‘Opera House,’ ‘Journey’s End’ other movie picks for March 16

Movie recommendations from Justin Chang, Kenneth Turan and other reviewers.

Annihilation Natalie Portman plays a biologist who joins an all-female expedition into the heart of an environmental disaster zone in this eerily beautiful and hypnotically unsettling mind-bender from “Ex Machina” writer-director Alex Garland. (Justin Chang) R.

Black Panther A superhero movie with characters who have integrity and dramatic heft, filled with engaging exploits and credible crises grounded in a vibrant and convincing reality, laced with socially conscious commentary as well as wicked laughs, this is the model of what an involving popular entertainment should be. And even something more. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.

Call Me by Your Name Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer give superb performances as two young men falling in love in the northern Italian countryside in this rapturously beautiful collaboration between director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter James Ivory. (Justin Chang) R.

Early Man Four-time Oscar-winning director Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, is back with a droll romp through prehistoric times that will put a smile on your face. (Kenneth Turan) PG.

A Fantastic Woman Chilean writer-director Sebastián Lelio’s follow-up to “Gloria” is a compassionate and captivating portrait of a young transgender woman (a superb Daniela Vega) dealing with hostility and intolerance in wake of her lover’s death. (Justin Chang) R.

Foxtrot An intricate, dazzling cinematic dance starring top Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi, Samuel Moaz’s drama is profound and moving and wild and crazy at the same time, telling a specific story and offering an emotional snapshot of the toll constant war can take on a nation’s psyche. (Kenneth Turan) R.

Journey’s End A tense, absorbing, superbly acted look at a band of British soldiers in World War I as they wait to fight and ultimately battle German troops over the course of several ill-fated days in March 1918 — exactly 100 years ago. (Gary Goldstein) R.

Lady Bird As warm as it is smart, and it is very smart, this portrait of a high school senior year marks actor-screenwriter Greta Gerwig’s superb debut as a solo director and yet another astonishing performance by star Saoirse Ronan. (Kenneth Turan) R.

The Opera House A warm and surprisingly emotional documentary about the creation of New York’s half-a-century-old Metropolitan Opera House that turns out to be not just about the building but also opera in general and creativity across the board. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

The Post Director Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks combine for a thriller cum civics lesson showing the value of newspapers hanging together and holding government accountable for deception. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.

The Shape of Water Magical, thrilling and romantic to the core, a sensual and fantastical “Beauty and the Beast” tale with moral overtones, Guillermo del Toro’s film plays by all the rules and none of them, going its own way with fierce abandon. (Kenneth Turan) R.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Uncommon writer-director Martin McDonagh and a splendid cast top-lined by Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell present a savage film, even a dangerous one — the blackest take-no-prisoners farce in quite some time. (Kenneth Turan) R.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

calendar@latimes.com

@LATimesMovies