OPENING FRIDAY

“The Comedian”

“Journey to the West: Demons Strike Back”

Not reviewed

Loosely based on the popular Chinese “monkey” legend, this sequel film pits a Chinese monk and his three disciples against demons. (PG-13, 1:49)

“Kung Fu Yoga”

“Paterson”

“Rings”

Not reviewed

The third entry in the supernatural horror franchise, this film involves a movie that supposedly puts a curse on those who watch it, and a young woman who, after sacrificing herself for her boyfriend, discovers that there’s a movie inside the movie. (PG-13, 1:42)

“The Space Between Us”

Review on page 30

NOW PLAYING

“Arrival” ****

Amy Adams portrays linguistics professor Louise Banks, recruited by the military to establish a conversation with aliens who have landed on Earth. She teams with mathematician Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner. Both are excellent throughout, while addressing topics such as the challenge of communicating with beings whose language is a mystery, and the way international politics can create pressure to cut short scientific problem-solving. (PG-13, 1:56)

“A Dog’s Purpose” **

“A Dog’s Purpose,” based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron and directed by Lasse Hallstrom, suggests that dogs are constantly reincarnated. We follow the lives of a pup voiced by Josh Gad: first, briefly, as a stray puppy; then a red retriever named Bailey in the 1960s and ’70s; Ellie, a German shepherd police dog; Tino, a chubby ’80s corgi; and finally Buddy, a neglected St. Bernard. For all his shapes, forms and lives, it’s always Bailey inside there, retaining all the memories and experiences along the way. Bailey’s a rather existential dog, constantly questioning the meaning of life. Is it to have fun? To make humans happy? Bailey just can’t stop questioning as he journeys to a “Pleasantville”-like town to join boy Ethan (Bryce Gheisar, then K.J. Apa), then experiences the human dramatics of first loves, alcoholic fathers and tragedy. The novelty of the film comes from its “dog’s perspective.” There are digs at cats, cutesy misunderstandings about what donkeys are called, and speculation about why humans press their mouths together. The problem is that it’s painfully cheesy pabulum, relying on hokey stereotypes and hackneyed cliches. (PG, 2:00)

“The Eagle Huntress” ***

The story of 13-year-old Mongolian girl Aisholpan, who becomes the first girl to join her father’s long line of eagle hunters in a harsh and beautiful landscape, is a thrilling fable of indomitability and father-daughter companionship. The film is crafted to be accessible, with subtitled dialogue supplemented by gently didactic voice-over narration by British actress Daisy Ridley (Rey of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”). Aisholpan has the power to inspire girls (and not only girls) everywhere, and Otto Bell’s documentary may turn her into a pop-culture heroine. (G, 1:27)

“Fences” ****

Director-star Denzel Washington captures the poetry of playwright August Wilson’s text, and the result is an experience of exuberance and richness. Washington portrays Troy, a scarred and formidable personality. He was a star in the Negro baseball league, but he was 40 when baseball integrated, so he never knew real money or fame. Instead, Troy works as a sanitation man, aware of his own magnificence while hiding his bitterness. He seems to unconsciously want to destroy his family, his wife (Viola Davis) and a teenage son (Jovan Adepo). He also has an older son, a struggling musician (Russell Hornsby) who craves his approval, but Troy won’t give it. Washington gives one of the best self-directed performances in cinematic history, and Davis is staggering, especially in a scene in which she lets loose her fury. (PG-13. 12:18)

“The Founder” ***

This biopic of Ray Kroc, the man who took the McDonald’s burger restaurant from a local favorite to a global behemoth, is somewhat misnamed. Kroc wasn’t the founder of McDonald’s. But the title fits his approach to success, a version of the American dream that states “If you want something, go out and take it” … even if it belongs to someone else. Michael Keaton stars as Kroc, a salesman peddling milkshake mixers, who visits the McDonald’s hamburger bar in San Bernardino, Calif. Brothers Mac and Dick McDonald (John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman) have devised a “speedee” system for delivering burgers from grill to customer. They share their tricks with Ray, and their trust is Ray’s ascension and their downfall. It’s the age-old story of corporate capitalism: One man’s success is another’s exploitation. Director John Lee Hancock and writer Robert D. Siegel bring an undercurrent of satirical acid to the story, and Keaton gives a twitchy, oddball performance. (PG-13, 1:55)

