NEW THIS WEEK
Letter grades are listed only when a review is available.
ALIENOID An ancient swordsman seeking a legendary blade crosses paths with modern-era people hunting for a dangerous alien in this time-hopping sci-fi action tale from South Korea. Not rated. 142 mins. In Korean with subtitles. In wide release.
(B-) ANONYMOUS CLUB This documentary about publicity-shy Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett feels like a movie about someone who doesn’t really want to be in a movie. Its best moments are those that detail how fans relate to the singer’s punky poetry. Not rated (some coarse language and mature thematic material). 83 mins. At the Texas Theatre.
(B+) BREAKING In this gripping crime thriller based on a true story, a struggling Marine veteran (John Boyega) takes several bank employees hostage, setting up a showdown with police. It’s a chilling, heartbreaking portrait of a man teetering on the brink of despair. Also starring Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Michael K. Williams and Connie Britton. PG-13 (for some violent content and strong language). 103 mins. In wide release.
INTO THE DEEP In this action thriller, a young woman (Ella-Rae Smith) falls for a mysterious stranger (Matthew Daddario) and sets out on a romantic sailing trip. But her journey takes a turn for the worse. Also starring Jessica Alexander. R (for violence, drug use, some sexual content, nudity and language throughout). 91 mins. At Studio Movie Grill Spring Valley.
THE INVITATION A young woman (Nathalie Emmanuel) is courted by a wealthy aristocrat after the death of her mother, but she soon discovers a dangerous conspiracy is afoot. PG-13 (for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and partial nudity). 105 mins. In wide release.
JANE A high school senior (Madelaine Petsch) launches a social media war after being deferred from her dream college. Also starring Chloe Bailey and Melissa Leo. R (for language and some teen drug/alcohol use). 80 mins. At AMC Stonebriar in Frisco, AMC Mesquite and AMC Grapevine Mills.
(A-) MY OLD SCHOOL This engaging documentary follows the legendary student career of Brandon Lee, who enrolled at a Glasgow high school in 1993 under false pretenses. It’s a film that will be best enjoyed if viewers refrain from searching the plot twist online before watching. Featuring Alan Cumming. Not rated. 104 mins. At the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
THE TERRITORY This documentary follows an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest as it fights against deforestation brought by illegal settlers and farmers. PG (for thematic material, some smoking, brief nudity and language). 83 mins. In Portuguese and Tupi, with subtitles. At the Dallas and Plano Angelikas, AMC Mesquite and AMC Grapevine Mills.
(C-) THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING A scholar (Tilda Swinton) travels to Istanbul and discovers a djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom in director George Miller’s ponderous and heavy shot of One Thousand and One Nights-adjacent whimsy. R (for brief violence, some sexual content and graphic nudity). 108 mins. In wide release.
COMING NEXT WEEK
GIGI AND NATE After an illness leaves him quadriplegic, a young man (Charlie Rowe) finds renewed hope thanks to his service animal, a capuchin monkey. PG-13 (for language and some thematic material). 114 mins.
THE GOOD BOSS The owner (Javier Bardem) of an industrial company tries to resolve problems with his workers before an important visit from an awards committee in this Spanish comedy-drama. Not rated. 116 mins. In Spanish with subtitles.
HONK FOR JESUS, SAVE YOUR SOUL In this satirical comedy, a megachurch pastor (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife (Regina Hall) seek to rebuild their congregation after a scandal. R (for language and some sexual content). 102 mins.
THREE MINUTES: A LENGTHENING Helena Bonham Carter narrates this documentary that unravels the stories behind a three-minute home movie shot by a man in a Jewish town in Poland in 1938, shortly before the horrors of the Holocaust were unleashed. PG (for thematic material involving the Holocaust). 69 mins.
WIRE ROOM Federal agents (Kevin Dillon and Bruce Willis) seek to rescue a source (Oliver Trevena) who’s wearing a wire. R (for pervasive language and strong violence). 97 mins.
