Critic’s Pick: Catch up with ‘Mockingjay,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Birdman’

While it’s always tempting to rush out to see all the new, fresh-cut movies landing in theaters this week, consider skipping the crush to play a little catch-up. There are so many excellent films still hanging around the multiplexes, something for nearly everyone’s taste.

If you’re in the mood for action, join Jennifer Lawrence for the adventurous first half of the final chapter of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” or Matthew McConaughey doing some interior exploring in outer space in “Interstellar.” In a clever bit of biting the hand that feeds — Hollywood is smartly grilled in “Birdman” with the help of Michael Keaton and “Top Five” with Chris Rock doing the roasting. For inspiration, look no further than Reese Witherspoon’s life-changing trek in “Wild” or Eddie Redmayne capturing Stephen Hawking’s remarkable trials and triumphs in “The Theory of Everything.” And let’s not forget the little ones; for them (and their elders), there’s the hugely huggable Baymax in the exceptional animation of “Big Hero 6.”