One-Minute Movie Review: Rating films now in theaters

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“Hotel Transylvania 3" | COLUMBIA PICTURES

One of this weekend’s big news movies is a sequel, and the other just feels like one. “Hotel Transylvania 3” is the latest animated comedy starring Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula and many of his comedian friends as other famed monsters. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson stars in “Skyscraper,” which owes no small debt to “Die Hard” and “The Towering Inferno.” Here are reviews of films now in theaters, from best to worst:

“Hereditary” ★★★★

Toni Collette deserves Oscar consideration for her work as a woman convinced her mother is reaching out from beyond the grave to destroy her family. The shocks in this horror film are truly stunning and bizarre — and will stay with you long after you’ve gone home. (R, 123 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Leave No Trace” ★★★★

An emotionally damaged war veteran (Ben Foster) and his loyal teenage daughter (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, a natural) leave their comfortable home to risk life-threatening conditions in the woods. The mournfully beautiful film is a brilliant and timely and telling statement about the difference between the haves and the have-nots. (PG, 109 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” ★★★★

The CIA operative (Josh Brolin) and the assassin (Benicio del Toro) from 2015’s “Sicario” team up to start a drug cartel war in this powerful and pulpy modern-day Western. It’s a brilliant, bloody, gritty, dark and sometimes fantastically over-the-top fable about the evil men (and women) will do in the name of political agendas, self-preservation and the quest for power.

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ ★★★1⁄2

This massively enjoyable thrill-ride adventure brings in the Guardians of the Galaxy to help hold off a villain (Josh Brolin) with a richly dramatic background. It’s not the best Marvel movie, but it’s certainly the biggest. (PG-13, 156 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Deadpool 2” ★★★1⁄2

Ryan Reynolds’ second turn as the cynical, witty superhero is wicked, dark fun from start to finish, with some twisted and very funny special effects, cool production elements, terrific ensemble work — and for dessert, perhaps the best end-credits “cookie” scene ever. (R, 111 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” ★★★1⁄2

The real treasures in this fun tale of the young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) are the launching points for future friendships and conflicts. Everyone in the ensemble is terrific, but the show-stopper is Donald Glover as the sneaky-smart Lando Calrissian (PG-13, 143 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Whitney” ★★★1⁄2

While Whitney Houston’s story has been told in other films and countless TV segments, this documentary is the most comprehensive and intimate portrait yet, thanks in large part to unprecedented access to Houston’s family members and close associates. It’s alternately exhilarating and heartbreaking. (R, 120 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” ★★★1⁄2

This straightforward, dirt-free documentary about PBS children’s host Fred Rogers serves as a zenlike break from ugly divisions and social-media posturing. It’s an hour-and-a-half of peace, a movie that exists beyond cynicism and irony. (PG-13, 94 min.) — Bill Goodykoontz, USA TODAY Network

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” ★★★

After the dramatically heavy conclusion to “Avengers: Infinity War,” it’s nice to enjoy a (mostly) self-contained and smile-inducing summer rollercoaster ride bolstered by the excellent comedic timing of Paul Rudd and company, not to mention some dazzling and dizzying CGI moves designed to thrill and to score solid laughs. (PG-13, 118 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Incredibles 2” ★★★

Director Brad Bird’s second chapter in the story of America’s favorite superhero family is a nifty blend of chaotic amusement-ride type action and domestic comedy-drama. It’s a solid double, but I’ll admit to a feeling of mild disappointment it wasn’t a grand slam. (PG, 118 min.) —Richard Roeper

“R.B.G.” ★★★

An engrossing, entertaining and unabashedly adoring documentary profiles Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought every inch of the way to conquer Harvard Law and gender discrimination. (PG, 97 min.) —Jocelyn Noveck, AP

“Sorry to Bother You” ★★★

Lakeith Stanfield knocks it out of the park as a black guy whose mastery of the “white voice” makes him a telemarketing superstar. Veering all over the place from social satire to screwball romance, the movie earns points for pushing the envelope, pushing the buttons on incendiary topics, and pushing the boundaries of conventional storytelling. (R, 105 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Superfly” ★★★

Like the 1972 blaxploitation original, this remake reinforces stereotypes in following a drug dealer (Trevor Jackson) ready to give up the game. But it succeeds at it what it wants to be: an action-packed, sexy, violent, 21st century crime thriller. (R, 116 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Three Identical Strangers” ★★★

In a documentary containing as many twists as a great thriller, three college-age men discover they are triplets separated at birth. At first elated, they later come to question how much of their lives has been random. (PG-13, 96 min.) —Bill Goodykoontz, USA TODAY Network

“Uncle Drew” ★★★

To win a Harlem tournament, a part-time basketball coach (Lil Rel Howery) recruits a team of former players in their 70s headed by the legend Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving). Even though the film is outlandish and predictable and downright corny, I loved the positive energy and the steady diet of inside-basketball jokes. (PG-13, 103 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Ocean’s 8” ★★1⁄2

Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett star in a solid if somewhat underwhelming caper similar in tone and style to the “Ocean’s” trilogy. While the gifted cast has firepower and charisma, “Ocean’s 8” is more of a smooth glide than an exhilarating adventure. (PG-13, 110 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Boundaries” ★★

Despite excellent performances from Vera Farmiga as a hippie mom and Christopher Plummer as her pot-dealing dad, this reconciliation road trip is a bit too cute and clever for its own good. And the ending is pure hokum. (R, 104 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Hotel Transylvania 3” ★★

The latest installment of Adam Sandler’s animated franchise, about lonely Dracula joining his family on a cruise, lands the occasional good gag. But the rest is noise. Perhaps a vacation would serve this tired franchise well. (PG, 97 min.) —Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY Network“Skyscraper” ★★

In this cheesy and predictable semi-thriller, Dwayne Johnson climbs and jumps as a security consultant rescuing his family from a Hong Kong tower infiltrated by terrorists. It’s like “Die Hard,” but not nearly as smart or gritty or well acted. (PG-13, 103 min.) —Richard Roeper“The First Purge” ★1⁄2

This origin story follows the franchise tradition of taking what could have been an intriguing idea, then slicing and dicing it and gunning it down in an orgy of over-the-top violence. (R, 99 min.) —Bill Goodykoontz, USA TODAY Network

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” ★1⁄2

As a volcano threatens Isla Nubar, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen (Chris Pratt) assist a dinosaur evacuation that turns out to have nefarious purposes. How terrible is this exercise in wretched sequel excess? It’s “Rocky V” bad. It’s “Jaws 3-D” bad. (PG-13, 128 min.) —Richard Roeper

“Tag” ★1⁄2

Despite the best efforts of a cast headed by Ed Helms and Jake Johnson, this comedy about friends who reunite each year for a month-long game of tag is a deadly drag, filled with uninspired slapstick and cardboard characters that practically dare us not to like them. (R, 100 min.) —Richard Roeper

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