ANNIHILATION. 3 stars. A groups of scientists (Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson) enter a mysterious zone of new life comprised of mutating alien DNA. Trippy, downbeat sci-fi from director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) mixes old and new special effects, old and new sci-fi ideas. 1 hr. 55 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
BLACK PANTHER. 3.5 stars. Thoughtful, rousing new Marvel adventure from writer-director Ryan Coogler, who delivers the boilerplate blockbuster action components with a provocative story about a modern-day African king (Chadwick Boseman) dealing with threats (in the person of villain Michael B. Jordan) to his nation and his throne _ a story that resonates in the real world. Strong roles for Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, and Danai Gurira. 2 hrs. 20 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. 3 stars. Handsome production set in 1983 Italy, where a professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) is hosting a handsome student (Armie Hammer) who becomes involved with the professor's son (Timothee Chalamet). Sensitively told, coming-of-age story that is well-acted by Chalamet and Hammer. Written by James Ivory, it recalls some of the quintessential Merchant Ivory movies of the 1990s, though it's directed by Luca Guadagnino. 2 hrs. 11 R (sex) _ Gary Thompson
DARKEST HOUR. 3 stars. Gary Oldman has great fun as Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour," and it's great fun to watch him play Britain's wartime prime minister, contending with political opposition while rallying his people and his king (Ben Mendelsohn) to the cause of opposing Germany, in the face of the dire events at Dunkirk. Joe Wright's showboating direction is a match for the heightened pitch of the performances, which include good work by Stephen Dillane, Kristen Scott Thomas and Lily James. 2 hrs. 5 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
DEN OF THIEVES. 2.5 stars. Gang of efficient and highly motivated bank robbers is shadowed and surveilled by a mirror-image group of law-enforcement officers. A knowing knock-off of Michael Mann's 'Heat' that invites the audience to enjoy the way it riffs on Mann's classic, sort of a bro-movie version of a Sound of Music singalong. Some of the plotting also filches from another famous genre picture. Which one? We're never tell. Starring Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber and O'Shea Jackson Jr. 2 hrs. R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
ENTANGLEMENT. 3 stars. Short, mostly sweet comedy about a depressed man (Thomas Middleditch) who starts to reconnect with life when he meets and falls for offbeat young woman (Jess Weixler). Many whimsical touches, and a story that mostly avoids formula. Weixler makes the most of her screen time, and there is a nice contribution from Diana Bang in a supporting role. 1 hr. 25. No MPAA rating _ Gary Thompson
15:17 TO PARIS. 2 stars. Clint Eastwood uses the real-life heroes involved to tell the stories of three American men who stopped an armed terrorist from committing mass murder on Paris-bound train. Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos. 1 hr. 34 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
FIFTY SHADES FREED. 1.5 stars. Painful conclusion to S&M soap opera about a woman (Dakota Johnson) involved with a wealthy man (Jamie Dornan) who's into kinky bedroom behavior. With Marcia Gay Harden. 1 hr. 45 R (sex) _ Gary Thompson
FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL. 2.5 stars. Based on the memoir of Peter Turner (Jamie Bell), an aspiring stage actor who had a brief affair with Hollywood star Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening). Offbeat romance with melancholoy tone, helped by first-rate performances from Bening and Bell, who has his most rewarding role since Billy Elliot. With Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave. 1 hr. 45 R (sex) _ Gary Thompson
GAME NIGHT. 3 stars. Forgettable but often funny and efficient comedy about a competitive couple (Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams) whose game night gets out of control when a fake crime-solving exercise goes haywire. Jesse Plemons has a funny supporting role, and Kyle Chandler co-stars. 1 hr. 33 R (language) _ Gary Thompson
HALF MAGIC. 2 stars. Veteran actress Heather Graham wrote and directed this uneven comedy about a woman (Graham) trying to make a living in sexist Hollywood, and along with Angela Kinsey, Stephanie Beatriz) trying to find happiness in L.A. With Thomas Lennon, Molly Shannon 1 hr. 40 R (sex) _ Gary Thompson
