‘John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum’ leads this week’s new movie releases

Keanu Reeves in “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum”; Niko Tavernise/Lionsgate(NEW YORK) — Opening nationwide in theaters Friday:

* John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum — The latest in installment in the John Wick franchise picks up where 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2 ended, with Keanu Reeves’ titular master assassin fleeing for his life after he’s declared “excommunicado” for violating the rules of the assassins-only hotel, The Continental — run by Ian McShane’s elegant, enigmatic Winston — after Wick murders a fellow assassin there. He enlists the help of fellow assassin Sofia, played by Halle Berry, and Winston himself to set things right. Laurence Fishburne and Anjelica Huston also star. Rated R.

* A Dog’s Journey — This dramedy, a sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose and based on the 2012 novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, centers on a dog — voiced once again by Josh Gad — who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott and Henry Lau also star. Rated PG.

* The Sun Is Also a Star — grown-ish star Yara Shahidi and Riverdale‘s Charles Melton this drama is based on author Nicola Yoon’s 2016 bestselling novel, about two young adults — she’s studying quantum physics and he’s an exchange student — who fall for each other over one day in New York City, while also tackling complex topics like immigration, deportation and identity. PG-13.

Opening in limited release Friday:

* Trial by Fire — This biographical drama recounts the tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham — played by Jack O’Connell — who was convicted and executed in Texas for allegedly killing his three children after scientific evidence and expert testimony that bolstered his claims of innocence were suppressed. Laura Dern also stars. Rated R.

* Slaughterhouse Rulez — The appearance of a mysterious sinkhole caused by a nearby fracking site turns a prestigious British boarding school into a bloody battleground in this comedy horror film. Starring Margot Robbie, Michael Sheen and Simon Pegg. Rated R.

The Souvenir — Tilda Swinton stars opposite her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, and Tom Burke about a young film student in the early 1980s who becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man, played respectively by Swinton Byrne and Burke. Rated R.

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