Two battles, not one, share the spotlight in the enjoyable and entertaining "Battle of the Sexes," one you expect and one you do not. And it's the unexpected one that makes all the difference.

The part that's expected is the film's front and center subject, the ostentatious 1973 tennis exhibition between women's champion Billie Jean King and ...Read more

"Stronger" is the title of Jeff Bauman's bestselling memoir about his experience as a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing, and also of David Gordon Green's fine new film adaptation. It is also a knowing riff on "Boston Strong," a call for local unity and an assertion of hometown pride that rose from the ashes of that 2013 tragedy to become a...Read more

You have questions. I have some answers.

Q: Now that Jerry Lewis has died, will the unreleased movie "The Day the Clown Cried" (1972) ever be released on DVD for serious Jerry Lewis movie collectors?

A: "The Day the Clown Cried" is the major mystery in Lewis' filmography, a film that no more than a handful of people claim to have seen, and ...Read more

Engaging and sunny (literally; this is the brightest, squintiest film in months), as far as it goes, "Battle of the Sexes" is a two-headed biopic reluctant to complicate its coming-out story with too many ... complications.

This will not be a problem for most audiences. Collectively, the "Battle of the Sexes" team knows how to please a crowd. ...Read more

The Facebook-themed horror movie "Friend Request" spooks its way into theaters this weekend, hoping to turn up audiences who are ready for autumn temperatures, Halloween and things that go bump in the night. Shockingly, "Friend Request" delivers. This scare-fest is so gloriously dumb that it is surprisingly a whole lot of fun.

This German/South...Read more

Not that anyone has been calling for it, but director Matthew Vaughn's "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" brings the spy saga back in all its overblown, inconsistent glory. In this ultraviolent farce many innocent people suffer, especially in the audience.

The urge to turn any moneymaking film into a franchise generally produces more wasted effort ...Read more

In "Stronger," you hear the falls. Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), recovering from a tragedy that left him a double amputee, falls a lot, and he falls hard: from the toilet, from his bed, from the artificial legs with which he must reacquaint himself, slowly and painfully, with walking. The movie doesn't soften the harshness with which he hits ...Read more

In "Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus," a shaggy-dog documentary series premiering Friday on Cinemax, the creator of "Beavis and Butt-head" and co-creator of "King of the Hill" and "Silicon Valley" finds the dark, crazed heart of country music and turns it into a cartoon, literally.

As a historical meditation that adds new visuals to...Read more

TORONTO -- "Do I look pathetic?" Lady Gaga asks, covering her face with her hands to hide her tears. She is lying on a couch in her apartment, only a towel covering her body. A physical therapist places an ice pack on her cheek and massages her head.

"I'm so embarrassed," she says, sobbing quietly.

For the last few years, the musician has been...Read more

A downbeat, naturalistic and admirably adult dramatic comedy, "Brad's Status" is the story of a bright man who devotes most of his intellectual energy to pessimism and melancholy. He's not a loser, but a frustrated guy in crisis. Midlife crisis. A self-defined second-rater. When you see him in bed, eyes wide open, it's obvious that he's ...Read more

ATOMIC BLONDE. 2.5 stars. Charlize Theron is a rampaging British agent in Berlin as the wall collapses in 1989, teaming with another agent (James McAvoy) to help a defector and find a traitor. Works well as actioner, not so well as espionage thriller. 1 hr. 55. R (violence, nudity) -- Gary Thompson

THE BIG SICK. 3.5 stars. Based on comedian ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Britain's secretary of state on Wednesday ruled that the bid by Rupert Murdoch's media company to control the European satellite TV service Sky must undergo more rigorous regulatory scrutiny.

Karen Bradley, Britain's secretary of state for culture and media, formally referred 21st Century Fox's bid to consolidate the Sky service ...Read more

Fergie asked for some privacy following her split from husband Josh Duhamel, but the duchess is holding court and fielding questions about the breakup.

"Honestly, it was just getting a little weird for us with all the romantic questions," the singer told People on Tuesday.

"We're great friends, we love each other so much, and it just got to ...Read more

Two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn is the latest movie star to take his acting chops to the small screen.

The "Milk" and "Mystic River" Oscar winner will star in Hulu's upcoming space drama "The First" from "House of Cards" creator Beau Willimon, the streaming service announced Wednesday.

Penn has guested on several TV shows throughout ...Read more