ON THE BIG SCREEN

MAGIC (AND MORE) FAMILY FUN
THE BAD GUYS
PG
In this zany animated comedy from DreamWorks, five nefarious “bad guys” (a snake, shark, piranha, tarantula, and wolf) spend all their time committing crimes. But when justice comes to call, this likable gang ends up realizing that just perhaps, it’s better to be good guys. Voiced by talents including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Marc Maron, and Craig Robinson, it’s a flick that will make both kids and adults laugh out loud.

FANTASTIC BEASTS:
THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE
PG-13
Dive back into the pre-Harry Potter world of wizards in this third installment of the film franchise led by Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, the “Magizoologist” who continues to make Fantastic Beasts a fun and sometimes scary cinematic fantasy pleasure. Jude Law returns (as Dumbledore), as does Katherine Waterston, Mads Mikkelsen, and a talented cast of wizards, Muggles, and even a witch or two.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
Not yet rated
Animation melds with live action in this follow-up to the original Sonic family film, following the adventure of blue hedgehog hero of the SEGA game franchise. Ben Schwartz voices Sonic, Jim Carrey and James Marsden play live-action characters, and Idris Elba brings Knuckles to life with a rousing voiceover performance in this movie made mostly for children’s enjoyment.

CRIMES, SPIES, AND SOME
HISTORICAL MAYHEM
ALL THE OLD KNIVES
R
Take two sexy leads (Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton), throw in two more grizzled veterans (Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Pryce), add in the gorgeous scenery of NoCal’s Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the result is this CIA spy thriller that goes from romance to thriller in a blink. See it on the big screen for looks at Big Sur, too; or watch on Prime Video in a same-day release for a less-spectacular look.

AMBULANCE
R
Jake Gyllenhaal teams up with director Michael Bay in this crime caper thriller that posits the idea of two robbers stealing an ambulance as a getaway vehicle when their “simple” theft goes awry. Watch for an international cast of characters involved in what is sure to be a very loud experience, as Bay loves to turn up the volume to eleven for no good reason.

FATHER STU
R
Mark Wahlberg stars in this real-life bio-pic of the man who went from boxer to bouncer to actor to priest in his too-short life. Father Stu Long was a man with demons and a drive, a drive that eventually led him to the priesthood. A Catholic himself, Wahlberg intentionally gained weight to make his role believable.

MEMORY
R
Liam Neeson is back yet again in another big-screen action flick, this time as a hired assassin who gets into extremely hot water after rejecting an assignment from his shady bosses. It doesn’t help that his memory is going in this remake of the popular Belgian thriller The Memory of a Killer that also stars Monica Bellucci and Guy Pearce.

THE NORTHMAN
Not yet rated
Blood and guts galore here as Swede Alexander Skarsgaard takes on the leading role of a Norse Viking whose life is complicated by his need to avenge his father’s murder. An all-star cast offers him support in this historical drama filled with carnage and mayhem, including Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Willem Dafoe.