Movies: New and Noteworthy

COMING THIS WEEK

The BFG. Steven Spielberg's supersize dream of a movie, adpated from the Roald Dahl children's book, concerns a little orphan girl and the Big Friendly Giant who takes her away. Newcomer Ruby Barnhill and Oscar-winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) star as the girl and her 24-foot-tall pal. PG

Swiss Army Man. In an oddball indie, Paul Dano is a castaway and Daniel Radcliffe the corpse that washes up on his desert isle. Written and directed by first-timers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. R

Weiner-Dog. Dramedy from Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Dark Horse) follows a hapless dachshund that gets passed along from owner to owner. Greta Gerwig, Ellen Burstyn, Kieran Culkin, Julie Delpy, and Danny DeVito play characters who get interconnected along the dog chain. R

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

A rebellious child and his foster uncle go missing in the New Zealand wilderness.

The Innocents A French doctor working with concentration camp survivors in post-War Germany discovers several pregnant nuns. French, Russian, and Polish with subtitles.

The Legend of Tarzan After spending time in London, Tarzan returns to the jungle. Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie star.

Our Kind of Traitor A couple on vacation are lured into an international plot that leaves them in the crossharis of both Russian mobsters and the British Secret Service.

The Purge: Election Year In this horror sequel, former Detective Grillo takes on the job of head of security for a presidential candidate who has promised to take on the Purge.

Tickled A journalist investigates a mysterious tickling contest in this documentary.

Reviewed by staff critics Steven Rea (S.R.), Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.), David Patric Stearns (D.P.S.), and Molly Eichel (M.E.). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

The Fallen Idol Carol Reed's 1948 black-and-white gem, beautifully restored, follows a young boy (Bobby Henrey) who lives in a palatial embassy in London and whose friendship with his father's majordomo (Ralph Richardson) is thrown into jeopardy. A view of the adult world through a child's eyes, with innocence and inquisitiveness at odds with violence, desire, deceit - all the stuff that grown-ups trade in. 1 hr. 35 No MPAA rating (adult themes) - S.R.

The Fits Young boxer Toni (Royalty Hightower) is intrigued by the dance troupe that practices at her rec center in Anna Rose Holmer's stunning debut film. But as soon as Toni joins, members of the troupe start to come down with unexplained spasms. The Fits is gorgeous, singular, and worth going to see. 1 hr. 12 No MPAA rating - M.E.

The Lobster Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos' English-language debut stars Colin Farrell as a mild-mannered widower sent to a hotel where he is encouraged - nay, required - to find a new partner. A surreal, comic, sad, strange, beautiful fable, set in a disquietingly serene not-far- from-now. Imagine Wes Anderson doing Franz Kafka, with George Orwell thrown into the mix. Sublime. 1 hr. 58 R (violence, sex, nudity, adult themes) - S.R.

A Bigger Splash

Tilda Swinton is a rock star in retreat on a splendid Mediterranean isle, Matthias Schoenaerts is her lover, when along comes the impossibly exuberant Ralph Fiennes, playing a past lover and bringing his nymphet American daughter (Dakota Johnson) along. A remake of the slow-burning 1969 French thriller

La Piscine

, this tale of love and jealousy, obsession and seduction, takes its time getting where it's going, but who cares, it's gorgeous.

R

(nudity, sex, profanity, violence, adult themes) -

S.R.

De Palma Must-see documentary about the Philadelphia-raised maestro of mayhem, Brian De Palma, whose movies (Blow Out, Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables) owe a huge debt to Hitchcock. De Palma offers a bracingly candid commentary on his career. The clips are killer, in more ways than one. 1 hr. 47 R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Dheepan Jacques Audiard's 2015 Cannes Film Festival winner follows a pretend family - a man, woman, and child, refugees of the Sri Lankan civil war - as they try to make a new life in a grim, graffitied housing complex on the outskirts of Paris. It's tough, sobering stuff, with a heartbreaking performance by Antonythasan Jesuthasan, himself a veteran of the Sri Lankan conflict. 1 hr. 50 R (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Maggie's Plan Rebecca Miller's smart, shambling screwball romance about a single woman (Greta Gerwig) who falls into an affair with a self-absorbed writer and anthropologist (Ethan Hawke), who happens to be married (with kids) to a frosty Danish scholar (Julianne Moore). Complications, and conspiracy, ensue. 1 hr. 38 R (profanity, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

The Neon Demon Elle Fanning is mesmerizing in a star turn as a teenage fashion model who is sucked into a world of dangerous sex and violence in Nicholas Winding Refn's shocking, disturbing and incredibly beautiful critique of consumer culture. 2 hrs. 57 R (disturbing violent content, bloody images, graphic nudity, a scene of aberrant sexuality, profanity) - T.D.

