The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 PG-13
In the fourth and final installment of this hugely bankable series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) leads a group of freedom fighters to the Capitol, where she is determined to kill nefarious President Snow (Donald Sutherland). In an attempt to quell this rebellion, the Capitol is decimating the other districts of Panem, allowing rebel leader Coin (Julianne Moore), to further incite the anger of her compatriots. Complicating matters, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) must be brought back from a Capitol brainwashing, and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), who still loves Katniss, isn’t certain where he stands with her. Woody Harrelson returns as Katniss’ mentor and ally Haymitch, making do with scraps of dialogue. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his final onscreen appearance as Plutarch Heavensbee, a former Snow ally now serving as Coin’s right-hand man. For her part, Coin’s own designs on power mean she’s determined to reduce Katniss’ role to one of hollow figurehead for the revolutionary movement. (Lisa Miller)
The Night Before R
Following the untimely deaths of Isaac’s (Seth Rogen) parents a decade earlier, he and childhood best buds Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) indulge in an annual Christmas Eve reunion of drunken revelry. Now Isaac is about to become a dad, and knowing this will likely be their final celebration together, the trio seeks to make their reunion especially memorable. Despite two of them being Jewish, they search for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties, the famed Nutcracka Ball. But first, they must find it, and then, gain admittance before Oh Holy Heck breaks loose. (L.M.)
Secret in Their Eyes PG-13
Weaving present and past together, this layered mystery explores the boundaries between justice and revenge. A tightly knit team of FBI investigators Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Jess (Julia Roberts) and District Supervisor Claire (Nicole Kidman), is torn apart after they discover Jess’ teenage daughter brutally murdered. Having possibly allowed the killer to go free due to a lack of evidence, the team locates a suspect 13 years after the killing, and the question becomes whether to risk lawfully taking him down, or exacting swift and sure revenge. Adapted from the popular 2005 novel La Pregunta de Sus Ojos by Argentinean Eduardo Sacheri, this film remakes the 2009 Argentinean film El Secreto de Sus Ojos. (L.M.)
