'Central Intelligence'

Bob (Dwayne Johnson), bullied and humiliated in high school, blossoms into a strapping man with Jason Bourne-style combat skills. On the eve of their high school reunion, Bob Facebooks the one kid who was nice to him in those days, Calvin (Kevin Hart), now a straight-laced accountant who welcomes Bob's presence. What's not so welcome is the CIA at his door, claiming Bob is a murderous rogue agent. The film doesn't have much going for it beyond its leading men, but their sheer charisma breathes life into a flimsy and forgettable action comedy.


Grade: C+


'The Conjuring 2'

Entering the canon of sequels that are better than the original, 'The Conjuring 2' again stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. It focuses on the Enfield Poltergeist in England, where a vicious inhuman spirit has possessed young Janet Hodgson. The film is a perfectly executed retro haunting flick.

Rated: R for terror and horror violence

Grade: A


'Finding Dory'

'Finding Dory,' which picks up six months after 'Finding Nemo,' focuses on Dory, the blue tang with short-term memory loss. A flashback of Dory's childhood reveals her origins: a challenged fish whose parents are helpless when a current sucks her away. Energized by clues of remembrance, Dory, Nemo and a reluctant Marlin travel from Australia to California, where her search leads to the Marine Life Institute. 'Finding Dory,' bright and clever like most all Pixar releases, has the studio's familiar blend of wit, heart and visual detail, but it's missing its own magic.

Rated: PG for mild thematic elements

Grade: B


'Now You See Me 2'

Just as the Four Horsemen — whose elaborate magic routines expose and bilk corporate scoundrels — come out of hiding to hijack a high-tech company's product launch and expose the CEO's privacy-threatening schemes, the quartet is, in turn, hijacked in flamboyant fashion. All aspects of the movie click when the Horsemen are doing their magic, but the plot rides a surging tide of ridiculousness and culminates in a pileup of unconvincing explanations.

Rated: PG-13 for violence and some language

Grade: B-


'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'

The plot itself is pretty straightforward — the brothers TMNT must stop the evil Shredder (Brian Tee) and Krang (Brad Garrett) from opening up a space portal for world domination — but the film is filled with unnecessarily complicated tangents. The dynamic between the brothers and their struggle over their desire to be 'normal' are the most heartfelt and resonant elements of the film, but mostly it's a befuddling and loud jumble of computer graphics.

Rated: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Grade: D+


'X-Men: Apocalypse'

Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), a superpowered mutant who was revered as a god millennia ago, is resurrected in 1983 after centuries of lying dormant. Disgusted at the state of the world, he wants to wipe out humans and restore mutants to their deified status. Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and other disillusioned mutants join forces with Apocalypse while Professor X (James McAvoy) and his protégés try to stop them. It is ultimately a satisfying conclusion to the rebooted trilogy.

Rated: PG for some sequences of scary action and peril

Grade: B-



In this epic fantasy adaptation of a massive multiplayer online role playing game, hordes of hulking orcs pour through a magical portal into a new realm. There's dissent among the ranks as Durotan (Toby Kebbell) strives for peaceful coexistence and Gul'dan (Daniel Wu) seeks total domination. 'Warcraft' isn't going to win any awards, but it's bold, unapologetic, hard-core fantasy.

Rated: PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence

Grade: C+

Wire services

Read or Share this story: