Movie guide: 'A Dog's Way Home,' 'Destroyer,' 'Stan & Ollie' open Jan. 11
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 Film Critic Dann Gire, unless otherwise noted.
Picks
“Ben is Back” — Julia Roberts gives an unforgettable performance as a terrified, determined mother of a recovering drug addict (the also wonderful Lucas Hedges) whose unexpected Christmas Eve visit sets in motion a heartbreaking night for mother and son. Reviewed by Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press. (R) D, L. 103 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“Bumblebee” — This stand-alone “Transformers” origin story is a charming tale of Charlie (the gifted Hailee Steinfeld) and her adorable car-robot Bumblebee (voice of Dylan O'Brien), who have to outfox a pair of Decepticons, the U.S. Army (led by John Cena), and her distracted mom and stepdad. This version is smaller, quieter, more human and sweeter. Reviewed by Mark Kennedy, Associated Press. (PG-13) V. 119 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“The Favourite” — Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz star as cousins vying for the favor of the half-mad Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) in Yorgos Lanthimos' deliciously diabolical comedy of ill manners and 18th-century palace intrigue. All three women shine in this wildly speculative, lusty tale. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L, N, S. 121 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“Green Book” — Peter Farrelly's funny, heartwarming fact-based tale features great performances from Viggo Mortensen as a doltish bouncer and Mahershala Ali as a renowned black pianist in need of protection as he travels to concert engagements across the Deep South in 1962. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 130 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“If Beale Street Could Talk” — Barry Jenkins' exquisite adaptation of James Baldwin's novel is executed as a collection of impressions that feel almost theatrical in their lush formal beauty, as Tish (KiKi Layne) remembers the optimism of her early love affair with Fonny (Stephan James) and the event that put him behind bars. With Regina King. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) L, S. 119 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Mary Poppins Returns” — Confident, chameleonic Emily Blunt gives a stellar performance as Mary Poppins in this stylish and spirited sequel in which the famous flying nanny returns to help the Banks family deal with a personal loss. Directed by Rob Marshall, this flimsical version doesn't quite live up to the original. Also starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dick Van Dyke, Meryl Streep and Angela Lansbury. (PG). 130 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“The Mule” — Clint Eastwood directs and stars in a deeply, fascinatingly personal meditation based on the true story of an 87-year-old drug courier. In Eastwood's version, the title character is a famed horticulturalist estranged from his family who becomes a drug smuggler to help pay for his granddaughter's wedding. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (R) L, N. S. 116 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” — Video game characters Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) learn that friendship is anything but a game in Disney's visually stunning sequel to “Wreck-It Ralph.” Also stars the voices of Taraji P. Henson and Gal Gadot. Reviewed by By Kristen Page-Kirby, Washington Post. (PG) 112 minutes. ★ ★ ★
“Roma” — Alfonso Cuaron's hypnotic, neorealist masterpiece focuses on an observant nanny (newcomer Yalitza Aparicio) and the mother she works for (an exquisite Marina de Tavira) in Mexico City in the 1970s. The result is a serene, transcendent experience that defies simple explanation. In Spanish with subtitles. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (R) L, N. 135 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” — Bitten by a radioactive spider, biracial Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) takes his turn in the Spidey suit — and discovers other Spider-People in different dimensions — in the fresh, trippy, superbly animated tale. Reviewed by Mark Kennedy, Associated Press. (PG) 117 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“Stan & Ollie” — Steve Coogan stars as Laurel and John C. Reilly as Hardy in Jon S. Baird's understated but smartly told crowd-pleaser about the legendary comedy duo's last act. Brilliant performances and a surprisingly poignant script make the film well-worth seeing. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG) 97 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
“A Star is Born” — In his moving directing debut, actor Bradley Cooper remakes a stodgy Hollywood classic, giving it gritty, relevant new life. Cooper stars as a hard-drinking musician who discovers and falls for a young singer (a transporting Lady Gaga) whose career soars as his implodes. (R) D, L, N, S. 135 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“Vice” — The chameleonic Christian Bale plays former Vice President Dick Cheney in a stunning, transformative performance. Adam McKay's bold, bonkers biopic is an engaging hybrid of journalism and comic drama, entertainment that tries to explain how things happened at the White House. With Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams. (R) L, V. 130 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ★
“The Wife” — Bjorn Runge's sublimely wrought drama captures the complex and contradictory nuances that accompany long-term marriages. Glenn Close stars as the wife of a celebrated author, creating an astonishing performance that won her a Golden Globe. (R) L, S. 100 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
