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
BRIGSBY BEAR. 3 stars. Kyle Mooney is James, a young man raised in captivity in an underground bunker who obsessively watches his parents'-produced kiddie show starring a bear named Brigsby. After his liberation, he struggles in the real world, but the real world is more than willing to meet him halfway. 1 hr. 37 PG-13 (drug use) _ 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
CROWN HEIGHTS. 2.5 stars. Poetic but muted true story of a man (former NFL player-turned-actor Nnamdi Asomugah) who devotes his life to freeing a friend (LaKeith Stanfield) wrongly convicted of murder. 1 hr. 39 R (language) _ 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.
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
THE GLASS CASTLE. 2 stars. An adaptation of Jeannette Walls' best-selling memoir about growing up with extreme poverty and parents who both inspired and damaged her. Events that she could convey through the eyes of a child whose instincts re-ordered reality to create the illusion that she was safe instead come across as flat and messy. With Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, and Woody Harrelson. 2 hr. 7 PG-13 (mature thematic content involving family dysfunction, language, smoking) _ Gary Thompson
GOOD TIME. 2 stars. Gritty heist-gone-wrong movie starring Robert Pattinson as a bank robber trying to protect his brother (Ben Safdie) and recover stolen loot. Looks for darkly comic laughs amid escalating real-time mayhem, but the movie has a streak of cruelty that's hard to ignore. 1 hr. 40 R (violence) _ 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
IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD (Not Previewed). Heartwarming and inspirational animated tale of a young Japanese woman surviving the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. Directed by Sunao Katabuchi, based on the manga by Fumiyo Kuono. 2 hrs. 28. PG-13 (mature themes).
INGRID GOES WEST. 3 stars. Inventive satire of social media culture starring Aubrey Plaza as a mentally fragile woman moving to Los Angeles to indulge her obsession with an Instagram star (Elizabeth Olsen). Funny supporting role for O'Shea Jackson. 1 hr. 37. R (language) _ 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
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
MENASHE. 2.5 stars. Hassidic comedian Menashe Lustig plays a version of himself in this docudrama about a single Hassidic man caught in an unresolvable conflict between devotion to his son and devotion to his face. Rare glimpse inside a close-off culture, though constrained visual presentation (some footage shot with hidden camera) hurts the film. 1 hr. 22 No MPAA rating _ Gary Thompson
PATTI CAKE$. 3 stars. Aussie Danielle Macdonald does an impressive job as a North Jersey teen who wants to be laugh a rap career, with the help of a misfit band of buddies. A gritty but good natured fable that doesn't take its follow-your-dreams formula too far. With Cathy Moriarity. 1 hr. 48 R (drug use) _ Gary Thompson
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
TRIP TO SPAIN. 3 stars. The third movie featuring actor-comedian friends Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan taunting each other throughout a restaurant and sight-seeing trip. Still funny, and a little more poignant, with a nod to their growing acknowledgment of mortality. 1 hr. 41 No MPAA rating _ 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
WIND RIVER. 2.5 stars. Taylor Sheridan's screenplay has smart dialogue, likable neo-Western heroes in cowboy hats, sudden open-carry shootouts, a capable woman navigating a man's world, and some searing social commentary, but as a rookie director, Sheridan gets lost trying to assemble these elements into a tight package. 1 hr. 41 R ( strong violence, disturbing images including a rape, language) _ Gary Thompson
