Movies: ‘The BFG,’ ‘The Legend of Tarzan,’ ‘The Purge: Election Year’
Wide-release film synopses from the Los Angeles Times. For reviews of movies opening this weekend, see the Today section.
OPENING TODAY
‘The BFG’ ***
A Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) befriends a young girl (Ruby Barnhill) from London in this adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. With Penelope Wilton. Written by Melissa Mathison. Directed by Steven Spielberg. (PG, 1:57)
‘The Legend of Tarzan’ **1/2
After years of being civilized, the ape-man (Alexander Skarsgard) returns to the Congo and is entangled in a conspiracy. With Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou. Written by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, based on the Tarzan stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by David Yates. Imax 3-D. (PG-13, 1:49)
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
‘Our Kind of Traitor’ **1/2
On holiday in Marrakech, an English couple becomes entangled with the Russian mafia and the U.K.’s MI6. With Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris, Damian Lewis. Written by Hossein Amini based on the John le Carre novel. Directed by Susanna White. (R, 1:47) At Dole Cannery Stadium 18 and Kahala 8
‘The Purge: Election Year’ ***1/2
In the third edition of this sci-fi horror series, the annual government-sanctioned, 12-hour period when all crime is legal comes under attack. With Frank Grillo, Edwin Hodge, Betty Gabriel. Written and directed by James DeMonaco. (R, 1:45) At Kahala 8
‘Swiss Army Man’
(Star rating unavailable)
A man (Paul Dano) stranded on a desert island befriends a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) that washes ashore. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Written and directed by Daniels (aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert). (R, 1:35) At Dole Cannery Stadium 18 and Kahala 8
NOW PLAYING
‘Central Intelligence’ **
A former geek (Dwayne Johnson) returns to a high school reunion as a studly CIA agent and recruits his classmate (Kevin Hart) for a mission. With Amy Ryan. Written by Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Rawson Marshall Thurber. Directed by Thurber. (PG-13, 1:54)
‘The Conjuring 2’ ***
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return as demonologists investigating the haunting of a house in north London. With Frances O’Connor. Written by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, James Wan and David Leslie Johnson; story by Hayes, Hayes and Wan. Directed by Wan. (R, 2:13)
‘Finding Dory’ ***1/2
Nemo, Marlin and the forgetful blue tang must cross an ocean to find her family in this sequel to “Finding Nemo.” Voices of Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. Directed by Andrew Stanton; co-director Angus MacLane. Imax 3-D. (PG-13, 1:43)
‘Free State of Jones’ **1/2
During the Civil War, a Mississippi farmer (Matthew McConaughey) leads a rebellion against the Confederacy. With Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali. Written by Gary Ross, story by Leonard Hartman and Ross. (R, 2:19)
‘Independence Day: Resurgence’
(Not reviewed)
Twenty years later, the aliens return with new and improved technology. With Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman. Written by Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich and James Vanderbilt; story by Devlin, Emmerich, Wright and Woods. Directed by Emmerich. Imax 3-D. (PG-13, 2:00)
‘Me Before You’ **
Romantic drama about a working-class English girl (Emilia Clarke) who becomes the caretaker for a wealthy, young, wheelchair-using banker (Sam Claflin). Written by JoJo Moyes, based on her book. Directed by Thea Sharrock. (PG-13, 1:50) At Dole Cannery Stadium 18
‘Now You See Me 2’ **
The Four Horsemen return for more magic, and tangle with an unethical tech magnate. With Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco and Lizzy Caplan. Written by Ed Solomon, story by Solomon and Peter Chiarelli, based on characters created by Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt. Directed by Jon M. Chu. (PG-13, 1:55)
‘Proof of Innocence’
(Not reviewed)
Kwon Jong-gwan directs this crime drama about a former detective (Kim Myung-Min) helping a prisoner (Kim Sang-Ho) who insists that he is innocent. In Korean with English subtitles. (NR, 2:00) At Pearlridge West
‘The Shallows’ **1/2
Blake Lively stars as a surfer on a secluded beach who fights for survival after encountering a great white shark. Written by Anthony Jaswinski. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. (PG-13, 1:27)
‘Warcraft’ **
Two opposing warriors are on a fateful course that will decide the future of their civilizations. With Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton and Ben Foster. Written by Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones, based on the video game. Directed by Jones. Imax 3-D. (PG-13, 2:03) At Dole Cannery Stadium 18
‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ **
The original mutant awakens after thousands of years, and he is not happy, triggering a battle for a new world order. With James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. Written by Simon Kinberg. Directed by Bryan Singer. (PG-13, 2:24) At Ward Stadium with Titan XC
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Royal Shakespeare Company: “Hamlet”
7 p.m. Tuesday at Kahala 8, $20, (2:55)
Simon Godwin (“The Two Gentlemen of Verona 2014”) directs Paapa Essiedu in the title role of one of Shakespeare’s well-known classics.
