The following movies open today or Saturday in Orange County theaters.
If a title is in four or more OC movie houses, it is indicated with (Countywide). Check your favorite source for showtimes.
Assassin's Creed. Based on the popular video game is director Justin Kurzel's action-adventure-sci-fi fantasy about Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) exploring the memories of his ancestor Aguilar (uh … Michael Fassbender) and gaining the skills of a Master Assassin who is part of a secret assassins society. Oh yeah, and this: assassin. Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson co-star. (Countywide)
Dangal. It's director Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports drama about former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (Bollywood star Aamir Khan) and his two wrestler daughters' (Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra) struggle toward glory at the Commonwealth Games in the face of societal oppression. Sakshi Tanwar co-stars. (AMC Fullerton; AMC 30 at the Outlets, Orange; Edwards Westpark 8, Irvine)
Fences. Denzel Washington waited for years to bring August Wilson's play to the big screen. Both were apparently waiting for just the right director, who they found in … Denzel Washington. He plays an African-American father who struggles with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life. I can't speak for the directing, but there have already been raves about his performance as well as Viola Davis'. Mykelti Williamson and Theresa Cook also co-star. (Countywide starting Saturday)
Passengers. Director Morten Tyldum's rom-dram (in space!) is already significant because of this: Star Jennifer Lawrence was paid waaaaay more than her leading man, Chris Pratt (who I am sure still made out OK). Colonialists on their way to a distant planet, they awake from their sleep chambers 90 years too early due to a malfunction, which must be fixed to save the thousands of other people on board, although that means the pair won't reach the final destination. Michael Sheen and Andy Garcia co-star. (Countywide)
Sing. It's an animated comedy about a koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) who has one final chance to restore his theater to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition. Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane and Scarlett Johansson co-star for directors Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet. (Countywide)
Why Him? Director John Hamburg's comedy has a day (Bryan Cranston) forming a bitter rivalry with his daughter's (Zoey Deutch) young rich boyfriend (James Franco). Onetime Costa Mesan Megan Mullally co-stars. (Countywide)
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.