Dann's movie guide: 'San Andreas' and 'Aloha' coming to theaters

Will Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's new movie “San Andreas” be a disaster movie, or just a disaster? Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire reviews the visual effect-crammed adventure in Friday's Time out!, along with the newest comic drama from Cameron Crowe, “Aloha,” starring Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone.

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

“I'll See You in My Dreams” — A glowing Blythe Danner stars as a widow putting her toe into the dating pool after 20 years. A smart, quietly affirming romance not too bitter or too sweet. With Sam Elliott and Martin Starr. At the Century and River East 21 in Chicago and the Evanston CineArts 6. (PG-13) D, L, S. 95 minutes. ★ ★ ★

“Mad Max: Fury Road” — George Miller reboots the 1979 Mel Gibson thriller with an emphasis on stunts, action and strong, female heroines. A nonstop action work of art. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star. (R) V. 120 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

“Pitch Perfect 2” — Summer movies are here with this visually vibrant, snappily written production-number-stuffed musical meringue dessert. The Bellas (Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, et. al) get a new member (Hailee Steinfeld) and try to win the World A Cappella Singing Championship in Copenhagen to redeem themselves. (PG-13) L. 114 minutes. ★ ★ ★

“Slow West” — A biting, slyly comical anti-western in which a Scottish teen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) travels to Colorado searching for his true love, not knowing she's got a price on her head and the man helping him out (Michael Fassbender) is really a bounty hunter after her. An impressive first film from John Maclean. (R) L, V. 84 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

“The Water Diviner” — Russell Crowe's directorial debut makes a lean, muscular, ambitious drama about an Australian farmer (Crowe) who travels to Turkey to find the bodies of his three sons, killed in the 1915 battle of Gallipoli. (R) V. 111 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. (R) L. 94 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

Passables

“The Age of Adaline” — A woman (Blake Lively) who's been 29 for almost eight decades meets a man (Michiel Huisman) who reignites her passions. With Kathy Baker and Harrison Ford as William Jones. Jones? Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG-13) S. 110 minutes. ★ ★

“Avengers: The Age of Ultron” — A blithely bloated, belligerently busy and benignly befuddling sequel with visual effects and action scenes beating up the six superheroes, now out to stop an A.I. entity (voiced by James Spader) from wiping out humankind. Style replaces heart here. (PG-13) S, V. 141 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 its 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

“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. ★ ★

“Noble” — Based on the true story of an Irish heroine who escapes the slums of Ireland to become a children's advocate in Vietnam. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG-13) V, S. 100 minutes. ★ ★ ½

“Tomorrowland” — Brad Bird directs a visual-effects heavy, unnecessarily complicated sci-fi tale about a young woman (Britt Robertson) tapped to help a mysterious martial artist (Raffey Cassidy) and a snarly geezer (George Clooney) save the planet from something. A generic commercial for Disneyland. (PG) 107 minutes. ★ ★

“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

“Hot Pursuit” — Ineptly produced, poorly written road/action comedy about a Texas cop (Reese Witherspoon) on the lam trying to keep a high-maintenance court witness (Sofia Vergara) safe from druglord assassins. (PG-13) D, L, S. 87 minutes. ★ ½

“Little Boy” — “Little Boy” Pepper (Jakob Salvati) is willing to do whatever it takes to bring his dad (Michael Rapaport) home alive from World War II. Mostly decent performances are marred by the film's murky vision of theology. With Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) V. 86 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

“Poltergeist” — Really stupid remake of the Toby Hooper-directed/Steven Spielberg-produced haunted house tale about a couple trying to save their daughter from evil forces. With Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt as the parents. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, V. 93 minutes. ★

“Where Hope Grows” — A young man (David DeSanctis) with Down syndrome inspires a disgruntled former professional baseball player (Kristoffer Polaha) to re-evaluate his life. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) D, L, S, V. 95 minutes. ★ ½

Unpreviewed

“Bombay Velvet” — An ordinary man forges his destiny in the City of Dreams during the golden age of Bollywood movies. (NR)

“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. (PG) 95 minutes.

“Tanu Weds Manu Returns” — The year's stupidest movie title so far comes from this romantic comedy involving a case of mistaken identity for a couple married four years ago in “Tanu Weds Manu.” In Hindi with subtitles. (NR)