Sunset Song Set in rural Scotland in the years leading up to WWI, Terence Davies' adaptation of the beloved Lewis Grassic Gibbon novel is a lyrical masterwork about the tug-of-war between modernity and tradition as it manifests in a budding intellectual still enmeshed in the farmland where she was born. 2 hrs. 15 R (sexuality, nudity violence, profanity) - T.D.

Weiner Dog Known for his sometimes vicious, even misanthropic satires about life in suburbia, Todd Solondz changes gears with this accessible dramedy about a dachshund who is passed on to several different owners. A meditation on our attitudes to death, the film retains Solondz' edgy humor, but it's softened by a deep sense of compassion. 1 hr. 30 R (profanity, some disturbing content) - T.D.

Alice Through the Looking Glass *1/2

Sasha Baron Cohen joins Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter in this inferior, dull sequel to Tim Burton's

Alice in Wonderland

about the further adventures of Alice and her friends. It's a theme park ride with a hollow heart. 1 hr. 45

PG

(fantasy, action) -

T.D.

The Angry Birds ** Well-made, funny, fast and furious, and featuring a strong celebrity voice cast (Sean Penn, Maya Rudolph, Blake Shelton, Jason Sudekis), this computer- animated 3D adventure is nothing less or more than a 97-minute ad for the Angry Birds gaming franchise. An island of flightless birds is hoodwinked and almost decimated by a gang of green pigs. Filled with subversive references to dark R-rated films, hard-core tunes, and an underlying sense of menace, it's not really suitable for young kids. 1 hr. 37 PG (rude humor, action) - T.D.

Captain America: Civil War *** The 13th title in Disney and Marvel's systematic plan for global domination features a dozen superheroes lining up on either side of a tumultuous ideological dispute. It's Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man as the Avengers and gang crisscross the globe, battling a baddie with a German accent - and battling one another. With Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle, and more. Many, many more. 2 hrs. 26 PG-13 (violence, intense action, adult themes) - S.R.

Central Intelligence **1/2 Kevin Hart follows up the dreadful Ride Along 2 with yet another buddy-action comedy about a mismatched duo who vanquish evildoers. But this one is actually funny. Hart plays an accountant who is recruited by a rogue CIA officer. Played brilliantly by Dwyane Johnson, the spy was once an obese, geeky, lonely boy victimized by bullies. 1 hr. 54 PG-13 (crude and suggestive humor, some nudity, action violence and some profanity) - T.D.

The Conjuring 2 *** James Wan's sequel to his critically successful 2013 demonic shocker tries to pack every idea and horror film trick in the book to achieve something like epic status. Featuring strong turns by returning stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Wilson, the sequel is about the infamous Enfield Haunting in London, which saw a single mum (Frances O'Connor) and her four small kids terrorized by an evil spirit. 2 hrs. 13 R (violence, gore, terror) - T.D.

Dark Horse *** An inspiring documentary about Dream Alliance, a thoroughbred race horse owned by a syndicate of 23 working-class men and women from an impoverished Welsh town who won the 2009 Welsh National. 1 hr. 45 PG (some mild thematic elements and profanity) - T.D.

The Duel (Not Previewed) Woody Harrelson plays a sinister, violent 19th-century religious cult leader in this mystery from writer Matt Cook that's rife with biblical themes. Liam Hemsworth is the Texas Ranger sent in by the governor (William Sadler) to stop the scary preacher. Alice Braga and University of the Arts alum Emory Cohen costar. 1 hr. 50 R (strong violence, profanity)

Finding Dory *** The cheery, royal-blue, yellow-finned sidekick of 2003's Pixar smash Finding Nemo gets a movie of her own, in which Dory - who suffers from short-term memory loss - finds herself separated from her family, trying desperately to remember where they might be. Aquatic adventures ensue, along with life lessons and swell moral messages, but there's a slightly disturbing, dreamlike thread running through the computer- animated feature, too. 1 hr. 37 PG (adult themes) - S.R.

Free State of Jones **1/2 Matthew McConaughey plays little-known Southern abolitionist Newton Knight in Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit writer-director Gary Ross' exhausting, over-long biopic about a Confederate Army deserter who forms an army of his own to fight injustice in Mississippi during the Civil War. 2 hrs. 19 R (brutal battle scenes and disturbing graphic images) - T.D.

Genius **1/2 A literary biopic that's actually about writing, this uneven film looks at Thomas Wolfe's work with his legendary editor Maxwell Perkins. Fans of Wolfe will love the inclusion of his writing. But many viewers will dislike Jude Law's hyperbolic turn as Wolfe. 1 hr. 44 PG-13 (some thematic elements and suggestive content) - T.D.

Love & Friendship *** Whit Stillman adapts a lesser-known, posthumously published Jane Austen novella about a widow of devilish charms - as frank, fearless, and flirtatious a character as Austen ever imagined. Kate Beckinsale brings Lady Susan to life with glee, and a stalwart cast - including Xavier Samuel, Chloë Sevigny, and a scene-stealing Tom Bennett - moves this comedy of manners, of manors, and of sexual politics briskly along. 1 hr. 33 PG (adult themes) - S.R.

