No ‘Secret’ about Friday’s movie lineup

So, Friday is near, which means that the new movies are coming out. So what can we expect?

In the mainstream theaters, that means "Pompeii" and "3 Days to Kill." The former, which will be screened both in 2D and 3D, is another CGI-enriched exercise in historical (read: hysterical) revisionism, involving people with pristine teeth overcoming what was a supremely classist/racist society and forging unlikely alliances in the face of a well-known natural disaster. The latter is Kevin Costner's attempts to revive a flagging career by, following the example of Liam Neeson and others, playing an over-the-hill intelligence operative/mehanic doing "one last job" before retiring. Nope, haven't seen that one before.

In addition to those two, AMC is offering something a bit different with "In Secret," which is an adaptation of Emile Zola's 1867 novel "Thérèse Raquin," starring Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Lange. Warning: Zola did not write light romantic comedies.

And the Magic Lantern continues its lineup of Oscar contenders, including the Oscar-nominated shorts. Note: Tonight at 7, the Lantern is showing a special screening of the documentary "Maidentrip."

So there's lots to choose from for local moviegoers. Or you could just stay home and binge-watch "House of Cards."