Movie guide: Dann Gire previews Nicholas Sparks' 'Longest Ride'

Coming Friday: Based on Nicholas Sparks' novel, “The Longest Ride” is about two couples brought together in a love story that begins when a box of old letters set Luke and Sophia on a path to discover the real meaning of love. Also opening: “Desert Dancing” and “Marfa Girl.”

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

“The Imitation Game” — 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. ★ ★ ★ ★

“It Follows” — David Robert Mitchell's nifty little horror tale is a sexually driven plot about a teenager (Maika Monroe) who has sex with a cursed young man and becomes the target of an unknown force that can take on the appearance of any person. If it catches her, she dies. Scary stuff! (R) L, N, S, V. 94 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” — 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. ★ ★ ★

“Paddington” — 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. ★ ★ ★

“‘71” — A British soldier (Jack O'Connell) becomes lost during a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. He must survive the night through a disorientating, alien, deadly landscape. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (R) L, V. 100 minutes. ★ ★ ★

“While We're Young” — Noah Baumbach's carefully calibrated examination of aging and the fear of obsolescence. A forty-something couple (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) befriend a much younger couple (Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried), who remind them of lost youth and opportunities never taken. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. At the Century Centre in Chicago. (R) L. 94 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

“Wild Tales” — 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. (R) L, S, V. 122 minutes. ★ ★ ★

Passables

“American Sniper” — 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. ★ ★ ½

“Cinderella” — Shakespearean actor/director Kenneth Branagh directs a visually sumptuous but dramatically inert, albeit updated, live-action fairy tale about a young woman (Lily James) and her evil stepmother (Cate Blanchett). Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG) 112 minutes. ★ ★

“Danny Collins” — A long-lost letter from none other than John Lennon and Yoko Ono prompts an aging rock star to take a hard look at his life and try to reconnect with the son he never knew. Al Pacino charms as the title rocker in a sweet but ultimately shallow story. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (R) L, N, D. 106 minutes. ★ ★ ½

“Furious 7” — Overstuffed and overlong with nonaction scenes dragged down by stilted dialogue. But this movie buzzes with a frenetic energy so contagious, there's no sense in resisting it. It's also not afraid to honor original star, the late Paul Walker. Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, Jason Statham and Djimon Hounsou join series regulars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and others in an action-packed tale of packaged action. Reviewed by Jen Chaney, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, V. 140 minutes. ★ ★ ½

“Get Hard” — James (Will Ferrell), a financier convicted of fraud, hires nice-guy family man Darnell (Kevin Hart) to get him prepped for prison because, well, he just assumes the black guy washing his car must have experience behind bars. What follows is a dumb-funny buddy comedy that sends up stereotypes, but wallows in a few of its own. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L, N, S, D. 100 minutes. ★ ★

“Home” — A girl searching for her mom and a misfit alien in need of a friend team up in an animated adventure sure to please the kiddies. Still, the sci-fi buddy tale never quite takes off, despite the voice talents of Rihanna and Jim Parsons. Reviewed by Sandie Angulo Chen, Washington Post. (PG) 94 minutes. ★ ★ ½

“Insurgent” — Sequel to “Divergent” brings back Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) to battle Jeanine (Kate Winslet) for the city (Chicago) in a story devoid of nuance and detail. Like “Transformers,” it's strong on eye-popping visuals and short on all else. (PG-13) L, S, V. 119 minutes. ★ ★

“McFarland, USA” — 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. ★ ★ ½

“Run All Night” — Standard-issue Liam Neeson thriller about a former hit man who protects his son (Joel Kinnaman) from a ruthless mob boss (Ed Harris) and a hired assassin (Common). Never boring, but never as smart or inventive as it needs to be. (R) D, L, S. ★ ★

“Salt of the Earth” — Wim Wenders and Juliano Salgado direct a documentary about photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has witnessed international conflicts, starvation and mass exodus. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. At the Century Centre in Chicago. (PG-13) N, V. 110 minutes. ★ ★

“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” — 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. ★ ★ ½

“The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge Out of Water” — 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. ★ ★

“Still Alice” — 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. ★ ★ ½

“Woman in Gold” — A pushy, heavy-handed drama based on the true story of an elderly Jewish woman (Helen Mirren) who sets out to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis during World War II with help from a nerdy attorney (Ryan Reynolds). Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) L. 110 minutes. ★ ★ ½

Pits

“The DUFF” — 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 stars

“Fifty Shades of Grey” — E.L. James' best-seller comes to the big screen with Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as kinky lovers into bondage and S&M. (R) L, N, S. 110 minutes. ★ ½

“The Gunman” — Sometimes inadvertently comical overdone thriller about a hitman (a beefed-up Sean Penn, also producer and co-writer) who goes legit, but his past catches up to him. With Javier Bardem playing his bored friend. (R) L, S, V. 115 minutes. ★ ½

Unpreviewed

“Detective Byomkesh Bakshy” — The first adventure of Detective Byomkesh (Sushant Singh Rajput), fresh out of college, pitting himself against an evil genius out to destroy the world. In Hindi. (NR) 135 minutes.

“Do You Believe?” — Mira Sorvino and Sean Astin star in a drama about a Christian pastor's actions that impact the lives of 12 people. (PG-13) V. 115 minutes.

“Electric Slide” — Director Tristan Patterson's take on Eddie Dodson (Jim Sturgess), a real-life bank robber who drove a black '63 Ford Galaxy LTD and dressed with elegance. Eddie robbed 64 banks, a record. With Chloë Sevigny and Patricia Arquette. (R) L, N, S, V. 95 minutes.

“Last Knights” — Promoted as an “epic, sword-clashing adventure of loyalty, honor, and vengeance” starring Clive Owen as a warrior taking on a corrupt and sadistic ruler. With Morgan Freeman. (R) V. 115 minutes.

“NH10” — A suspense drama about a woman who barely escapes assault by a group of men, only to see it happening to another woman later. Can she help? (Hint: yes, she can!) In Hindi. (NR) 115 minutes.

“Superfast” — Just in time to capitalize on the “Furious 7” release comes a “Fast and Furious” parody from the satirical guys behind “Scary Movie,” “Date Movie,” “Epic Movie” and “Disaster Movie.” (PG-13) L, S, V. 99 minutes.