Straight Outta Compton - 3 1/2 smiles

"Straight Outta Compton" is that rare bio-pic about N.W.A. that resonates beyond its material. It argues that whatever ugliness we heard in N.W.A.'s music hasn't gone away. It also implicitly draws a line from the police harassment that inspired the band's most incendiary track, 'F* tha Police,' to the recent killings of black men by cops in Ferguson, Cincinnati and elsewhere. Among its main attractions are a dazzling O'Shea Jackson Jr., playing his father, Ice Cube and newcomer Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, both founding members of N.W.A. along with MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), DJ Yella (Neill Brown Jr.) and future super-producer Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins).

Director F. Gary Gray paints Compton as an inner-city minefield of gangs, drug dealers and cops that informed the band's hard-edged sensibility. Paul Giamatti is terrific as Jerry Heller, the faded but still savvy manager who helped turn N.W.A. into a double-platinum-selling sensation. In keeping with rap tradition, "Straight Outta Compton" is definitely self-aggrandizing, violent (rival rap mogul Suge Knight comes off as dark and vengeful) and more than a little misogynistic (the women are mostly groupies). Still, the movie treats Eazy-E's 1995 death from AIDS with sensitivity. For those aware of gangsta rap, but not aware of its origins, "Straight Outta Compton" is worth seeing.

The End of the Tour - 3 smiles

"The End of the Tour" is more intellectual than emotionally satisfying, but it is, nonetheless, an intriguing movie about Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's interview with David Foster Wallace. Lipsky spent a few days with Wallace in 1996 as Wallace wound up his book tour for Infinite Jest, his massive novel that made him a rock star among novelists. He hung out at Wallace's home in Bloomington, Ill., and traveled with him to Minneapolis for a reading. (Lipsky never published the story in the magazine, but later transcribed the interviews in his book Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself after Wallace committed suicide in 2008.)

Of the duo, our support probably align more with Wallace than Lipsky, who comes across as an irritating journalist who goes so far as to open the author's medicine cabinet to get a read on his subject. Eisenberg is good at playing disagreeable, but the role doesn't challenge him to do more. Segel, on the other hand, digs deep into Wallace, who is carefree one moment and in the next, deeply worried about how he's going to across in the article. A little doughy and wearing Wallace's signature head scarf, Segel gives one of the best performances of the year. What we ultimately discover in "The End of the Tour" is that the life you envy might not be what you really need or want. Pretty heavy for a summer movie.

American Ultra - 1 smile

I'm guessing that the idea for "American Ultra" looked better on paper than what eventually ends up on the screen. Jesse Eisenberg and Kristin Stewart are good actors and they have enough charisma that you care what happens to their characters. However, the push-pull between comedy and heavy violence doesn't mesh, making the tone uneven. The screenplay employees a questionable book-end structure. It begins with Mike (Eisenberg), bloody, bedraggled and in chains, in an interrogation room. Most of the story is then presented in flashback. There's no particular reason why this approach is used, but it reveals that Mike survives, resulting in little tension throughout the movie. Even more confusing is the decision to rewind events at the start of the flashback so we catch glimpses of key moments before they happen. Again, why? And the concept of an ordinary person being an elite covert agent awaiting activation is no longer a fresh idea. I realize that most movies ask the audience for a 'willing suspension of disbelief,' but the screenplay suggests that Yates (Topher Grace), a midlevel CIA manager, is able to carry out rogue assassinations without oversight and that he can employ psychopaths to do this. Really? "American Ultra" is pretty awful.

Hitman: Agent 47 - 2 smiles

"Hitman: Agent 47" is based on a video game: essentially a movie about shooting. Brought to the screen by Polish director Aleksander Bach, making his feature debut, the movie is little more than a string of action sequences. And in-between shootings, we get an outline of a plot, but a lot of details are either confusing or nonsensical. It's possible to craft an all-action film that grips audiences. Mad Max: Fury Road is a prime example. This movie is missing a key ingredient - none of the shoot-outs are infused with suspense. In fact, most of the time we don't care. Especially after we understand who the good and bad guys are. "Hitman: Agent 47" is passable diversion for action junkies, but everyone else should pass.

Southpaw - 3 smiles

The saving grace for "Southpaw" is the nuanced performance of its star, Jake Gyllenhaal because the story explores nothing new - the down-on-his luck pugilist, the grizzled trainer, the caring wife. Following Nightcrawler with another amazing physical transformation, Gyllenhaal commits to inhabiting his character, Billy Hope with ferocity and intensity. If "Southpaw" had been released in November, it might have garnered an Oscar nomination for Gyllenhaal. However, the July opening makes it questionable whether anyone will remember come nomination time at the end of the year. "Southpaw" offers few surprises. Its strength lies in the depth of its characters, believable individuals who make the predictable story seem more compelling than it really is.

Rick and the Flash - 3 smiles

A considerable amount of talent went into the making of "Ricki and the Flash," resulting in a pleasurable diversion, but nothing more. And that's disappointing. When you have Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline starring, Jonathan Demme directing a script written by Diablo Cody, you expect, well....you expect more. Streep is Linda, a sixty-six rock singer who fronts a house band, Ricki and the Flash, at a LA bar. Her career has long since peaked (and it wasn't that big when she was 'on top') but she keeps at it because that's her dream, her life. However, her pursuit of music caused her to abandon her family: her ex-husband, Pete (Kline) and her now grown children, Julie (Maime Gummer), Josh (Sebastian Stan) and Adam (Nick Westgate). Linda gets a call from Pete when Julie goes into crisis mode because Julie's husband is leaving her.

