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arts entertainmentMovies

Movies in North Texas theaters on March 24 and coming soon

‘John Wick: Chapter 4′ leads this week’s lineup of new releases.

NEW THIS WEEK

Letter grades are listed only when a review is available, and opening dates are subject to change.

A GOOD PERSON A woman (Florence Pugh) seeks redemption after a fatal car crash and begins to forge a friendship with the grief-stricken father (Morgan Freeman) of the woman who died in the accident. R (for drug abuse, language throughout and some sexual references). 129 mins. In wide release.

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(A-) JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 Bigger, badder, bolder, longer and featuring a seemingly impossible number of spectacular set pieces, John Wick: Chapter 4 outdoes its formidable predecessors in nearly every respect. With an impressively executed car chase/gunbattle through the streets of Paris, this installment uses its many locations in Paris and Berlin to fantastic effect. Keanu Reeves stars as the former hit man who thought he was out, only to be pulled back in. R (for pervasive strong violence and some language). 169 mins. In wide release.

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(B+) THE LOST KING An amateur historian (Sally Hawkins) takes on the academic establishment after finding what she believes to be the lost burial site of King Richard III in this historical detective story that carries the kick of a real-life The Da Vinci Code. This may be Hawkins’ best performance yet. Also starring Steve Coogan, Harry Lloyd and Mark Addy. PG-13 (for some strong language and brief suggestive references). 108 mins. In wide release.

REWIND AND PLAY This documentary contains footage from a wince-inducing 1969 French interview of Thelonious Monk along with video of the famed jazz pianist at work. Not rated. In French and English, with subtitles. 65 mins. At the Texas Theatre.

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(C+) RODEO A young woman (Julie Ledru) with a passion for motorcycles is drawn into the male-dominated world of urban “rodeos,” illegal gatherings where riders show off their bikes and do daring stunts. Ledru makes a striking debut, but the movie falls short of exploring her character and is only exciting in fits and starts. Not rated. 105 mins. In French with subtitles. At the Dallas and Plano Angelikas.

SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS In this German-language family film that mixes live action with CGI animation, a new student (Emilia Maier) arrives at an unusual school where each child is paired with a magical animal as a companion. PG (for mild language, peril and thematic elements). 93 mins. In German with subtitles. In wide release.

(B+) TETRIS This sturdy and occasionally funny drama tells the true story of how a Dutch entrepreneur (Taron Egerton) teamed up with a Soviet inventor (Nikita Efremov) to bring the popular video game Tetris to the masses. It plays like a twisty Cold War spy movie. R (for language). 118 mins. At Alamo Drafthouse Lake Highlands.

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THEORY OF AMBITIONS In this Chinese drama, a police officer seeks to make a name for himself by controlling organized crime in Hong Kong. Not rated. 144 mins. In Cantonese with subtitles. At AMC Grapevine Mills.

THE TUTOR A tutor (Garrett Hedlund) lands a high-paying job teaching a billionaire’s son (Noah Schnapp), who develops an unhealthy obsession with his instructor. Also starring Victoria Justice. R (for language, some violence and sexual material). 92 mins. In wide release.

COMING NEXT WEEK

MARCH 29

ENYS MEN In this horror flick set in 1973, a wildlife volunteer (Mary Woodvine) descends into madness on an uninhabited island off the British coast.

MARCH 31

ASSASSIN Bruce Willis stars in this sci-fi action flick about a private military group that comes up with technology to enable agents to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert missions. Also starring Andy Allo, Nomzamo Mbatha and Mustafa Shakir.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES The classic role-playing game comes to the big screen in this action-adventure tale about a band of adventurers who set out to retrieve a lost relic. Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith and Hugh Grant.

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THE FIVE DEVILS An 8-year-old girl (Sally Dramé) with a supernatural sense of smell is plunged back in time to unravel her family secrets. Also starring Adèle Exarchopoulos and Swala Emati.

