Russell Crowe's 'Water Diviner' among Dann Gire's movie picks

In Friday's Time Out!: Film critic Dann Gire reviews the award-winning Australian box office hit “The Water Diviner,” directed by Russell Crowe, who stars an Australian farmer who travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to find his three missing sons. Also opening Friday: “Age of Adaline,” “Little Boy” and “Adult Beginners.”

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

“Ex Machina” — Novelist/screenwriter Alex Garland's directorial debut is a smart, enigmatic Frankensteinian trip through the world of A.I. as a young computer expert (Domhnall Gleeson) goes to work for an eccentric, reclusive inventor (Oscar Isaac) in evaluating his newest achievement: a lovely A.I. robot (Alicia Vikander). A discussion of what it means to be human, or close enough. (R) L, N, S, V. 108 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

“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. ★ ★ ★

“Monkey Kingdom” — Disney's fascinating, fun and informative doc is shot and edited like a Hollywood epic adventure with Sri Lanka monkeys fighting rival groups, combating giant monsters (monitors and leopards) and dealing with class struggles. Wonderfully executed, despite a lame script and Tina Fey's tentative, restrained voice-over narration. (G) 85 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

“'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. ★ ★ ★

“True Story” — Performances by Jonah Hill and James Franco highlight this problematic but watchable fact-based drama about a disgraced former New York Times journalist (Hill) who thinks writing a book about an accused family killer (Franco) will be his ticket to redemption. From stage director Rupert Goold. (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

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. ★ ★

“Clouds of Sils Maria” — A famous actress (Juliette Binoche) faces a younger version of herself (Chloe Grace Moretz) on stage in Oliver Assayas' well-acted drama, but one more fun to ponder than to actually sit through. With Kristen Stewart. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. At the Renaissance Place in Highland Park, Century Centre and River East 21 in Chicago and Century 12 Evanston. (R) L, N. 124 minutes. ★ ★ ½

“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

“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

“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

“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 Longest Ride” — A long, dull, predictable drama based on Nicholas Sparks' story about two intertwining couples afflicted with the usual battery of Sparks' complications. With Scott Eastwood and Brittany Robertson. Reviewed by Peter Sobczynski. (PG-13) N, S, V. ★ ½

“Unfriended” — A ghost on social media messes with the lives of teens in what appears to be one single shot. Call it “I Know What You Saw on Facebook Last Summer.” It drags more than clicks. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) D, L, S, V. 82 minutes. ★ ½

Unpreviewed

“Alex of Venice” — A workaholic attorney Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is forced to reinvent her life after her husband suddenly leaves. With Don Johnson and Derek Luke. (R) D, L, S. 86 minutes.

“Child 44” — In 1953, a discredited Soviet secret policeman (Tom Hardy) and his wife (Noomi Rapace) join a general (Gary Oldman) to track down a serial killer preying on young boys. (R) L, S, V. 137 minutes.

“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.

“Mr. X” — A man (Emraan Hashmi) deals with being invisible in this thriller from Bollywood horror director Vikram Bhatt. (NR) 135 minutes.

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” — Mall security cop extraordinaire Paul Blart (Kevin James) heads to Las Vegas with his daughter (Raini Rodriguez). High jinks ensue. Not screened for critics. (PG) 95 minutes.