OPENING
Governor: The Silent Saviour (NR) This Indian drama stars Manoj Bajpayee as a governor trying to avert a national financial catastrophe in 1990. Also with Adah Sharma, Madhoo, Mounis Ratta, Aryan Pushkar, Umar Raza Khan, and John Forbes. (Opens Friday at AMC Parks at Arlington)
Jinsei (NR) Ryuya Suzuki’s animated film is about a Japanese man (voiced by Cool Ace) who takes in his country’s history and personal struggles during 100 years of life. Additional voices by Remi Chon, Eri Kamataki, Katsuya Magma, Ayumu Nakajima, Tsubaki Nekoze, and Kanji Tsuda. (Opens Friday)
Kraken (NR) This Norwegian thriller stars Sara Khorami as a marine biologist investigating mysterious human deaths on her fish farm. Also with Mikkel Bratt Silset, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, and Einar Haraldsson. (Opens Friday in Dallas)
Main Vaapas Aaunga (NR) Diljit Dosanjh stars in this Indian romance as a Sikh man whose love is tested by the Partition of India. Also with Sharvari, Vedang Raina, Manish Chaudhari, Rajat Kapoor, and Naseeruddin Shah. (Opens Friday)
Oye Bhole Oye 2 (NR) Jagjeet Sandhu directs and stars in this Punjabi-language comedy about a village man who defies a large corporation trying to acquire his family’s land. Also with Soumyaa, Dheeraj Kumar, Parkash Gadhu, Amrit Amby, and Yash Gulati. (Opens Friday at Cinemark North East Mall)
Stop! That! Train! (R) RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Ginger Minj and Jujubee star in this parody of 1970s disaster movies. Also with Symone, RuPaul, Rachel Bloom, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Missi Pyle, Joel McHale, Jerry O’Connell, Nicole Sullivan, Chris Parnell, Nicole Richie, Charo, June Diane Raphael, Riki Lindhome, Lisa Rinna, Daniel Franzese, Raven-Symoné, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. (Opens Friday)
NOW PLAYING
The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (NR) This feature presentation is the last two episodes of the Australian animated series about characters trapped in a digital world by an evil ringmaster. Voices by LIzzie Freeman, Michael Kovach, Marissa Lenti, Amanda Hufford, Ashley Nichols, and Cassie Ewulu.
Backrooms (R) Based on an online legend, this horror film is both effective and unlike anything the multiplexes have served up. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays an angry, alcoholic, recently divorced furniture store owner who discovers a passageway in his store leading to an infinite labyrinth of yellow-walled and -carpeted rooms with something murderous roaming the halls. 21-year-old director Kane Parsons made a series of short films about the online myth for YouTube, and in his first theatrical feature, he shows some serious talent for creepy atmosphere. He’s helped by stellar work by production designer Danny Vermette, who gives us furniture sinking into the floor or being absorbed into the walls. Cheers to the filmmakers for having more than just a clever gimmick, as the rooms reflect the main character’s warped psyche and the madness within. It’s one thing to make a good horror flick, and another to make a new kind of horror. Also with Renate Reinsve, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, Avan Jogia, and Mark Duplass.
The Breadwinner (PG) Nate Bargatze’s skill as a stand-up comic is little in evidence in this unbearable and loud comedy about a Nashville car salesman who takes time off his job to raise his three daughters (Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Charlotte Ann Tucker, and Birdie Borria) after his wife (Mandy Moore) travels abroad to fund her startup company. The hijinks wouldn’t have passed muster in the 1980s when Hollywood first started making comedies like these, and the stacked cast fails to contribute anything of note. Also with Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Will Forte, Brett Cullen, Kate Berlant, and Colin Jost.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (PG-13) This sequel is quite enjoyable in the same way as the original, but it has one big irritating issue. Anne Hathaway reprises her role as Andy, a newly unemployed journalist who takes a job at Runway, which is now embroiled in a PR crisis. The sequel registers how fashion media has changed in the last 20 years, but gets distracted by a succession battle after the fashion magazine’s owner (Tibor Feldman) suddenly dies. It would have been better devoting more time to Andy trying to detoxify Runway’s workplace culture and bring Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) into line. The characters have been away long enough for us to be happy to see them, and the script is smart enough that you won’t hate yourself for reveling in its posh setting. Shame that it goes too easy on its characters. Also with Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Justin Theroux, Tracie Thoms, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Simone Ashley, Helen J. Shen, Rachel Bloom, B.J. Novak, Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, and Lady Gaga.
Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (NR) Varun Dhawan stars in this romance as a man who discovers buried family secrets in the U.K. after the breakup of his marriage. Also with Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde, Maniesh Paul, Mouni Roy, Kubbra Salt, and Rajesh Kumar.
I Love Boosters (R) If there’s a more insane movie this year, I’d like to see it. Boots Riley’s anti-capitalist satire stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, and Taylour Paige as three San Francisco social activists who protest a high-end fashion designer (Demi Moore) by stealing clothes from her stores and then sell the loot to make money. This seems straightforward enough, but then we get into a Chinese sweatshop worker (Poppy Liu) with a magic bag, a male model (LaKeith Stanfield) who turns out to be a soul-devouring demon, and a group of robots posing as people by wearing synthetic skin. The madness worked for Riley in his debut film Sorry to Bother You, but here it leads the story up all manner of blind alleys, even if some of those alleys turn out to be quite funny. The costumes and production design are très dystopian chic, but the material isn’t there. Also with Will Poulter, Eiza González, Rachel Walters, Robin Thede, Alan Z, Jermaine Fowler, Eric André, Adam Devine, Jason Ritter, Kara Young, Don Cheadle, and Viggo Mortensen.
Masters of the Universe (PG-13) Deeply confused and not good. In this live-action adaptation of the 1980s TV cartoon series, Nicholas Galitzine plays He-Man, the warrior guardian of an alien civilization who has been stuck in Oklahoma City for the last 20 years. The lead actor has a keen grasp on the ridiculous aspects of the character, but the same can’t be said for director Travis Knight, who seems unsure when to play the material straight and when to play it for camp humor. He also fails to conjure a single memorable visual from a fantasy world where futuristic vehicles and weapons exist alongside sorcerers and fantastical creatures. A high-level cast is left high and dry by this material. Also with Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Jon Xue Zhang, Sam C. Wilson, Charlotte Riley, James Purefoy, James Wilkinson, Kojo Attah, Alison Brie, and an uncredited Dolph Lundgren. Voices by Christopher Ragland, Tom Wilton, Gary Martin, and Kristen Wiig.
Michael (PG-13) There is no movie here. In a bid to appease the Jackson family and their lawyers, director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan have thrown out every bit of plot, character development, and atmosphere that would make this Michael Jackson biopic into a semblance of a story. The film takes place in 1966-88, with Juliano Valdi playing little Michael and Jaafar Jackson as the adult. Everything from Janet Jackson to the pedophilia allegations is studiously ignored, and we don’t even get any insight into Michael Jackson’s creative process or psychology to compensate for it. Both Valdi and Jaafar Jackson imitate Michael’s fluid dance moves, which is no mean feat, but the man himself comes off as a cipher, so what hope do the supporting characters have? This is a good deal less than a nostalgia act, and Fuqua and Logan have nothing to do except play the hits. Also with Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, Nia Long, Larenz Tate, Kendrick Sampson, Laura Harrier, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Jessica Sula, Deon Cole, and Mike Myers.
