New Releases

Reviews

Ratings:

**** Excellent

*** Good

** Fair * Poor

Reviewers: S.R., Steven Rea; D.D., Dan DeLuca; T.D., Tirdad Derakhshani; M.E., Molly Eichel; G.T., Gary Thompson; W.S., Inquirer wire services.

Best of Enemies See Steven Rea's review on Page 7.

A Borrowed Identity See Tirdad Derakhshani's review on Page 10.

The End of the Tour See Steven Rea's review on Page 6.

Fort Tilden See Molly Eichel's review on Page 7.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. See Steven Rea's review on Page 4.

Staight Outta Compton See Gary Thompson's review on Page 4.

Underdogs See Also Opening on Page 16.

Amy An extraordinary documentary about Amy Winehouse, the British singer who died in 2011, at age 27, a victim of too much drink, too many drugs and too much fame. Soul-stirring, heartbreaking, the film uses a trove of archival film, much of it it shot on smart phones by friends, lovers, bandmates, roadies, record execs and fans, to trace the life and blazing career of the singer and songwriter with the trademark beehive, tats and fearsome talent. 2 hrs. 08 R (drugs, profanity, adfult themes) - S.R.

Ant-Man Paul Rudd, droll and deadpan, is a cat burglar with an electrical-engineering degree who puts on a weird, retro getup and can suddenly shrink himself to the size of an ant - and communicate with them, too. Clever bits emerge from long stretches of exposition and exploding stuff. Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, and Corey Stoll (as the villain Yellowjacket) co-star, plus some Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos. 1 hr. 57 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Cop Car 1/2 Kevin Bacon stars as a small-town police sheriff who sets about finding the two kids who took his car for a joy ride. 1 hr. 35 R (violence) - G.T.

Fantastic Four It's overstating things to say this Marvel Comics reboot stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, because rarely has a group of actors appeared less invested in the movie they've signed up for. A long, tedious origin story, introducing the quartet of hangdog superheroes, who work best together when they're not bickering, brooding, or running away to South America. 1 hr. 40 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Gift The lives of a happily married couple take a dark turn after a mysterious former acquaintance of the husband shows up. Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Joel Edgerton star. 1 hr. 48 R (Profanity) - G.T.

I'll See You in My Dreams Blythe Danner stars as a longtime widow whose life of quiet routine is upended by the appearance of two men: the young pool guy (Martin Starr), who becomes her drinking buddy, and an old charmer of a Texan (Sam Elliott), who enters into a serious courtship. A poignant character study, tinged with sadness. And Danner, at its center, shines. 1 hr. 35 PG-13 (profanity, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Inside Out The central characters in Pixar's propulsively inventive animated adventure aren't talking toys or cars. They're emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, jockeying for control in the mind of a preteen girl. The first psychological thriller that's fun for the whole family. Really psychological. And really fun. From the director of Up, with the voice talents of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Bill Hader. 1 hr. 34 PG (scary corners of the mind, adult themes) - S.R.

Jurassic World The genetically spliced mega-beast that runs amok in the third Jurassic Park sequel is trumpeted by its theme-park creators as "bigger, scarier, cooler." The movie is bigger, and it is pretty scary. But it's not cooler, or smarter, than the original. Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt lead a cast whose main job is to run for their lives.

A lot of them don't make it. 2 hrs. 04 PG-13 (intense action, dino violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Listen to Me Marlon Brilliant documentary portrait of Marlon Brando, narrated by the actor himself - culled from more than 200 hours' worth of personal audio tapes in which the iconic star reflected on his life and work. Lacerating, self-lacerating, full of insight and regret, Brando's commentary - and the amazing footage that goes with it - brings a career back into sharp focus. With clips from A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, The Godfather, and much more. Astounding. 1 hr. 42 No MPAA rating (profanity,

adult themes) - S.R.

