Movies: New and Noteworthy

Big Game When Air Force One is shot down over the Finnish wilderness, the president (Samuel L. Jackson) is helped by a teen camping in the area.

Fresh Dressed This documentary looks at the history of hip-hop fashion.

Heaven Knows What Two heroin addicts and lovers struggle with daily existance in New York City.

A Little Chaos A pair of landscapers vie for the honor of designing a fountain at Versailles for Louis XIV. Kate Winslet stars.

Max A military dog returning from Afghanistan is adopted by his late handler's family.

The Overnight A children's play date turns into an unusual evening for their parents.

Ted 2 Ted and Tami-Lynn are now married and desperate to become parents.

Reviewed by critics Steven Rea (S.R.), Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.), Dan DeLuca (D.D.), Molly Eichel (M.E.), and Gary Thompson (G.T.). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Ex Machina Alex Garland's forward-looking, brilliantly unsettling sci-fi thriller stars Oscar Isaac as the billionaire inventor of a sentient robot, Domhnall Gleeson as the whiz-kid programmer invited to run the 'bot through a series of tests, and Alicia Vikander as Ava, the cyber-creature in question. Is she true A.I.? And if she is, what does that mean for humankind? 1 hr. 48 R (violence, profanity, nudity, adult themes) - S.R.

Inside Out The central characters in Pixar's propulsively inventive animated adventure aren't talking toys, or cars. They're emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, jockeying for control in the mind of a pre-teen girl. The first psychological thriller that's fun for the whole family. Really psychological. And really fun. From the director of Up, with the voice talents of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Bill Hader. 1 hr. 34 PG (scary corners of the mind, adult themes) - S.R.

The Farewell Party Gadget guy Yehezkel (Ze'ev Revach) gets a gang to together to help his cancer-stricken friend go out on his own terms. This hit Israeli dramedy is honest, graceful, and funny as it explores with deep compassion its characters familial and romantic relationships. 1 hr. 35 No MPAA rating (adult themes, some profanity) - T.D.

Love & Mercy Breathtaking psychological biopic of Brian Wilson, the songwriting savant behind the Beach Boys, toggling back and forth between the mid-'60s and the band's landmark Pet Sounds album and the '80s, when Brian, wrongly diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, was under the despotic care of psychologist Eugene Landy. Paul Dano is brilliant as the young Brian, John Cusack brings the middle-aged and broken Brian to life. Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti co-star. 1 hr. 52 PG-13 (drugs, violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl The title characters are high school boys who make impish movie shorts that riff on the film classics they watch during lunch so they don't have to hang out with other kids (some of their masterworks: Eyes Wide Butt, Senior Citizen Kane). They are forced to befriend a girl dying of leukemia in this gut-punch of a film that avoids cliche. 1 hr. 44 PG-13 (sexual content, drug material, profanity and some thematic elements) - G.T.

Spy The unabashed and unapologetic Melissa McCarthy stars as a desk-bound CIA officer unexpectedly sent into the field - Paris, Rome, Budapest - in this lunatic cloak-and-dagger farce, directed by Bridesmaids' Paul Feig. Allison Janney, Miranda Hart, Jude Law, and a very funny Jason Statham also star, with Rose Byrne and her piles of hair as the villain of the tale. 2 hrs. R (profanity, raunch, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Testament of Youth This moving, mournful film, based on the memoir of Vera Brittain, features lush visuals seeking to find some of the poetry inspired by war. Brought to life with improbable power by James Kent, featuring Alicia Vikander as Brittain. 2 hrs. 09 PG-13 (adult themes) - G.T.

Aloha **Flop sweat washes all over Cameron Crowe's 50th State rom-com, with its screwball patter, smart aleck similes, and zingy one-liners delivered by a mismatched cast. Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, and Emma Stone head up the empty affair, about a military contractor, his ex, his escort, and some late-act cyber-intrigue. 1 hr. 45 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Avengers: Age of Ultron **1/2 The action in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment is just what you'd expect: giant-screen CG-driven thwacking, thumping, throwing SUVs into the air, the titular A.I. bad guy looking invincible - until he doesn't. It's state-of-the-art, it's video-game-like, it's sort of cool. It's also sort of boring. It's the between-the-mayhem moments that work best, when the gang of avenging superheroes are just sitting around, jawing, joshing. 2 hrs. 01 PG-13 (violence, intense action, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Connection ** The French Connection of the 1970s was a stylistic landmark, telling of drug rings and corrupt cops. The Connection, from France, is not - an overlong, subdued, and generally bland affair, trading William Friedkin's of-the-moment urgency for stale period details. 2 hrs. 30 R (violence) - G.T.

Dope *** The comic story of a bright kid named Malcolm (Shameik Moore) whose eclectic interests (punk, vintage hip-hop, academics, Harvard) make him a protruding nail in a neighborhood full of eager hammers. He ends up with a bag of drugs and, knowing the cops aren't an option, starts a scheme to unload it. The story is a mess - but the themes of a misfit kid trying to to carve out his own space in a world that wants to limit his options are on point. 1 hr. 55 R (language) - G.T.

Entourage ** Let sleeping bros lie. Eight seasons of the HBO series were more than enough, but that hasn't stopped blue-eyed pretty boy Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his posse from reuniting for a new big-screen episode. E, Drama, Turtle, and Ari Gold are all back - and Hollywood narcissism and sexism run wild. 1 hr. 44 R (sex, nudity, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Face of Angel **1/2 Michael Winterbottom directs this all-too-meta-fictionalized adaptation of journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau's Angel Face, detailing the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy and the prosecution of three people for her death, including photogenic American housemate Amanda Knox. 1 hr. 41 No MPAA rating - T.D.