Branagh Theatre Live: “Romeo and Juliet”
7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dole Cannery Stadium 18, $16, (2:45)
Shakespeare’s tale of the star-crossed lovers will be played by Richard Madden and Lily James. Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh will direct with Derek Jacob portraying Mercutio and Meera Syal as the nurse.
ARTHOUSE
DORIS DUKE THEATRE
Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St. (532-8768, honolulumuseum.org); $10, $8 members.
‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’
1 p.m. today
David Bowie (in his acting debut) plays a sexy and enigmatic alien in search of a water source for his dying planet in director Nicolas Roeg’s sci-fi film. (1976, U.K., 2:28)
‘Purple Rain’
7:30 p.m. today
The late Prince plays “The Kid,” a Minneapolis musician who, along with his band, the Revolution, is on the rise. Along the way he tries to avoid his tumultuous home life while hitting the club scene, enduring a rocky relationship with the beautiful Apollonia and competing with another musician who’s out to steal both his spotlight and his girl. (1984, 1:51)
Honolulu Surf Film Festival 2016
Runs Saturday through July 31. Opening night kicks off 6 p.m. Saturday with live music and pupu; a talk-story lineup with Clyde Aikau, Kohl Christensen, Jock Sutherland, Kimo Hollinger, Randy Rarick and Marc Cunningham; and a film screening of “View From a Blue Moon” at 7:30 p.m.; $25, $20 for museum members. (Film only, $10, $8 for members.)
‘View From a Blue Moon’
Director Blake Vincent Kueny follows Hawaii’s John John Florence and his closest friends over three years of filming as they embark on a surf journey that takes them from the North Shore to other global destinations. (2015, 0:59)
Screens with:
>> ‘The Wild’
This short, directed by Aaron Leber, features Noah Beschen and was the 2015 REDirect Surf Film Festival Grand Prize Winner. (2015, 0:07)
‘Headache’
1 p.m. Sunday
Follow the German Binsurfen crew as members travel through Germany, Denmark, Scotland and Iceland in search of never-before-surfed locations and breathtaking landscapes. In German with English subtitles. (2015, Germany, 0:47)
Screens with:
>> ‘Deeper’
Director Mikey Corker goes behind the scenes of big-wave surfing and follows Andrew Cotton as he trains and prepares for surfing Nazare, one of the world’s most dangerous spots. (2015, U.K., 0:35)
‘Psychic Migrations’
1 p.m. Sunday
Built upon more than 20 years and 30 influential films from Volcom, this film directed by veteran surf filmmaker Ryan Thomas was shot on location in the West and East Indies, Australia, Polynesia and Central and South America. (2015, 1:00)
Screens with:
>> ‘+/+’
This film, shot along a mysterious Australian coastline, showcases a range of visual cues and performance sensibilities by Dion Agius and the Globe design team. (2016, Australia, 0:09)
‘Beauty & Chaos’
7:30 p.m. Sunday
Irish surfer Conor Maguire documents his journey across India and Indonesia and the interesting people he meets along the way. (2016, U.K., 0:07)
Screens with:
>> ‘Double Barrel’
Australian journalist Angie Davis and Peruvian surf guide Harold Koechlin travel to northern Peru while sharing the story of Lobitos, a town that, in the late 1800s, united locals and international surfing communities in an effort to protect the coastline. (2016, Australia/Peru, 0:30)
‘The More Things Change’
Director Nathan Myers follows Gerry Lopez as he revisits a bustling and developed Uluwatu 40 years after surfing his first wave there in 1974, when it was a magical and empty place. (2015, Australia/Indonesia, 0:27)
‘Fire and Water’
1 p.m. Tuesday