“Hidden Figures” ***

“Hidden Figures” takes us back to 1961, when segregation and workplace sexism were widely accepted facts of life, and the word “computer” referred to a person, not a machine. The most important computers here are three African-American women who work at data entry jobs for NASA but go on to play crucial roles in the space program. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book, the film, directed by Theodore Melfi, turns the entwined careers of Katherine Goble (played with perfect nerd charisma by Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) into a rousing celebration of merit rewarded and perseverance repaid. It’s a well-told tale with a clear moral and a satisfying emotional payoff. (PG, 2:06)

“Gold” ***

This is Matthew McConaughey’s most extreme character work yet, with him playing a balding, paunchy, cigarette-chomping gold prospector in the 1980s. He tears into this role “inspired by true events,” playing Kenny Wells, a third-generation Reno mining prospector, carrying his company through the good times and the bad. By 1988, he’s at the end of his rope when he dreams of a tropical valley ripe with undiscovered gold, in Indonesia, as it turns out. The bad guys of the film are bankers, who give Kenny their stamp of approval but let their cynicism get the better of them. “Gold” isn’t quite as it was sold. The trailers promise a sort of rollicking “American Hustle” vibe, but “Gold” is tonally muted, and at times, the story feels compressed, with some jarring transitions. But you’re along for the ride with the fully committed McConaughey, who swings for the fences with his bold acting choices and studious lack of vanity, and he manages to create a seamless, inhabited performance. (R, 2:01)

“The King”

Not reviewed

South Korean crime thriller about a man from humble origins who strives to become a prosecutor, a powerful position in the 1990s, only to find his decision comes with a dilemma. (NR, 2:14)

“La La Land” ****

A musical with big numbers, intimate reveries and adult feelings, Damien Chazelle’s musical “La La Land” is a boy-meets-girl tale with early-21st-century rhythms. It grapples with love between equals in a story about an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), who meets an ambitious musician, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), Los Angeles-style during a traffic jam: He honks at her; she flips him the bird. They end up swaying in that fading, soft-light time known as the magic hour, tapping and twirling. This must have been what it was like to see Astaire and Rogers dance for the first time, and one hopes it will appeal to contemporary moviegoers. While “La La Land” engages with nostalgia, it also passionately speaks to the present. (PG-13, 2:08)

“Lion” ***

“Lion” is the incredible true story of two remarkable journeys that Saroo Brierley took in his life — one far away from home, and his return trip. Based on his memoir, “A Long Way Home,” the film is split in two. The first half depicts the travels of young Saroo (Sunny Pawar), who is just 5 when he becomes separated from his brother in Khandwa and ends up 900 miles away in Kolkata. Two decades later, after he’s been taken from an orphanage and adopted by an Australian couple, he returns as the adult Saroo (Dev Patel) in the emotional journey, using modern technology to find his family. Both Pawar and Patel are impressive in their portrayal of Saroo young and old, and Nicole Kidman, as his adoptive mother, Sue, in a brief but juicy role, is luminous as a woman who demonstrates her boundless love in sharing a son with another mother. (PG-13, 2:00)

“Manchester by the Sea” ****

Dramatist-turned-filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay is character-driven, focusing on people the world normally doesn’t give much scrutiny to. Casey Affleck portrays a gruff Lee, who’s OK getting by on minimum wage as a custodian at a Boston condo complex. A family emergency concerning his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) draws Lee back to his hometown, gradually unearthing a calamity in his own life. Joe’s son Patrick (Lucas Hedges), now a sarcastic high-schooler, is left in uncle Lee’s unwilling care, but Lee can’t stand remaining in Manchester, while Patrick refuses to leave his school, hockey team, rock band and two girlfriends. That strained relationship teaches both of them that amid harrowing disasters, life goes on. (R, 2:17)

