Special screenings
Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival
1/14-1/29, feature films and documentaries related to Jewish culture and history, days and times vary, $10 per screening, passes $50. Various locations, lvjff.org.
Lost in London Live
1/19, feature film by Woody Harrelson shot and broadcast in real time, 6 p.m., $13-$18. Theaters: CAN, COL, ORL, SF, SP, ST, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.
Mickey’s Big Celebration
1/14, episodes of Disney Junior series Mickey and the Roadster Racers plus giveaways, 10 a.m., $10-$12.50. Theaters: COL, SP. Info: fathomevents.com.
One Piece Film: Gold
1/12, 1/17, feature film based on anime series, 7:30 p.m., $10.50-$12.50. Theaters: ORL, SF, ST, VS. Info: funimationfilms.com.
Saturday Movie Matinee
1/14, Jason Bourne, 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3400. 1/14, 1 p.m., free. Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, 702-507-6036.
Sci Fi Center
Mon, Cinemondays, 8 p.m., free. Through 1/31, The Radiant One, Wed-Thu 1:15 p.m., Fri 1:15 & 6:15 p.m., Sat 4:15 & 8:15 p.m., Sun 4:15 & 6:15 p.m., $7. 1/14, Suspiria, 8 p.m., $5. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com.
Sherlock
1/16, 1/18, fourth-season finale episode plus bonus features, 7 p.m., $13-$15. Theaters: SF, TS, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.
TCM Big Screen Classics
1/15, 1/18, Singin’ in the Rain plus introduction from Turner Classic Movies, 2 & 7 p.m., $7.50-$12.50. Theaters: CAN, COL, ORL, SF, SP, ST, VS. Info: fathomevents.com.
Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou
Tue, 1 p.m., free. 1/17, Scarface (1932). Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3400.
New this week
Bairavaa (Not reviewed)
Vijay, Keerthy Suresh, Sathish. Directed by Bharathan. 150 minutes. Not rated. In Tamil with English subtitles. A college student takes on a group of criminals.
Theaters: ST, VS
The Bye Bye Man (Not reviewed)
Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas. Directed by Stacy Title. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. Three college students discover an evil entity when they move into an old house.
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, ST, TS, TX, VS
Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. 130 minutes. Rated R. In French with English subtitles. The head of a video-game company takes matters into her own hands after being assaulted and raped in Verhoeven’s fascinating, provocative thriller. Huppert is fantastic as a woman empowered by dark experiences, and the movie is graphic and intense without being exploitative (although it eventually runs itself into a narrative dead end). —JB
Theaters: VS
Extra Service (Not reviewed)
Arci Muñoz, Coleen Garcia, Jessy Mendiola. Directed by Chris Martinez. 103 minutes. Not rated. In Filipino with English subtitles. The adventures of a trio of massage therapists who moonlight as secret agents.
Theaters: ORL
Gautamiputra Satakarni (Not reviewed)
Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shriya Saran, Hema Malini. Directed by Krish. 135 minutes. Not rated. In Telugu with English subtitles. Biopic about ancient Indian ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Theaters: ST
Khaidi No. 150 (Not reviewed)
Chiranjeevi, Kajal Aggarwal, Tarun Arora. Directed by V.V. Vinayak. 147 minutes. Not rated. In Telugu with English subtitles. A criminal impersonates an activist who looks just like him.
Theaters: ST
Ben Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Chris Messina. Directed by Ben Affleck. 128 minutes. Rated R. Affleck plays a Boston gangster who moves to southern Florida during Prohibition in this sprawling, episodic crime saga. The story might be better suited to a TV miniseries, but it benefits from Affleck’s assured direction, with gorgeous, sweeping cinematography and a feel for the glamour and the grit of the time period. —JB
Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, ET, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX
Monster Trucks (Not reviewed)
Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan. Directed by Chris Wedge. 104 minutes. Rated PG. A teenager discovers a strange friendly creature inhabiting the souped-up truck he’s building.