CURRENT RELEASES
BEAST A father (Idris Elba) and his two teen daughters are stalked by a lion at a South African game reserve. Also starring Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries. R (for violent content, bloody images and some language). 93 mins.
(B) THE BLACK PHONE After being abducted by a serial killer (Ethan Hawke) and locked in a basement, a 13-year-old boy (played by newcomer Mason Thames of McKinney) starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the spirits of the killer’s previous victims. The Black Phone is a satisfying balancing act of a movie that has elements of supernatural, psychological suspense and horror. It also has one of the most satisfying endings of a horror-thriller in recent years. R (for violence, bloody images, language and some drug use). 102 mins.
(A) BODIES BODIES BODIES In this silly-smart and wildly entertaining horror comedy, wealthy 20-somethings head to a remote mansion for a hurricane party that turns deadly. The deeply self-aware film reinterprets traditional horror tropes to send up Generation Z, perfectly capturing this bleak, absurd moment in time. Starring Amandla Stenberg, Pete Davidson, Chase Sui Wonders, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott and Lee Pace. R (for violence, bloody images, drug use, sexual references and pervasive language). 95 mins.
BULLET PROOF After stealing a huge sum of money from a mob boss, a thief finds that the mobster’s pregnant wife is a stowaway in his getaway car. The two then set out to evade the mobster’s squad of hit men and bounty hunters. Starring Vinnie Jones, Lina Lecompte, Philip Granger and Glenn Ennis. R (for violence). 81 mins.
(C-) BULLET TRAIN Five assassins on the same train realize their missions might be connected in this action thriller that is mostly two opposite things at once: breezily lighthearted and overwrought; hyperenergetic and lazy; bracingly fresh and drearily derivative. R (for strong and bloody violence, pervasive crude language and brief sexuality). 126 mins.
(B-) DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS In this animated tale, Superman’s dog Krypto leads a team of other superpowered animals to save the Justice League after they’re captured by Lex Luthor. It’s a funny, sweet refresh on the DC lore that should please fans old and new. PG (for action, mild violence, language and rude humor). 106 mins.
DELIA’S GONE After serving time in prison for the slaying of his sister, a man (Stephan James) with an intellectual disability sets out to find her real killer. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Genelle Williams, Paul Walter Hauser and Travis Fimmel. R (for some violent content and language). 90 mins.
(B) DRAGON BALL SUPER: SUPER HERO In the latest animated tale in the Dragon Ball series, the Red Ribbon Army returns with a pair of dangerous androids. While nothing groundbreaking, the film mostly finds a sweet spot between fan service and narrative heft. PG-13 (for some action/violence and smoking). 100 mins. In English and Japanese, with subtitles.
EASTER SUNDAY Stand-up comedian Jo Koy stars as a man returning home for an Easter celebration with his Filipino- American family. PG-13 (for some strong language and suggestive references.) 96 mins.
(A-) ELVIS In this sprawling pop epic, director Baz Luhrmann takes Elvis Presley’s legacy, relegated to a Las Vegas gag, and reminds us just how dangerous, sexy and downright revolutionary the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was. At the center of the film, Austin Butler delivers a fully transformed, star-making turn as Presley. PG-13 (for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material and smoking). 159 mins.
EMERGENCY DECLARATION Police investigate a terrorism suspect and the mysterious death of a passenger on a plane en route from South Korea to the United States. Not rated. 138 mins. In Korean with subtitles.
(A-) EMILY THE CRIMINAL Down on her luck and deep in debt, a woman (Aubrey Plaza) gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into Los Angeles’ criminal underworld in this nail-biter that makes the most of Plaza’s tough side. Also starring Theo Rossi. R (for brief drug use, some violence and language). 93 mins.
