rises through the ranks and risks everything to cover his family’s financial troubles. With Jerry Ferrara, Jessica Szohr and Robert Davi. Written by Danny A. Abeckaser, Ryan O’Nan and Ryan Vallan. Directed by Fabrizio Conte. (1:30) NR.
“Dawn Patrol” — When his brother is murdered, a small-town surfer seeks vengeance and forgiveness. With Scott Eastwood, Rita Wilson and Jeff Fahey. Written by Rachel Long and Brian Pittman. Directed by Daniel Petrie Jr. (1:27) NR.
“Entourage” — A mercurial movie star and his best buds get back in business with his former agent, now a studio head, in this follow-up to the HBO series. With Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara. Written and directed by Doug Ellin. (1:44) R.
“The Farewell Party” — Friends at a Jerusalem retirement home build a machine for self-euthanasia to help a terminally ill friend, and rumors of the machine begin to attract interest. With Ze’ev Revach, Levana Finkelshtein and Aliza Rozen. Written and directed by Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit. In Hebrew with English subtitles. (1:30) NR.
“The Fourth Noble Truth” — An A-list movie star busted for road rage is told by his wily lawyer to take meditation classes to impress the judge, but he instead focuses on seducing his new instructor. With Harry Hamlin, Kristen Kerr and Richard Portnow. Written and directed by Gary T. McDonald. (1:28) NR.
“Freedom” — A slave and his family escape from Virginia and head to Canada via the Underground Railroad in a journey that parallels his great grandfather’s own struggle to survive a century earlier. With Cuba Gooding Jr., William Sadler and Sharon Leal. Written by Timothy A. Chey. Directed by Peter Cousens. (1:35) R.
“Insidious Chapter 3” — A gifted psychic reluctantly agrees to contact the dead to help a teenage girl targeted by a supernatural entity in this horror prequel. With Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott and Angus Sampson. Written and directed by Leigh Whannell. (1:37) PG-13.
“Love & Mercy” — A biographical drama about Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of the Beach Boys. With Paul Dano, John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks. (2 hrs.) PG-13.
“The Nightmare” — A documentary exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. Directed by Rodney Ascher. (1:31) NR.
“Police Story: Lockdown” — A police captain sees his daughter for the first time in years to meet her fiance, a club owner who has his own plans for the evening. With Jackie Chan, Jing Tian and Liu Ye. Written and directed by Ding Sheng. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (1:48) NR.
“Results” — A recent divorcee who is newly rich but utterly miserable gets mixed up with a self-styled gym guru and an acerbic trainer. With Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders and Kevin Corrigan. Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. (1:45) R.
“Something Better to Come” — A documentary about an 11-year-old girl growing up on a massive junkyard outside Moscow. Directed by Hanna Polak. In Russian with English subtitles. (1:44) NR.
“Spy” — When her partner falls off the grid and another top agent is compromised, a deskbound CIA analyst is sent into the field to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer. With Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne. Written and directed by Paul Feig. (2 hrs.) R.
“Testament of Youth” — A young Englishwoman comes of age during WWI and experiences the horrors of war firsthand as a military nurse. With Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington and Taron Egerton. Written by Juliette Towhidi. Directed by James Kent. (2:09) PG-13.
“Uncertain Terms” — A 30-year-old man escapes his crumbling marriage by retreating to his aunt’s countryside home for pregnant teens. With David Dahlbom, India Menuez and Caitlin Mehner. Written by Nathan Silver, Chloe Domont and Cody Stokes. Directed by Silver. (1:14) NR.
“United Passions” — A biopic about the founders of FIFA, the international governing body for soccer and the World Cup. With Tim Roth, Sam Neill and Gerard Depardieu. Written by Frederic Auburtin and Jean-Paul Delfino. Directed by Auburtin. (1:50) NR.
“We Are Still Here” — Following the death of their college-age son, a couple relocate to a sleepy New England town where all is not as it seems. With Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig and Lisa Marie. Written and directed by Ted Geoghegan. (1:24) NR.
“Wild Horses” — A Texas ranger reopens a 15-year-old missing-persons case after uncovering clues linking a local boy’s death to a wealthy family man. With Robert Duvall, James Franco and Josh Hartnett. Written and directed by Duvall. (1:40) NR.
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CRITICS’ CHOICES
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“Ex Machina” — Shrewdly imagined and persuasively made, this is a spooky piece of speculative fiction about artificial intelligence that’s completely plausible, capable of thinking big thoughts and providing pulp thrills. But even saying that doesn’t do full justice to this quietly unnerving Alex Garland film starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander. (K.Tu., April 10) (1:50) R.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” — Words are not really the point when it comes to dealing with this barn-burner of a post-apocalyptic extravaganza in which sizzling, unsettling images are the order of the day. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are the leads, but the real star is filmmaker George Miller. (K.Tu., May 15) In 3-D. (2 hrs.) R.