Freedom *1/2 In this schmaltzy, deeply sentimentalized drama about American slavery and the rise of the Underground Railroad, a bounty hunter looks at one of the coins he has been paid to capture runaways. The silver piece bears a portrait of Lady Liberty, the word Liberty elegantly circling her head, and In God We Trust at her feet. The simplistic symbolism fairly sums up this movie. 1 hr. 38 R (violence) - T.D.

Gemma Bovery ** In this glib, smirking take on Flaubert's tragic novel, Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) moves to France and becomes the obsession of the local baker (Fabrice Luchini), a Flaubert fanatic who sees Gemma's life playing out in the doomed pattern of the author's Emma Bovary. 1 hr. 40 R (sexuality, nudity, profanity) - G.T.

I'll See You In My Dreams *** Blythe Danner stars as a longtime widow whose life of quiet routine is upended by the appearance of two men: the young pool guy (Martin Starr) who becomes her drinking buddy, and an old charmer of a Texan (Sam Elliott) who enters into a serious courtship. A poignant character study, tinged with sadness. And Danner, at its center, shines. 1 hr. 35 PG-13 (profanity, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Insidious: Chapter 3 **1/2 This horror-movie series has concerned itself with suburban homes and distraught parents, but Chapter 3, a prequel, moves into the city, where a widower (Dermot Mulroney) and his daughter, Quinn (Stefanie Scott), go after Mom's recent death. Quinn doesn't dare tell overworked and emotionally withdrawn Dad she thinks Mom is contacting her. This is old-school horror, but the writing could be better. 1 hr. 37 PG-13 (violent and frightening images, language) - G.T.

Jurassic World *** The genetically spliced mega-beast that runs amok in the third Jurassic Park sequel is trumpeted by its theme-park creators as "bigger, scarier, cooler." The movie is bigger and it is pretty scary. But it's not cooler, or smarter, than the original. Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt lead a cast whose main job is to run for their lives. A lot of them don't make it. 2 hrs. 04 PG-13 (intense action, dino violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Live From New York! **1/2 Bao Nguyen's doc about Saturday Night Live hits the high points of the long-running comedy institution but still feels superficial, never revealing anything the typical SNL viewer didn't know before. 1 hr. 30 No MPAA rating - W.S.

Mad Max: Fury Road *** Never mind Furious 7, really. George Miller's mega-reboot of his '80s franchise plays like Fast and Furious - The Thermonuclear Edition, a turbocharged chase across a toxic wasteland with Vin Diesel and pals replaced by Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, who are certainly not pals at all. Post-apocalyptic heavy metal mayhem. 2 hrs. R (extreme violence, intense action, adult themes) - S.R.

Phantom Halo *1/2 Game of Thrones' Thomas Brodie-Sangster stars as a smart kid forced to perform Shakespearian monologues by his abusive father while his brother pickpockets onlookers. He gets caught up in his brother's harebrained scheme to pay back his dad's debts in this messy mishmash of tropes from first-time director Antonia Bogdonavich. 1 hr. 27 R (violence, profanity, sexuality) - T.D.

Pitch Perfect 2 *** The Barden Bellas are underdogs once more in the sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit. After a humiliating incident in front of the president, the all-female a capella powerhouses attempt to make their way to the world championships. It's pretty much the same movie as the first, but that's not a bad thing. PG-13 (innuendo and language). - M.E.

Poltergeist ** The cast in this remake of the 1982 horror classic is wonderful. The screenplay - about a family that struggles to get a child back from very angry ghosts - is strong. The structure is sound, the photography superb (especially in 3D), the special effects solid. While it's not exactly scary, it does provide an enjoyable ride. It's good fun. But why would anyone want to remake Poltergeist in the first place? 1 hr. 33 PG-13 (intense frightening sequences, some profanity) - T.D.

San Andreas *** Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an LAFD helicopter pilot who has a lot of searching and rescuing to do when the Big One rocks not only SoCal, but the entire state, including San Francisco, which just happens to be where his daughter is trapped beneath the rubble. Quite literally the blockbuster of the year, an awesomely fun disaster pic. 1 hr. 54 PG-13 (action, carnage, rubble, adult themes) - S.R.

La Sapienza (Not previewed) Alexandre and his wife, Aliénor, whose marriage is faltering, take an Italian journey so he can work on a book on the architect Francesco Borromini. They meet a brother and sister - he is studying architecture, she is suffering from a nervous disorder. The men continue the journey, the women stay behind. Lovely scenery and rebirths. 1 hr. 40 No MPAA rating.

Tomorrowland **1/2 Disney's retro-futuristic, time-toggling adventure aspires to Back to the Future thrills and Wizard of Oz magic but doesn't quite make the grade. Britt Robertson, as the brainy daughter of a NASA scientist, teams with George Clooney, playing a disgruntled inventor, while flashbacks to the kid version of the Clooney character - at the 1964 World's Fair - try to make sense of it all. 2 hrs. 10 PG (action, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

When Marnie Was There *** The final film from Studio Ghibli is a minor ghost story that cannot compare to some of the Japanese animation house's finer work (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away). But, like other Ghibli films, it is lovely to look at and filled with magic. When Marnie Was There will be shown with both the English-language dub and in the original Japanese with subtitles. 1 hr. 43 PG (thematic elements and smoking) - M.E.

The Wolfpack *** Six teens isolated from society in their Lower East Side apartment by their allegedly abusive father learn about the world through movies they meticulously recreate in Crystal Moselle's stranger-than-fiction documentary. 1 hr. 20 R (profanity) - G.T.