“Moana” ***

Those fretting over the depiction of Polynesian cultures in “Moana” shouldn’t trouble themselves. The movie itself is not realistic. It’s fantasy, magical, with a cave of magic canoes and an anthropomorphic ocean. Kamehameha Schools student Auli‘i Cravalho does a wonderful job as the voice of Moana, bringing depth and heart to the character. Moana feels the ocean is calling to her, but her father, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison), forbids her to set sail. Suddenly, her island has no fish, and coconuts become infected with a blight, so Moana jumps on a canoe and does just that. Her quest includes finding the powerful Maui (Dwayne Johnson), returning a green stone heart to a creation goddess, learning wayfinding and stopping the blight. Maui, meanwhile, needs to get his magic fis**ook back, but what he really wants is for mortals to admire him for his wondrous feats. (PG, 1:53)

“Moana Sing-Along”

“Moana” (see above) with lyrics on screen. Exercise your vocal cords with Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” and “I Am Moana,” and Maui’s “You’re Welcome.”

“Monster Trucks” H1/2

“Monster Trucks” starts out with a relatively adult, science fiction premise: that fracking threatens underground creatures unknown to us. Then the film overwhelms this idea with a childish conceit: These same creatures — a cross between Jabba the Hut and Jaws — just love big trucks. One of them inhabits a truck that lonely high school student Tripp (Lucas Till, looking far too old for the role) has been working on. The film is reminiscent of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” but the crucial relationship between Tripp and the creature falls flat. We don’t care what happens to Tripp, and while the monster-in-the-truck adventure makes for a decent set piece, it does not a movie make. The film in some ways is too complex for kids, yet leaves the adults feeling left out, as well. (PG, 1:44)

“Moonlight” ****

The extraordinary film “Moonlight” uses restraint, quiet honesty, fluid imagery and an observant, uncompromised way of imagining one outsider’s world so that it becomes our own. “Moonlight” traces the life of an African-American — played in three segments, each by a different actor — growing up in Miami. Alex Hibbert portrays the boy, known as Little, who faces the dilemma of trusting a drug dealer (Mahershala Ali) who befriends him, acting as a father figure while serving crack to his mother (Naomie Harris, who is riveting), a loving, hostile paradox of a wreck. In segment two, Little, now called Chiron (superb young actor Ashton Sanders), has a clandestine sexual encounter with childhood friend Kevin, but is betrayed when Kevin joins in on a beating with some bullies. In the third act, Chiron is called Black (Trevante Rhodes); he gets a call out of the blue from Kevin. Their extended, nearly real-time conversation is reason enough to champion the film. (R, 1:50)

“Passengers” **

In Morten Tyldum’s “Passengers,” stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have been handed a faulty flight log. Pratt plays Jim Preston, one of a few thousand people in suspended animation on a starship on autopilot for a distant colonized planet. A big asteroid dings the ship, opening Preston’s pod 30 years into a 120-year trip, like a bear awakened from hibernation too soon. He goes through various stages reconciling himself to his fate, but eventually his gaze turns toward one of the sleeping passengers, Aurora Lane, played by Lawrence. His decision to wake her is a cosmic mix of creepy, amoral and understandable. A courtship follows, but Tyldum fails to reconcile the central twist of Jon Spaihts’ screenplay with the lighter tone he’s seeking. (PG-13, 1:42)

“Raees”

Not reviewed

Indian film about a man who rises to become a crime boss, gaining cult-hero status in the process, and the no-nonsense police officer who aims to take him down. In Hindi with English subtitles. (NR, 2:30)

“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”

Not reviewed

Final installment of video game-based horror movie series stars Milla Jovovich as returning hero Alice, battling zombies, mutant monsters and the evil Umbrella Corporation as she races to save humanity from a deadly virus. (R, 1:46)

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” ***1/2

The Force is strong with this spinoff, which provides a solid prequel to the original, taking us to a galaxy of new planets shrouded by ice or cloud-capped fog, drenched in rain or adorned by towering palm trees, all property of the evil Empire. At the center is rebel Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and her allies, whose goal is to capture the Imperial Death Star blueprints designed by her father (Mads Mikkelsen), or perhaps to assassinate him for aiding the totalitarians. As in every “Star Wars” film, the focus is the little guy fighting the big guy. This time the combat leaves palpable scars coated in filth; you experience them and wince. Of course, authoritarians are still entirely evil. Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn is the gold standard of personified malice as the main villain, Krennic. (PG-13 2:13)

