Miss Bala Is A Rocky Remake

This weekend at the movies, we’ve got just one new wide release, a remake of a Certified Fresh crime thriller (Miss Bala, starring Gina Rodriguez and Anthony Mackie). What are the critics saying?

Miss Bala (2019)

22%

In 2011, Mexican director Gerardo Naranjo released a thriller based on true events called Miss Bala about an aspiring beauty queen who is swept into the criminal underworld, and while it was a hit with critics (Certified Fresh at 87%), it didn’t quite sear itself into the pop culture consciousness at the time. That said, Hollywood saw fit to remake the film for English-speaking audiences with Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez in the lead, and the result is this week’s Miss Bala. The new film takes a few extra liberties with the story, as Rodriguez’s Gloria is a U.S. citizen whose close friend’s disappearance prompts a frantic search that leads to her being kidnapped by a drug cartel and forced to act as an unwilling mule. Critics say the new interpretation is a far cry from its predecessor that heavily sanitizes its story for a PG-13 rating and suffers from bland action and predictable story beats. Gina Rodriguez does her best in the role and showcases her potential to be a bigger movie star, but the rest of the film may be a disappointment for anyone looking for something weightier.

What’s New on TV

Russian Doll: Season 1

97%

Russian Doll may be stuck in a time loop, but this endlessly inventive series never repeats itself as it teeters on a seesaw of shifting tones — from fatally funny to mournfully sad — that is balanced with exhilarating moxie by an astonishing Natasha Lyonne.

I Am the Night: Miniseries

73%

Chris Pine inhabits I Am the Night with the roguish gravitas befitting a noir — even if this entry into the pulp genre is more straightforward and languidly paced than some viewers would like.

Also Opening This Week In Limited Release

• They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) 99% , Peter Jackson‘s colorized restoration of never-before-seen footage from World War I, is Certified Fresh at 98%.
• The Wild Pear Tree (2018) 94% , a Turkish drama about a struggling writer who returns to his hometown and clashes with his past, is Certified Fresh at 92%.
• The Golem (2018) 89% , a period horror film about a woman who summons an evil creature to help protect her village from invaders, is at 92%.
• Braid (2018) 86% , a thriller about two women who agree to play dangerous game of make believe in order to rob a disturbed childhood friend, is at 90%.
• Daughter of Mine (2018) 86% , about a 10-year-old girl torn between her birth mother and the woman who raised her, is at 90%.
• The Unicorn (2018) 90% , a comedy about a young couple who discover the strange secret to the successful marriage of the wife’s parents, is at 86%.
• Arctic (2018) 91% , starring Mads Mikkelsen in a survival thriller about a man stranded in the titular wilderness after a plane crash, is at 85%.
• Piercing (2018) 72% , starring Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott in a thriller about a serial murderer who meets his match in a mysterious call girl, is at 76%.
• Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) 61% , starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo in Dan Gilroy‘s satirical thriller about the world of fine art — and some deadly paintings — is at 71%.
• Then Came You (2018) 55% , about two teens suffering from different ailments who bond over a bucket list, is at 67%.
• Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume) (2018) 50% , about a married couple trying to save their daughter from a deadly mist that has engulfed Paris, is at 50%.