OPENING TODAY

“CHIPS”

“Land of Mine”

“The Last Word”

“Life”

Sci-fi horror thriller about a team of scientists exploring Mars who discover a life form that caused mass extinction on Mars and now threatens them and Earth as well. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds. (R, 1:50)

“Saban’s Power Rangers”

“Wilson”

NOW PLAYING

“Beauty and the Beast” ***1/2

This live-action/digital hybrid, directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the title roles, is more than a flesh-and-blood revival of the 26-year-old cartoon, and more than a dutiful trip back to the fairy tale. It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves an invigorating aftertaste. The cast is stellar. Watson perfectly embodies Belle’s compassion and intelligence, while Stevens, blandly handsome as a prince, is a splendid monster. Emma Thompson is wonderful as Mrs. Potts, the singing teakettle, while Stanley Tucci and Audra McDonald are the excitable harpsichord and the operatic wardrobe; Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen are the suave candelabra and the anxious clock. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the lissome feather duster. The singing and banter are so vivid and so natural that you almost take for granted that they are mechanical objects sharing the frame with human characters. There’s also the obligatory scene-stealing villain — Gaston (Luke Evans), a narcissistic former soldier who is sweet on Belle — and his comical sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad). The awkward business about imprisonment turning into true love is handled smoothly. There are a few moments where the digital seams show; most of the time, though, you are happily fooled and enchanted. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s songs still inspire joyful dance routines, with “Be Our Guest” backing a choreographic extravaganza that enfolds decades of Disney history (all the way back to “Snow White” and “Fantasia”) in contemporary cinematic craft. (PG, 2:09)

“The Belko Experiment” *1/2

“The Belko Experiment” uses a now familiar story arc: Just like in “The Condemned,” “The Tournament” and “The Hunger Games” (and even a “Star Trek” episode or two), people are placed in a controlled environment where they are compelled by a Big Brother type to kill each other or be killed themselves. The only variable is why. In this case, the why turns out to be social science, much like the 1961 Milgram experiment, which explored individual willingness to go against personal moral conscience in obeying commands. The film finds a group of 80 employees, mostly American, working at a Colombian recruiting firm. Standard office friendships, tensions and romances are thrown into stark relief when metal shutters come down and an ominous voice from a loudspeaker instructs the group to kill each other or be killed themselves. No one here is getting saved, though. Mike (John Gallagher Jr.) is the first to pick up on that. His boss, Barry (Tony Goldwyn), insists on following orders out of some deference to authority or hope that the voice might actually let them survive. His actions unleash a torrent of violent chaos as the employees descend into barbarism. Cutesy Spanish-language covers of American songs playing on the radio don’t lighten up the mood of this relentlessly grim and violent movie, which batters us with horrific images of a meaningless orgy of murder. (R, 1:28)

“Get Out” ***

Fifty years after Sidney Poitier upended the latent prejudices of his white date’s family in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” writer-director Jordan Peele has crafted a similar confrontation with altogether more combustible results in his comedy-horror “Get Out.” Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is visiting the home of his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams), who hasn’t told her parents he’s black. He gets a warm welcome, but it’s only skin-deep in a household where all the hired help is black. They are a spooky, robotic bunch, with zombielike demeanors in a “Stepford Wives” kind of way. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are excellent as Rose’s pseudo-progressive parents, saying things like, “But I voted for Obama!” and, “Isn’t Tiger Woods amazing?” Things get even stranger when Chris meets some family friends, who all appear oddly frozen in time. Eventually, the truth comes out, and things turn bloody. “Get Out” is radical and refreshing in that it defies the lamentable tradition in horror films — never the most inclusive of genres — that the black dude is always the first to go. (R, 1:43)

“Hidden Figures” ***

Best Picture nominee “Hidden Figures” takes us back to 1961, when segregation and workplace sexism were widely accepted facts of life, and the word “computer” referred to a person, not a machine. The most important computers here are three African-American women who work at data-entry jobs for NASA but go on to play crucial roles in the space program. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book, the film, directed by Theodore Melfi, turns the entwined careers of Katherine Goble (played with perfect nerdy charisma by Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) into a rousing celebration of merit rewarded and perseverance repaid. It’s a well-told tale with a clear moral and a satisfying emotional payoff. (PG, 2:06)