HIS ONLY SON Abraham (Nicolas Mouawad) is commanded by the Lord (Daniel da Silva) to sacrifice his only son in this scripture-based drama.

THE INNOCENT A man becomes concerned when he learns his 60-year-old mother is about to marry a man in prison.

MALUM In this re-imagining of the 2014 horror film Last Shift, a rookie cop (Jessica Sula) is assigned to the final shift at a decommissioned police station, where she works to find a connection between her father’s death and a vicious cult.

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SPINNING GOLD Jeremy Jordan stars in this biopic about 1970s record producer Neil Bogart, co-founder of Casablanca Records and the man who helped bring audiences the music of Kiss, Donna Summer, Parliament, Gladys Knight, the Village People and other stars. Also starring Michelle Monaghan, Jay Pharoah, Lyndsy Fonseca and Peyton List.

A THOUSAND AND ONE A woman (Teyana Taylor) kidnaps her son from the foster care system in this New York City-set drama.

CURRENT RELEASES

(B) THE AMAZING MAURICE In this silly and charming animated tale, a street-smart cat (voiced by Hugh Laurie) teams up with a group of talking rats to extort pest control fees from villagers. But their con hits a snag when they meet a bookworm named Malicia (voiced by Emilia Clarke). PG (for action/peril and some rude material). 93 mins.

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(C-) ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) explore the Quantum Realm in the latest Marvel superhero flick. The endearing sweetness of the early Ant-Man movies has been bigfooted into a noisy smash-and- grab extravaganza that, for all its self-conscious bigness, feels smaller and less ambitious than its predecessors. PG-13 (for violence/action and language). 125 mins.

(A-) AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER James Cameron’s dazzling, long-delayed follow-up to 2009′s Avatar (the highest-grossing film ever) tells the story of the Sully family and their efforts to protect one another. All of Cameron’s cinematic obsessions coalesce within this gargantuan slice of mind-boggling spectacle presented with classical action-adventure storytelling. PG-13 (for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language). 192 mins.

(B-) CHAMPIONS Woody Harrelson stars in this warmly amusing comedy about a former minor league basketball coach who is ordered by a court to lead a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Champions doesn’t deviate from the traditional sports movie formula, but it is effective. Also starring Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson and Cheech Marin. PG-13 (for strong language and crude/sexual references). 123 mins.

COCAINE BEAR In this comedy thriller based loosely on a true story, a black bear goes on a cocaine-fueled rampage after stumbling upon the wreckage of a drug runner’s airplane. Starring Keri Russell, Margo Martindale and Ray Liotta. R (for bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout). 95 mins.

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(A-) CREED III In this sports drama, directed with impressive first-time flair by star Michael B. Jordan, Adonis Creed faces off against an ominous childhood friend and former boxing prodigy (Jonathan Majors) who has recently been released from prison. Majors exudes a danger that electrifies the air around him, and Jordan gives what may be his fullest performance yet as Adonis. PG-13 (for intense sports action, violence and some strong language). 116 mins.

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA — TO THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE In the latest installment of the popular Japanese anime series, the Upper Rank Demons gather at Infinity Castle. R (for violence and bloody images). 110 mins. In Japanese with subtitles.

(B) 80 FOR BRADY In this sweet comedy inspired by real-life events, four friends (Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin) travel to the 2017 Super Bowl to watch their hero, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The jokes are fairly clean, leaving the film feeling like a kids movie much of the time. It’s a pleasant enough reminder that these iconic leading ladies are still game for a good time. PG-13 (for brief strong language, some suggestive references and some drug content). 98 mins.

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(A-) EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE In this madcap sci-fi adventure comedy, a Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) struggles with an IRS tax audit while being pulled into a violent multiverse clash. It’s a preposterous ode to the messy, nonsensical struggle and bliss of being human. R (for language, some violence and sexual material). 139 mins. In English, Mandarin and Cantonese, with subtitles.