To writer Cody's credit, the story doesn't wallow in melodrama. "Ricki and the Flash" is not about a mother trying to make amends for the wrongs she committed against her children. It's about her trying to reconnect with them as adults and create a new relationship. It's a mature approach to the regrets of an absentee parent and, for the most part, feels authentic. Demme devotes a surprising amount of screen time to performances by Ricki and the Flash. They sing and play their way through several full songs, including Tom Petty's "American Girl" and Bruce Springsteen's 'My Love Will Not Let You Down" and parts of others. And Streep does all of her own singing and guitar playing. And Rick Springfield has a key role as Greg, Linda's lover and backup singer in the band. "Ricki and the Flash" is a warm story of a fractured family reuniting and finding a way to move forward and the quality of the cast and crew elevates the material. However, I don't think its strong enough to garner Academy attention come Oscar time. (But I am going to get the sound track.)

Man from U.N.C.L.E. - 3 smiles

"Man from U.N.C.L.E." is fun, with a mix of cheeky attitude and hard-edged story. It feels a lot like Kingsman: The Secret Service with Colin Firth, which premiered earlier this year. This version, based on the 60s television show, chronicles the birth of U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) and explains how two such unlikely and seemingly mismatched spies, American Napoleon Solo (Harry Cavill) and Russian Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) become partners. It also introduces their boss, Waverly (Hugh Grant). Director Guy Ritchie has a deft hand, allowing things to move at a rapid pace while maintaining a light, sometimes humorous, tone. The look of the film is authentic 1960s and there are several 'easter eggs' for fans of the original TV series. However, I was expecting a cameo from the original cast members, Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, which didn't happen. The film ends where the TV series began and holds promise of more stories to come. And a sequel would be welcomed assuming Guy Ritchie continues to direct, the stories are as good and the chemistry between Cavill and Hammer is emphasized.

The Gift - 3 1/2 smiles

"The Gift," by writer/director/actor Joel Edgerton, is a clever, atmospheric film that has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. In the end, the moral to the story is that karma is a bitch.  Edgerton plays with our knowledge of 80s and 90s thrillers and tweaks those expectations in unexpected ways. For example, every time Robyn (Rebecca Hall) is in the shower, we expect something awful to happen. That it doesn't illustrates Egerton's delight in playing with the audience although he provides plenty of jump-out-of-your seat surprises. As Egerton plays Gordo, there's an increasingly eerie mix of earnestness and evil. Justin Bateman's Simon conveys a psyche as convoluted as Gordo's. And Rebecca Hall's Robyn expresses her sadness, her deep unease and finally, her clear understanding. "The Gift" is ultimately about truth and not knowing who people are until they are forced to reveal themselves. And as a Joel Egerton project, it's an impressive production. I didn't think I'd like it, but I do.

Fantastic Four - 1 1/2 smiles

The Fantastic Four comics were my favorite growing up so I was looking forward to see this year's version. From what I've read, director Josh Trank was brought in to shake things up. (The powers-that-be didn't want a bright, cheery version, similar to The Avengers). For a Marvel superhero movie, this one is pretty dark, but not necessarily in a good way. The fact the Stan Lee doesn't have a cameo (and he always has a cameo) says how far afield this movie has gone. So let's start with casting Miles Teller as the brainy Reed Richards. He fits the brainy part, but not the superhero physical part. Little time is spent developing the four main characters into three-dimensional people and their interactions are weak at best. There's no sense of camaraderie, especially between Reed and Ben (Jamie Bell), who are supposed to be long-time friends. There's barely a whiff of romance between Reed and Sue (Kate Mara) although maybe there was hope that a sequel would flesh this out. As for Doom (Toby Kebbell), there's nothing of Marvel's most notorious and infamous villains. The pacing is also off, with the first half introducing the characters in a fairly leisurely way and the compressed second half rushing their transformation, their learning to control their powers, their finding and battling Doom. "The Fantastic Four" is adequate entertainment, with hints of a better movie hidden within the script.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - 3 1/2 smiles

Whatever you think about Tom Cruise, you can't deny his dedication to his craft. To top last year's stunt atop the Burj Khalifa, "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" finds Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, clinging to the outside of an Airbus A400M without benefit of special effects or a stunt man. And although this stunt is not central to the story, it is, nonetheless, quite daring. The most suspenseful sequences are an underwater task, a motorcycle chase and the final confrontation. Director Christopher McQuarrie's script takes the MIF to Vienna, Casablanca and London in search of the nefarious leader of the Syndicate, that has wrecked havoc across the world. Returning are Ving Rhames' Luthor, the only actor to be in all five installments. Simon Pegg's Benji, in this third Mission: Impossible, gets a meaty supporting role as Nathan's second and Jeremy Renner is the only actor to be featured in both Mission: Impossible and the Jason Bourne franchises. New is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, who is just as physically intimidating and deadly as Hunt. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" offers a serious tone, but there's enough humor to keep things light. It's definitely a summer popcorn movie and definitely worth seeing.