Yay! It’s Friday. Time to take a look at what’s new in theaters this weekend, starting with “After Earth,” a sci-fi flick starring father-son duo Will and Jaden Smith. They inhabit a new planet called Nova Prime, established after a series of catastrophic events caused humans to flee planet Earth.
Will plays stern General Cypher Raige, a leader within the ranks of the Rangers who attempts to bond with his son Kitai Raige. So they head into space, only to find their ship crash-landing on a hostile, creature-inhabited Earth where the pair must find a way to escape the hostile environment.
A quick rundown on all the new movies:
After Earth
Will and Jaden Smith play a father and son marooned on a long-uninhabited Earth. M. Night Shyamalan directs. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images.
Now You See Me
Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson star in Louis Letterier’s latest film about magicians who manage to pull off a heist on the other side of the world while giving a stage show in Vegas. Rated PG-13 for language, some action and sexual content.
The East
Environmental-justice themes are put to smart use in Zal Batmanglij’s corporate espionage film. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some disturbing images, sexual content and partial nudity. Read Paula Schwartz’ red carpet interviews with Patricia Clarkson and Brit Marling.
The Kings of Summer
Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias play restless teens who strike out for freedom by building their own wilderness retreat. Jordan Vogt-Roberts directs. Rated R for language and some teen drinking.
Shadow Dancer
Andrea Riseborough and Clive Owen star as two people on opposite sides of the Northern Ireland conflict in James Marsh’s meticulously calibrated thriller. Rated R for language and some violent content.
Hannah Arendt
German star Barbara Sukowa is magnetic as the great writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt in Margarethe Von Trotta’s biopic.
American Mary
This horror film by the sibling filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska deals with the underground world of body modification. Rated R for strong aberrant violent content, including disturbing images, torture, a rape, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use.
Triumph of the Wall
Bill Stone’s documentary chronicles the years-long construction of a 1,000-foot stone wall.
Sirius
Amardeep Singh Kaleka’s doc centers on a global team of volunteers trying to contact extraterrestrials via meditation.
Student
Darezhan Omirbaev attempts an update to the literary classic “Crime and Punishment.”
La Camioneta
Mark Kendall’s rich and vivid documentary tracks the journey of an old American school bus repurposed to carry commuters in Guatemala.
