The return of Pixar's superhero family shares multiplex screens with a true story of game-playing buddies and the remake of a blaxsploitation classic, while art house offerings include a low-key father-daughter drama and a unique fact-based heist thriller. The comedy Tag (pictured) takes the slapstick of its fact-based premise and tries to add an earnest exploration of male friendship.
A few different kinds of horror highlight this weekend at the movies, from the story behind Frankenstein to spiritual torment to a family facing actual supernatural terrors—all that, plus a new Ocean heist. The heist caper Ocean's 8 (pictured) can't turn its list of genre ingredients into a delightful dish. First-time writer/director Ari Aster shows all the right moves in the chilling horror tale Hereditary.
Summer blockbusters are nowhere to be found in the post-Memorial Day weekend, but the offerings range from disaster drama to sci-fi horror to documentary profile of a groundbreaking business owner. A smart structural decision provides the human drama of the fact-based disaster drama Adrift (pictured).
The new Star Wars prequel dominates multiplexes for Memorial Day weekend, but a variety of intriguing counter-programming options come to the Salt Lake Film Society screens.
The wise-cracking super-anti-hero returns to multiplexes, along with some senior-focused counter-programming, while two biographical documentaries focus on two very different public figures. Book Club (pictured) gives rare lead roles to its veteran female stars, but can't muster more to say than "lol, horny olds."
Melissa McCarthy and Gabrielle Union star in two very different stories about moms for Mother's Day weekend, while art-house offerings include a Belgian romantic drama, a documentary about a pioneering jurist and a philosophically-minded science-fiction yarn. Life of the Party (pictured) doesn't give much weight to its jokey "nice mom + girls-gone-wild" premise, but at least offers several funny women a chance to show their chops.
While super-heroes continue to dominate the multiplexes, a couple of new releases offer humor and heartbreak, and art-house offerings include a pair of very different artist-profile documentaries. Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami makes the case for its subject's diva status, even if you'd never heard of her before.
