Arts & Entertainment

A biopic of the celebrated scientist Stephen Hawking. Enrolled as a graduate student at Cambridge, Hawking establishes himself as one of the leading minds of his generation, and begins to win the heart of Jane.

Taken 3

Former covert operative Bryan Mills must race to protect his daughter while tracking down the criminals who framed him for killing his wife in the adrenaline-fueled third chapter of the Taken saga. Bryan and his ex-wife Lenore are taking their first tentative steps toward reconciliation when she is viciously murdered, and he is targeted as the prime suspect. Now, with the CIA, FBI, and every cop in the country hot on his trail, Bryan realizes that it’s only a matter of time before his enemies get to his daughter Kim, too. Determined to keep her alive at any cost, he realizes that his only hope for saving her is to clear his name before he is captured. But while Bryan does possess the “particular set of skills” to stay one step ahead of the men who want his entire family dead, proving that he’s innocent of murder and seeing that the real killers face justice might be the last thing he ever does. Director: Olivier Megaton. Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott. Rated: R. Time: 1:49.

The Gambler

In this remake of a 1974 film, James Caan, an English professor who is also a compulsive gambler, finds that the only people who will have anything to do with him are those to whom he owes money. Jim Bennett is a lecturer reeling from the death of his beloved grandfather. His all-or-nothing personality gets him in debt for more than a quarter of a million dollars to the no-nonsense Mr. Lee, who runs an illegal gambling den. Jim attempts to play his way out of the hole by borrowing money from vicious criminal Neville Baraka, but his strategy backfires and leaves him owing the latter as well. His wealthy mother initially refuses to give him any more money, which prompts Jim to make contact with Frank, a loan shark who offers to front him the cash he needs, but promises that failure to repay will lead to the death of his “bloodline.”At the same time, Jim teaches a class of college kids about Shakespeare and Camus. His best student, Amy, openly flirts with him, but he’s also preoccupied with trying to get through to Lamar, a star basketball player whom the university higher-ups want him to pass so he can continue to play. Director: Rupert Wyatt. Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Emory Cohen. Rated: R. Time: 1:51.

Birdman swoops top prize; now in the running for an Oscar

Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñarritu’s film “Birdman” won top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. As many of the members of the guild also vote for the Oscars, the consensus among critics is that the film is now front-runner for the coveted Best Picture award.

Based on the novel by Joe Hill, Horns is a supernatural thriller driven by fantasy, mystery and romance.

The Best of Me

Twenty-one years after being torn apart by forces beyond their control, two lovers who have never forgotten one another get a second chance at happiness in this romantic drama from bestselling author Nicholas Sparks.

Adapted from a short story by Dennis Lehane who also penned the film’s screenplay, this crime drama follows Bob, a bartender at a Brooklyn drinking establishment run by his cousin Marv. On his way home one night, Bob rescues an injured puppy that’s been put in the garbage of a woman, and adopts the dog and begins dating the woman.

Meanwhile, the bar is robbed, causing Bob and Marv possibly lethal grief with the bar’s Chechin owners. As Bob tries to put everything straight, his new girl’s psychotic former boyfriend comes on the scene.

Director: Michael R. Roskam. Cast:Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz. Rated: R. Time: 1:47.