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX
Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan. Directed by Peter Berg. 133 minutes. Rated R. Wahlberg plays a fictional Boston cop in this drama based on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Berg stages some of the chaos of the events with propulsive, visceral intensity, but Wahlberg’s presence at every moment becomes contrived and self-aggrandizing, undermining the tribute to the real people who lived through the harrowing ordeal. —JB
Theaters: AL, CH, DI, ET, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Issey Ogata. Directed by Martin Scorsese. 161 minutes. Rated R. Scorsese’s latest is an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s novel about two 17th-century Portuguese priests (Garfield and Driver) who journey to Japan in search of another priest (Liam Neeson) who’s reportedly renounced Christianity. Though a bit sluggish in the telling, it’s ultimately a sincere, heartfelt examination of faith’s limits, or lack thereof. —MD
Theaters: AL, BS, DTS, GVL, GVR, ORL, SC, SF, SP, TS, TX
Sleepless (Not reviewed)
Jamie Foxx, Dermot Mulroney, Michelle Monaghan. Directed by Baran bo Odar. 95 minutes. Rated R. A corrupt Las Vegas cop searches for his kidnapped son.
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX
Now playing
Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons. Directed by Gavin O’Connor. 128 minutes. Rated R. Affleck plays an autistic accountant and combat expert in this ludicrous thriller that grossly mischaracterizes autism. The sometimes solid action is surrounded by increasingly far-fetched and clumsily delivered exposition. The movie piles on silly plot twists and reveals in service of a story that’s not even particularly interesting. —JB
Theaters: TC
Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. 124 minutes. Rated R. Zemeckis’ gratifyingly old-school WWII drama stars Pitt and Cotillard as spies who accidentally fall in love while pretending to be married as part of an operation. If nothing else, the film’s elegance makes for a welcome respite from endless CGI pyrotechnics aimed at bored teenagers. —MD
Theaters: TC
Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. 116 minutes. Rated PG-13. Hard sci-fi that’s easy to enjoy, Arrival stars Adams as a linguist who’s drafted by the U.S. military to help translate an alien language—by “talking” to the bizarre creatures face to face. Here, for the first time in ages, is proof that “thrilling” and “analytical” aren’t mutually exclusive. —MD
Theaters: COL, SC
Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons. Directed by Justin Kurzel. 108 minutes. Rated PG-13. The convoluted plot of this disastrous video-game adaptation involves two organizations fighting to possess an ancient device that controls free will, with both modern-day and historical sequences (each starring Fassbender). The plot is incoherent, the tone is ridiculously self-serious and the dialogue is laughable. —JB
Theaters: BS, COL, DI, ORL, PAL, RR, SC, SF, ST, TS, TX, VS
Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Kathy Bates. Directed by Mark Waters. 92 minutes. Rated R. This belated sequel featuring alcoholic degenerate Willie Soke (Thornton) and his partner in crime Marcus (Cox) once again posing as Santa and his elf in order to pull off a heist captures very little of the wit or surprising likability of the original, instead going right for easy vulgarity and grossness. —JB
Theaters: TC
Boo! A Madea Halloween (Not reviewed)
Tyler Perry, Diamond White, Bella Thorne. Directed by Tyler Perry. 103 minutes. Rated PG-13. Simmons family matriarch Madea spends Halloween watching unruly teenagers and fending off supernatural threats.
Theaters: TC
Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet. Directed by David Frankel. 97 minutes. Rated PG-13. Smith plays a grieving ad executive whose business partners essentially con him into thinking he’s gone crazy in this bizarre, pseudo-uplifting drama. Despite the cruel premise, the movie is full of greeting-card platitudes, expecting the audience to be moved by its manipulative nonsense. —JB
Theaters: FH, RR
Dangal (Not reviewed)
Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari. 150 minutes. Not rated. In Hindi with English subtitles. Biopic about Indian wrestling champion Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two daughters, whom he coached to championships of their own.
