Movies Update: 'The Highwaymen' and More

Plus, how our writer made his own 'Wonder Park'

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Mekado Murphy Senior Staff Editor, Movies Greetings, movie fans! Many of you may go check out "Captain Marvel" for the first time (or again) this weekend, but If you're itching to catch a new film, you have options. Opening wide is the animated "Wonder Park." While the movie, about a girl who designs her own theme park, hasn't been strongly reviewed, it did prompt me to reflect on my own experience dreaming up a theme park as a kid. I just returned from the South by Southwest film festival, where "Us" had its premiere and received a strong response. We also got some time with Charlize Theron, who was there with her film "Long Shot," to ask her questions from our readers. And here's a look at the other standouts from the festival that will soon be coming to a theater near you. Speaking of theaters, also out this week is the romance "Five Feet Apart" (we said this weepie "is tough to resist entirely") and the sci-fi thriller "Captive State," which didn't screen for critics ahead of release. A couple of films are making their way to Netflix this week, as well, including the action film "Triple Frontier" (watch its director break down a scene here) and the transgender portrait "Girl" (read about the controversy surrounding that film here). In limited release: a resurfaced Björk film from 1990 called "The Juniper Tree," a Jesse Eisenberg thriller "The Hummingbird Project" and the melodrama "The Mustang." Have fun at the movies!

Hilary B Gayle/Netflix 'The Highwaymen' Review: Grumpy Old Men on the Trail of Glamorous Killers By A.O. SCOTT Bonnie and Clyde's story is retold from the point of view of their executioners, played by Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. Paramount Animation/Nickelodeon Movies That Time I Built My Own 'Wonder Park' By MEKADO MURPHY For a boy growing up in Oklahoma, a real-world passion became both an imagined universe and a taste of the wider universe.

Movie Reviews 'The Mustang' Review: Where the Wild Things Roam. And Sometimes Break Out. By MANOHLA DARGIS This film is a seductively heartfelt melodrama about a violent inmate and a wild horse, brought together in a rehabilitation program to gentle each other. Critic's Pick 'Ash Is Purest White' Review: Love Smolders and Crime Pays in a Changing China By A.O. SCOTT In Jia Zhangke's enthralling new feature, Zhao Tao and Liao Fan portray an underworld power couple at the mercy of time and fate. 'Yardie' Review: A Gangland Thriller with a Shot of Reggae By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS Set in Jamaica and London, Idris Elba's big-screen directing debut lacks a focused screenplay and a comprehensible lead character. 'The Hummingbird Project' Review: They're Running Cable and Chasing Money By BEN KENIGSBERG Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard star in this thriller, set at the intersection of technology and high finance. 'Five Feet Apart' Review: Ailing Teenagers Live Dangerously for Love By BEN KENIGSBERG Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse navigate the rules of attraction and of a hospital in this film about living with cystic fibrosis. Critic's Pick 'The Juniper Tree' Review: A Young Björk Enchants in Her Film Acting Debut By GLENN KENNY Nietzchka Keene wrote, directed and edited the movie, which was adapted from a Brothers Grimm tale. Critic's Pick 'The Eyes of Orson Welles' Review: An Idiosyncratic Look at an Enigmatic Master By GLENN KENNY With an unapologetically personal approach, Mark Cousins finds new things to say about a filmmaker whose work has already prompted volumes. Streaming Movie Review 'Girl' Review: A Transgender Portrait of Uncommon Depth By CHRIS VOGNAR This divisive film about a young dancer wisely disposes of "will they find out?" questions in favor of psychological depth and verisimilitude.

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Anatomy of a Scene Watch: Ben Affleck Pays for Catastrophic Actions in 'Triple Frontier' By MEKADO MURPHY The director J.C. Chandor narrates a sequence from his feature.

News & Features 'Captain Marvel's' Cat Was Actually Four Cats. Here's How That Worked. By BRUCE FRETTS Reggie took the lead, the rambunctious Archie stepped in for scratching, Gonzo could be held, and Rizzo was a backup. Training them wasn't as hard as you'd think. The Breakout Movies at SXSW You'll Want to Know About By MEKADO MURPHY This year's festival showed strength in comedy, and filmgoers were chatting especially about "Good Boys" and "Booksmart," both romps about students. A Word With Matthias Schoenaerts Knows You're Ogling Him. But He Has Grander Goals, Too. By KATHRYN SHATTUCK He talks about his new inmate-meets-wild horse drama, "The Mustang," and why he wants to kick people in the heart. 'Avengers: Endgame' Trailer: A New Face Appears By BRUCE FRETTS Brie Larson as Captain Marvel joins the Marvel superhero team in the latest clip for the conclusion of the Avengers saga.

Critics' Picks 'Knife + Heart' By GLENN KENNY The film, directed by Yann Gonzalez, is a not-quite-nostalgic evocation of dangerous gay living in the pre-AIDS era. 'Gloria Bell' By MANOHLA DARGIS The Chilean writer-director Sebastián Lelio finds a perfect partner in Moore for this fantastic remake of his 2013 movie "Gloria."

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