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Blu-Ray cover for Life
Blu-Ray cover for Life

Life,

directed by Daniel Espinosa

(R, 1 hour, 44 minutes)

A suspenseful, twisty-turny horror thriller in which six crew members of the International Space Station realize they're on the verge of discovering the existence of extraterrestrial life.

Turns out, though, their scientific methods of proving such a discovery may not be the best approach to dealing with what may turn out to be a force with intelligence and skills that far outpace their own.

With imaginative photography by Seamus McGarvey, edgy special effects, and a generous dose of space weirdness. Plus audience members will soon abandon any notion they might have had that the name Calvin isn't all that exciting.

With Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada.

The Duelist (R, 1 hour, 49 minutes) A visually intriguing Russian costume drama in which Yakovlev, a swashbuckling professional duelist in 19th-century czarist St. Petersburg, is using his profession (serving as a combative substitute for members of the nobility who are called upon to settle disputes in highly regulated rituals) for much more than simply making a living. With Pyotr Fyodorov, Vladimir Mashkov, Julia Khlynina; directed by Alexei Mizgirev. In Russian with subtitles.

Railroad Tigers (R, 2 hours, 4 minutes) This is a mediocre, pokey-paced Jackie Chan Hong Kong-style action comedy, filled with dull chases and physical pratfalls, in which he plays a railroad worker who, with a motley crew of freedom fighters, decide to ambush a well-armed military train filled with provisions they desperately need. With Wang Kai, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Zitao Huang, Andy Lau; directed by Sheng Ding.

Altitude (R, 1 hour, 28 minutes) A claustrophobic, low-budget action thriller staged almost entirely on a plane, this film, best watched while sprawled on a couch with beer in hand, concerns an FBI agent (Denise Richards) who, after botching a hostage negotiation, is hauled off the streets and demoted to a desk job in Washington. While on a flight, a seatmate offers her millions to get him off the plane alive; it seems he knows they're headed into a brutal hijacking effort by a criminal gang. With Greer Grammer (Kelsey's daughter), Jonathan Lipnicki, Kirk Barker, Chelsea Edmundson, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Liddell; directed by Alex Merkin.

Wilson (R, 1 hour, 34 minutes) A so-so comedy in which the main attraction is a twitchy, immature and ill-tempered middle-aged guy (Woody Harrelson) who, separated from his wife, gets a second chance at reuniting with her; about the same time, he finds out he has a teenage daughter he has never met. With a terrific cast that includes Laura Dern, Judy Greer, Cheryl Hines, Chris Carlson, Tom Proctor, Margo Martindale, Isabella Amara; directed by Craig Johnson.

Everybody Loves Somebody (PG-13, 1 hour, 42 minutes) A spicy, scenic, and surprisingly original romantic comedy in which Clara Barron (Karla Souza) -- a busy obstetrician who's beautiful, lives in a lovely house in Los Angeles, and is part of a raucous, adoring Hispanic family -- must face some less than appealing realities about herself as the wedding of her mother and father approaches in Mexico. With Jose Maria Yazpik, Tiare Scanda; Stefanie Estes; directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta.

This Beautiful Fantastic (PG, 1 hour, 40 minutes) A frilly, predictable fish-out-of-water tale in which Bella Brown (Jessica Brown Findlay), a recluse who spends her time immersed in the children's books she yearns to publish, is forced to become acquainted with a cranky widower (Tom Wilkinson) who complains about the state of her messy London backyard that's bad enough for her landlord to threaten her with eviction. With Andrew Scott, Jeremy Irvine; directed by Simon Aboud.

MovieStyle on 06/23/2017

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