ARRIVAL. 3 stars. The military recruits a linguist (Amy Adams) to help decipher alien communications. "Arrival" is at once majestic and melancholy. It's a grand endeavor, and Adams, at the center of it all, brings pluck and smarts and a deep-seated sorrow to her role. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (brief strong language) _ Steven Rea
ASSASSIN'S CREED. 2.5 stars. Director Justin Kurzel reunites with his "Macbeth" stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard for this hard-hitting violent, rapidly-paced fantasy action thriller based on the video game franchise. Based on an utterly ludicrous premise it's about a centuries-long conflict between two secret societies, the Knights Templar who want to eradicate human will, and the Assassins, a line of anarchist social libertarians. The film stages two conflicts between the two sides, one in 1492 and one in today's world. 1 hr. 55 PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong profanity) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
BEING 17. 3.5 stars. Two teens, both going through difficult personal situations, come together after initially not getting along. 1 hr. 56 No MPAA rating (violence, profanity, sexuality, nudity) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
DOCTOR STRANGE. 2.5 stars. Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock") acquits himself most awesomely in the 14th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a visually sumptuous, trippy origin story about an arrogant surgeon who loses his career but regains his soul _ and the ability to cast wicked spells, do wicked kung fu and look wicked cool in majestic blood-red cape. The plot? Hm, well evil threatens to swallow all of reality and the good guys try to stop it. The fine ensemble cast includes Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelsen. 1 hr. 55 PG-13 (sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
THE DUELEST. 2.5 stars. A disgraced former Army officer turned professional duelist (Pyotr Fyodorov) seeks revenge against the man who destroyed his life in this overwrought, if beautifully produced melodrama from Russia. Set in the 19th Century milieu of Dostoevsky and Pushkin and filled with period detail about duels, the story also features a gorgeous damsel in distress (Yuliya Khlynina). 1 hr. 50 R (strong violence, some sexuality and nudity) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. 3 stars. A teen's (Hailee Steinfeld) life takes a turn for the worse when her best friend begins dating her brother. It works because it's not a candy-coated version of teenagedom. It's harsh, awkward and funny, just like being a teenager. 1 hr. 30. R (for sexual content, language and some drinking) _ Molly Eichel
ELLE. 3.5 stars. Paul Verhoeven's most daring exploration of sexual politics features a stunning performance by Isabelle Huppert as a successful business executive and single mother who is violently raped by a masked assailant. Refusing to become a victim or to seek revenge, she tries to understand the dynamics of rape, going as far as to befriend and seduce her attacker. 2 hrs. 10 R (violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and profanity) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. 3 stars. Harry Potter spin-off scripted by J.K. Rowling brings the wizarding world across the pond to our side. Set in 1920s Manhattan, with Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Colin Farrell. 2 hrs. 13. PG-13 (some fantasy action violence) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
FENCES. 3.5 stars. August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece about a working class African American family in the 1950s, is transformed into a compelling, searing film in the hands of producer, director and star Denzel Washington. He plays a charismatic, funny, energetic but equally embittered Pittsburgh garbage collector who derides anyone, including his wife Rose (Viola Davis) and his best friend (Stephen Henderson) who suggest life has improved for African Americans since the Civil War. Once a star baseball player forced by segregation to play in the Negro League, the aging patriarch is harshest on his sons (Russell Hornsby, Jovan Adepo) whose optimism disturbs him deeply. 2 hrs. 18 PG-13 (thematic elements, profanity and some suggestive references) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS. 3.5 stars. Meryl Streep is achingly good in "The Queen" director Stephen Frears' latest piece de resistance as Florence Foster Jenkins, a Wilkes Barre-born heiress and amateur singer who was dubbed the world's worst. Simon Helberg all but steals the show as her pianist, while Hugh Grant is lovely as her husband. Set in the 1940s when Florence was in her mid-70s, the film follows her preparations to hold her first performance at Carnegie Hall. 1 hr. 50 PG-13 (brief suggestive material) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