(C) FALL If sweaty palms were the sole measure of a film’s greatness, then this thriller — which centers on two young women (Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner) stranded atop a rickety 2,000-foot-tall TV tower in the middle of nowhere — could be some kind of masterpiece. The film ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable degree before releasing it in a torrent of nausea and nerves. Just keep telling yourself: “It’s only a stupid movie.” Also starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan. PG-13 (for bloody images, strong language and intense peril). 107 mins.
(B-) JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION The casts from two generations of Jurassic Park films — Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill — unite for the first time in a world where dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the globe. The film is laden with nostalgia, made up of nods to the original films and other action adventure classics. As a goodbye note to the franchise, it’s heartfelt, if a bit limpid, giving preference to references over storytelling. PG-13 (for intense sequences of action, some violence and language). 146 mins.
LUCK In this animated film, an unlucky young woman (voiced by Eva Noblezada) seeks to turn her fortunes around with the help of magical creatures in the Land of Luck. G. 105 mins.
(C) MACK AND RITA After a wild weekend at a bachelorette party, a 30-year-old writer (Elizabeth Lail) awakens to find that she has transformed into a 70-year-old (Diane Keaton) in this nonsensical story that ditches character establishment and a clear conflict for fish-out-of-water physical comedy and some vaguely affirmative lessons about learning to be yourself. But Keaton is entertaining as always. Also starring Taylour Paige, Dustin Milligan and Martin Short. PG-13 (for language, some drug use and sexual references). 95 mins.
(B-) MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU The fifth entry in the animated Despicable Me franchise offers a slight but satisfying origin story for 12-year-old Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) as he seeks to become the world’s greatest supervillain. This is a perfectly painless romp that should enthrall kids, entertain adults and keep Minions cosplayers employed for many a birthday party to come. PG (for some action/ violence and rude humor). 87 mins.
(B-) MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS A widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville) in 1950s London scrimps and saves to travel to Paris to buy her dream Dior dress in this feel-good fashion fairy tale. The narrative is gossamer thin, and the characterizations at times feel facile and patronizing. But Manville is a pleasure to watch. PG (for language, suggestive material and smoking). 115 mins.
(A-) NOPE Writer-director Jordan Peele delivers another genre-disrupting masterpiece in this story of a small California town encountering a mysterious force that affects human and animal behavior. Peele’s intellectual, curious and playful perspective has become vital, and necessary, for the horror and sci-fi genre to evolve. R (for language throughout and some violence/bloody images). 130 mins.
ORPHAN: FIRST KILL In this prequel to the 2009 horror film Orphan, Esther escapes from an Estonian psychiatric institution and makes her way to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Kennedy Irwin and Julia Stiles. R (for bloody violence, language and brief sexual content). 99 mins.
(C) THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER Facing the threat of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) enlists the help of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who can now wield Thor’s magical hammer. The best thing to say about this middling installment is that its heart is in the right place. But co-writer and director Taika Waititi’s brand of humor and his “twee Thor” have worn out their welcome. PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity). 125 mins.
(A) TOP GUN: MAVERICK In the long-delayed sequel to 1986′s Top Gun, Tom Cruise returns as Navy aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has been trying not to advance in rank for 30 years so he can continue satiating his need for speed. There might be new pilots on deck, but make no mistake: This is a Maverick movie through and through, featuring the kind of nostalgia that delivers everything expected. PG-13 (for sequences of intense action and some strong language). 131 mins.
(B) VENGEANCE B.J. Novak wrote, directed and stars in this surprising, original comedy-thriller about a New York City writer who heads to West Texas for the funeral of a woman with whom he had a casual affair — and then decides to stay. Even when the plot goes off the deep end, viewers can’t help but appreciate Novak’s audacity. R (for language and brief violence). 107 mins.
(C) WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING A young, isolated woman named Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who raised herself in the marshes of North Carolina, becomes a murder suspect in this faithful yet unfulfilling adaptation of the bestselling novel. In checking off all the plot points, the movie version loses what makes the book work, which is the time we spend with Kya. PG-13 (for sexual content and some violence including a sexual assault). 125 mins.
Compiled from staff and wire reports