“Sing” ***

What “Sing” might lack in originality of concept — “American Idol” with animated animals — it more than makes up for in execution. The story revolves around Buster Moon (a koala voiced by Matthew McConaughey), a theater owner who has run into tough times. Buster scrapes together $1,000 for a singing contest, but a typo on the fliers raises it to $100,000. Hordes show up to audition, giving voice to characters like Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), an overworked mama pig; Johnny (Taron Egerton), a gorilla trying to break free of his father’s criminal gang; Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a talented teen porcupine with a jerky boyfriend; and Mike (Seth MacFarlane), a spendthrift rat with a Sinatra-esque croon. A series of inappropriate animal/pop song mash-ups, like a snail singing “Ride Like the Wind,” makes the film sing. (PG, 1:48)

“Silence” **1/2

Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” is a frustrating paradox. Japanese author (and Christian convert) Shusaku Endo’s exquisite novel tells about Portuguese Jesuit priests persecuted for their beliefs in 17th-century Japan, and Scorsese’s screen adaption is a carefully considered epic, with some remarkable images and sequences. It’s obviously a labor of love, but it’s also methodical and stately to a fault. “Silence” tells how Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garupe (Adam Driver) travel to Japan to find their colleague, Father Ferreira (an excellent Liam Neeson), whose last letter tells of priests and believers dying in horrifying ways at the hands of the Japanese authorities, led by the Inquisitor, a splendid Issey Ogata. Scorsese, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and editor Thelma Schoonmaker try a little of everything visually, but the film proceeds dutifully. Endo’s novel, barely 200 pages in its original form, doesn’t respond well to Scorsese’s expansive tack. Endo’s perspective in the novel, at once questioning and urgent, has been replaced by a less complicated martyr’s travail in Scorsese’s hands. (R, 2:41)

“Sleepless” *

Jamie Foxx stars as an undercover police officer in Las Vegas who battles corrupt colleagues and gangsters while trying to save his kidnapped son, but he’s sadly miscast. He is not a natural-born action hero, which worked to his advantage in “Collateral” opposite Tom Cruise, but not here. The film itself is a formulaic spectacle, with director Baran bo Odar orchestrating the smashing of bodies and automobiles with a moody, Michael Mann-esque panache. But the intense atmospherics start to feel like the work of a filmmaker on genre autopilot. (R, 1:35)

“Split” ***

M. Night Shyamalan’s name has always been synonymous with one thing: twist. Which is a kind of a shame when the filmmaking and performances are particularly exceptional. In the multiple-personality psycho-thriller “Split,” Anya Taylor-Joy and James McAvoy shine as prey and predator. McAvoy sinks his teeth into the role of a young man who developed dissociative identity disorder to deal with an abusive childhood. He keeps 23 personalities in control with the help of a therapist, but darker proclivities have taken over, and he kidnaps three young girls to satisfy those urges. McAvoy is delightfully demonic; each of his characters has unique gestures, and he slides seamlessly from one to another. Taylor-Joy portrays Casey, one of the kidnap victims. She’s thoughtful and composed in dealing with the situation, drawing on lessons learned from hunting trips with her father and uncle. Unfortunately, Shyamalan retreats to tried-and-true formulas. Cinematographer Michael Gioulakis’s creative camera work, rapidly swapping character point-of-view, contributes greatly to the film, but it’s tiresome to see yet another movie where young women get locked in a basement. (PG-13, 1:57)

“Underworld: Blood Wars”

Not reviewed

Kate Beckinsale returns as deadly vampire Selene, fighting to end a war between two clans of supernatural beings, including the vampire group that betrayed her. (R, 1:31)

“XXX: The Return of Xander Cage” **1/2

After a one-film absence from the franchise, Vin Diesel is back as the thrill-seeker turned government agent. He’s surrounded by stars from around the world: Hong Kong wushu star Donnie Yen, Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone, Aussie personality Ruby Rose, Chinese singer-actor Kris Wu, British UFC champ Michael Bisping, “Game of Thrones” fave Rory McCann and Brazilian soccer phenomenon Neymar. Even Toni Collette turns up, and she’s fantastic. Out of this group, Diesel’s Cage is the least interesting. He gets pulled out of retirement to pursue bandits who have stolen a weapon capable of dropping satellites out of orbit. That’s the ostensible plot, but mostly the film is about extreme stunts, adolescent jokes, female bodies, and Xander’s cheesy come-ons. The punch lines are mostly silly, but when Xander starts opining about extreme stunts, it tips into unintentionally hilarious territory. As far as the stunts go, Xander skis through a jungle and rides waves on an ocean-going motorbike, but Yen’s wushu mastery swipes this movie right out from under his prodigious pecs. (PG-13, 1:47)