HACKSAW RIDGE. 3.5 stars. One of Mel Gibson's greatest achievements as director, this incredibly violent, gory WWII epic tells the true story of U.S. Amy medic Desmond Doss (a remarkable Andrew Garfield), who became one of the most decorated soldiers of the Pacific Theater without firing a single shot. A conscientious objector, he single-handedly saved more than 75 wounded men during the Battle of Okinawa. The first-rate ensemble cast includes Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington, Rachel Griffiths and Teresa Palmer. 2 hrs. 11 R (intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence including grisly bloody images) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
THE HANDMAIDEN. 3.5 stars. Based on Sarah Water's novel the "Fingersmith," this breathtaking, clever, funny sexy _ and sexually graphic _ romantic thriller from "Oldboy" director Park Chan-wook is about a lesbian romance that develops between an impoverished confidence trickster and an isolated, naive heiress. Set during the 1930s, when Korea was a vassal state to Japan, the film cleverly addresses a range of themes about power, economic exploitation and sexuality. 2 hrs. 24 No MPAA rating (nudity and graphic sexual situations throughout, profanity, smoking, violence) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
HIDDEN FIGURES. 3 stars. Taraji P. Henson, Octavio Spencer and Janelle Monae are terrific in this feel-good family movie about a group of black female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the 1960s. The true story is about overqualified scientists who could only get jobs crunching numbers for their white male bosses, but who overcame prejudice to make their own mark on the space program. Where it lacks as serious history, the film makes up for with an empowering social message. The ensemble casts includes Kevin Costner, Glen Powell, Mahershala Ali and Aldis Hodge. 2 hr. 7 PG (thematic elements and some profanity) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
JACKIE. 3 stars. Natalie Portman, intense, focused, transfiguring, stars as Jacqueline Kennedy in a daring fever dream of a biopic, wheeling around the events before, during, and after the assassination of JFK. Not every element of Chilean director Pablo Larrain's film works, but its star is unforgettable, and the images _ historic and imagined _ imbue this psychological portrait with a haunting resonance. 1 hr. 40 R (brief strong language and some violence) _ Steven Rea
THE LOVE WITCH. 2.5 stars. Indie auteur Anna Biller follows up her memorable sex comedy "Viva" with this fascinating and fun, if seriously flawed, send-up for witchcraft and Satan worship yarns from the 60s and 70s about a recently widowed beauty (Samantha Robinson) who uses witchcraft to control and subdue men she dates. Then they start dying or going mad. The amazing visuals, wild color palette and campy style don't make up for a weak script. 2 hrs. No MPAA rating (profanity, nudity, sexuality, smoking, some drug use) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
LA LA LAND. 4 stars. Some kind of transcendent magic happens in Damien Chazelle's starry-eyed musical, with one foot (in tap shoes) firmly planted in the past, and the other (in taps, too, of course) planted in a me-first, modern-day world. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are the struggling Los Angelinos who fall in love despite a mutual wariness, walking and talking, singing and dancing, amid a swirl of classic Hollywood references. Not quite perfect, but its imperfections, and its embrace of passion over cynicism, are part of the charm. 2 hrs. 8 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) _ Steven Rea
LION. 3.5 stars. Australian TV director Garth Davis ("Top of the Lake") makes his feature debut with this heart-breaking, if sometimes maudlin, true story told in two parts. In the first, a 5-year-old boy in India becomes separated from his impoverished family and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham). In the second part, the boy has grown up to be a young man (Dev Patel of "Slumdog Millionaire") who goes back in search of his lost family. 1 hr. 48 PG-13 (thematic material and some sensuality) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. 3.5 stars. Kenneth Lonergan ("You Can Count on Me," "Margaret") proves once again he's one of America's finest dramatists with this working class drama about loss, grief and family obligations. Casey Affleck is sensational in an Oscar-worthy performance as a self-hating, melancholic who has lived a miserable life as a janitor since he lost both his children in an accident. When his older brother (Kyle Chandler) dies, he's forced to return to his tiny hometown and assume responsibility for his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges). Costars Michelle Williams, Matthew Broderick and Gretchen Mol. 2 hrs. 17 R (profanity throughout and some sexual content) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