Theaters: VS
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams. Directed by Scott Derrickson. 115 minutes. Rated PG-13. Marvel’s latest superhero movie follows a familiar template in telling the origin story of mystical hero Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch). While the story isn’t groundbreaking, the characters are engaging, the dialogue is snappy, the performances are lively and the special effects are dazzling, making for some astonishing action set pieces. —JB
Theaters: TX
Directed by Otto Bell. 87 minutes. Rated G. In Kazakh with English subtitles. This crowd-pleasing documentary about a 13-year-old Mongolian girl breaking into the all-male world of training eagles for hunting follows such an audience-friendly, cliché-filled narrative, and is delivered with such slick visuals, that it more resembles an empowering advertisement than a document of real life—even if it’s still entertaining to watch. –JB
Theaters: SC
Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Haley Lu Richardson. Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. 104 minutes. Rated R. Steinfeld is fantastic as sullen, overdramatic teen Nadine in Craig’s funny, heartfelt coming-of-age story. Craig depicts Nadine’s freak-outs with sensitivity and wit, grounding even the goofiest plot developments in real emotion. The humor and the heartbreak are equally affecting, making for the most satisfying American teen movie in years. —JB
Theaters: TC
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 
Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler. Directed by David Yates. 133 minutes. Rated PG-13. This Harry Potter spinoff set in 1926 NYC is an entertaining ride, even if it doesn’t make a case for itself as essential. Wizard Newt Scamander’s quest to recapture his weird, cute and creatively designed beasts is light and fun, but the darker storylines, mostly setting up future installments, are less thrilling. —JB
Theaters: COL, DI, RR, ST, TX
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen Henderson. Directed by Denzel Washington. 138 minutes. Rated PG-13. Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a working-class African-American family in 1950s Pittsburgh feels entirely stage-bound and artificial, with set design and performances that might make sense for live theater, but which come across as stilted and ineffective onscreen. —JB
Theaters: AL, CAN, DTS, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, SF, ST, TS, TX, VS
Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughn. Directed by Mel Gibson. 131 minutes. Rated R. The first half of this biopic about nonviolent WWII hero Desmond Doss (Garfield) is an ultra-corny small-town family drama and romance, while the second half has excessively violent and gory battlefield action. The movie lays on the sentiment and the blood and guts in equal measure, and both drown out the genuine heroism. —JB
Theaters: ST
Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer. Directed by Theodore Melfi. 127 minutes. Rated PG. The story of three real-life black women who overcame prejudice while working at NASA in the early days of the space program is told with cheesy, crowd-pleasing moments that often simplify and diminish the struggles that the real people endured. Eventually its account of actual triumph over adversity becomes chintzy and disingenuous. —JB
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, ET, FH, GVL, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Natalie Portman, Billy Crudup, Peter Sarsgaard. Directed by Pablo Larrain. 100 minutes. Rated R. This biopic of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Portman) takes place in the days following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The arch style may put off viewers looking for a conventional tribute, but director Larrain offers something more meaningful and lasting, an impressionistic portrait that says more in images than in words. —JB
Theaters: COL, ET, SC
Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend. Directed by Damien Chazelle. 128 minutes. Rated PG-13. Stone and Gosling are so terrific together, as an aspiring actress and a jazz pianist struggling to realize their respective dreams in cutthroat Los Angeles, that one can sort of forgive this being a throwback musical in which neither lead is a first-rate singer or dancer. —MD
Theaters: AL, BS, DTS, GVR, ORL, SC, SF, SP, SS, TS
Sunny Pawar, Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman. Directed by Garth Davis. 118 minutes. Rated PG-13. Based on a true story, Lion stars Patel as a young man who was raised in Australia (Kidman plays his mom) after getting hopelessly lost at age 5, but who uses Google Earth in an effort to locate the tiny village in India where he was born. Sluggish at the start, moving by the end. —MD
Theaters: GVR, ST, TX, VS
Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Alano Miller. Directed by Jeff Nichols. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13. Nichols’ film dramatizes the events that led to the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage in the U.S. While the film preaches to the converted, there seem to be fewer of the converted than many of us had hoped. —MD
Theaters: SC
Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan. 137 minutes. Rated R. Lonergan’s superb third feature (following the equally terrific You Can Count on Me and Margaret) stars Affleck—now a Best Actor frontrunner—as a janitor with a tragic past who unexpectedly finds himself tasked with caring for his teenage nephew (Hedges). Funny and heartbreaking. —MD
Theaters: COL, SC
Master (Not reviewed)
Lee Byung-hun, Kang Dong-won, Kim Woo-bin. Directed by Cho Ui-seok. 143 minutes. Not rated. In Korean with English subtitles. An investigator uncovers fraud and corruption when looking into a corporate scam.
