AMERICAN MADE. 3 stars. Tom Cruise stars in this fun but heavily fictionalized portrait of Barry Seal, a drug smuggler who found himself at the intersection of drug cartels and CIA adventurism in Central and South America in the 1970s and '80s. Directed by Doug Liman. 1 hr. 55 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
BATTLE OF THE SEXES. 2.5 stars. Women's tennis champ Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and aging male star Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) square off in a publicity stunt tennis match that ends up proving King's point about the value of female athletes. Some fun moments, but aside from the two leads, is given to caricature and some on-the-nose dialogue. With Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, and Bill Pullman. 2 hrs. 1 PG-13 (nudity) _ Gary Thompson
BLADE RUNNER 2049. 3.5 stars. An imaginative, visually stunning if overlong sequel from Denis Villeneuve that embraces and embellishes Ridley Scott's original 1982 dark vision of a future Los Angeles where police (Ryan Gosling) hunt down synthetic humans, even as the latter grow more like us. With Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas and MacKenzie Davis. 2 hrs. 44 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
BRAD'S STATUS. 2 stars. A man (Ben Stiller) takes his son (Austin Abrams) on a tour of prestigious university, prompting comic introspection. A few laughs and some insights, but in the end it's a movie examining the problems of a man who really doesn't have any. Written and directed by Mike White. 1 hr. 40 R (language) _ Gary Thompson
FLATLINERS. (Not previewed) Medical students start to experience spooky, terrifying things after playing a game where they revive each other from near death experiences. Based on the 1990 Joel Schumacher thriller. 1 hr. 48 PG-13 (violence, terror, sexual content, language, thematic material, some drug references)
GIRLS TRIP. 3 stars. Malcolm Lee's vulgar but good-natured comedy about four women (Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish) reuniting for a wild weekend in New Orleans. Lots of star cameos, including Kevin Hart, for a split second. 2 hr. 2 R (nudity, obscene language) _ Gary Thompson
GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN. 2 stars. Hello, nap. Stultifying story of A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his creation of Winnie the Pooh, which broadens into a story of the way the Milne's exploited their own son to cash on the Pooh phenomenon. With Margot Robbie. 1 hr. 47 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD. 3 stars. An uptight security pro (Ryan Reynolds) is assigned to guard an assassin (Samuel L. Jackson) scheduled to testify against a genocidal dictator (Gary Oldman). Not great filmmaking, but these days, even the sophomoric spectacle of racial solidarity, in the form of a buddy comedy, is way better than nothing. 1 hr. 41 R (violence, language) _ Gary Thompson
HOME AGAIN. 2.5 stars. A woman (Reese Witherspoon) separates from her husband (Michael Sheen) and moves back into her childhood home, which doubles as a shrine to the movies her parents made. She invites three young filmmakers to move in and shenanigans begin. (some thematic and sexual material) 1 hr. 37 PG-13 _ Gary Thompson
IT. 2.5 stars. Stephen King's thriller about a killer clown gets a new big screen adaptation with a Philly kid at the helm. Jaeden Lieberher stars. 2 hrs. 15 R (violence, bloody images, profanity) _ Gary Thompson
KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. 2.5 stars. Has some of the wit and energy of the original film, but has come down with a case of sequel-itis. It's too long and overstuffed with CGI and cameos. 2 hr. 20 R (language, sexuality) _ Gary Thompson
LOGAN LUCKY. 3 stars. Steven Soderbergh comes out of retirement for this "hillbilly heist" movies about a blue collar man (Channing Tatum) who decides (along with Adam driver, Riley Keough and Dan Craig) to rob the NASCAR track that fired him. A little long, but rewards you with laughs and surprises if you stick around long enough. 1 hr. 59 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
LUCKY. 3 stars. Written as a starring role for the late character actor Harry Dean Stanton, who stars as a version of himself in this meandering, sometimes moving story of an elderly man contemplating the end of his life in a small desert town. With David Lynch, Tom Skerritt, and Ed Begley Jr. 1 hr. 29 No MPAA rating _ Gary Thompson
MARSHALL. 3 stars. Chadwick Boseman stars as a young Thurgood Marshall trying in 1940 to clear a black man (Sterling K. Brown) of rape. Featuring Josh Gad and Kate Hudson. 1 hr. 58 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US. 1.5 stars. A strange lack of chemistry between leads Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in this story of two people stranded by a plane crash on a snowy mountain peak, hiking to safety. With Beau Bridges. 1 hr. 40 PG-13 (sexuality) _ Gary Thompson
ONLY THE BRAVE. 3 stars. Based on the tragic true story Arizona firefighters battling a deadly fire in 2013. Josh Brolin gives a solid, subtle performance as their leader, heading a good cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller. Impressively photographed. 2 hrs. 10 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN. 2.5 stars. Historical drama about William Marston (Luke Evans) who invented Wonder Woman and had a secret three-way marriage to two women (Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcoat). With Connie Britton, Oliver Platt. 1 hr. 48 R (sexuality) _ Gary Thompson
SNOWMAN. 1 star. A mutilated thriller about dismembered women, starring Michael Fassbender as a detective in Oslo on the trail of a serial killer. The badly edited story is nonsensical, which makes the movie's lurid flourishes seem grotesquely cruel. With Rebecca Ferguson, J.K. Simmons, Chloe Sevigny, and Toby Jones. 1 hr. 59 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
STRONGER. 3 stars. When a man (Jake Gyllenhaal) suffers the loss of his legs at the Boston Marathon terror bombing, his fiercely determined girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany) helps him become the hero the city wants him to be. Unusual spin on familiar themes, with top-notch performances by the two leads. Based on a true story, directed by David Gordon Green. 1 hr. 56 R (language, sexuality) _ Gary Thompson
TYLER PERRY'S BOO 2: A MADEA HALLOWEEN. (Not previewed) Madea and the gang go on vacation and end up at a haunted campground, pursued by ghosts and goblins. Starring Tyler Perry, Cassie Davis, and Patrice Lovely. 1 hr. 40 PG-13 (sexual references, drug content, language, some horror images)
VICTORIA & ABDUL. 3 stars. Judi Dench stars as Queen Victoria, who late in life develops a rejuvenating friendship with an Indian servant (Ali Fazal) who teaches her about the customs of his native land, to her delight and to the consternation of her scandalized staff. With Eddie Izzard, Olivia Williams. Directed by Stephen Frears. 1 hr. 52 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