The Man Who Knew Infinity **1/2 Enjoyable if sentimental period drama that will appeal to Downton Abbey fans, this true story features a terrific turn by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) as Srinivasa Ramanujan, a poor, uneducated Indian genius who became one of the world's foremost mathematicians before his death in 1920 at 32. 1 hr. 48 PG-13 (some thematic content, smoking) - T.D.

Me Before You **1/2 Shameless in every way, this adaptation of Jojo Moyes' tearjerker of a best seller stars Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke and The Hunger Games' Sam Claflin. She's an unstoppably sunny young woman hired to take care of an accident victim, a handsome and now seriously downcast quadriplegic. Can her botanically themed wardrobe choices make him want to live again? Will she throw over her clownish beau and fall in love with her patient? Do bees make honey? Do caterpillars turn into butterflies? Does Hollywood love sap? 1 hr. 50 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Meddler *** Susan Sarandon stars as a mother and widow who can't stop herself from interfering in everybody else's life, starting with her daughter's (Rose Byrne). Rich in detail, richly performed, a character study filled with bittersweet comedy and heart. The movie's set in L.A., with J.K. Simmons as a retired cop who offers the possibility of real romance, real intimacy. 1 hr. 40 PG-13 (adult themes) - S.R.

The Music of Strangers *** Candid and picturesque HBO-produced documentary tells the story of cello legend Yo-Yo Ma and his cross-cultural Silk Road Ensemble. It's musically rich, and you'll love the musicians profiled – including an exiled Iranian kamancheh player who maintains his marriage via Skype. 1 hr. 36 PG-13 (brief strong language) - D.P.S.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising *** Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are back as the quasi-grown-up couple terrorized by a party-hardy house of college students - this time, a troop of renegade sorority sisters headed by Chloë Grace Moretz. Zac Efron returns, "mentoring" the freshmen sisters as war is declared. With Kiersey Clemons, Dave Franco, and Beanie Feldstein. 1 hr. 32 R (profanity, nudity, sex, drugs, comic violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Now You See Me 2 **1/2 The Four Horsemen return from 2013's hit magician-thieves caper (well, three of them - Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson - joined by newcomer Lizzy Caplan) for another whooshing display of trickery and misdirection. Morgan Freeman and Mark Ruffalo are back, too, with Daniel Radcliffe, seriously bearded, as the new baddie. But for a movie that's all about the magic arts, real magic is in short supply. 2 hrs. 9 PG-13 (adult themes) - S.R.

The Shallows **1/2 It's girl v. shark – and not just any girl, but a highly resourceful, bikini-clad girl – in this campy summer delight, wherein Blake Lively goes mano a fin-o with a great white. Just silly enough to be the perfect summer refresher. 1 hr. 27 PG-13 (for bloody images, intense sequences of peril, brief strong language) - W.S.

Therapy For a Vampire **1/2 A vampire sick of his meaningless existence and bored with his 500-year marriage seeks help from Signund Freud in 1932 Vienna. Austrian writer-director David Rühm's droll, dry comedy is a visually stunning and sophisticated, if not exactly hilarious, send-up of horror picturers. 1 hr. 27 No MPAA rating (nudity, violence, sexuality) - T.D.

Warcraft *1/2 The first in a planned series of pics inspired by the video games, this incoherent, violent, and intensely loud 3D spectacle is a technical marvel with great CGI effects and fun turns by Travis Fimmel, Ben Foster, and Paula Patton. Yet, despite its pretentions to be the next Lord of the Rings, it's a soulless mess. 2 hrs. 03 PG-13 (extended sequences of intense fantasy violence) - T.D.

Weiner **1/2 A fascinating if disappointing portrait of New York politician Anthony Weiner, who resigned his congressional seat in 2011 amid a sexting scandal. The film picks up his story two years later, when he runs for mayor of New York and proceeds to self-destruct a second time. Afforded unprecedented access by Weiner, the filmmakers fail to offer any real analysis of the role of the media in sex scandals or Americans' fascination with their leaders' private lives. 1 hr. 36 R (profanity, sexuality) - T.D.

X-Men: Apocalypse **1/2 Too serious and too long, the Bryan Singer-directed prequel/sequel (and overall ninth entry in the X-Men franchise) finds an evil Egyptian super-mutant from 3600 B.C. raining terror on a 1980s world. With James McAvoy as the young Professor X, sad-eyed but sanguine, safe in the knowledge that he will grow old to look more and more like Patrick Stewart. Rose Byrne, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, and Tye Sheridan jostle for time in the extremely crowded cast. 2 hr. 24 PG-13 (violence, adult themes) - S.R.