MISS SLOANE. 2 stars. Disappointing political thriller features Jessica Chastain in a powerhouse performance as an amoral conservative Washington lobbyist who comes under attack from the gun lobby when she switches sides. John Madden, who directed Chastain's 2010 breakout film, "The Debt," delivers a serviceable thriller that feels far more like a heist film about a con artist than a satire about the corrupting influence of money in politics. 2 hrs. 12 R (profanity and some sexuality) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
MOANA. 3.5 stars. This delightful, lyrical and deeply moving 3-D computer animated family picture is a semi-comic adventure story featuring the first truly feminist heroine to grace Walt Disney's animated features. Based in part on Polynesian myths, it's about a teenage princess (15-year-old Hawaii-born singer Auli'i Cravalho) who goes on an arduous journey to restore the creative powers of the fecund earth mother who created the world. Co-starring Dwayne Johnson as a macho demi-god, the film is fueled by a wondrous, ecofeminist point of view. 1 hr. 53 PG (peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
MOONLIGHT. 4 stars. A true American masterpiece, the sophomore feature from Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy") is a heady mix of brutal social realism and poetry as it tells the coming age story of a young black gay man from the Miami ghetto. Divided into three parts, it tells the story of Chiron as a 10-year-old, a high school student and a 20-something professional as he wrestles with external forces he can't control including poverty and drug crime and internal desires he cannot ignore. Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes give memorable performances as Chiron. With Andre Holland, Janelle Monae, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali. 1 hr. 50 R (some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and profanity throughout) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
PASSENGERS. 2.5 stars. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum follows up his brilliant features "Headhunter" and "The Imitation Game" with a disappointing entry that tries to graft a solid love story on top of a weak, badly-conceived sci-fi adventure. Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have great chemistry as two passengers on a 120-year intergalactic flight whose hypersleep pods malfunction. The only two people awake on a ship of 5,000 they embark on a troubled romance that gets all wonky when they have to save the ship from blowing up. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (sexuality, nudity and action/peril) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. 2 stars. Director Gareth Edwards ("Monsters") delivers a passable minor prequel to 1977's "Star Wars" featuring Felicity Jones as a reluctant rebel hero who takes on the Empire to save her scientist dad (Mads Mikkelsen), who happens to be the guy who built the Death Star from the 1977 masterpiece. Costarring Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna and Donnie Yen, this would have been a fun, effective diversion were it not for its absurd sense of self-importance _ nowhere more apparent than in composer Michael Giacchino's bombastic, over-the-top John Williamsesque score that swells and crescendos in every scene. 2 hrs. 13 PG-13 (extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
TROLLS. 2 stars. DreamWorks Animation's mediocre animated 3-D musical family adventure is the first big-screen story spun from the Good Luck Troll line of toys introduced in 1959. Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick voice the two leads and sing a couple of nice duets. Timberlake, who produced the music, does a great job, but the film has no magic, no real luster. 1 hr. 32 PG (some mild rude humor) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
WHY HIM? 2.5 stars. James Franco burns up the screen with surreal weirdness in a madcap take on Meet the Parents co-starring Zoey Deutch as his younger lover and Brian Cranston and Megan Mullally as her straight-laced Midwestern parents. Franco plays Laird, an eccentric, four-letter-word loving, heavily tattooed Silicon Valley gazillionaire with a heart of gold who hosts his gal's family at his gorgeous mansion for a weekend filled with wordplays, sight gags, crazy stunts and a bit of sex. Keegan-Michael Key is brilliant as Laird's friend, employee and martial arts teacher. Franco lays it on heavy here and dominates every scene, so those allergic to the actor may want to keep away. His fans will lap it up. 1 hr. 51 R (strong profanity and sexual material) _ Tirdad Derakhshani