Theaters: VS
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 
Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Eva Green. Directed by Tim Burton. 127 minutes. Rated PG-13. Based on a popular series of young-adult novels, Peculiar Children is a tedious mash-up of familiar teen-fantasy tropes, starting with the ordinary kid who learns that he’s part of a secret, magical world. Burton displays none of his trademark dark creativity, and even the special effects are lackluster. —JB
Theaters: TC
Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Directed by John Madden. 132 minutes. Rated R. Chastain plays a ruthless but crusading lobbyist in this political drama that attempts, with varying success, to have it both ways. Chastain is fiercely compelling as the title character, but the movie is so focused on blowing the audience’s mind that it eventually loses credibility. —JB
Theaters: SC
Voices of Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. 113 minutes. Rated PG. Influenced by Polynesian mythology, Moana is a pleasant but not particularly distinctive addition to the Disney animated princess canon, with the title character (Cravalho) seeking out a buffoonish demigod (Johnson) in order to save her island home. The animation is lovely, but the songs and the plot are mediocre. —JB
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SS, TS, TX
Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver. Directed by J.A. Bayona. 108 minutes. Rated PG-13. Based on the children’s book by Patrick Ness, the movie takes a bombastic, effects-heavy approach to a dreamlike fable, in which a tree monster helps young Conor O’Malley (MacDougall) deal with his mother’s terminal cancer. It’s too dark and intense for young children and too precious and stilted for adults. —JB
Theaters: AL, CH, COL, FH, ORL, PAL, RR, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes. Directed by Barry Jenkins. 110 minutes. Rated R. Divided into three segments, Moonlight follows the introverted, gay Chiron as a kid, a teenager and a young man, coming to terms with his identity growing up in one of Miami’s poorest African-American neighborhoods. It’s rooted in real details, and each segment (even the slow-moving final third) achieves its own grace. —JB
Theaters: GVR, ORL, PAL, SC, SP, ST
Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon. Directed by Tom Ford. 116 minutes. Rated R. Fashion designer Ford (A Single Man) adapts Austin Wright’s novel Tony and Susan for his second feature, which tells two pointedly related stories. One involves Adams as a rich but lonely art gallery owner; the other is her imagining of a violent novel written by her estranged ex-husband (Gyllenhaal). —MD
Theaters: VS
Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Jennifer Aniston. Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck. 105 minutes. Rated R. The employees of a Chicago tech company throw a huge holiday party to land a big client and save their jobs. Naturally, things get out of hand, in a predictable and tiresome fashion. Even the talented cast’s comedic skills aren’t enough to overcome the poorly structured plot and formulaic lessons. —JB
Theaters: DI, FH
Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen. Directed by Morten Tyldum. 116 minutes. Rated PG-13. Pratt and Lawrence are passengers on an interstellar voyage who come out of suspended animation 90 years too early in this muddled sci-fi misfire. Neither the romance nor the action is particularly convincing; the stars have minimal chemistry, and the sci-fi plotting of the climax is rushed and full of holes. —JB
Theaters: AL, BS, CH, DI, ET, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX
Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn. Directed by Gareth Edwards. 133 minutes. Rated PG-13. This Star Wars prequel/spinoff, set just before the events of the original 1977 movie, struggles between fan-pleasing callbacks and telling its own story, about a group of Rebels stealing the plans to the Death Star. Although the individual elements are uneven, they come together in an entertaining and satisfying way. —JB
Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, DTS, ET, FH, GVL, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Shut In (Not reviewed)
Naomi Watts, Jacob Tremblay, Charlie Heaton. Directed by Farren Blackburn. 91 minutes. Rated PG-13. A widowed mother tries to protect her disabled child from a mysterious threat during a storm.
