Welcome to L.A. Weekly’s Movie Guide, your look at the hottest films in Los Angeles theaters this week — from indie art house gems and classics to popcorn-perfect blockbusters and new movies garnering buzz. Check here every week before you make your big screen plans.

Friday, May 17

Universal’s A Dog’s Journey, not to be confused with Sony’s A Dog’s Way Home, is a direct sequel to A Dog’s Purpose. (Got it?) The plot concerns a pooch named Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad) whose love for his owners—particularly a young girl who grows into adulthood—transcends death. But let’s face it; no ticket buyer is going to see this for the plot. Cute puppies, light melodrama, and dime-store reincarnation theory collide in this heart-on-sleeve family film that only wants to please you. A gravelly Dennis Quaid is on hand to provide some dramatic weight. Gail Mancuso directs.

Also opening Friday, May 17: A Violent Separation, All Creatures Here Below, Anaiara, Ask for Jane, John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum, The Meanest Man in Texas, Perfect, Photograph, The Professor, The Souvenir, The Sun is Also a Star, The Tomorrow Man, Trial By Fire, The Unseen, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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