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Two weeks until Halloween, this week's best new movie celebrates Dia de los Muertos — Mexico's Day of the Dead.
"The Book of Life" is a lively animated tale, centering on a love triangle in a Mexican town. Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana) must choose between the self-centered soldier Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) and the sensitive singer Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna). When Manolo is not trying to woo Maria, he's fighting the wishes of his father, who wants him to take up the family profession: Bullfighting. With the underworld leaders La Muerte (voiced by Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman) wagering on Maria's decision, the story takes us through the afterlife and back in a joyously colorful and fast-paced film.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is "Fury," writer-director David Ayer's gritty and intense World War II drama, focusing on the crew of a Sherman tank in the bloody final days of the war. The tension is built up when a newbie crew member (Logan Lerman) meets the jaded crew members, led by the battle-hardened Sgt. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt). The action is hellacious, the moral quandaries are compelling, and the performances are riveting. (Read The Cricket's interview with actor Michael Peña.)
Another fascinating look at war comes in the documentary "Last Days in Vietnam." Director Rory Kennedy presents a view of the final evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Saigon that turns history into an exciting thriller, as embassy staffers worked — sometimes against orders of their superiors — to save South Vietnamese friends and associates from the approaching North Vietnamese forces.
The British comedy-drama "Pride" brings another chapter of history alive: The labor strife in the 1980s, as striking miners squared off against the Thatcher government. The movie tells of a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to support the miners — and how the effort broke down barriers between people who viewed each other with suspicion. The movie is exuberant and fun, with a great cast led by Ben Schnetzer, Dominic West, Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton.
Less successful is "Men, Women & Children," a shrill screed against the Internet by director Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air"). The ensemble drama follows parents and teens in a Texas suburb, all trying to navigate sexuality in the age of texts and tweets. Despite an engaging cast that includes Rosemarie DeWitt and Judy Greer, the stories are overly simplistic and held together by a pretentious framing device.
The weepie romance "The Best of Me" is Nicholas Sparks at his most Sparky, a heavy-handed story of young lovers (Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato) separated for 20 years and suddenly reunited (and played by James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan). The Sparks cliches — gauzy sunsets, romance in water, cardboard villains — pile up even faster than usual, and the mismatched couples have little chemistry.
Another romantic drama, "The Song," is opening at the Megaplex 20 at The District. This Christian-themed film, which bills itself as a modern version of The Song of Solomon, was not screened for critics.