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PG-13, 2:13, action/adventure
“Rogue One,” the tale of a controversial Death Star and those who loathe it, operates as a prequel to the 1977 movie that became a flexible, malleable religion (with ray guns!) to millions. The new movie is a little bit “Guardians of the Galaxy,” a little bit “Dirty Dozen” in its mass wartime slaughter, and a pretty good time once it gets going. “Rogue One” takes its name from the U-shaped spaceship whisking Alliance fighters to the tropical planet Scarif for the big showdown against Empire forces. The movie's pretty violent. Deliberately, director Gareth Edwards' effort is rough around the edges, hectic in its cross-cutting but increasingly effective as kinetic cinema.
PG, 2:07, drama
“Hidden Figures” is a fairly entertaining gloss of a docudrama elevated by its cast. It takes place mostly in 1961 and early 1962, three years into the life of NASA. With Russia's successful launch of Sputnik, America had to play catch-up in the space race. “Hidden Figures” focuses on three African-American female mathematicians working behind the scenes, and behind a long wall of white colleagues, at a stubbornly segregated NASA in Jim Crow-ruled Hampton, Va. The bigotry and sexism these women endured cries out for a tougher-minded movie. But there's no doubt that many will respond to this easygoing picture and be grateful for something that at least deals with subjects overdue for some of the space-race glory.
PG, 1:48, animated
Talking, dancing, singing creatures great and small mash up with the wildly popular phenomenon of singing competition reality shows. The result, “Sing,” is an amusing riff on genres, a “Zootopia Idol.” But while the film takes its introductory cues from shows like “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “X Factor,” with an all-too-brief audition montage that is jam-packed with truly wonderful moments, it transforms into an old-school backstage musical that celebrates the magic of putting on a show.
R, 1:32, action/adventure
With four previous films under its weapons-packed belt, “Underworld: Blood Wars” hasn't lost any of its predecessors' lust for blood. This film is as big, dumb and loud as one of its Lycans in wolf form, though it is no worse than the rest of the series. Vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) hides from both the Lycans (aka werewolves) and her own estranged tribe, but soon the vampires ask for her help. Joined by David (Theo James), Selene continues the interspecies war. Half the script from Cory Goodman is endless expository dialogue explaining this film and its predecessors' plots, and the rest is grunts and roars from supernatural creatures that are fighting.
PG-13, 2:08, musical comedy
At its best, “La La Land” hits three, four, five bells at once, reminding us of the multilayer satisfaction a musical can provide. Ryan Gosling stars as a stubbornly idealistic jazz pianist and aspiring club owner. More crucial to the film's success, Emma Stone co-stars as a striving, occasionally employed Los Angeles actress. Stone is spectacular, and she's reason enough to see “La La Land.” Damien Chazelle is a born filmmaker, and he doesn't settle for rehashing familiar bits from musicals we already love. He's too busy giving us reasons to fall for this one.
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