Director Thomas Brookins brings to light rare footage stored in a New York basement for 50 years that highlights a strong community of firefighting surfers, one of whom was Don “Gums” Eichin, who moved to Hawaii (with a house at Pipeline) in the 1960s and whose two sons carry on the surfing hero’s legacy today. (2016, 1:10)
‘Bear Island’
7:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Wegge brothers, known for living a fun and spontaneous way of life, head to the formidable Bear Island in search of waves. In Norwegian with English subtitles. (2014, Norway, 1:22)
‘Peninsula Mitre’
1 p.m. Wednesday
Brothers Joaquin and Julian Azulay set off on foot across the easternmost tip of the uninhabited Tierra del Fuego province with the goal of surfing a never-ridden, world-class wave at the Cape San Diego Lighthouse. To get there they must pass through heavy terrain and harsh climate conditions with a scarce food supply over 53 days. In Spanish with English subtitles. (2016, Argentina, 1:28)
MOVIE MUSEUM
3566 Harding Ave. (735-8771); $5, $4 members
‘Hotaru the Movie’ (‘Hotaru no hikari’)
11:30 a.m. and 4 and 8:30 p.m. today; 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday
A hardworking woman in her 20s — a self-confessed workaholic — is completely drained of energy, day in and day out, once she returns home. One day her loving husband asks her to accompany him to Rome, where she roams the city and re-examines her life. For ages 12 and older. In Japanese with English subtitles. (2012, Japan, 1:50)
‘The Great Passage’ (‘Fune wo amu’)
1:30 and 6 p.m. today; noon, 4:30 and 9 p.m. Sunday
Viewers are taken into a publisher’s back room swamped with books and papers where a dictionary is being born. This comedy drama can be viewed as a love story with a focus on a midwife, an introverted young man who barely speaks and the love of language, the love between a man and a woman, and the shared love of books. For ages 10 and older. In Japanese with English subtitles. (2013, Japan, 2:13)
‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’
11 a.m., and 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday
In this adaptation of Chicago Tribune correspondent Kim Barker’s memoir, a New York news producer leaves her boring job for a chance to work on the front lines in Afghanistan. With Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton and Alfred Molina. (2015, 1:52)
‘Eye in the Sky’
Noon, 3:30, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Monday
During a top-secret NATO operation, an American drone pilot with his hand on the trigger awaits the signal as a little girl unexpectedly enters the kill zone where Kenyan terrorists readying for their mission are strapping on suicide vests. With Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman. Rated R. (2015, U.K., 1:42)
‘Meet the Patels’
1:45 and 7 p.m. Monday
In his quest for a mate, an Indian-American man allows his parents to choose a bride for him while his sister films the process in this home movie-turned-documentary. Rated PG. (2014, 1:28)
‘The Mermaid’ (‘Me ren yu’)
Noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday
In an effort to save their habitat, mermaids come up with a plan for one of their own to seduce and assassinate a wealthy real estate developer who plans to build a man-made island next to a marine preserve. Rated R. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (2016, China, 1:34)
‘Rams’
1:45, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Thursday
Two brothers who have not spoken to each other for 40 years, even while living and working next to each other on neighboring sheep farms, could be forced to end their grudge after learning the sheep on one farm are infected with a lethal disease. Rated R. In Icelandic with English subtitles. (2015, Iceland/Denmark/Norway/Poland, 1:33)