Friday’s openings: a chimp off the old block

Now that the Michael Bay furor is over, it's time to look ahead for more sci-fi mainstream mayhem. And Friday will give us … monkeys! Or chimps, at least. And gorillas. And babboons. Maybe even a gibbon or two, not to mention the poor humans they will ultimately dominate (thanks, originally, to Pierre Boulle, then Franklin J. Schaffner and others, including Tim Burton).

Friday's openings are as follows

"Dawn of the Planet of Apes" (3D and 2D): A sequel to 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," this James Franco-less follow-up has much of the world dead because of "simian flu," which gives Caesar and his followers the need to defend themselves. Gives a whole new meaning to the term monkeying around.

"Begin Again": John Carney, who gave us 2006's busker feature "Once," returns with this offbeat romance between a wannabe singer (Keira Knightley) and a has-been producer (Mark Ruffalo). Think "Dreamgirls" meets "Jerry Maguire."

"Third Person": All good things may come in threes, and that — let's hope — includes these three romantic entanglements. So, will this be a three-hanky date flick?

And at the Magic Lantern:

"Obvious Child": Donna (Jenny Slate) is pregnant and she knows what she's going to do about it. Question is, will she involve the guy she had a one-night fling with? One thing is sure, Slate is a real find.

"Find Your Way: A Busker's Diary": One of the more interesting offerings at last February's Spokane International Film Festival, this documentary about Seattle street musicians explores the world of people you walk by often without giving a second thought.

And there's the weekend. Enjoy.