Kung Fu Panda 3 - B

Po and friends

Rated PG, 95 minutes

Just when you though Inner Peace had been achieved, once more the most improbable Dragon Warrior you can think of, Po, steps up to be Master Teacher. "Kung Fu Panda 3," the latest installment in the animated kung fu comedy franchise, is remarkably nimble as you remembered and still fun for the whole family. Familiar but filled with colorful zest, it's as safe and predictable as your favorite Chinese buffet. Po (Jack Black) realizes that he has a lot to learn if he's going to fulfill the next challenge from his beloved instructor (Dustin Hoffman). After reuniting with his long-lost father (Bryan Cranston), Po must transition from student to teacher to train a group of fun-loving, clumsy pandas to become martial-arts fighters. Together, the kung-fu brethren unite to take on the evil Kai (J.K. Simmons), a supernatural warrior who becomes stronger with each battle. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson ("Kung Fu Panda 2") and Alessandro Carloni and scripted by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (writers of all the "Kung Fu Panda" films), is still zany fun, especially for the young set, who'll still get a kick out of the huge, high-kicking panda with an even bigger heart, who discovers his real Dad (voiced by "Breaking Bad's" Cranston) as he must master his chi and regain his standing as the Dragon Warrior, fighting against the evil Kai (Oscar-winner Simmons, superbly cast as the heavy here). Po's pals are all back too to help him in his latest "adventure of awesomeness," including Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross), so expect hijinks, laughs and pratfalls aplenty, some of which fills like filler to get to the final showdown. Except for the colorful portrayal of the battle between the spirit and mortal worlds, not much is new here, but the familiar formula that worked in the first two "Kung Fu Panda's" work in Po's latest adventure to greatness, and for a sequel, it holds up enjoyably well. If the winter blues have you down, then let the predictably entertaining "Kung Fu Panda 3" get your kicks and spirits up.

Jane Got a Gun - C-

Natalie Portman

Rated R, 98 minutes

See Jane get a gun. Set Jane shoot a gun. See Jane kill a bad guy. But first, Jane must stop and ponder all she's been through. The sluggish, slow-as-molasses new Western "Jane Got a Gun" starring and produced by Oscar-winner Natalie Portman has been riddled with more problems than you can shake a stick at, with a bevy of directors and leading actors in and out of the movie since it started production nearly three years ago, then being delayed by the bankruptcy of its studio at the time, Relativity Media. Unfortunately, some of these problems seemed to have spilled onto the screen, as the pseudo pro-feminist, revenge theme (written and rewritten several times during the process) is hampered by clunky and uninvolving plotting that doesn't really pick up some energy until the last act. With help from her ex-fiancé Dan (Joel Edgerton), Jane (Portman) must defend her husband (Noah Emmerich) and family from a vengeful outlaw (Ewan McGregor) and his gang of killers in the Old West. "Jane Got a Gun" ended up with a decent director, Gavin O'Connor ("Warrior") and a talented cast that includes Portman, Emmerich, Edgerton and McGregor, though they're wasted under a ponderous tone never really takes full shape, as much of the backstory is revealed through some confusing flashbacks from each of the main characters. The familiarity of it all, not to mention that much of it's simply not all that interesting, adds up to a big disappointment, though Portman and Edgerton make for a solid pairing, too bad they don't have better material to work with. "Jane Got a Gun" reminds of the far more memorable (and not to be confused with) Aerosmith classic tune "Janie's Got a Gun"; the lyrics to that song include: "Janie got a gun Janie got a gun whole world's come undone..." Too bad the same couldn't be sad for the dull Western "Jane Got A Gun," as it would've been far more entertaining to watch had she, or anything in the movie, come undone.