“John Wick: Chapter 2” ***

Before you buy a ticket to see “John Wick: Chapter 2,” the improbably fun sequel to the implausibly good “John Wick,” you might want to ask yourself how much tolerance you have for gunshots to the head, because there are a lot of them. Otherwise, stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski’s sequel is straightforward, fast-paced and effective, entertainment-wise. “Chapter 2” picks up where the first left off, with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) retrieving his Mustang from the crooks holding it hostage and returning to his modernist castle in the woods to play with his dog (yep, there’s a new one). Soon Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), who helped John get out of the assassination game, is knocking at his door asking John to repay the favor. This request leads John further into the world of assassins, and boy is it fun, with action sequence after action sequence. The film is jam-packed with cameos, and Reeves is in top form as the perpetually unruffled John Wick. (R, 2:02)

“Kong: Skull Island” ***

Sci-fi action has so degenerated that to see one that’s not a succession of explosions feels almost nostalgic. But “Kong: Skull Island” is no throwback. It’s movie literate, informed by techniques from across several decades, even as it makes full use of CGI technology. It’s set in the 1970s, right after the Vietnam War. John Goodman plays a spooky scientist who’s exploring an uncharted island. Though ostensibly interested in earthquakes, he’s really interested in monsters. He leads a team that includes Samuel L. Jackson as a military officer brooding about Vietnam, Tom Hiddleston as a tracker and Brie Larson as a nosy journalist. The expedition’s first encounter with Kong is a kind of replay of the Empire State Building scene from the 1933 classic, only this time Kong has the home-field advantage. We get the perspective from inside the attacking aircraft — and it’s not fun for the crew. The rest of the film deals with the various characters figuring out which monsters are bad, which are worse and which are only sort of bad. Adding to the general festivity is John C. Reilly, as an aviator who has been stuck on Skull Island since 1944.

“The Lego Batman Movie” ****

“The Lego Batman Movie” is quite possibly the best Batman movie ever made. Liberated from the constraints of “dark,” “edgy,” or even “campy,” “Lego Batman” is able to poke fun at the costumed gentleman hero, and really dig into the elements of Batman that make the character who he is, for better or for worse. Writer Seth Grahame-Smith, known for his twists on classics like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” and a host of comedy writers keep the jokes coming fast and furious — visual gags, puns, wordplay, one-liners. Will Arnett plays Bruce Wayne/Batman as the arrogant playboy he always has been, still mourning his family, but with room for a new one: sidekick Robin (Michael Cera), new police commissioner and love interest Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), and, of course, Alfred (Ralph Fiennes). As the saying goes: “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team.” (PG, 1:44)

“Lion” ***

“Lion” is the incredible true story of two remarkable journeys that Saroo Brierley took in his life — one far away from home, and his return trip. Based on his memoir, “A Long Way Home,” the film is split in two. The first half depicts the travels of young Saroo (Sunny Pawar), who is just 5 when he becomes separated from his brother in Khandwa and ends up 900 miles away in Kolkata. Two decades later, after he’s been taken from an orphanage and adopted by an Australian couple, he returns as the adult Saroo (Dev Patel) in the emotional journey, using modern technology to find his family. Both Pawar and Patel are impressive in their portrayal of Saroo young and old, and Nicole Kidman, as his adoptive mother, Sue, in a brief but juicy role, is luminous as a woman who demonstrates her boundless love in sharing a son with another mother. Best Picture nominee. (PG-13, 2:00)

“Logan” ***

In “Logan,” the clawed mutant Wolverine gets to slash through the constraints of a kid-friendly PG-13 rating, and the result is bloody, vicious fun. Young children should not be allowed anywhere near this movie, but fans of the beloved character will relish the sight of the hot-tempered hero in his full limb-and-artery-slashing glory. Director James Mangold’s movie is filled with big action set pieces, chases and supervillains, yet it feels like it takes place in the real world. Initially, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is a functioning alcoholic working as a limo driver in a border town, living with Caliban (Stephen Merchant), a mutant who fries in direct sunlight, and looking after Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), now feeble and suffering from seizures that paralyze anyone standing nearby. Wolverine’s powers have declined and his interests have turned to sailing into retirement, so when a Mexican immigrant (Elizabeth Rodriguez) offers him $50,000 to take Laura (Dafne Keen), a curious 11-year-old, to a safe haven, he’s reluctant. But they develop a sincere father-daughter relationship when some mean-looking dudes in black SUVs come looking for her, bringing what had been a vaguely depressing movie roaring to life. It could have been 10 minutes shorter, but giving a protracted farewell to Jackman playing his signature role seems appropriate. (R, 2:15)

