Friday Flicks: ‘Gold,’ ‘The Red Turtle,’ ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘A Dog’s Purpose’

With forecasts of colder weather blowing through this weekend, plus a lack of playoff football, the inside of a warm movie theater might be the ideal place to spend the weekend. Although this is typically a slow time for blockbuster films, there are plenty of features to sink your teeth into.

Photo: TWC Dimension

A film that is technically a 2016 release (it received a limited run in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the Academy Awards, though it got little love) is finally slated to hit the silver screen in the DMV, Gold at the very least carries some big names. Matthew McConaughey leads as a prospector who strikes gold in Indonesia and has to deal with craziness that follows, with costars Edgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard. McConaughey dons a balding hairdo and a buck tooth for this film (think Christian Bale in American Hustle), but is it enough to draw gold at the box office? (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

Playing at: AMC Courthouse Plaza 8, AMC Hoffman Center 22, AMC Loews Georgetown 14, AMC Mazza Gallerie, AMC Rivertowne 12, Angelika Film Center & Café at Mosaic, Regal Gallery Place Stadium 14, Regal Potomac Yard Stadium 16

Photo: Studio Ghibli

If you are looking to cross off the recently announced Oscar-nominated films on your to watch list, but don’t want to simply follow the crowd of folks flocking to Best Picture nominated films, perhaps catch Best Animated Feature nominee The Red Turtle. Produced by the legendary Studio Ghibli, the story follows a castaway on a deserted island populated by turtles, crabs and birds. Clearly the Academy was only going to nominate one sea life animated film this year, and The Red Turtle apparently out swam Finding Dory.

Playing at: Angelika Film Center & Café at Mosaic, Landmark’s E-Street Cinema

Photo: Screen Gems

After earlier editions Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Resident Evil: Extinction foreshadowed an endgame for the Milla Jovovich-led series, there’s no denying the finality of the not-so-subtly titled Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Alice and the world’s remaining survivors must stop the Umbrella Corporation one more time in the sixth entry of the franchise. I wonder if Jovovich and series director Paul W.S. Anderson will know what to do with themselves after the franchise ends, or are we ultimately in store for Resident Evil: New Beginnings?

Playing at: Regal Gallery Place Stadium 14, AMC Hoffman Center 22, AMC Loews Georgetown 14, AMC Mazza Gallerie, AMC Rivertowne 12, Regal Ballston Common Stadium 12, Regal Potomac Yard Stadium 16

Photo: Universal Pictures

There’s been a lot of news surrounding this film with accusations of possible animal abuse by PETA, then by others – including star Dennis Quaid – claiming that the alleged clip was edited and ultimately not true. That’s a complicated backstory for an adaptation of this W. Bruce Cameron novel focused on a dog spanning several lifetimes and owners, as he quite literally looks for his purpose.

Playing at: AMC Courthouse Plaza 8, AMC Hoffman Center 22, AMC Loews Georgetown 14, AMC Rivertowne 12, Regal Ballston Common Stadium 12, Regal Gallery Place Stadium 14, Regal Potomac Yard Stadium 16