Movies in North Texas theaters on May 31 and coming soon (2024)

NEW THIS WEEK

Opening dates are subject to change.

(B) BACKSPOT In this sensitive and stylish coming-of-age journey, a driven cheerleader (Devery Jacobs) feels pressured to be perfect when she and her girlfriend (Kudakwashe Rutendo) join an elite squad led by a strict coach (Evan Rachel Wood). Not rated. 93 mins. At Alamo Drafthouse Lake Highlands.

(B) THE DEAD DON’T HURT After being separated during the Civil War, a pioneer couple (writer-director Viggo Mortensen and Vicky Krieps) must make peace with the ways the time apart has changed them. Featuring excellent performances from its two leads, the film is a Western for people who don’t typically like Westerns. R (for violence, some sexuality and language). 129 mins. In wide release.

DEER CAMP ′86 In this horror-comedy set in the 1980s, six friends from Detroit head north for a deer hunt. But when they encounter an ancient vengeful spirit, the hunters become the hunted. R (for bloody violence, some gore, pervasive language and crude/sexual material). 85 mins. At AMC Mesquite.

(B) EZRA Standup comedian Max (Bobby Cannavale) struggles to co-parent his autistic son, Ezra (William Fitzgerald), with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). With a difficult decision looming, Max and Ezra embark on a life-changing cross-country road trip in this sensitive drama about the challenges of autism. The superb ensemble cast also includes Robert De Niro, Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg. R (for language, some sexual references and drug use). 100 mins. In wide release.

HAIKYUU!! THE DUMPSTER BATTLE This Japanese anime film follows a boy who joins his high school volleyball club to be like his idol. But he soon finds that he must team up with his middle school rival to help the team win a highly anticipated matchup. In Japanese, with subtitles. PG-13 (for language). 85 mins. In wide release.

(B+) IN A VIOLENT NATURE A vengeful spirit emerges from its longtime resting place in this gory horror flick that puts a fresh spin on slasher conventions by focusing almost wholly on the point of view of an unstoppable killing machine. Starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Reece Presley and Cameron Love. Not rated. 94 mins. In wide release.

(C-) SUMMER CAMP In this predictable comedy, three childhood best friends (Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard) gather for a summer camp reunion. Any time the script seems to be on the verge of delivering something insightful, it’s undercut by some prank or pratfall. And only Woodard delivers an actual performance, not that it’s allowed to fully shine. PG-13 (for sexual material, strong language and some underage smoking). 96 mins. In wide release.

TWISTED HEARTS In this romantic comedy, three couples head to a couples retreat to try to mend the cracks in their relationships. Starring Cocoa Brown, Emelina Adams, Adrian Lockett, Lauren Ashley White and Will Colburn. Not rated. 90 mins. At Look Dine-in Cinemas Northwest Highway.

(B+) WILDCAT This drama from director and co-writer Ethan Hawke intertwines the literary creations of Southern writer Flannery O’Connor (Hawke’s daughter, Maya Hawke) with a key part of her biography, as she struggles to publish her first novel while facing health woes. The film is emotionally exhausting — with Maya Hawke and Laura Linney each taking on a half-dozen interconnected roles — but it gives audiences a sense of O’Connor’s legacy, as well as an appreciation for the adversity she faced as she coped with a lupus diagnosis at age 24. Not rated. 103 mins. At the Texas Theatre.

YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA Daisy Ridley stars in this biographical drama as Trudy Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. PG (for thematic elements, some language and partial nudity). 100 mins. In wide release.

COMING NEXT WEEK

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for the fourth installment in the buddy-cop action-comedy franchise. And this time, they’re working outside the law as fugitives on the run.

THE BIG BEND Two families meet up for a long overdue reunion in a remote Texas desert. But when a crisis strikes, they must struggle to survive in a harsh environment. Starring Jason Butler Harner, Virginia Kull, Erica Ash and David Sullivan.

LATE BLOOMERS A 20-something Brooklynite (Karen Gillan) breaks her hip while drunk and ends up in a physical therapy ward with patients more than twice her age. There, she meets a cranky elderly Polish woman (Margaret Sophie Stein) and reluctantly becomes her caregiver.

LONGING A wealthy bachelor (Richard Gere) runs into his old girlfriend and learns that they had a child together two decades earlier and that his son recently died. He then sets out to learn about the young man’s life. Also starring Diane Kruger, Suzanne Clément, Marnie McPhail and Stuart Hughes.

SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 2 The students make plans to perform a musical for the school’s anniversary in this family film that features live-action actors with CGI-animated animals.

THE WATCHERS A young artist (Dakota Fanning) finds herself stranded alongside three strangers in an Irish forest and stalked by mysterious creatures. Also starring Georgina Campbell and Olwen Fouéré.

CURRENT RELEASES

(B-) ABIGAIL In this over-the-top horror thriller, criminals kidnap a 12-year-old ballerina (Alisha Weir) in hopes of collecting a $50 million ransom. But the captors soon find that they’re locked in an isolated mansion not with an ordinary girl, but with a bloodthirsty vampire. Weir is riveting, but also quite funny. Also starring Melissa Barrera, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton and Matthew Goode. R (for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language and brief drug use). 109 mins.

(A) BABES A woman (Ilana Glazer) becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and turns to her married best friend (Michelle Buteau), a mother of two, for guidance in this comedy that bursts with a boisterous energy from its opening moments. Buteau and Glazer have natural chemistry, enhanced by their respective talents. R (for sexual material, language throughout and some drug use). 104 mins.

