Dark Phoenix (Rated PG-13)
When Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) becomes infected by an extraterrestrial force, she grows increasingly unstable as her powers grow increasingly unstoppable. Fear breaks out among the X-Men, some of whom want Grey destroyed. Following fan and critical backlash to X-Men: Apocalypse, director Bryan Singer departed. Jennifer Lawrence said she’d return to play Mystique (even though she hates getting into the character’s make-up) if writer Simon Kinberg directed. Kinberg’s vision includes more closely adhering to the comic book’s storyline and costuming. Following test screenings, Kinberg rewrote parts of the final act and held re-shoots last September. Altogether, he spent more than a year in post-production, seeking to bring emotional heft to the film’s special effects.
Late Night (Rated R)
Television’s only female, late-night talk-show host, Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), tries to repair her woman-hating reputation by adding Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) to her all-male writer’s room. Then, Katherine learns her ratings are in the dumps, and cancellation of her show looms. Determined to save her job, Katherine taps into Molly’s fearless naiveté to reinvent her comedic style. Following Late Night’s debut at Sundance, Amazon Studios paid a record $13 million for U.S. distribution rights. Kaling penned the script, hoping Thompson would play Katherine; Thompson aces it!
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Rated PG)
Jack russell terrier, Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt), meets farm dog Rooster (Harrison Ford) when his human family and he spend a weekend in the country. Cranky Rooster shows Max the superiority of thinking for yourself, even if it’s a whole lotta work. Back in Manhattan, N.Y., spastic bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart) and brassy shih tzu Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) seek to rescue a shy tiger from the circus. Spunky pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate), tries to infiltrate a cat lair to retrieve Max’s favorite toy. For those who suspected our pets only obey when we’re watching, once again, here’s proof they’re great actors.
