In the mood for a movie? Check Dann Gire's guide first
As we enter the dog days of summer cinema, choices for new movie viewing experiences this weekend include ultraviolent comic-book level action films “American Ultra” and “Hitman: Agent 47,” or you can opt for the gentler, talkier comic girl drama “Mistress America.” Or, you can check out films detailed below that are already in theaters now.
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
#8220;Amy#8221; #8212; A powerful, emotionally draining documentary on the short life and great talent of jazz and soul performer Amy Winehouse. (R) D, L. 90 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Ant-Man#8221; #8212; Charming Paul Rudd goes superhero in this comical take on the Marvel character who can shrink to the size of insects so he can stop a corporation from creating a #8220;small#8221; army of assassins. With Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and Chicago's Michael Pena on comic overdrive. (PG-13) V. 115 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;The Diary of a Teenage Girl#8221; #8212; Marielle Heller's blistering directorial debut stars Bel Powley as a 15-year-old girl growing up in San Francisco in the 1970s. She wants love but settles for sex #8212; starting with her mother's boyfriend. (R) D, L, N, S. 101 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;End of the Tour#8221; #8212; Intellectually stimulating fact-based drama about a Rolling Stone writer (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his subject, Illinois writer David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal in one of the year's best performances). (R) L, S. 115 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;The Gift#8221; #8212; Joel Edgerton directs, writes, produces and acts in this slick thriller about an old high school classmate who invades the lives of an apparently happy couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall). Nothing is as it appears to be. (R) L. 108 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;I'll See You in My Dreams#8221; #8212; 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. (PG-13) D, L, S. 95 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Inside Out#8221; #8212; Pixar's trippiest, most audacious animated comedy concerns five emotions #8212; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust #8212; who manage the feelings of an 11-year-old female hockey player. With Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith supplying key voices. 82 minutes. (PG) #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Love Mercy#8221; #8212; Bill Pohlad's superlative drama tracing the complex and conflicted life of Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, as played by both Paul Dano and John Cusack. With Elizabeth Banks as Melinda. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG-13) D, L. 120 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Mad Max: Fury Road#8221; #8212; 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. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Max#8221; #8212; Boaz Yakin's #8220;Max#8221; starts off as a fresh, sincere boy-and-his dog drama, but ends with cloying clichés and shallow manipulations. (PG) 111 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Mr. Holmes#8221; #8212; In 1947, an elderly Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) struggles to solve the case that forced him into retirement, with help from a boy (Milo Parker) who has befriended him. Reviewed by Stephanie Merry, Washington Post. (PG) 104 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Shaun the Sheep Movie#8221; #8212; Wonderfully wrought stop-motion animation and hilarious sight gags highlight this charming comedy about a sheep trying to find his missing Farmer in the Big City. A dialogue-challenged work of art. (PG) 85 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Spy#8221; #8212; Supremely hilarious comedy that gives Plainfield's Melissa McCarthy the meatiest role of her movie career as Susan, a CIA analyst who takes a field assignment to avenge the murder of her partner (Jude Law). Part 007 parody, part gross-out comedy, all McCarthy. Directed by Paul Feig of #8220;Bridesmaids#8221; fame. (R) L, N, S, V. 117 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Straight Outta Compton#8221; shy;#8212; Impressive cast and adroit direction elevate this star-is-born tale of revolutionary gangsta rappers N.W.A. The film gains meaning and emotional power by providing vital context behind the rise of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and the others. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 147 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
#8220;Trainwreck#8221; #8212; Comedy Central star Amy Schumer triumphs in Judd Apatow's warm, anarchic romantic comedy about a promiscuous New York journalist who disdains monogamy. With Bill Hader and Brie Larson. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) D, L, N, S. 125 minutes. #9733; #9733; #9733;
Passables
#8220;Cop Car#8221; #8212; Two 10-year-old boys take a corrupt sheriff's car for a joy ride, only to find there's a bound and beaten man in the trunk. Kevin Bacon bristles with creepy energy as the sheriff. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (R) L, V. 88 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;Irrational Man#8221; #8212; Woody Allen recycles more familiar material in this #8220;Shadow of a Doubt#8221;-like tale of a college professor (Joaquin Phoenix) who thinks he can pull off the perfect murder while bedding both his student (Emma Stone) and co-worker (Parker Posey). (R) L, S. 97 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Jurassic World#8221; #8212; Poorly written third sequel to Steven Spielberg's original #8220;Jurassic Park.#8221; When a genetically engineered predator dinosaur escapes on the theme park island, a raptor trainer (a stiff Chris Pratt) and an uptight executive in high heels (Bryce Dallas Howard) try to save her two young nephews from becoming snacks. If you've seen the original #8220;Jurassic Park,#8221; you've seen this one already. (PG-13) V. 123 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;The Man From U.N.C.L.E.#8221; #8212; Guy Ritchie offers up a decent Cold War espionage drama, but fans of the 1960s spy series will sorely miss the TV show's charm and lighter tone. Definitely not your father's #8220;U.N.C.L.E.