Theaters: TC
Voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson. Directed by Garth Jennings. 110 minutes. Rated PG. In a city full of anthropomorphic animals, a koala stage impresario (McConaughey) mounts a singing competition to save his failing theater. The story evokes the “let’s put on a show” narratives of classic musicals, but the style is all crass 2016 Hollywood, with a soundtrack full of squeaky-clean, soulless versions of pop songs. —JB
Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, COL, DI, DTS, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Voices of Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Anton Starkman. Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland. 89 minutes. Rated PG. Set in a world where storks magically create and deliver actual babies, Storks gets points for weirdness, but writer and co-director Stoller mostly glosses over it in favor of kid-friendly animal antics. There are some vague lessons about family and togetherness, but the plot is too incoherent to make any of them stick. —JB
Theaters: TC
Voices of Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel. Directed by Mike Mitchell. 92 minutes. Rated PG. This animated adventure based on the tiny, colorful, tall-haired dolls manages to avoid being crass, showcasing some cute characters and amusing situations in the process. It’s mostly forgettable and sloppily plotted, but for kids entertained by bright colors and catchy music, it will be a great time-passer. —JB
Theaters: DI, TC
Underworld: Blood Wars (Not reviewed)
Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies. Directed by Anna Foerster. 91 minutes. Rated R. The franchise’s fifth installment finds vampire Selene (Beckinsale) fighting to end the war between vampires and werewolves.
Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, DI, ET, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch. Directed by Jon Hamburg. 111 minutes. Rated R. With Why Him? director John Hamburg repeats an old and odious formula, the “uptight square versus aggravating free spirit.” The movie contains the usual bits of forced, stupid humor, and it will be quickly forgotten, but, thanks to stars Cranston and Franco, unexpectedly, the occasional moment of genuine, human humor sometimes slips through. —JMA
Theaters: AL, BS, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS
JMA Jeffrey M. Anderson; JB Josh Bell; MD Mike D’Angelo
Theaters
(AL) Regal Aliante
7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 ext. 4011
(BS) Regal Boulder Station
4111 Boulder Highway, 844-462-7342 ext. 269
(CAN) Galaxy Cannery
2121 E. Craig Road, North Las Vegas, 702-639-9779
(CH) Cinedome Henderson
851 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, 702-566-1570
(COL) Regal Colonnade
8880 S. Eastern Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 270
(DI) Las Vegas Drive-In
4150 W. Carey Ave., North Las Vegas, 702-646-3565
(DTS) Regal Downtown Summerlin
2070 Park Center Drive, 844-462-7342 ext. 4063
(ET) Eclipse Theaters
814 S. Third St., 702-816-4300
(FH) Regal Fiesta Henderson
777 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 1772
(GVR) Regal Green Valley Ranch
2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 267
(GVL) Galaxy Green Valley Luxury+
4500 E. Sunset Road, Henderson, 702-442-0244
(ORL) Century Orleans
4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-889-1220
(PAL) Brenden Theatres at the Palms
4321 W. Flamingo Road, 702-507-4849
(RP) AMC Rainbow Promenade
2321 N. Rainbow Blvd., 888-262-4386
(RR) Regal Red Rock
11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 844-462-7342 ext. 1756
(ST) Century Sam’s Town
5111 Boulder Highway, 702-547-1732
(SF) Century Santa Fe Station
4949 N. Rancho Drive, 702-655-8178
(SHO) United Artists Showcase
3769 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 844-462-7342 ext. 522
(SP) Century South Point
9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-260-4061
(SC) Century Suncoast
9090 Alta Drive, 702-869-1880
(SS) Regal Sunset Station
1301-A W. Sunset Road, Henderson, 844-462-7342 ext. 268
(TX) Regal Texas Station
2101 Texas Star Lane, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 ext. 271
(TS) AMC Town Square
6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-362-7283
(TC) Regency Tropicana Cinemas
3330 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-438-3456
(VS) Regal Village Square
9400 W. Sahara Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 272