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“Sailor Moon R: The Movie: The Promise of the Rose”

5 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dole Cannery. $9-$13

In this 1993 movie starring the popular Japanese manga figures, Sailor Soldiers face off against a revenge-seeking stranger who plans to drain the world of its life energy with a flower-based weapon hidden on an asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

“Bolshoi Ballet: Swan Lake”

12:30 p.m Sunday and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Kahala, $20; 12:55 p.m. Sunday, Dole Cannery, $16-19

Prestigious Russian ballet company performs Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet.

“Wayne’s World: 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash”

7 p.m. Tuesday, Dole Cannery, $9-$13; and Kapolei Commons, $10.50-$14

Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey), hosts of a public-access cable TV show, fight off the advances of unscrupulous producer Benjamin (Rob Lowe) while advancing on Cassandra (Tia Carrere). Schwing!

“The Princess Bride 30th Anniversary”

7 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, Ward Stadium and Consolidated ‘Olino, $10

Romance, comedy and swashbuckling combine in this fanciful, fresh tale about farmhand Westley, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck.

ARTHOUSE

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Honolulu Museum of Art, 532-6097, honolulumuseum.org; $8-$10

Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2017

Opening-night reception, Saturday, with gallery tours of the exhibition “Karen Hampton: The Journey North” at 6:30 and 7 p.m., a performance of spoken-word pieces by youth poets, and a film screening of “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” at 7:3o p.m., $30-$35. The film festival runs through Feb. 17.

>> “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”

7:30 p.m. today, 4 p.m. Sunday

Directors Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack pay intimate tribute to the inspirational poet, activist and writer who inspired others through her “lyrical modern African-American thought.” (2016, 1:54)

>> “Miss Sharon Jones!”

1 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

The powerful soul singer who faced an uphill battle during her early career found herself in the spotlight in her 40s after joining the band Dap-Kings, reaching popular and critical acclaim; then she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was left to face another uphill battle, this time for her life. (2016, 1:33)

MOVIE MUSEUM

3566 Harding Ave., 735-8771; $5, $4 members

“The Light Between Oceans”

Noon, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. today; 2, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. Monday

A lighthouse keeper and his wife’s dreams of having a baby are crushed after repeated miscarriages. Then one day the man finds a drifting boat with a crying baby, and they contemplate keeping the infant to raise as their own. With Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz. (2016, U.K./New Zealand/U.S., 2:13)

“My Dear Stilt” (“Hou niao lai de ji jie”)

2:15 and 6:30 p.m. today; noon and 6:30 p.m. Monday

Min and his wife are struggling to start a family under the pressure of his demanding mother. When his brother’s health diminishes, Min’s only place to escape is in the wetlands, from which his beloved stilts migrate during the winter — but one pair remains to start a family. For ages 12 and older. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (2012, Taiwan, 1:47)

“Queen of Katwe”

11:45 a.m. and 2, 4:15, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Saturday

True story about a young Ugandan woman’s rise to become a chess champion despite the enormous odds stacked against her. With Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. Rated PG. (2016, 2:04)

“The Handmaiden” (“Ah-ga-ssi”)

11 a.m. and 1:30, 4, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Sunday

In this erotic thriller set in 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, Sook-Hee, who is secretly working with a con man, is hired as a handmaiden to Japanese heiress Hideko in a scheme to defraud her; but nothing goes according to plan. Inspired by Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith.” For ages 17 and older (due to explicit sex scenes). In Korean and Japanese with English subtitles. (2016, South Korea, 2:24)

“The Murderer Lives at Number 21” (“L’assassin habite … au 21”)

11:15 a.m. and 3 and 6:45 p.m. Thursday

Comical thriller about a serial killer who leaves behind a calling card on each victim, leading an inspector to a boardinghouse filled with eccentric suspects. For ages 10 and older. In French with English subtitles. (1942, France, 1:24)

“Riptide” (“Une si jolie petite plage”)