Fifty Shades of Black - D-

Marlon Wayans

Rated R, 92 minutes

When a good movie is spoofed, it often allows you to see the finer qualities of the movie being spoofed. When a terrible movie is spoofed, it makes everything much worse. Such is the case with the new Marlon Wayans comedy "Fifty Shades of Black," a spoof of the dreadful "Fifty Shades of Grey," which itself (both the book and the movie) were so bad it was unintentionally funny. "Fifty Shades of Black," on the other hand, is an intentional effort at humor, but someone forgot to tell that to Wayans and company, another inexcusable effort that falls terribly flat and unfunny on every level. Hannah ("Black Jesus'" Kali Hawk), an inexperienced college student meets a wealthy businessman named Christian Black (Wayans), whose unusual sexual practices put a strain on their relationship. Admittedly, Wayans has always been a charming act, but with his "Haunted House" director Michael Tiddes, his loose and crude silly string of gags has nary a chuckle or two in it; spray as much as possible at the camera: some cussing, pratfalls, sight gags and mugging, and surely, surely, someone will laugh at some point. Good luck with that. Offensive and racist at every turn, it tries to follow the "Grey" movie almost scene by scene, an admirable effort given how bad that film really was (admirable, in that it must've required repeat viewings of that film, which is up for a load of Razzie Awards honoring the worst in film). I will say, the only good thing about it was the recreation of "the room" itself, which does look identical to the film being spoofed. I like Wayans, he has talent and generally speaking a funny guy, but I simply can't recommend his awful "Fifty Shades of Black," mainly because it's a painfully unfunny movie with such broad humor and such cheap gags that the only thing it might induce is a hearty round of celibacy.

45 Years - B+

Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling

Rated R, 95 minutes

Every marriage or long relationship is filled with highs and lows and inevitable disruptions that must be dealt with. The quietly compelling, superbly acted drama "45 Years" deals with a major marital disruption, one that threatens the unions with its emotional undercurrents. There is just one week until Kate Mercer's (Charlotte Rampling) 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay). The body of Geoff's first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate. Directed and written by Andrew Haigh of the TV show "Looking" and based on David Constantine's short story "In Another Country," the low-key but satisfying drama deals with marital complexities, especially when one is unable to deal with what starts as a minor issue. The mesmerizing performances from veterans Courtenay (of "Doctor Zhivago" and "The Dresser") and especially Rampling (many credits, including TV's "Restless" and "Eye of the Storm") whose strong turn as the shattered wife is filled with many memorable scenes, including many unspoken expressions and glances, and it's to her credit her face can speak a volume. It's not a surprise that Rampling's subtle, quietly unnerved performance is garnering rave reviews and Oscar buzz, though she is long overdue for even a nomination. Her final scene, at the couple's anniversary party, will stay with you long after the movie is over. The talky yet emotionally involving "45 Years" is essentially a two-person play, unassuming but remarkable how these two, especially Rampling, is able to hold up. Worthwhile for the exquisite turn from Rampling, who is Oscar nominated for her role as Best Actress this year, and the equally superb Courtenay.

The Finest Hours - C+

Chris Pine

Rated PG-13, 109 minutes

Disney's bland, earnest new fact-based action drama "The Finest Hours" tells the worthy story of a daring rescue of a sinking tanker by the Coast Guard in New England. The realistic action scenes are well-handled in "Perfect Storm" mode, though a creaky offshore personal story nearly sinks it. In February, 1952 a massive storm in Massachusetts splits the tanker SS Pendleton in two, trapping more than 30 sailors inside the tanker's sinking stern. Pendleton Engineer Ray Sybert (a mumbling Casey Affleck) bravely takes charge to organize a strategy for his fellow survivors. Meanwhile, Coast Guard Officer Bernie Webber (a wide-eyed Chris Pine) takes three men on a lifeboat to try and save the crew against seemingly impossible odds. Based on the non-fiction novel "The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue," by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias and directed by "Fright Night's" Craig Gillespie, "The Finest Hours" is most memorable for the action-packed visuals, and less so for the middling, weak storyline that seems like filler in between the more exciting moments of the movie. The story is a true one, and the film is remarkably true to many of the details of the actual rescue, and likely less so when dealing with the stale, predictable personal life of Webber and his soon-to-be wife, played with vanilla appeal by "Star Trek's" Pine and "Cinderella's" Grainger; Grainger's role is a non essential, slightly annoying one, given that most will care less when and how the two met or of their impending marriage - let's see some of those waves that Disney has paid so heavily for. "The Finest Hours" also misuses a terrific actor in Eric Bana as the chief Coast Guard Officer in charge of the rescue operation, mainly because it seems to minimize his role to focus on the survival stories of Sybert and Webber. Instead of the dull personal drama, 'Hours" could've also focused on the fact that the Coast Guard actually saved men from two different tankers that split on the same day in the terrible storm, both the Pendleton and the Mercer, and while Mercer is given mention here, the focus is on the larger rescue of the Pendleton, a truly remarkable feat. "The Finest Hours" is a modestly entertaining effort that's best when focused on the rescue, and not on the offshore personal lives of the men.