I, TONYA. 3 stars. Margot Robbie produces and stars in this biography, told with elements of black comedy, of notorious figure skater Tonya Harding (Robbie), implicated in the conspiracy to injure competitive rival Nancy Kerrigan. The movie tells you things you probably didn't know about the scandal, and manages to build empathy for Harding, who saw skating as a refuge form a life of poverty and abuse. Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan are Harding's abusive mother and husband, Bobby Canavale a cynical tabloid TV reporter. 1 hr. 59 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. 3 stars. A complete reboot of the 1995 original. The magical board game is now a magical video game, where archetypal teens (jock, nerd, popular girl) find themselves inhabiting in-game avatars that are the opposite of the real-world personalities. The hulking football player becomes pint-sized Kevin Hart, the nerd becomes Dwayne Johnson, the pretty girl becomes Jack Black, and the actors have more fun that you might expect playing teens stuck . Co-starring Karen Gillen and Nick Jonas. Directed by Jake Kasdan. 2 hrs. 2 PG-13 (language) _ Gary Thompson
LADY BIRD. 4 stars. Funny, touching coming-of-age story about a Sacramento high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who quarrels with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) about her determination to leave California for a more sophisticated life at an Eastern college. Written and directed with great affection, wisdom and skill by Greta Gerwig. With Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein. 1 hr. 33 R (language, sexuality) _ Gary Thompson
THE MAZE RUNNER: DEATH CURE. 2 stars. Action-oriented conclusion to the saga of teens (Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scoladerio) battling an authoritarian figures (Patricia Clarkson, Aiden Gillen) who want to use their blood to develop a serum to combat a deadly plague. Director Wes Ball goes for spectacle over story, and allows many of his scenes to overstay their welcome. With Dexter Darden, Rosa Salazar, Barry Pepper and Giancarlo Esposito. 2 hrs. 23 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
THE PARTY. 3 stars. Caustic comedy (the title has a double meaning) from Sally Potter about a UK back bencher (Kristen Scott Thomas) celebrating a political victory with a dinner party that quickly goes horribly wrong. Shot in black and white, not quite as funny as you want it to be, but helped by an ace cast, including Timothy Spall, Cillian Murphy, Patricia Clarkson, Cherry Jones and Emily Mortimer. 1 hr. 11 R (language) _ Gary Thompson
THE POST. 3.5 stars. Steven Spielberg directs a cast that includes Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in this true story of the Washington Post's fight to publish the Pentagon Papers. 1 hr. 55 PG-13 (profanity, brief war violence) _ Gary Thompson
THE SHAPE OF WATER. 3 stars. Adult fable from Guillermo del Toro, set Cold War Baltimore in 1962, about a lonely woman (Sally Hawkins) working on the cleaning staff in a government lab who falls in love for the amphibious creature (Doug Jones) brought there for study. Richard Jenkins and Olivia Spenser have charming roles as the woman's friends and co-conspirator in a plot to save the creature. Michael Shannon _ surprise _ is the heavy. Full of strange ideas and twists, unified by first-rate visual presentation that somehow maintains the movie's tone of enchantment. 2 hrs. 5 R (nudity) _ Gary Thompson
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. 3 stars. Rian Johnson's competent, crowd-pleasing addition to the franchise, expanding on J.J. Abrams's reboot. Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to recruit Luke (Mark Hamill) to join the beleaguered resistance led by his sister Leia (Carrie Fisher), threatened by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). A blend of the old and the new _ Finn (John Boyega) is off on a renegade mission of his own, introducing new characters like Rose (Kelly Marie Tran). 2 hrs. 35 PG-13 (violence) _ Gary Thompson
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. 3.5 stars. From writer-director Martin McDonagh, a timely if scabrous story about a small-town woman (Frances McDormand) taunting the cops (Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell) who have failed to solve her daughter's murder. Contains the brutal violence, savage humor and surprising moments of warmth that comprise McDonagh's unique voice, and good performances as well _ from McDormand and Rockwell in difficult and complex roles, playing difficult and complex people. With Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges and John Hawkes. 1 hr. 55 R (violence, language) _ Gary Thompson
12 STRONG. 3 stars. Sturdy, fact -based account of Army special forces unit (led by Chris Hemsworth) inserted into Northern Afghanistan just weeks after 9-11 to assist Northern Alliance in an early battle to capture the key stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif from entrenched Taliban forces. The men (including Michael Pena and Michael Shannon) were lightly equipped and trained to work with local allies, which in this case meant making charges on horseback. Based on Doug Stanton's book ' The Horse Soldiers.' Co-starring Rob Riggle, a former Marine who actually served in Mazar-i-Sharif. 2 hrs. 10 R (violence) _ Gary Thompson
