New and Noteworthy: Movies

The Boxtrolls Cutely creepy subterranean critters prowl and plunder the quaint town of Cheesebridge in this stop-motion animated feature from the folks behind Coraline and Paranorman. Lots of British accents, lots of running amok. PG-13

The Equalizer Denzel Washington reboots the '80s TV character, a loner with a special ops background who helps those in need - like a teenager (Chloë Grace Moretz) forced into prostitution by the Russian mob. Antoine Fuqua, who steered Washington toward his best-actor Oscar in Training Day, directs. R

The Skeleton Twins Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are twin sibs who haven't seen each other in 10 years. Then they do. Reconciliation, remembrances, a funny bit in the trailer with a dog-eared copy of Marley & Me. R

  Hector and the Search for Happiness Simon Pegg stars as a psychiatrist who sets out on a journey in search of happiness.

Jimi: All Is By My Side André Benjamin of Outkast stars as Jimi Hendrix in this drama that focuses on the legendary guitarist just before he hit it big.

Laggies A young woman (Keira Knightley) who is stuck in a state of perpetual adolescence must finally deal with reality.

Plastic Students run afoul of a major mobster when their fraud scheme goes wrong.

 Tracks A young Australian woman treks 1,700 miles across the brutal Australian outback in this true story.

Two Night Stand An online hookup that was supposed to last one evening is extended by a blizzard.

Reviewed by critics Steven Rea (S.R.), Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Read complete reviews at www.inquirer.com/movies.

Boyhood Richard Linklater's unassuming masterpiece follows a Texas kid (newcomer Ellar Coltrane) from grade school to college dorm, reconvening cast and crew (including Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the parents) a few weeks every year for 12 years, and its carefully observed series of small moments take on quiet, metaphoric power. The faces and features of the actors, children and adults, change, and good stuff, bad stuff, the funny, the sad, the transformative, the banal, all happen in real time. Because, for once in the movies, time is real. 2 hrs. 46 R (profanity, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

Calvary Brendan Gleeson stars as a good priest in a bad world - in the beautiful west country of Ireland - in John Michael McDonagh's stormy whodunit. A furious, darkly funny look at the nature of faith, and the nature of man. 1 hr. 40 R (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Last Days of Vietnam The fall of Saigon and the agonizing decisions faced by American soldiers who were ordered to evacuate Americans only are examined in this documentary. 1 hr. 38 No MPAA rating - T.D.

The Drop Tense, evocative neo-noir, expanded from a Dennis Lehane short story, with Tom Hardy as a Brooklyn barkeep and Noomi Rapace as the woman who walks into his life - and into a mess of trouble, when the bar is robbed by masked gunmen. With James Gandolfini, in his swan-song role, and a pit-bull pup that figures prominently. 1 hr. 46 R (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Green Prince This documentary on the son of a Hamas founder who becomes a spy for Israel is an extraordinary achievement. It has all the suspense of a great espionage yarn, but also manages to be a powerful moral document that calls into question the tactics of terrorism. 1 hr. 35 PG-13 (adult subjects, some violent, disturbing images) - T.D.

Love Is Strange John Lithgow and Alfred Molina are a longtime couple whose modest, comfortable New York City life is upended when they decide to take advantage of the new gay marriage laws and officially get hitched. Hassles and heartbreak ensue. 1 hr. 34 R (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

A Most Wanted Man One of Philip Seymour Hoffman's last performances is also one of his greatest - as the rumpled, chain-smoking chief of a covert antiterrorist unit in modern-day Hamburg. The actor lives and breathes the role. A taut thriller, adapted from John le Carré's 2008 novel, full of tradecraft and moments of quiet terror, with a stellar supporting cast. 2 hrs. R (profanity, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Dolphin Story 2 **1/2 Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd return for this sequel. Their team must again rescue Winter after her surrogate mother passes away. 1 hr. 47 PG (mild action sequences, one intense scene of animals in peril) - T.D.

Guardians of the Galaxy *** Chris Pratt rounds up a team of outer-space misfits. Their mission: Does it matter? This breezy comic-book adaptation is the first sci-fi movie to spoof itself. 2 hrs. 2 PG-13 (violence, profanity) - D.H.

If I Stay **1/2 Chloë Grace Moretz stars as a high school girl, a cello prodigy with a hot new boyfriend and a chance to go to Juilliard, when a family drive turns tragic. In a coma in a hospital bed, she flashes back on key moments in her childhood and adolescence, and considers whether to fight for her life or move on. From Gayle Forman's top-selling Y.A. novel. 1 hr. 43 PG-13 (profanity, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

Let's Be Cops Two buddies who dress up as cops for a party wind up getting sucked into doing real police work in this comedy that stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. Not previewed

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ** Uninspired reboot of the jokey '90s franchise, with Megan Fox as intrepid news reporter April O'Neil, friend to those adolescent, anthropomorphic reptiles schooled in the martial arts. Will Arnett and William Fichtner also show up. 1 hr. 41 PG-13 (violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Tusk **A Canadian podcaster goes missing while out to conduct an interview. Revolting, tasteless, and sure to be a cult favorite among fans of director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mall Rats), Tusk is a schizoid horror comedy with an identity crisis, shifting uncomfortably between shocking body horror and puerile Jackass-level cringe humor. 1 hr. 42 R (profanity, gore, violence, some nudity and sexual content) - T.D.