Passables
“Aquaman” — Jason Momoa's charm elevates James Wan's effects-clogged, fitfully entertaining origin tale. Momoa stars as the DC Comics hero, drawn into a battle for the throne of the seven seas with his brother (Patrick Wilson), who is plotting war against “surface dwellers.” Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, V. 143 minutes. ★ ★
“Bohemian Rhapsody” — Rami Malek's sinuous, fully inhabited performance as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is the best thing about this slavishly conventional, Golden Globe-winning rock biopic, a remarkably bland movie about a deliciously vibrant performer. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG-13) D, L, S. 134 minutes. ★ ★
“Creed II” — Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) return in this less-inspired sequel that unfortunately feels like a compilation of greatest “Rocky” scenes climaxed by a ludicrous final match between Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) and Creed. (PG-13) L, S, V. 130 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“Destroyer” — A barely recognizable Nicole Kidman transforms herself into an alcoholic police detective out for revenge in the seediest corners of L.A. But even her admirable commitment can't save this pulpy, outrageously violent whodunit, which continually goes too far for its own good. Reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Washington Post. (R) D, L, S, V. 120 minutes. ★ ★
“A Dog's Way Home” — Bryce Dallas Howard voices the canine star of this incredible adventure, about a rescued dog on a mission to find her human master 400 miles away. Kids and dog lovers will lap up the cute tale, despite some of the cheapest, cheesiest CGI animation ever seen in a major studio release. (PG) 86 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“Escape Room” — Six Chicago strangers competing for $10,000 in an escape room are forced to solve clues — or die — in a silly but not terrible horror film where the carnage is kept to tolerable PG-13 levels. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 100 minutes. ★ ★
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” — Eddie Redmayne returns as “magizoolologist” Newt Scamander in this second Harry Potter prequel, a mixed bag of wonders. On the one hand, it's an impressively dark and urgent parable of supremacist ideology. On the other, it suffers from a vastly overstuffed plot. Reviewed by Jake Coyle. (PG-13) V. 134 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“The Grinch” — Benedict Cumberbatch offers up a disappointingly wishy-washy interpretation of the supposedly mean titular character, leaving the great Boris Karloff's 1966 TV film short based on Dr. Seuss' classic poem as the No. 1 screen adaptation of the holiday classic. (PG) 86 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“Instant Family” — Sean Ander's comedy joyously celebrates the conflicting feelings of a white, married couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) adopting three Hispanic siblings, bouncing viewers between well-earned laughs and throat-clenching tears. Then, the film takes a tonal turn toward crass comedy and never recovers. (PG-13) D, L, S. 117 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“Mary, Queen of Scots” — Bold performances by Saoirse Ronan as the titular queen and Margot Robbie as her cousin, England's Elizabeth I, highlight what should be an epic tale of political machinations and power struggles. But the drama disappoints — and not just because it takes enormous liberties with history. Reviewed by Lindsey Bahr, Washington Post. (R) S, V. 112 minutes. ★ ★ ½
“On the Basis of Sex” — Felicity Jones stars as future Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Mimi Leder's formulaic biopic “On the Basis of Sex,” which never lives up to the accomplishments of its subject. With Armie Hammer, Sam Waterston, Justin Theroux and Kathy Bates. Reviewed by Mark Jenkins, Washington Post. (PG-13) L, S. 120 minutes. ★ ★
“Welcome to Marwen” — Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), the survivor of a vicious beating, turns to diorama art as a form of therapy in this fact-based tale. Jumping back and forth between Mark's real and imaginary world creates a sometimes jarring but ultimately effective extended metaphor for healing. With Leslie Mann, Merritt Wever and Janelle Monáe. Reviewed by Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post. (PG-13) V, L, S. 116 minutes. ★ ★ ½
Pits
“The Upside” — A skirt-chasing ex-con (Kevin Hart) takes a job caring for a wealthy paraplegic (Bryan Cranston) in a cliche-ridden, exploitative odd couple tale that wastes the talents of its cast. Reviewed by Mark Kennedy, Associated Press. (PG-13) D, S. 125 minutes. One-half star.
Unpreviewed
“Anthem of a Teenage Prophet” — A teenager is dubbed the “prophet of death” after a premonition predicts a friend's death. (NR) 105 minutes.
“Holmes & Watson” — Will Ferrell stars as Sherlock Holmes and John C. Reilly as sidekick Watson in a comic take on the crime-solving duo. (PG-13) D, L, S, V. 90 minutes.
“Replicas” — Keanu Reeves stars as a synthetic biologist who will do anything to bring back his family, killed in a car accident. (PG-13) N, S, V. 107 minutes.
“Second Act” — A big box store worker (Jennifer Lopez) fights for her dreams and reinvents her life using determination and street smarts. (PG-13) L, S. 103 minutes.
Foreign language
“F2 — Fun and Frustration” — In Telugu
“Jack Em Popoy” — In Tagalog
“NTR Kathanayakudu” — In Telugu
“Petta” — In Tamil and Telugu
“Shoplifters” — In Japanese
“Simmba” — In Hindi
“Uri: The Surgical Strike” — In Hindi
“Vinaya Vidheya Rama” — In Telugu