Movies: Neeson on the 'Run;' 'Cinderella' lush, but lifeless

Coming Friday in Time out! Liam Neeson and “Cinderella” battle it out at the box office this weekend. Dann Gire reviews Liam Neeson's new action thriller “Run All Night” but gives the box office edge to Walt Disney's live-action version of the classic fairy tale starring Lily James as Ella and Cate Blanchett as the Wicked Stepmother.

Movie guide

Four stars: superior. Three stars: good. Two stars: average. One star: poor. D (drug use), L (language), N (nudity), S (sexual situations, references), V (violence). Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald Film Critic, unless otherwise noted.

Picks

“Birdman” — Winner of best picture and best director Oscars, this original, moving and fascinating movie features a stellar performance by Michael Keaton as a former superhero movie star, now a Broadway actor/director attempting a major comeback to redeem his artistic soul. With Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. (R) L, S, V. 119 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★#8220;Black or White#8221; #8212; A young girl (Jillian Estell) becomes involved in a custody battle between her maternal grandfather (Kevin Costner) and her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer). Reviewed by Jordan Mintzner, Hollywood Reporter. (PG-13) D, L, V. 121 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;#8220;The Grand Budapest Hotel#8221; #8212; Wes Anderson's delightful comic romp won Oscars for best production design, score, makeup and costumes. A hotel manager (a comical Ralph Fiennes) seduces much older women to stay financially afloat. (R) L, S, V. 99 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;#8220;The Imitation Game#8221; #8212; Chicago writer Graham Moore won an Oscar for this wonderfully wrought fact-based drama about brilliant British mathematician Alan Turing (cool chameleon Benedict Cumberbatch) and his mission to break the Nazi Enigma code and win World War II. Keira Knightley and Mark Strong star. (PG-13) S. 114 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;#8220;Kingsman: The Secret Service#8221; #8212; Matthew Vaughn directs a seriously violent but goofy parody of 007 movies with dapper Colin Firth as a spiffy agent bringing a promising street kid (newcomer Taron Egerton) in to fight a megalomaniac techie (Samuel L. Jackson) bent on destroying civilization. (R) L, N, V. 115 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #8220;A Most Violent Year#8221; #8212; J.C. Chandor's excellent examination of a moral man's strength as the new owner (Oscar Isaac) of a New York oil company threatened by corruption and greed in 1981 deals with violence, legal persecution and family threats. With Jessica Chastain. (R) L, V. 110 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;#8220;Paddington#8221; #8212; A delightful, witty family comedy about a lovable bear (voiced by Ben Wishaw) who moves in with a human family in London. Nicole Kidman plays a 21st-century version of Cruella de Vil. Starring Hugh Bonneville. (PG) 95 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #8220;Selma#8221; #8212; Ava DuVernay's portrait of the civil rights movement avoids mythmaking and steers toward focused realism and continued relevance. As Martin Luther King Jr., David Oyelowo leads Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tim Roth. Oscar winner for best song, #8220;Glory.#8221; Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 127 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12; #8220;The Theory of Everything#8221; #8212; Superb performances by best actor Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and nominee Felicity Jones highlight this conflict-challenged drama based on the romance (and marriage) between British physicist Stephen Hawking and fellow Cambridge University student Jane Wilde. (PG-13) S. 123 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #8220;These Final Hours#8221; #8212; Zak Hilditch's low-budget but effective examination of a man (Nathan Phillips) and his choices with 12 hours left before the world dies. A tough, rough Australian drama co-starring Sarah Snook. (NR) D, L, N, S, V. 87 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #8220;Whiplash#8221; #8212; J.K. Simmons won an Oscar for his performance as the obsessed, self-centered conductor of a conservatory jazz band. Miles Teller plays the student drummer pushed to the edge by the manipulative teacher. Excellent work all around. (R) L. 106 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;#8220;Wild#8221; #8212; Oscar nominee Reese Witherspoon stars as a troubled woman who hikes 1,300 miles on a journey of self-discovery to find peace and redemption from a life of loss and emptiness following the death of her mother. Based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed. A time-shifting drama directed with aplomb by Jean-Marc Vallee. (R) D, L, N, S. 115 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;Wild Tales#8221; #8212; Argentine filmmaker Damian Szifron connects six short stories about regular folks wigging out of control with violent consequences. Shrewd, sharp and visually mounted well. Oscar nominee for best foreign language movie. Great opening, good ending, adequate in-between. In Spanish with subtitles. At Chicago's River East 21 and Century Centre, plus Evanston's Century 18. (R) L, S, V. 122 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; Passables#8220;American Sniper#8221; #8212; Clint Eastwood's technically well-crafted bio-drama about SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) starts out strong, then launches into context-challenged conflicts while his worried wife (Sienna Miller) waits at home. Winner of the Sound Editing Oscar. (R) L, V. 134 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;Focus#8221; #8212; A smooth con artist (Will Smith) takes a sexy novice (Margot Robbie) under his wing in one of those #8220;nothing is what it seems#8221; con tales that quickly ups the realism ante to ridiculous and fakey extremes. (R) L, S, V. 105 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;Hot Tub Time Machine 2#8221; #8212; Nick and Jacob help Lou by going to the future, which must be altered to save the past, which is really the present! Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clarke Duke and Adam Scott star. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 93 minutes. #9733; #9733; #8220;Kidnapping Mr. Heineken#8221; #8212; Underwhelming, fact-based drama about the 1983 abduction of Freddy Heineken (Anthony Hopkins) by childhood buds turned desperate capitalists. With Jim Sturgess and Sam Worthington. (R) L. 95 minutes. #9733; #9733; #8220;McFarland, USA#8221; #8212; A white cross country coach (Kevin Costner) inspires Hispanic high school runners to go all the way to the California state meet. A workable formula sports underdog drama. (PG) 128 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb#8221; #8212; Vapid, superficial kiddie nip in which Larry (Ben Stiller) travels to London's British Museum to stop a curse that's going to cease the magic transformation of his New York exhibit friends. With the late Robin Williams, Rebel Wilson and Owen Wilson. (PG) 90 minutes. #9733; #9733; #8220;The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel#8221; #8212; Pleasant but underpowered sequel to a sentimental tale of aging Brits finding a new lease on life in India. Americans Richard Gere and David Strathairn join Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and the other cast members still residing at the hotel, managed by Dev Patel's capitalistic young co-owner. (PG) 122 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge Out of Water#8221; #8212; The absorbent hero must restore order at the Krusty Krab, unable to crank out its beloved Krabby Patties. This 3-D animated comedy sequel lacks the infectious absurdity of the TV series and the previous 2004 movie. Reviewed by Jen Chaney, Washington Post. (PG) 93 minutes. #9733; #9733; #8220;Still Alice#8221; #8212; Best actress Oscar winner Julianne Moore stars as a college professor stricken with Alzheimer's disease. With Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin and Kate Bosworth. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, S. 99 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;#8220;Taken 3#8221; #8212; Liam Neeson returns with his particular set of skills to avenge his ex-wife's murder and clear his name. Needless to say, he leaves a lot of bodies in his wake. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, V. 109 minutes. #9733; #9733; Pits#8220;Chappie#8221; #8212; A police robot, programmed to think for itself, becomes a target for political forces that demand its strict obedience to orders. Neill Blomkamp's dumb, hyperviolent sci-fi thriller features an underused Dev Patel and painful performances by Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) L, N, V. 114 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;The DUFF#8221; #8212; A hopelessly retrograde comedy drag about a high school senior (Mae Whitman) who reinvents herself so she'll stop being a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, S. 101 minutes. Zero starsspan class="stars">#8220;Fifty Shades of Grey#8221; #8212; E.L. James' best-seller comes to the big screen with Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as kinky lovers into bondage and SM. (R) L, N, S. 110 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;Jupiter Ascending#8221; #8212; Chicago's Wachowski siblings construct an outer space princess fantasy devoid of charm, thrills and internal common sense. A Chicago cleaning woman (Mila Kunis) discovers she is intergalactic royalty and a target for three odd siblings vying for their mother's throne. With Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean. (PG-13) N, V. 125 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;The Lazarus Effect#8221; #8212; In a modern-day take on the #8220;Frankenstein#8221; story, researchers Zoe and Frank (Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass) discover how to bring the dead back to life. But when Frank #8212; get it? #8212; needs to use the drug on Zoe, bad things happen. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) S, V. 83 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;Project Almanac#8221; #8212; High school buds find a device that enables them to time-travel. Enough with the #8220;found footage#8221; movies, please. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S. 120 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;Unfinished Business#8221; #8212; Ken Scott's comedy about U.S. businessmen (led by former Buffalo Grove resident Vince Vaughn) whose important trip to Europe goes horribly wrong. Also stars Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco and Sienna Miller. (R) D, L, N, S. 90 minutes. #9733; frac12;#8220;The Wedding Ringer#8221; #8212; A disappointingly bawdy farce about a lonely guy (Josh Gad) who hires a wedding specialist (Kevin Hart) to pose as his best man. Reviewed by Jen Chaney, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S. 101 minutes. #9733; frac12;Unpreviewed#8220;A La Maia#8221; #8212; An attractive actress hires herself out as a lure to test the fidelity of taken men, only to fall for one herself! In Spanish with subtitles. (PG-13) L, N, S. 106 minutes.#8220;Bad Asses 2#8221; #8212; Danny Glover and Danny Trejo play middle-aged vigilantes out to avenge the murder of a young boxer. (R) L, N, S, V. 90 minutes.#8220;Badlapur#8221; #8212; A boy seeks revenge against the people who murdered his love. In Hindi. (NR) 135 minutes.#8220;Out of the Dark#8221; #8212; Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman and Stephen Rea star in a ghost story about a family confronting a terrible secret. (R) V. 92 minutes. Not screened for critics.#8220;Two Men in Town#8221; #8212; Forest Whitaker plays a penitent released convict who runs across Harvey Keitel's unforgiving, ruthless sheriff determined to put him away. With Brenda Blethyn and Ellen Burstyn. (R) L. 120 minutes.