“The Sense of an Ending” ***

Who among us doesn’t recall a moment long ago when we acted in a way that we’d rather forget? In “The Sense of an Ending,” lonely British pensioner Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) has buried a painful memory. It is awakened by a chain of events when the mother of a former college flame, Veronica, dies and leaves him the diary of Adrian, a late, former schoolmate, who also had a relationship with Veronica. Veronica (an exquisitely prickly Charlotte Rampling) still has the diary and won’t give it up, instead giving Tony a letter that he himself wrote years ago, an angry missive responding to news of the relationship between Veronica and Adrian. This letter clearly had ramifications, but what, exactly? We witness the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, but not too neatly. Much of the story is told in flashback, with the young, shy Tony (an appealing Billy Howle) enthralled by the tantalizing Veronica (Freya Mavor), while Adrian (Joe Alwyn) cuts a mysterious figure with his affinity for Dylan Thomas’ poetry and bold insults to his professors. Rather than teach us a lesson about how mistakes of our past might come back to haunt us, the film seems more interested in getting us to think about how we remember. (PG-13, 1:48)

“The Shack” **

A folksy Octavia Spencer serving up baked goods is the vision of the divine in “The Shack,” Stuart Hazeldine’s nondenominational, magical realist, faith-based drama, an adaptation of the best-seller by William P. Young. But it’s a dark and windy road to get there, delving into the personal history of “Mack” Phillips (Sam Worthington). Mack’s childhood was marred by domestic violence, forging his understanding of God as wrathful and judgmental. That worldview is exacerbated by the abduction of his youngest daughter, Missy (Amelie Eve). Plunged into depression, Mack receives a mysterious invitation in the mail: a note from “Papa” (his wife’s name for God) asking him to a getaway at the shack where his daughter was likely killed. There he’s greeted not by a child killer, but by a trio of groovy spiritual teachers: God, aka Papa (Spencer); Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush); and The Holy Spirit Sarayu (Sumire). They spend the weekend reiterating to Mack that God doesn’t judge, God only loves, and impressing upon him the importance of forgiveness and compassion so that he can move beyond the tragedy that has left him “stuck” in that shack. Though the dialogue is written with all the finesse of a self-help book, and the visuals are a garish technicolor explosion, there are some nuggets of wisdom that do resonate, regardless of personal belief. (PG-13, 2:12)

“Slamma Jamma”

Not reviewed

Chris Staples stars as a former prison inmate seeking redemption for his wrongful conviction through a national slam-dunk competition. With appearances by former football player Michael Irvin and baseball player Jose Canseco, who in real life suffered downfalls late in their star careers and worked to restore their reputations. (PG, 1:44)

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“Katamarayudu”

9 p.m. today and Saturday, Dole Cannery, $14-$19

Bollywood song-and-dance/martial arts flick about five brothers who swear to stay away from women, while four of them have secret lovers. When they try to set up the fifth, it triggers a series of events that leads to bloody gang fights, heroism and romance. In Telugu with English subtitles.

The Metropolitan Opera: “Idomeneo”

12:55 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dole Cannery, $19-$25

Mozart’s opera seria (serious opera) about a king who is endangered at sea, gets saved by the god Neptune and promises a human sacrifice in return, putting his family in jeopardy. Stars Matthew Polenzani in the title role, and Nadine Sierra, who wowed audiences in Hawaii last year in the concert performance of “Rigoletto” with Quinn Kelsey.

“Attack on Titan Part 1: Guren No Yumiya”

7 p.m. Monday, Consolidated Kapolei, $11.50

“Attack on Titan Part 2: Jiyuu No Tsubasa”

7 p.m. Tuesday, Consolidated Kapolei, $11.50

Based on a popular Japanese manga series, this two-part movie has humans trapped behind walls, protecting them from huge Titans who eat people. When some young people dare to venture beyond the walls, they discover some disturbing truths about their enemies.

National Theater Live: “Hedda Gabler”

7 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Kahala, $20; and 7 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Thursday, Consolidated Kapolei, $20

Henrik Ibsen’s classic play about the bored, manipulative wife of a university academic who gets entangled with her former lover, a rival to her husband. Ruth Wilson stars in the title role.