(C) BACK TO BLACK Marisa Abela delivers a fully committed performance as the late singer Amy Winehouse in this biographical drama about the pop star’s rise to fame. But the film is a shallow portrait, a recounting of gossipy facts and lore about Winehouse and her troubled relationship with husband Blake Fielder-Civil (an admittedly fantastic Jack O’Connell). R (for drug use, language throughout, sexual content and nudity). 122 mins.

THE BLUE ANGELS This documentary chronicles the aerial exploits of the Blue Angels, a U.S. Navy flight squadron that has been wowing crowds with its precision flying for nearly eight decades. G. 93 mins.

(A) CHALLENGERS Zendaya stars as a former tennis prodigy turned coach who’s trying to break her tennis champion husband (Mike Faist) out of a slump as he takes on an old friend — and her former lover (Josh O’Connor) — on the court. Smart, seductive and bristling with sexual tension, Challengers is arguably director Luca Guadagnino’s most purely pleasurable film to date; it’s certainly his lightest and most playful. R (for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity). 131 mins.

(A) CIVIL WAR In Alex Garland’s virtuosic action-thriller set in a near-future America, journalists race to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House. It’s an upsetting dystopian vision that leaves viewers shaken, effectively repeating the question that quelled the L.A. riots: Can we all get along? Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nick Offerman. R (for strong violent content, bloody/disturbing images, and language throughout). 109 mins.

(A) DUNE: PART TWO Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) takes up with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen in this spectacular feat of sci-fi filmmaking that marries immersive world-building with engrossing storytelling. Austin Butler is captivating as Paul’s dark counterpart, the murderous Feyd-Rautha, delivering a nearly reptilian performance. Also starring Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista and Christopher Walken. PG-13 (for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language). 166 mins.

(B-) THE FALL GUY Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) must track down a missing movie star and win back the love of his life (Emily Blunt) in this action-comedy film loosely based on the 1980s TV series. The moments with Gosling and Blunt are fun to watch, a testament to their pure star power. Too bad the filmmakers had to muck it up with an overwrought murder mystery. Also starring Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham and Stephanie Hsu. PG-13 (for action and violence, drug content and some strong language). 126 mins.

(B-) FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA The fifth installment in writer-director George Miller’s Mad Max franchise sees Anya Taylor-Joy portraying a younger version of the titular character, portrayed in 2015′s Mad Max: Fury Road by Charlize Theron. The film adds operatic heft and seriousness to what started in 1979 as a fun, rip-roaring explosion of post-apocalyptic action. But is that really what moviegoers wanted? They certainly wanted more of Furiosa, who is overshadowed in her own film by everybody else, including Chris Hemsworth as an over-the-top villain. R (for sequences of strong violence and grisly images). 148 mins.

(D-) THE GARFIELD MOVIE Chris Pratt voices everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving cat in this lazy and cynical animated romp that sacrifices the character’s subversive humor in favor of routine animated high jinks. None of the film’s meta references will be entertaining for the very young target audience, nor are they amusing for their adult chaperones. Also featuring the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult and Cecily Strong. PG (for action/peril and mild thematic elements). 101 mins.

GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE The creatures clash and take on a new threat in the latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise. Starring Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens. PG-13 (for creature violence and action). 115 mins.

(C) IF After learning that she can see other people’s imaginary friends, a girl (Cailey Fleming) embarks on an adventure to reconnect the magical creatures with their humans in this family film that’s largely a bust. Because there’s little internal logic in IF, you may find yourself constantly asking why the characters are doing what they do, or how the whole imaginary-friend thing works within the context of the movie. Plus, the character-design choices are just plain odd: What child has a soap bubble or an sentient ice cube for as an imaginary friend? Also starring Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds and featuring the voices of writer-director John Krasinski, Steve Carell, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. PG (for thematic elements and mild language). 104 mins.

(B+) I SAW THE TV GLOW An alienated teen (Justice Smith) finds comfort in his friendship with a cool older girl (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and the TV show they both love. But he’s left adrift when the girl disappears and the show is canceled. Smith is phenomenal, giving an astonishing performance as a person so afraid of himself and the world that he allows his life to pass him by. PG-13 (for violent content, some sexual material, thematic elements and teen smoking). 100 mins.

(A-) KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Several generations after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a harrowing journey that will affect the future of apes and humans alike in this action-adventure flick that manages to encompass everything we love about the Planet of the Apes franchise into one sprawling story. The sheer scope of the storytelling and the sophisticated world-building are awe-inspiring on the big screen. PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence/action). 145 mins.

(B) KUNG FU PANDA 4 In this predictable but pleasant animated comedy sequel, Po (voiced by Jack Black) becomes the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace and must train a new Dragon Warrior. The humor in this edition doesn’t seem as broad as usual, with the mostly low-key laughs coming from amusing visual gags. Also featuring the voices of Viola Davis, Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman and Bryan Cranston. PG (for martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor). 94 mins.

SIGHT Greg Kinnear and Terry Chen star in this drama based on the real-life story of Ming Wang, an impoverished prodigy who fled Communist China to become a pioneering eye surgeon in America. PG-13 (for violence and thematic material). 100 mins.

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 After their car breaks down, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin, where they are terrorized by masked strangers. R (for horror violence, language and brief drug use). 91 mins.

TAROT In this horror flick, a group of friends violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings, unleashing an evil force trapped within the cursed cards. Starring Avantika, Humberly González and Olwen Fouéré. PG-13 (for horror violence, terror, bloody images, some strong language and drug content). 92 mins.

UNSUNG HERO This faith-based drama tells the story of the real-life Smallbone family, who moved from Australia to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue musical careers. Starring Daisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger and Jonathan Jackson. PG (for thematic elements). 112 mins.

Compiled from staff and wire reports