THEATERS
Cinemark Denton 2825 Wind River Lane off I-35E. 940-535-2654. www.cinemark.com .
Movie Tavern 916 W. University Drive. 940-566-FILM (3456). www.movietavern.com .
Carmike Hickory Creek 16 8380 S. I-35E, Hickory Creek. 940-321-2788. www.carmike.com .
Silver Cinemas Inside Golden Triangle Mall, 2201 S. I-35E. 940-387-1957. www.silvercinemasinc.com .
OPENING FRIDAY
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day — An 11-year-old boy experiences a calamitous day and learns that he’s not alone when his family members face their own tribulations in this comedy based on the Judith Viorst children’s book. With Ed Oxenbould, Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. Written by Rob Lieber. Directed by Miguel Arteta. Rated PG, 80 minutes. — Los Angeles Times
Dracula — Untold An origin story about the man who became Dracula. With Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon and Dominic Cooper. Written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Directed by Gary Shore. In Imax. Rated PG-13, 92 minutes. — LAT
The Judge — A big-city lawyer returns to his childhood home for his mother’s funeral only to see his estranged father, the town’s judge, become suspected of murder. With Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall and Vera Farmiga. Written by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque. Directed by David Dobkin. Rated R, 141 minutes. — LAT
NOW PLAYING
Annabelle — A young couple with a new baby learn that a vintage doll in their home has a demon attached to it. With Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton and Alfre Woodard. Written by Gary Dauberman. Directed by John Leonetti. Rated R, 95 minutes. — LAT
The Boxtrolls — Oregon animation studio Laika’s 3-D stop-motion film is set in the British village of Cheesebridge, whose supposed scourge is the Boxtrolls, little nocturnal creatures who wear discarded boxes like a turtle shell and scavenge for mechanical parts. The Boxtrolls live peacefully underground with a child (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) who begins to explore Cheesebridge above ground and befriends a girl (Elle Fanning). Despite a rather uncertainly structured story, The Boxtrolls has its pleasantly demented charms. With Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Nick Frost. Rated PG, 96 minutes. — The Associated Press
Dolphin Tale 2 — A boy who helped rescue and rehabilitate an injured dolphin tries to find her a companion so she can stay at the local aquarium. With Nathan Gamble, Harry Connick Jr. and Morgan Freeman. Rated PG, 100 minutes. — LAT
The Equalizer — Denzel Washington plays a deadly vigilante who takes revenge for the beating of a young woman (Chloe Grace Moretz) by wiping out a Russian mob headed by a surly boss (Marton Csokas). This act sets off the film’s resulting revenge-action tale, ably but not impressively choreographed by director Antoine Fuqua. Based on the 1980s TV show, the film delivers the action but without anything fresh. Rated R, 126 minutes. — Boo Allen
The Good Lie — A brassy American woman helps four Sudanese refugees start over in the U.S. With Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng and Ger Duany. Rated PG-13, 112 minutes. — LAT
Gone Girl — Ben Affleck stars as Nick, whose wife, Amy (an excellent Rosamund Pike), goes missing. Initially an object of pity, Nick becomes a public pariah when it looks like he may have killed her. Then the tables turn with a string of unexpected surprises. Director David Fincher works from the novel by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the screenplay. Fine supporting cast includes Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens and Neil Patrick Harris. Rated R, 145 minutes. — B.A.
Guardians of the Galaxy — This 3-D space opera is Marvel’s most irreverent film yet, and has a welcome, slightly self-mocking tone. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a Han Solo-like scavenger who stumbles across a silver orb also sought by some evil forces: Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and his boss, Thanos (Josh Brolin). The resulting scrum for the orb introduces several more seekers: the green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the hulking Drax (Dave Bautista), a sardonic raccoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and a talking tree called Groot (Vin Diesel). Directed by James Gunn (Super). Rated PG-13, 121 minutes. — AP
Left Behind — When millions of Christians are transported to heaven in the Rapture and the rest of the world is plunged into chaos, a pilot tries to save his hysterical passengers and get back to his family. With Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray and Cassi Thomson. Rated PG-13, 110 minutes. — LAT
The Maze Runner — In a post-apocalyptic future, an amnesiac teen wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys and has to find a way to escape. With Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario and Aml Ameen. Rated PG-13, 113 minutes. — LAT
This Is Where I Leave You — A good comedic cast comes together for an abundance of variously good and bad jokes spread throughout a predictable tale of a family reuniting after the death of their patriarch. Jason Bateman takes the highest-profile role as the most angst-ridden son, joined by his sister (Tina Fey), two brothers (Corey Stoll and Adam Driver) and mother (Jane Fonda). Directed by Shawn Levy, with script from Jonathan Tropper from his own novel. Rated R, 103 minutes. — B.A.
A Walk — Among the Tombstones A former NYPD cop working as an unlicensed private investigator reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker hunt down the men who kidnapped and brutally murdered his wife. With Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens and David Harbour. Written and directed by Scott Frank. Rated R, 114 minutes. — LAT