Mortal Kombat II (R) Adapted from the 1990s video game, this sequel to the pandemic hit stars Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, a washed-up Hollywood martial-arts star who’s drafted to fight against demigods in a fighting tournament with the fate of the Earth at stake. This starts off somewhat well, with some inventive fight sequences and a very funny parody of 1990s action movies. Josh Lawson returns as a resurrected mercenary and contributes some snap despite playing every Australian stereotype at once. The script’s feeble attempts at humor are nevertheless a welcome break from the stilted dramatics, as the movie loses track of all the characters (including Johnny) for unconscionable stretches, and the climactic fights go on interminably. Also with Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Martyn Ford, CJ Bloomfield, Lewis Tan, Max Huang, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Obsession (R) A scary new entry in the long tradition of stories about the dangers of gaining your heart’s desire. Michael Johnston stars in this horror film as a weak man who can’t tell his crush (Inde Navarrette) that he’s in love with her, so he finds a novelty toy that grants people’s desires and wishes for her love. Navarrette is only 5’0” and manages to be utterly terrifying as a level-headed woman who suddenly morphs into an ultra-clingy demon who’s willing to murder anyone who gets between her and her man. Writer-director Curry Barker comes from a comedy background conjures a number of memorable visuals here, and if the momentum flags somewhat in the film’s second half, he still comes up with a fiendish climax that sends you out of the theater with an indelible chill. Also with Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Justice, Anthony Casablanca, and Andy Richter.
Peddi (NR) Ram Charan stars in this Telugu-language film as a man who assembles a cricket team from his village to defend their honor. Also with Jahnvi Kapoor, Divyendu Sharma, Shivarajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Boman Irani, and Dayanand Reddy.
Power Ballad (R) John Carney’s musicals are great because they have that one great song. This one has it, along with a career-best performance by Paul Rudd. He plays an American musician who has been living in Dublin for the last 15 years raising a family and working as a wedding singer. He jams with a former boy-band singer (Nick Jonas) who’s passing through town and thinks he’s made a friend, only for the younger man to steal one of his unpublished songs and turn it into a chart-topping hit. You know that “How to Write a Song (Without You)” (written by Carney himself and Gary Clark) is great because it gets performed so many times in this film without wearing out, but the real draw is Rudd’s turn as a guy who shelved his dreams of music stardom and rages impotently at being screwed over for songwriting credit. This, and not Ant-Man, is what we have him for. Also with Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Beth Fallon, Rory Keenan, Paul Reid, Keith McErlean, Havana Rose Liu, and Jack Reynor.
Pressure (PG-13) Too late for Memorial Day comes this not terribly exciting British film about the D-Day invasion seen through the eyes of a Scottish meteorologist (Andrew Scott) who’s brought in to provide a weather forecast for the planned day of the operation only to announce that the conditions will be terrible and that the whole thing will be postponed. Based on David Haig’s stage play, this film squeezes very little juice out of the weatherman sticking to his forecast despite heavy pressure from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and other top brass in the American and British militaries. Despite the top-level talent in the cast, this exercise comes off as more dutiful than anything else. Also with Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Tamsin Topolski, Jojo Macari, Con O’Neill, and Damian Lewis.
Project Hail Mary (PG-13) Based on Andy Weir’s novel, this science-fiction movie is entertaining enough for the price of admission and maybe even an upcharge to a premium format. Ryan Gosling portrays an astronaut who travels to a star light-years away to find a solution to why our sun is dying. He meets an alien being whose world is facing the same problem with its sun. Gosling spends a great deal of time talking to himself, partly because his character is trying to keep from going insane from the solitude and partly because he has trouble communicating with the alien, but if any actor can make this assignment look easy, it’s Gosling. The filmmaking team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie) drills down into the trial-and-error that goes into the characters’ scientific work and manages to find both humor and beauty in the vastness of space. The movie earns its uplift because of the way the two life forms are willing to collaborate to save their civilizations. Also with Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Priya Kansara, Orion Lee, and Lionel Boyce. Voices by James Ortiz and an uncredited Meryl Streep.