“When Marnie Was There” — This story of two lonely girls and the strange bond between them is the latest animated feature from Japan’s Studio Ghibli but does not fall neatly into any conventional narrative category. But that doesn’t get in the way of it being visually spectacular. (K.Tu., May 22) (1:43) PG.
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ALSO IN THEATERS
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“5 Flights Up” — That “5 Flights Up” exists and stars acting treasures Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman feels like a minor miracle. What a pleasure to see a simple, finely tuned dramedy about real adults with real emotions in a real-life situation. (Gary Goldstein, May 8) (1:32) PG-13.
“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” — Echoes of the hilarious ineptitude of Woody Allen’s “Take the Money and Run” and the historic kookiness of “Forrest Gump” turn up throughout this film starring Sweden’s beloved comic actor Robert Gustafsson. It’s a hoot and a half. (B.S., May 8) In English, Spanish, French, German, Swedish, Italian and Russian, with English subtitles. (1:54) R.
“Aloha” — A military contractor returns to the site of his greatest career triumph and reconnects with an old flame while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog assigned to him. With Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe. (1:45) PG-13.
“The Apu Trilogy” — New 4K restorations of “Pather Panchali,” “Aparajito” and “The World of Apu,” which together follow a boy in rural India through his manhood to his marriage and move to the city. Written and directed by Satyajit Ray. In Bengali with English subtitles. (2:05 / 1:49 / 1:45) NR.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” — It would be silly to pretend that this latest Marvel superhero epic isn’t good at what it does, or that the evil Ultron isn’t a fine villain. However, as the ideal vehicle for our age of instant gratification, it disappears without a trace almost as soon as it’s consumed. (K.Tu., April 30) In 3-D and Imax. (2:21) PG-13.
“Barely Lethal” — A teenage special-ops agent yearning for a normal adolescence fakes her death, assumes the role of an exchange student and comes to learn that high school has its own perils. With Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Alba. Written by John D’Arco. Directed by Kyle Newman. (1:40) PG-13.
“Brother’s Keeper” — In 1950s rural Georgia, two twin brothers fight for survival after being set up by the most powerful family in town. With Alex Miller, Graham Miller and Mackenzie Mauzy. Written by Josh Mills and Briana Hartman. Directed by Mills and T.J. Amato.(1:58) PG-13.
“The Connection” — Add the word “French” to the title of director Cedric Jimenez’s period policier and you get this film’s intended spiritual antecedent: William Friedkin’s 1971 classic of vulgar New York cops against sophisticated European heroin traffickers. Jimenez affects the gritty, grainy vibe of that era’s thrillers, but the postmodern wink is always there. (Robert Abele, May 15) In French with English subtitles. (2:15) R.
“Far From the Madding Crowd” — This adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel starring an excellent Carey Mulligan is a far lighter examination of the emotional crosscurrents of love and desire that the author dove into so deeply. Less angst, less heart. And like unrequited love, one can’t help but lament what might have been. (B.S., May 1) (1:58) PG-13.
“Gemma Bovery” — A British beauty and her husband move to a charming old farmhouse in France, where her life begins to parallel Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary.” With Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng and Fabrice Luchini. Written by Anne Fontaine and Pascal Bonitzer. Directed by Fontaine. (1:39) R.
“Good Kill” — Form matches content in this movie about the desensitizing effects of drone warfare. Repeated, suffocating scenes of remote warfare make you acutely aware of the soul-draining despair felt by Ethan Hawke’s pilot protagonist. You will possess a clearer understanding of the ins and outs, the pros and cons of drone warfare after viewing “Good Kill,” but the arguments sometimes feel like talking points awkwardly wedged into the action. (Glenn Whipp, May 15) (1:43) R.
“Heaven Knows What” — A heroin-addicted panhandler on the streets of New York City can’t get drugs or her toxic boyfriend out of her system. With Ron Braunstein, Caleb Landry-Jones and Eleonore Hendricks. Written by Ronald Bronstein and Joshua Safdie. Directed by Joshua Safdie and Ben Safdie. (1:34) NR.
“Hot Pursuit” — This new female buddy comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara is so bad even die-hard misogynists would be offended. It’s so bad it will go down as Academy-award winning Witherspoon’s worst movie, at least for the foreseeable future. It’s so bad it will keep “Modern Family” star Vergara locked up tight in her sexy over-the-top Colombian comedian cliche box. It’s an equal-opportunity fiasco. (B.S., May 8) (1:27) PG-13.