FULL RIVER RED An ambassador’s murder sets off palace intrigue and alliance building in 12th-century China in this film that mixes action, comedy and drama. Not rated. 159 mins. In Mandarin with subtitles.

(C) INSIDE A master art thief (Willem Dafoe) struggles to escape from a New York City penthouse after getting locked inside during a failed heist in this suffocating thriller that feels less like a story than an agonized fever dream. How much you get out of the film will depend on your appetite for Dafoe’s heady plunge into a character’s soul in torment. R (for language, some sexual content and nude images). 105 mins.

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(C-) JESUS REVOLUTION Based on a true story, this faith-based drama examines a national spiritual awakening that sprang from a community of Southern California hippies in the early 1970s. The history is interesting, but the film itself is a dry, scattered slog, neutered of all the thorny, contradictory details of the real story. Instead of finding a focal point, the filmmakers give us three rather shallow storylines about three men (pastors Greg Laurie and Chuck Smith and hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee), with often unnecessary details that bog down the film’s momentum. Starring Joel Courtney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Jonathan Roumie and Kelsey Grammer. PG-13 (for strong drug content involving teens and some thematic elements). 120 mins.

(B) M3GAN You can run, but you definitely can’t hide, so say hello to your newest horror movie obsession in this delightfully bonkers film about a lifelike doll that begins to take on a life of its own. M3GAN, more often than not, is a comedy before it’s a horror movie, opening with a guffaw before a jarring smash to violence and trauma. PG-13 (for violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference). 102 mins.

(B) MOVING ON In this comedy, two old friends (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) reconnect at a funeral, and one decides to settle a decades-old score against their late pal’s widower (Malcolm McDowell). The chemistry of the lead actresses mostly makes up for a bland script. Think of it as a sassy feature-length sitcom with a #MeToo twist. R (for language). 85 mins.

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MUMMIES In this animated tale, three mummies from ancient Egypt wind up in modern-day London, where they search for an artifact taken by an ambitious archaeologist. PG (for mild action/violence and some rude material). 88 mins.

(B+) PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH Darker in tone than previous films in the Shrek franchise but still extremely funny, this animated adventure features the swashbuckling title character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) who’s dismayed to learn that he’s on the last of his nine lives. The film falters when resorting to frenetic action sequences seemingly designed for tykes’ short attention spans. But what really makes it work is Banderas’ silky-voiced turn, conveying all of the character’s over-the-top feline suavity while making it clear that he’s very much in on the joke. PG (for action/violence, rude humor/language and some scary moments). 102 mins.

(A-) THE QUIET GIRL In this modestly scaled drama set in the early 1980s, a 9-year-old girl (Catherine Clinch) in rural Ireland is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer. Clinch proves to be a newcomer of staggering poise in this sensitive, heartfelt portrait of a child’s resilience. PG-13 (for some strong language and smoking). 94 mins. In Irish Gaelic and English, with subtitles.

(C+) SCREAM VI The survivors of the Ghostface killings leave the fictional California town of Woodsboro to start anew in New York City in the latest installment of the horror franchise. Ghostface makes the move as well but is lost in the big city, a slasher made small in his new playground. The film has some satisfying stabbings, but the franchise makes no real progress. Starring Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega and Courteney Cox. R (for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use). 123 mins.

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(D-) SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS This grating, ugly and poorly written sequel continues the story of teen Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who can transform into his superhero alter ego, Shazam (a cringeworthy Zachary Levi). Here’s hoping this overly jokey nonsense is Shazam’s last outing. PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence, and language). 130 mins.

65 An astronaut (Adam Driver) crash-lands on an unknown planet and soon realizes that he’s on Earth — 65 million years in the past. Also starring Ariana Greenblatt. PG-13 (for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images). 93 mins.

A SNOWY DAY IN OAKLAND In this comedy, a psychologist (Nicole Ari Parker) from San Francisco ends a stalled romance and opens a private practice across the bay in Oakland. PG-13 (for some suggestive material, language and brief violence). 92 mins.

Compiled from staff and wire reports