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
A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS. 2 stars. The three R-rated moms (Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn) must put up with their own mothers (Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski and Susan Sarandon) over the fraught holidays. What once was transgressive has become reflexive. With Peter Gallagher. 1 hr. 44 R (language) _ 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
THE FLORIDA PROJECT. 3 stars. Engaging slice-of-life look at residents of an Orlando motel, the adults living paycheck-to-paycheck, their free-range kids having an improbably wonderful time on the ragged fringe of the Magic Kingdom. Written and directed by Sean Baker. With Willem Dafoe, Brooklyn Prince. 1 hr. 45. R (language) _ Gary Thompson
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER. 2 stars. Yorgos Lanthimos provocation about a prosperous surgeon (Colin Farrell) with a young fan who turns out to be a stalker and a sociopath, forcing the physician into a sick game of gruesome choices. The movie's icy affections and snarky asides get in the way of whatever humanity it's intended to have. With Nicole Kidman. 1 hr. 59 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. 3 stars. Kenneth Branagh's appropriately hammy adaptation of the classic 1930s Agatha Christie mystery about a murder aboard a snowbound train in Yugoslavia, under the nose of master detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) who finds himself inundated with likely suspects _ the all-star cast includes Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe and Michelle Pfeiffer. 1 hr. 54 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
SUBURBICON. 1.5 stars. Misfired black comedy from director George Clooney, adapting a Coen brothers script, about a post-war suburban father (Matt Damon) reacting brutally to a home invasion. Related storylines about racism are poorly handled, and the movie's garish tonal shifts are jarring. With Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac. 1 hr. 45 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
THOR: RAGNAROK. 3 stars. Mercifully funny diversion into a quirky corner of the Marvel universe, with Cate Blanchett has the vengeful and power mad sister of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) ascending the throne, banishing her brother to a prison planet, where he recruits the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to his cause. With Jeff Goldblum, Tom Hiddleston. 2 hrs. 10 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
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
