Movie Man: 'Ordinary Angels,' 'Drive-Away Dolls,' & 'Stopmotion'

The three movies opening this weekend are quite diverse. In one, laughter turns to screams. In another, we see that sometimes the scariest things on screen are the ones stitched together by grief. But we begin with a movie that shows us miracles can indeed happen.

Ordinary Angels tells the uplifting true story of a struggling small-town hairdresser, Sharon, portrayed by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. She finds new meaning in helping a widowed father, Ed, played by Alan Ritchson, provide for his daughters. With his young daughter in dire need of a liver transplant, Sharon is moved to support the family despite facing hardships of her own. In depicting Sharon and Ed’s remarkable friendship, their acts of faith and compassion, and the community that rallies around them, Ordinary Angels is an inspiring chronicle of everyday miracles arising from ordinary people. Ordinary Angels is rated PG.

Co-written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke and directed by Ethan, Drive-Away Dolls is about a free spirit named Jamie. Things have not been going well for her of late. So, wanting to hit the open road and leave her worries behind, she brings her shy friend, Marian, along for the ride. But their trip veers way off course when a band of bumbling crooks keeps popping up along their path. Drive-Away Dolls is rated R.

In the movie Stopmotion, Aisling Franciosi portrays Ella. She’s a stop-motion animator haunted by grief after her mother's death. To escape, she pours her darkness into a new puppet film, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. As Ella's grip slips, her creations come alive, threatening to consume her and the world she desperately tries to control. Stopmotion is rated R.

As for other movies currently playing, our Movie Man can recommend The Beekeeper, The Boys in the Boat, and Wonka.

But our Movie Man cannot recommend at all Madame Web or Argylle.