Love & Mercy 1/2 Breathtaking psychological biopic of Brian Wilson, the songwriting savant behind the Beach Boys, toggling back and forth between the mid-'60s and the band's landmark Pet Sounds album, and the '80s, when Brian, wrongly diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, was under the despotic care of a psychologist. Paul Dano is brilliant as the young Brian; John Cusack brings the middle-aged and broken Brian to life. 1 hr. 52 PG-13 (drugs, violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Minions A spinoff of, and prequel to, the Despicable Me movies, starring a trio of yellow, pill-shaped pipsqueaks who speak in an undecipherable tongue and find themselves in the merry employ of a supervillain bent on usurping the British throne. It's 1968 (when else?) and mayhem rules the day. A hyperanimated animated farce with shades of Silent Era slapstick, Three Stooges slapfests, and the jaw-slapping wackiness of a stoner comedy. 1 hr. 31 PG (cartoon mayhem, adult themes) - S.R.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation 1/2 Not nearly as much fun as its 2011 predecessor, Ghost Protocol, which played like a live-action Road Runner movie, Rogue Nation nonetheless does the job of moving Tom Cruise's impossibly spry spy guy Ethan Hunt around the globe, putting him in the thick of one outlandish action set piece after another. With Simon Pegg as tech whiz Benji, Ving Rhames as hacker extraordinaire Luther, and Jeremy Renner as agent-with-bags-under-his-eyes Brandt. Swedish thespian Rebecca Ferguson joins Cruise for much of the high-speed huggermugger. 2 hrs. 11 PG-13 (intense action, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Mr. Holmes 1/2 Ian McKellen is brilliant as the aging Sherlock Holmes, retired to the countryside, where he keeps bees and tries to keep what's left of his memory from slipping away. A sad, lovely film, reuniting the star with his Gods and Monsters director, Bill Condon. 1 hr. 52 PG (adult themes) - S.R.

Paper Towns A road-trip teen romance and scavenger hunt of a movie adapted from John Green's YA novel of the same name. Green wrote The Fault in Our Stars, which was made into a tearjerking hit. This one isn't a tearjerker, and isn't likely to be a hit, either. It name-drops a lot of cool stuff, but the essence of the story and the cardboard characters inhabiting it are as mundane as can be. 1 hr. 49 PG-13 (adolescent themes) - S.R.

Phoenix The formidable Nina Hoss stars in this post-Holocaust noir, playing a jazz singer, and a "Jewess," looking for her spouse in the rubble of Berlin. Hoss' Barbara collaborator, Christian Petzold, directs. 1 hr. 38 PG-13 (violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Pixels ** 1/2 Adam Sandler and buddies (including Frozen's Josh Gad, frequent collaborator Kevin James, and Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage) band together to fight an alien race that has appropriated videogame characters to attack the human race. 1 hr. 46 PG-13 (language, suggestive comments) - W.S.

Ricki and the Flash Finally - and the news should really come as a relief - here's a role Meryl Streep shouldn't have tried, in a movie that shouldn't have been made. As a rock-and-roller fronting a So-Cal bar band, the actress with the most Oscar nominations of anyone in history can carry a tune, but she can't carry the character of a tattooed, tart-tongued woman who long ago left her family behind in Indiana. When her ex (Kevin Kline) calls with bad news, Ricki has to return home, and serio-comic dysfunctional-family melodrama ensues. Juno's Diablo Cody is to blame for the glib script, Jonathan Demme, who should've known better, directs. 1 hr. 42 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Shaun the Sheep 1/2 Shaun takes the day off and winds up with more action than he bargained for in this Claymation family feature. 1 hr. 25 PG (rude humor) - G.T.

Southpaw Jake Gyllenhaal is fierce and muscular, in and out of the ring, in this shameless boxing melodrama about a champ who loses everything and then fights to get his everything back. With Rachel McAdams, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, and Oona Laurence. 2 hrs. 03 R (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Stanford Prison Experiment *** Dr. Philip Zimbardo's notorious experiment is starkly dramatized. Twenty-four Stanford students are split into group of prisoners and guards. The latter immediately start taking on authoritarian qualities, subjecting their prisoners to pyschological abuse. The performances are fantastic. 2 hrs. 02 R (language, sexual situations) - M.E.

Tangerine 1/2 The clack of prostitutes' heels, screaming matches in divy motels, the admonishments of a doughnut shop owner threatening to call the police - Sean Baker's iPhone 5-shot film dives into the world of transgender sex workers on the streets of L.A., following two friends - played by newcomers Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor - looking for their pimp. Outrageous, funny, raw, and yes, kind of heartwarming, too. 1 hr. 27 R (profanity, nudity, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

Trainwreck 1/2 Amy Schumer stars in (and wrote) this deft Judd Apatow-directed comedy, about a commitment-phobic New York magazine writer who unexpectedly tumbles for a sports-medicine doc (Bill Hader) she has been assigned to profile. A showcase for Schumer's cutting brand of comedy, the film smoothly switches tracks from raunchy copulatory one-liners to compulsory rom-com schmaltz to emotionally raw business about relationships, family, self-image, and self-destructiveness. The stellar supporting cast includes Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton, Colin Quinn, and, yes, NBA superstar LeBron James. 2 hrs. 05 R (sex, profanity, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Vacation ** A crass remake of the beloved original features Ed Helms as Russ Griswold, taking over where Clark (Chevy Chase, who makes a cameo) left off, bringing his family to the storied Walley World. It's an unnecessary remake that has its laughs. 1 hr. 39 R (language, sexuality, brief graphic nudity) - M.E.