1:15, 5 and 8:45 p.m. Thursday

A quiet man arrives in a seaside town during the rainy season, leading locals to speculate on his mysterious presence. For ages 12 and older. In French with English subtitles. (1949, France/Netherlands, 1:31)

INDIE LENS POP-UP FILM SCREENINGS

Free monthly screenings of films from the award-winning PBS series “Independent Lens.” PBS Hawaii’s Headquarters, 315 Sand Island Access Road, free. pbshawaii.org, hawaii­womeninfilmmaking.org

“The Bad Kids”

6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton’s story about Black Rock Continuation High School in California’s Mojave Desert highlights the exceptional educators and talented at-risk students who must overcome the effects of poverty.

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Honolulu Museum of Art, 532-6097, honolulumuseum.org; $8-$10

Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2017

Opening-night reception, Saturday, with gallery tours of the exhibition “Karen Hampton: The Journey North” at 6:30 and 7 p.m., a performance of spoken-word pieces by youth poets, and a film screening of “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” at 7:3o p.m., $30-$35. The film festival runs through Feb. 17.

>> “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”

7:30 p.m. today, 4 p.m. Sunday

Directors Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack pay intimate tribute to the inspirational poet, activist and writer who inspired others through her “lyrical modern African-American thought.” (2016, 1:54)

>> “Miss Sharon Jones!”

1 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

The powerful soul singer who faced an uphill battle during her early career found herself in the spotlight in her 40s after joining the band Dap-Kings, reaching popular and critical acclaim; then she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was left to face another uphill battle, this time for her life. (2016, 1:33)

MOVIE MUSEUM

3566 Harding Ave., 735-8771; $5, $4 members

“The Light Between Oceans”

Noon, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. today; 2, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. Monday

A lighthouse keeper and his wife’s dreams of having a baby are crushed after repeated miscarriages. Then one day the man finds a drifting boat with a crying baby, and they contemplate keeping the infant to raise as their own. With Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz. (2016, U.K./New Zealand/U.S., 2:13)

“My Dear Stilt” (“Hou niao lai de ji jie”)

2:15 and 6:30 p.m. today; noon and 6:30 p.m. Monday

Min and his wife are struggling to start a family under the pressure of his demanding mother. When his brother’s health diminishes, Min’s only place to escape is in the wetlands, from which his beloved stilts migrate during the winter — but one pair remains to start a family. For ages 12 and older. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (2012, Taiwan, 1:47)

“Queen of Katwe”

11:45 a.m. and 2, 4:15, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Saturday

True story about a young Ugandan woman’s rise to become a chess champion despite the enormous odds stacked against her. With Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. Rated PG. (2016, 2:04)

“The Handmaiden” (“Ah-ga-ssi”)

11 a.m. and 1:30, 4, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Sunday

In this erotic thriller set in 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, Sook-Hee, who is secretly working with a con man, is hired as a handmaiden to Japanese heiress Hideko in a scheme to defraud her; but nothing goes according to plan. Inspired by Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith.” For ages 17 and older (due to explicit sex scenes). In Korean and Japanese with English subtitles. (2016, South Korea, 2:24)

“The Murderer Lives at Number 21” (“L’assassin habite … au 21”)

11:15 a.m. and 3 and 6:45 p.m. Thursday

Comical thriller about a serial killer who leaves behind a calling card on each victim, leading an inspector to a boardinghouse filled with eccentric suspects. For ages 10 and older. In French with English subtitles. (1942, France, 1:24)

“Riptide” (“Une si jolie petite plage”)

1:15, 5 and 8:45 p.m. Thursday

A quiet man arrives in a seaside town during the rainy season, leading locals to speculate on his mysterious presence. For ages 12 and older. In French with English subtitles. (1949, France/Netherlands, 1:31)

INDIE LENS POP-UP FILM SCREENINGS

Free monthly screenings of films from the award-winning PBS series “Independent Lens.” PBS Hawaii’s Headquarters, 315 Sand Island Access Road, free. pbshawaii.org, hawaii­womeninfilmmaking.org

“The Bad Kids”

6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton’s story about Black Rock Continuation High School in California’s Mojave Desert highlights the exceptional educators and talented at-risk students who must overcome the effects of poverty.