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Following a brutal engagement in Iraq the soldiers of Bravo Squad are brought home to burry one of their own and be honored in a brief victory/press tour working up to an appearance in the halftime show of a major Thanksgiving Day football game. Among the soldiers, 19 year old unspoken leader of the squad Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is front and center to everything. Haunted by the passing of his first Sergeant, Shroom (Vin Diesel), Billy sees the world through two sets of eyes, soldier and civilian, questioning what is love, what is life, what is real?Directed by Ang Lee and based on the novel by Ben Fountain, this unevenly paced experience makes an oddly balanced attempt at examining people’s perspective during war, often falling flat footed and on the nose with poorly scripted rhetoric. However, from a cinematic perspective Lee is certainly making a bold attempt to bring audiences into the mind of soldier suffering from PTSD, although it’s hard to say how the film actually looks given that Sony Pictures only allowed critical audiences in Seattle to witness the film in 2D and 24 frames per second instead of the Director’s intended 3D and 120 frames per second, a significant difference. And, not that a solid film and story should be reliant upon technology, one is left to wonder, what am I missing? Still, the bottom line comes down to stale dialogue between beats and flat action even while in battle, end result, a shoulder shrug instead of an eye pop. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is rated R.

One of the U.S.’s top linguists, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is called in to help serve her country when a mysterious alien race descends on earth. Tasked with learning the alien’s language and intentions Dr. Banks will be strained in ways never thought possible. With the assistance of scientist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) and Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), learning this new alien language will bring new meaning to her life, but, will she be able to crack the language of the visitors before world war breaks out instead? Based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang and Directed by Denis Villeneuve this examination of language and intent comes with perfect timing when viewed as a metaphor for the political climate of the U.S. at this very moment, looking to founded and unfounded fears of the unknown. Slowly peeling back the onion skin layers of complexity, Adams’s performance feels genuine and fully fleshed out, plus support from Renner and Whitaker keep the narrative hovering right in the realm of possibility, just right for sci-fi. Regardless of the fact that act 3 gets a little too tidy perhaps a little too easily, this gem with emotional depth is definitely worthy of your entertainment dollar this weekend. Arrival is rated PG-13.

An arrogant and egotistical but clearly top of his game neurosurgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is injured and disfigured by misadventure, now a broken man Strange seeks personal healing, a journey of enlightenment that will bring him to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), a sorcerer of amazing transcendental power and wisdom. Originally on a quest for himself Strange must learn to become selfless, acting on behalf of the greater good in order to truly be healed all the while saving the planet from the misguided and apocalyptic Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen). Directed by Scott Derrickson, no slouch when it comes to the supernatural, this mystical and existential delve into the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings fantastic vision to what might be one of Marvel’s more visually demanding and ambitious characters. Impressive CGI makes the Life of Pi and Inception look like child’s play by comparison; and, Cumberbatch’s natural senses and gravitas bring a wry wit to the part, enjoyable to watch. Swinton, no stranger to strange worlds, also channels her own inner power to make the laughable into believable. While not getting too far into the weeds of Eastern Mysticism and Magick, this first go round leaves plenty of room for further exploration and a welcome addition to the family. Worthy of your entertainment dollar, Doctor Strange is rated PG-13.