ARMED RESPONSE (Not Previewed). Wesley Snipes leads a band of special forces soldiers into a heavily guarded high-tech facility where another team of commandos has disappeared. With Anne Heche. 1 hr. 33 R.
ATOMIC BLONDE. 2.5 stars. Charlize Theron is a rampaging British agent in Berlin as the wall collapses in 1989, teaming with another agent (James McAvoy) to help a defector and find a traitor. Works well as actioner, not so well as espionage thriller. 1 hr. 55. R (violence, nudity) _ Gary Thompson
THE BIG SICK. 3.5 stars. Based on comedian Kumail Nanjiani's life, a funny, touching comedy of a Pakistani American caught between his religious family and the American woman (Zoe Kazan) he loves. With Holly Hunter, Ray Romano. 1 hr. 59. R (sexual references) _ Gary Thompson
CARS 3. 2.5 stars. So-so Pixar outing has racer Lightning McQueen contending with younger rivals, helping another racer learn the ropes. Featuring the voices of Armie Hammer and Bonnie Hunt. Preceded by a top-notch animated short called "Lou." 1 hr. 47 G _ Gary Thompson
DESPICABLE ME 3. 2.5 stars. Gru meets his lost brother, Dru, and they team up for a heist, much to the delight of the bored Minions. Featuring the voices of Steve Carell and Kristin Wiig. 1 hr. 33 PG (action and rude humor) _ Gary Thompson
DUNKIRK. 3.5 stars. Christopher Nolan's visually sweeping, stirring account of the way ordinary citizens, in the early days of World War II, affected the massive evacuation of stranded British troops from a French port surrounded by Germans. With Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, and Harry Styles. 1 hr. 47 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
THE EMOJI MOVIE (not previewed). Animated story set inside a smartphone where a misfit emoji (voice of T.J. Mill) embarks on a quest to be like everyone else. Featuring the vocal talent of James Corden, Anna Faris, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart and Maya Rudolph. 1 hr. 26. PG.
FUN MOM DINNER (Not Previewed). Four women (Molly Shannon, Toni Collette, Bridgette Everett, Katie Aselton) decide to hoist a few after their kids' preschool class, and things get out of hand. With Paul Rudd. 1 hr. 29 R.
A GHOST STORY. 2.5 stars. Oddball, occasionally effective independent film about a man (Casey Affleck) whose spirit haunts the home he once shared with his wife (Rooney Mara). Affleck spends most of the movie in a sheet with two eyes cut out, a low-tech but audacious visual stunt that sometimes pays off. 1 hr. 27 R (disturbing images) _ Gary Thompson
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
LADY MACBETH. 3 stars. Newcomer Florence Pugh makes a startling debut in this story, very loosely inspired by Shakespeare, about a young woman (Pugh) in 1865 England who rebels violently when she's forced to marry an older man. With Cosmo Jarvis. 1 hr. 28. R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
MAUDIE. 3 stars. Sally Hawkins plays Canadian artist Maud Lewis, who turned a loveless life into a career as a beloved painter of happiness and color. 1 hr. 55 PG-13 (adult themes) _ Gary Thompson
PERSON TO PERSON (Not Previewed). The lives of various New Yorkers interconnect in this ensemble piece starring Abbi Jacobson, Michael Cera, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Michaela Watkins, from writer-director Dustin Guy Defa. 1 hr. 24 R.
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. 3 stars. Actor Tom Holland heads this upbeat, up-tempo reboot, awkwardly trying to fight crime (Michael Keaton is The Vulture) and date the beautiful captain of the debate team. With Robert Downey Jr. and Zendaya. 2 hrs. 13 PG-13 (some violence) _ Gary Thompson
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT. 2 stars. The usual noisy Michael Bay mess, starring Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Hopkins as guys who protect good transformers from pesky governments and bad transformers. More ludicrous than usual, if that's possible. 2 hr. 37 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS. 2 stars. Luc Besson's $200 million f/x space dud about interstellar agents (Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne) on a mission to save a floating space station. Special effects can't mask wretched script. With Clive Owen. 2 hr. 17 PG-13 (sci-fi violence) _ Gary Thompson
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. 3 stars. Top-notch special effects highlight this adventure story. Unusually inventive and effective score. 2 hrs. 20 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
WONDER WOMAN. 2.5 stars. Surprisingly fun and energetic DC comic book movie that is welcome relief from recent dour Superman movies. Gal Gadot stars as the Amazon princess who leaves her island with WWI pilot Chris Pine to save the world. 2 hrs. 21 PG-13 (superhero violence) _ Gary Thompson