“‘Mindgamers’: One Thousand Minds Connected Live”

3 p.m. Tuesday, Dole Cannery, $20

The experience will be in the viewing of this film about a group of students who create a wireless neural network capable of linking every mind on Earth via computer. During the cinecast, 1,000 viewers will be linked with special cognition headbands to the cloud, allowing other viewers to see what they see. Experts in technology and neuroscience will speak before the screening.

“Facing Darkness”

7 p.m. Thursday, Dole Cannery, $13

A documentary about the humanitarian Samaritan Group and its fight against the Ebola virus in Africa, which infected two of its members.

ARTHOUSE

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Honolulu Museum of Art, 532-6097, honolulumuseum.org; $8-$10

25th Anniversary: “Reservoir Dogs”

7:30 p.m. today; attendees are encouraged to wear suits and skinny ties

Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut about six criminals who, despite being complete strangers to one another, are hired by a crime boss to carry out a diamond robbery. Things start off smoothly, then go awry, creating a bloody ambush and casting suspicion that one of them is an undercover cop. (1992, 1:40)

>> “March of the Living”

1 p.m. Sunday. This screening completes the run of the Honolulu Jewish Film Festival 2017.

Jessica Sanders’ documentary about an annual educational program in Germany that introduces teens to aging Holocaust survivors by retracing the Death March from Auschwitz to Birkenau. (2010, 1:14)

“Jackie”

2:30 p.m. Monday, presented by AARP Hawaii, free. RSVP: 844-418-2281, aarp.cvent.com/Jackie_Honolulu

With a stunned nation behind her, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy must cope with shock and grief after her husband’s assassination. With Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard. Rated R. (2016, Chile/France/U.S., 1:40)

“Mr. Gaga”

1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Director Tomer Heymann’s intimate documentary about Ohad Naharin, artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company, contains more than eight years of footage, unseen archives and breathtaking dance sequences of the artistic genius. In English and Hebrew with English subtitles. (2015, Israel/Sweden/Germany/Netherlands, 1:40)

“I, Claude Monet”

1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Thursday

Phil Grabsky’s documentary, shot on location throughout Europe at spots Monet painted, is based on more than 2,500 letters narrated by Henry Goodman and offers insight into the influential painter and his artistic style of impressionism. (2016, U.K., 1:24)

MOVIE MUSEUM

3566 Harding Ave., 735-8771; $5, $4 members

“Robo-G”

11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. today; 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Sunday

When an accident ruins the work of Kimura Electrical Co.’s robotics team, three “nerds” from its research department desperately concoct a plan to hire a retiree to dress up in a robot suit to fake a demo at the exposition. For ages 10 and older. In Japanese with English subtitles. (2012, Japan, 1:51)

“Tanna”

1, 5 and 9 p.m. today; 11 a.m. and 1, 5 and 9 p.m. Monday

On the Pacific island of Tanna, young and beautiful Wawa (granddaughter of a shaman) and handsome Dain (grandson of a chief) are in love and eventually rebel when Wawa is offered as a bride to the Imedin tribe to prevent war. (2015, Australia/Vanuatu, 1:44)

“Miss Sloane”

11:45 a.m. and 2, 4:15, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Saturday

A strong-headed lobbyist battles the gun industry in this thriller, which pits big business against politics. With Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong and John Lithgow. Rated R. (2016, France/U.S., 2:12)

“Hear Me”

1:30 and 9 p.m. Sunday, 3 and 7 p.m. Monday

Romantic comedy about a restaurant delivery boy who falls for a deaf woman training to become a professional swimmer. For ages 12 and older. In Mandarin and sign language with English subtitles. (2009, Taiwan, 1:49)

“The Syrian Bride”

3:30 and 7:15 p.m. Sunday

Comedy-drama about a woman about to cross the border from Israel to Syria to get married, as she encounters major problems with her passport. For ages 12 and older. In various languages with English subtitles. (2004, France/Germany/Israel, 1:37)

“Paraiso”

Noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday

A happily married couple moves into Mexico City’s financial district where they decide to join a weight-loss program after being the target of jokes in their new upscale community. For ages 15 and older. In Spanish with English subtitles. (2013, Mexico, 1:42)

“El Jeremias”

1:45, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Thursday

Set in Semora, Mexico, this comedy revolves around 8-year-old Jeremias, who feels like an outcast at both school and home, yet his IQ test reveals he’s a genius. For ages 10 and older. In Spanish with English subtitles. (2015, Mexico, 1:35)