The Boy - D

Rated PG-13, 97 minutes

Lauren Cohan

The tepid, inane new horror film "The Boy" is about as lifeless as the creepy doll who is the centerpiece of this nonsense that's not as scary as learning how many calories are in that popcorn you're eating as you watch it. A young American named Greta ("The Walking Dead's" Lauren Cohan) takes a job as a nanny for a young boy in a remote English village. To her surprise, Greta learns that the child of the couple (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle) is a life-size doll, caring for it as a human helps the couple to cope with the death of their own son 20 years earlier. When Greta violates a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring her worst fears to life, leading her to believe that the doll is alive. "The Boy" is one of the dumbest, least scary horror films to come out of Hollywood in about 2 weeks, after the silly mess that was "The Forest," and worst of all, the doll gives the most believable performance in this terribly slow and just terrible movie. About two-thirds of the film has Cohan, whose character is in England to escape an abusive relationship, wandering around a big, dusty house taking care of that doll who may or may not have magical powers and then somehow becoming enamored with the grocery boy (British stage actor Rupert Evans, who must've really needed the cash). The twist at the end is not really a twist, but a plot point so ridiculous and preposterous that instead of shock it'll elicit a...really, all this just for that? "The Boy" rips off many other better movies and TV shows such as "Twilight Zone," any of which would be far more satisfying than this dreck. In the screening of "The Boy" someone sitting a few rows behind me fell asleep during the first 45 minutes and was breathing so loudly I could hardly hear the screen. That pretty much sums up what a slog and sleep-inducing movie this is. Unless you need a good nap, I'd recommend something else.

The 5th Wave - C-

Chloe Grace Moretz

Rated PG-13, 112 minutes

"The 5th Wave" is the latest best-selling Young Adult dystopian novel with a young, spunky heroine turned into a bland, unoriginal movie. Based on the novel of the same name by Rick Yancey, fans of the sci-fi book may not be pleased the uneven outcome presented here. Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth devastated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother Sammy (Zackary Arthur). As she prepares for the fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man named Evan (Alex Roe), who may become her final hope – if only she could trust him. Mildly entertaining but disappointing at best, "The 5th Wave," directed by British TV director J Blakeson, is another lackluster, mish-mash attempt to cash in on the trend started by "The Hunger Games," which itself petered out late last year in its final installment. While Moretz, of "Hugo" and "Kick-Ass" fame, is a believable enough fragile ingenue, she is no Jennifer Lawrence, and the dull, uninteresting script lacks a powerful story arc and a gritty, creepy feel given the alient takeover, and interestingly enough, for a movie about saving humanity, it sure lacks it. It starts off well as the 4 waves unfold, then somewhere in the second act, as Cassie wanders around looking for her brother and trying to save planet Earth, it drifts off into a stale romance mixed with some uneasy political and military-style themes, losing considerable focus near the end. "The 5th Wave" also looks cheap, with some fake, CG visuals, not to mention it wastes some fine actors, such as Ron Livingston and Liev Schreiber, both of whom are given little to do here, as well as a miscast Maria Bello, who at least tries to have a little fun and a gung-ho military leader.  "The 5th Wave" had an intriguing premise but it does little with it, and the dystopian-sci-fi mixture isn't an effective one, particularly in the dull final act, which fans of the book will notice is noticeably different here. This genre is starting to wear out its welcome, with more misses than hits that shows the odds are definitely not in favor of "The 5th Wave" being a success.