Scary Movie (R) It’s been 13 years since the last film in this spoof series, and this installment cycles so quickly through parodies of Get Out, The Substance, and M3GAN that it doesn’t have time to adopt a point of view on them or crack funny jokes about them. Then again, how does that make it different from the other Scary Movies? Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans all reprise their roles as they’re stalked by a new Ghostface who’s the same as the old Ghostface (Dave Sheridan). One of the film’s few good gags is that the original killer received a presidential pardon for his murders because he was a January 6 rioter. If the Wayans family let go of some creative control here, this series might breathe again. Also with Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Savannah Lee Nassif, Damon Wayans Jr., Kim Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Sydney Park, Deon Cole, Cheri Oteri, Lochlyn Munro, Heidi Gardner, Chris Elliott, Anthony Anderson, Carmen Electra, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Teyana Taylor.
The Sheep Detectives (PG) Adapted from Leonie Swann’s children’s book, this film has a fresh idea but botches the execution. When an English shepherd (Hugh Jackman) is found murdered, his flock of sheep sets out to solve the crime, since he used to read to them from his collection of detective novels. Nicholas Braun contributes a fine turn as a cop who’s dumber than any of the sheep, but the mystery plot is too balky for first-time director Kyle Balda, who has to balance it with the sheep leaving their meadow for the first time and interacting with other humans. This movie isn’t sure whether it’s supposed to be for the kids or for the Agatha Christie fans. Also with Emma Thompson, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Tosin Cole, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conleth Hill, and Hong Chau. Voices by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby, and Patrick Stewart.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (PG) The Mario brothers (voiced by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day) rescue Yoshi (voiced by Donald Glover) while Bowser Jr. (voiced by Benny Safdie) kidnaps Princess Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson) in this sequel. While there’s entirely too much going on, this is still better than the first movie. The new voice talent gives the thing some new energy and the filmmakers inject some visual wit that wasn’t there in the original, such as interludes made to look like sock puppet theater and Japanese anime, as well as a casino whose gaming floor extends to the walls and ceiling. Some Mario-fied Minions make an appearance as well. There’s certainly worse stuff made for the little ones out there. Additional voices by Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Issa Rae, Luis Guzmán, and Glen Powell.
Tuner (R) A throwback thriller that showcases a great deal of up-and-coming talent. Leo Woodall portrays a professional piano tuner in the Tri-State area whose extremely sensitive hearing makes him great at his job but cripples his social life. When his mentor (Dustin Hoffman) falls seriously ill, he turns to using his hearing as a safecracker from some Israeli thieves to earn money. Oscar-winning documentary Daniel Roher (Navalny) makes his fiction debut and does wonders with the gradations of his hero’s hearing, as he goes around with earplugs and noise-canceling headphones because the world is too loud. The business with the pearl watch is unforgivably ham-handed, but the film has terrific pacing and performances by both Woodall and Havana Rose Liu as the composition student who falls for him. Also with Tovah Feldshuh, Lior Raz, Gil Cohen, Nissan Sakra, Rek Lee, C.S. Lee, Jean Reno, and Herbie Hancock.
Dallas Exclusives
Another World (NR) This Chinese animated film is about a spirit guide (voiced by Suet-Ying Chung) in the next world who has trouble guiding one spirit to reincarnation. Additional voices by Louis Cheung, Hiu-Tung Choi, Kay Tse, Will Or, On-Ying Chan, and Hon-Man Ko.
I Am Ryan (NR) This Australian comedy stars Hobart as a Ryan Reynolds lookalike who causes chaos when he visits Hollywood. Also with Sherif Mohammed Mattar, Briana Nicole, and Bryan Werlemann.
Signal One (NR) This science-fiction thriller is about an inventor who creates a machine that can communicate with alien life forms. Starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Josh Hutcherson, David Thewlis, Raoul Bhaneja, Kiera Allen, and Dennis Quaid.
Time and Water (PG) The latest documentary by Sara Dosa (Fire of Love) profiles Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason and his attempts to preserve family and natural history in a time capsule.
