L.A. Weekly's Movie Picks are 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 around our Film section every Wednesday through Friday before you make your big-screen weekend plans.

Friday, Feb. 1

Gerardo Naranjo's 2011 Mexican melodrama Miss Bala was based on the true story of a woman kidnapped by gang members and forced to act as a munitions runner in Guadalajara. Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to the story and enlisted Catherine Hardwicke to direct a remake. This Miss Bala redux is a high-octane action flick starring Gina Rodriguez (star of TV's Jane the Virgin) as a makeup artist whose best friend is kidnapped by a vicious drug cartel. A female-empowerment narrative nested within a kickass thriller, the movie is bordered on all sides by a strong supporting cast, including Ismael Cruz Córdova and Anthony Mackie.


Also opening Friday, Feb. 1:

The Wild Pear Tree
Arctic
Outlaws
This One's for the Ladies
Piercing
Then Came You
Sharkwater Extinction
Braid
Daughter of Mine
The Unicorn
St. Bernard Syndicate

L.A. Weekly also recommends (still in theaters): Glass; The Boy Who Would Be King; Jihadists; The Favourite; If Beale Street Could Talk; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; Vice; Roma; Bohemian Rhapsody; Ralph Breaks the Internet; Mary Poppins Returns; Green Book; A Star Is Born

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