Aug. 4
“The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
PG-13, 119 minutes, Lionsgate
The second chapter of the sci-fi trilogy is set in a dystopian Chicago where people have been sorted, like machine parts, into five personality-based “factions,” such as bravery (Dauntless), honesty (Candor) or self-sacrifice (Abnegation). It seems ironic that the Erudite, the brainiac faction of which evil Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is supreme leader, administers and defends this harebrained scheme. Then there are Divergents, including heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley), with affinity for more than one faction, and the Factionless misfits. In response to a rebellion led by Tris and her boyfriend, a fellow Divergent known as Four (Theo James), Jeanine has come to believe that the solution to what she calls the “Divergent crisis” is contained in a locked time capsule that has been left by the founders of this kooky world. The box can only be opened by a Divergent who is capable of completing a series of virtual-reality tests, or simulations, utilizing skills from each of the five factions. There are several nice performances, especially by Miles Teller, returning as Tris’ Dauntless nemesis Peter, and new cast member Naomi Watts, playing Four’s factionless mother. Shifting loyalties and ambiguous motives keep the viewer off balance in a good way. Contains violence, sensuality and brief coarse language. Extras include commentary with producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher and a “From Divergent to Insurgent” featurette. Also on Blu-ray/3D combo: feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary and featurettes on cast and characters, screen adaptation, a breakdown of the train fight scene and “The Peter Hayes Story.”
“Far From the Madding Crowd”
PG-13, 119 minutes, Fox
The latest film adaptation of the Thomas Hardy classic will delight fans of period dramas. It has solid acting, gorgeous cinematography and all the frustrating, glorious emotional restraint that you expect from a romance set in Victorian England. For Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), a woman of no means living on her aunt’s farm in late 1800s England, marriage isn’t a priority, even though the right husband could help her lot in life. So when handsome sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) proposes to her, she says no. Soon after, Bathsheba moves away, having inherited a large estate, including a farm and some fortune, from a relative. Fate brings them together again, but Gabriel has serious competition in the courtship department. First, there’s William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a wealthy bachelor who owns the farm next door. Then there’s Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a smooth-talking sergeant. The pacing feels slightly off as these relationships unfold, but the acting is splendid, especially from Mulligan. She has a delightful and commanding screen presence in the role of the complicated, willful Bathsheba. Contains sexuality and violence.
“Do You Believe?”
PG-13, 115 minutes, Pure Flix
Transformative experiences of faith link 12 very different people in and near a Chicago church in this Christian-themed drama. An able cast, a realistic setting and some touchingly written moments, help mitigate the film’s predictability and drawn-out finale. The script also takes a few subtle and not-so-subtle jabs against abortion, labor unions and aspects of separation of church and state. Acting on their faith, Matthew (Ted McGinley), the pastor of a church in downtown Chicago, and Joe (Brian Bosworth), an ailing parishioner, spark life-changing events among others in crisis. Among them: a homeless single mom (Mira Sorvino) and her little girl; a middle-age couple (Cybill Shepherd and Lee Majors) still grieving for a lost child; an ambulance tech who gets sued for pressing a cross into the hand of a dying man; a gang member who hates violence; and a pregnant teenager. Contains some gun and action violence. Also available: Study kit and Christian devotionals based on the film.
“True Story”
R, 100 minutes, Fox
This is based on the bizarre case of former New York Times correspondent Michael Finkel, who was disgraced after fabricating elements of a 2001 magazine piece, then discovered his identity had been appropriated by a wanted criminal named Christian Longo. It has all the elements of tricky cat-and-mouse psychological drama, but writer-director Rupert Goold, in his feature debut, fails to capture the chemistry and complexity necessary to make this grim, often grisly tale anything more than a tragically lurid anecdote. Part of the reason “True Story” feels so inert is its lead actors: Jonah Hill, playing Finkel with muted, wide-eyed vulnerability, and James Franco, as the skittishly evasive Longo, are longtime colleagues in Judd Apatow’s high-spirited repertory company. Perhaps in an effort to play down their comic chemistry, they’ve wildly overcompensated, failing to generate any interpersonal sparks whatsoever. Contains profanity and some disturbing material. Extras include commentary by Goold, a making-of, alternate ending, deleted scenes, a Mike Finkel profile and featurettes “Who is Christian Longo?” and “The Truth Behind True Story.”
“Child 44”
R, 137 minutes, Lionsgate
This Hollywood thriller about Stalin-era Russia was at first banned in Moscow; Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy track down a serial killer preying on young boys against the swirling political backdrop of Stalin’s Soviet Union. After a friend’s son is found dead, Soviet secret-police officer Leo Demidov (Hardy) suspects his superiors are covering up the truth. When Leo raises questions, he is exiled to a provincial outpost with his wife (Noomi Rapace). There, Leo discovers other mysterious deaths with similar circumstances and convinces his new boss (Oldman) that a serial killer is on the loose. Supporting cast includes Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine and Vincent Cassel. Lone extra is a “Reflections of History” featurette.
Also: “Madame Bovary” (Gustave Flaubert’s classic period drama, starring Mia Wasikowska, Paul Giamatti and Rhys Ifans, Alchemy), “Night and the City” (1950, noir classic, with Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney, The Criterion Collection), “Into the Grizzly Maze” (Alaska-set action-adventure, with James Marsden, Thomas Jane, Piper Perabo and Billy Bob Thornton, Sony), “Barely Lethal” (teen spy action/comedy, with Hailee Steinfeld, Jessica Alba and Samuel L. Jackson, Lionsgate), “Looney Tunes Rabbits Run” (new, original animated film, Warner), “Blackbird” (family film about a gay African-American student who struggles with coming out in his Southern Baptist community), “Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal” (by romantic fantasy advance by Oscar-winning director Peter Pau), “Flamenco, Flamenco” (2010, documentary by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, Music Box Films), “Burying the Ex” (zombie comedy with Anton Yeltchin, Ashley Greene and Alexandra Daddario), “When the Checks Stop Coming In” (documentary on black celebrities), “Phantom Halo” (thriller directed and co-written by Antonia Bogdanovich, starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Luke Kleintank), “Little Loopers” (family film about an ex-golf pro coaching a kids team), “A La Mala” (romance from Mexico), “Appetites” (horror), “The White Storm” (Hong Kong), “Wyrmood: Road of the Dead,” “Black Box” and “Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation” (animated family film), “Toolbox Murders 2,” “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” (fifth film for both franchises includes Robert Englund cameo).
Television series: “The Casual Vacancy” (three-part HBO miniseries based on the J.K. Rowling bestseller), “Murdoch Mysteries: Season 8” (Canadian and Ovation-as “The Artful Detective” mystery series, Acorn), “Strike Back: Season 3” (Cinemax), “The Comeback” (2005, 2015, with Lisa Kudrow, HBO), “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: First Season” (1964-65, 10-disc set), “The Wild West” (BBC documentary narrated by Ray Mears, Athena) and “I Love Lucy: Season Two” (1952-53, five-disc Blu-ray set).
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