Bleed for This R
The amazing true account of Vinny Paz casts Miles Teller as a boxer cut down in his prime. While struggling to win the champ’s belt, talented Vinny made self-destructive decisions, partying before his biggest bout or failing to make his weight. After a car accident breaks Vinny’s neck, he begins a long recuperation wearing a constricting “halo,” a metal brace screwed tightly against his skull. Defying medical advice, Vinny finds Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart), Mike Tyson’s ex-trainer, who agrees to help Vinny train even while the pugilist wears the halo. The rest may be history, but remember kids, “Don’t try this one at home!” (Lisa Miller)
The Edge of Seventeen R
Seventeen-year-old Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is an oddball who rejects her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), after the girl falls into bed with Nadine’s popular older brother. Since mom (Kyra Sedgwick) is unsympathetic to her plight, Nadine confides in her teacher, Mr. Bruner (a snarling, cunning Woody Harrelson), that she’s thinking of killing herself. Familiar with her drama queen ways, Bruner, too, confesses he wants to do himself in. Hoping to combat her loneliness, Nadine courts two young men—one a nerdy outcast, the other a conventional dreamboat. How many dilemmas must Nadine create before she realizes she must change? There’s no easy answer, but watching her find out is hilarious. (L.M.)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them PG-13
The new J.K. Rowling adaptation features Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the keeper of a suitcase housing magical creatures. When a comedy of errors releases a half-dozen magic critters into 1926 New York City, Scamander and his wizarding pals attempt to reacquire them before the beasts ruin NYC, or they are killed by anti-magic officials. Scripted as a forerunner to the Harry Potter universe, the character of Dumbledore is referenced in this spin-off, as are muggles. Directed by David Yates (who helmed the final four Potter installments, giving them a darker, richer tone) introduces a new uber-villain in Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), whose appearance is brief but menacing.