“I’ll See You in My Dreams” — There is something about Blythe Danner’s on-screen essence that is perfect for the gently aged widow she plays in her first leading role in years. The 72-year-old actress uses her mix of flinty, flighty and fragile to draw us into a story and a life shaken and stirred by a death. It is a film that gets to the heart of things like loss and love without patronizing or parody. (B.S., May 15) (1:35) PG-13.
“In the Name of My Daughter” — Though it’s set within the French Riviera’s casino wars of the 1970s, it might be something of a spoiler to say Catherine Deneuve’s seventh feature with director Andre Techine is a true-crime story. For most of its running time, it’s a tripartite character study, dry but oddly alluring. Then the director switches gears and takes a 30-year leap to a murder trial. None of it is quite satisfying, but striking moments develop along the way. (Sheri Linden, May 15) In French with English subtitles. (1:56) R.
“Iris” — The late Albert Maysles was one of America’s great documentarians, a force in the field for nearly six decades, but his latest film has got to be one of his most charming. With her trademark huge round glasses and her genius for costume jewelry, the 93-year-old Iris Apfel could qualify as the world’s oldest fashionista. But when she talks, you want to listen. (K.Tu., May 6) (1:18) PG-13.
“Marie’s Story” — A biographical drama about Marie Heurtin, a young deaf and blind woman who became a dedicated nun in 19th century France. With Isabelle Carre, Ariana Rivoire and Brigitte Catillon. Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Ameris. In French with English subtitles. (1:34) NR.
“Pitch Perfect 2” — The comedy choir wars are more intense, more absurd and more low-brow fun than ever in this sequel, still securely anchored by Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow as the defining members of a top-ranked college a cappella group. Hailee Steinfeld proves a very good addition to the chorus line; her Emily is key to freshening up a fairly predictable plot. And Elizabeth Banks is impressive in her feature directing debut. (B.S., May 15) (1:56) PG-13.
“Poltergeist” — Directed by Gil Kenan, this remake is a disconcertingly uneven outing, not quite connecting in the manner of the 1982 original while also never standing firmly on its own two feet. The new “Poltergeist” is a pleasant enough diversion, better as a low-simmer suspense story than a full-blown effects extravaganza. (M.O., May 23) In 3-D. (1:31) PG-13.
“Saint Laurent” — There’s good cause to shake the biopic form out of its exhaustively linear rut, and Bertrand Bonello’s film starring Gaspard Ulliel as the storied French designer valiantly tries. Bonello trusts that you know why Yves Saint Laurent was game-changing and scandalous, which leaves lots of time for intimate, drawn-out scenes of dress creation and recreational indulgence but little in the way of dramatic purpose. (Robert Abele, May 8) In French with English subtitles. (2:30) R.
“San Andreas” — When a massive earthquake strikes California, a helicopter pilot and his estranged wife travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their daughter. With Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario. Written by Carlton Cuse. Directed by Brad Peyton. In 3-D. (1:54) PG-13.
“Seeds of Time” — A documentary following scientist Cary Fowler as he travels the globe collecting seeds to preserve crop diversity and potentially avert an agricultural catastrophe. Directed by Sandy McLeod. (1:17) NR.
“Sunset Edge” — Four aimless suburban teens while away their time at an abandoned trailer park, where a young man whose father has recently died also searches for answers. With Gilberto Padilla, Jacob Ingle and Haley McKnight. Written and directed by Daniel Peddle. (1:27) NR.
“Survivor” — After being framed for a terrorist bombing, a Foreign Service officer must evade capture and stop the real perpetrators’ master plan. With Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan and Dylan McDermott. Written by Philip Shelby. Directed by James McTeigue. (1:36) PG-13.
“Tomorrowland”— As much as you wish it were otherwise, the George Clooney-starring futuristic tale directed by Brad Bird only works in fits and starts. Summer tentpoles are rarely guilty of overreaching, but this one is finally more ambitious than accomplished. (K.Tu., May 22) In Imax. (2:10) PG.
“The True Cost” — A documentary about the rise of fast fashion and its consequences for the environment and human welfare. Directed by Andrew Morgan. (1:32) PG-13.
“Unfreedom” — In parallel stories in New York and New Delhi, an Islamist terrorist kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar to silence him while a young woman resists her devout father’s efforts to force her into an arranged marriage. With Victor Banerjee, Bhanu Uday and Bhavani Lee. Written and directed by Raj Amit Kumar. (1:42) NR.
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