#8221; Starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. (PG-13) N, V. 116 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;Minions#8221; #8212; The cute and adorable herd of Tater Tots with goggles can't really hold a movie on their own, but this one still packs in a lot of slapstick and baby boomer tunes calculated to win all demographics. The Minions emerge from the dawn of history to find the greatest villain on earth. She's Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock). (PG) 91 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation#8221; #8212; Stunt-stuffed action scenes dominate this overwritten, surprisingly cliched screenplay in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise in top physical form) goes rogue from the disbanded IMF to track down the leader of a ghost organization called (ready?) The Syndicate! (PG-13) N, V. 132 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Paper Towns#8221; #8212; This gentle coming-of-age story has its winning qualities, but it's a bit dull and too dependent on a what-I-learned voice-over narration. When his neighbor Margo disappears, young Quentin and his friends set out to find her using cryptic clues she leaves behind. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (PG-13) D, L, N, S. 109 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;Ricki and the Flash#8221; #8212; Meryl Streep stars in a domestic drama about a middle-aged rocker summoned home to help her estranged daughter (Mamie Gummer, Streep's real daughter) deal with the collapse of her marriage. Great music. Substandard screenplay from Diablo Cody. (PG-13) D, L, S. 102 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;San Andreas#8221; #8212; This loving homage to classically formulaic 1970s disaster movies offers terrific visual effects, but cardboard characters and groaner dialogue. After a 9.5 earthquake hits L.A., a fireman (Dwayne #8220;The Rock#8221; Johnson) must save his estranged wife (Carla Gugino) and daughter (Alexandra Daddario) from the wreckage. (PG-13) L, V. 123 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Southpaw#8221; #8212; Jake Gyllenhaal's performance as a down-and-out boxer is the highlight of Antoine Fuqua's cliche-filled sports drama of redemption. With Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker. (R) L, V. 124 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
#8220;Ted 2#8221; #8212; Big, gross laughs between stretches of disposable material await Seth MacFarlane fans when he returns as the voice of the vulgar bear buddy to John (Mark Wahlberg). Now married, Ted wants to adopt, but the government rules that he's not a person, just property. A squandered opportunity to examine humanity in a society. Giovanni Ribisi returns as Donny. Celebrity cameos abound. (R) D, L, N, S. 115 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;Terminator Genisys#8221; #8212; He's back. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his Terminator from 1984 in a visual effects train wreck of a sci-fi thriller with a confusing alternate timeline plot that not even Fox Mulder could explain. Kyle (Jai Courtney) is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop a T-1000 Terminator from performing the ultimate birth-control by killing Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) before she can bear the savior of humankind John Connor (Jason Clarke). (PG-13) L, N, V. 119 minutes. #9733; #9733;
#8220;Vacation#8221; #8212; Incredibly crass, sporadically funny sequel to John Hughes' 1983 original comedy, starring Ed Helms as Rusty, a doofus dad who takes his squabbling sons and unhappy wife (Christina Applegate) back to Walley World. Comic shocks ensue. (R) L, N, S. 99 minutes. #9733; #9733; frac12;
Pits
#8220;Best of Enemies#8221; #8212; A documentary about the 1968 live-TV showdown between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal during 10 televised debates on ABC. It plays like something unearthed from a time capsule. Almost 50 years after the clash, the movie offers little historical perspective. Reviewed by Mark Jenkins, Washington Post. (R) L, N, S. 87 minutes. #9733; frac12;
#8220;Fantastic Four#8221; #8212; Boring, ineptly directed and poorly written superhero origin adventure based on the Marvel comic books. Good visual effects, though. With Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan. (PG-13) L, V. 106 minutes. #9733; frac12;
#8220;Pixels#8221; #8212; Peter Dinklage's comic performance is the only attraction in this lame, retro fantasy in which characters from 1980s arcade games try to take over Earth. Only Adam Sandler and Josh Gad can stop them. Egad! (PG-13) L, S. 106 minutes. #9733; frac12;
Unpreviewed
#8220;Air#8221; #8212; Futuristic drama in which breathable air is a thing of the past as two engineers struggle to re-establish society. (PG-13) L, S, V. 95 minutes.
#8220;Baahubali#8221; #8212; Two brothers fight for the control of a kingdom in this drama/adventure/romance. In Hindi. (NR) 150 minutes.
#8220;Bajrangi Bhaijaan#8221; #8212; A devout Indian Hindu vows to reunite a mute, 5-year-old Pakistani girl with her family after they become separated at a railway station. In Hindi. (NR) 145 minutes.
#8220;Bin Roye#8221; #8212; A tale of romantic obsession between two girls vying for the attention of the same man. And he's apparently the cousin of one of the girls. In Urdu. (NR) 125 minutes.
#8220;Dark Places#8221; #8212; Charlize Theron stars as an emotionally scarred survivor of a massacre 25 years ago of her mother and sisters. She feels guilty for helping to pin the murders on her teenage brother. From #8220;Gone Girl#8221; novelist Gillian Flynn. (R) D, L, S, V. 114 minutes.
#8220;Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F#8221; #8212; A Japanese animated adventure. Two soldiers named Sorbet and Tagoma search for the Dragon Balls to revive their friend Frieza. They succeed, and Frieza subsequently seeks revenge on the Saiyans. (NR) 93 minutes.
#8220;Drishyam#8221; #8212; A film-buff cable network executive and his family become chief suspects in the disappearance of a young boy in this drama. In Hindi with subtitles. (NR) 165 minutes.
#8220;The Falling#8221; #8212; A hysterical fainting epidemic mysteriously strikes a well-to-do girls' school in late-1960s England. (NR) 100 minutes.
#8220;Fort Tilden#8221; #8212; Two friends in their 20s hop on their bikes and head to the beach at the invitation of a couple of good-looking guys. (R) D, L, N, S. 95 minutes.
#8220;Final Girl#8221; #8212; Four guys trick blondes into meeting them in the woods, where they hunt them for sport. Then, they mistakenly pick a trained assassin as their next target. (R) L, V. 90 minutes.