Fridays openings: Promise depends on Fate

The coming week is full of promise, assuming that the local theaters decide to open up some screens and play something besides "The Fate of the Furious" (though with its performance, why would they?).

Anyway, the national release schedule is as follows:

"Free Fire": During an arms deal in a remote warehouse, rival gangs go rogue and indulge in some serious gunplay. Violence in a range of accents.

"Unforgettable": When a divorced woman (Katherine Heigl) finds she has been replaced (by Rosario Dawson, no less), she devises a plan of revenge. The twist: This time it's the blond who's the villain.

"The Promise": Another menage a trois, this one involving an American journalist (Christian Bale), an Armenian medical student (Oscar Isaac) and the obligatory woman who stands between them. Oh, and the Turkish government is committing genocide on all Armenia.

"Born in China": The folks at Disney take us into China's backwoods to study the families of three animal clans: snow leopards, panda bears and golden monkeys. Expect some terminal cute.

"Phoenix Forgotten": The fate of three teenagers, disappeared these two decades, is discovered in some found footage. Think "Blair Witch Project," only with aliens.

And at the Magic Lantern:

"Frantz": French filmmaker Francois Ozon ("Swimming Pool") gives us this story about a young German woman grieving the loss of her fiancé who one day meets a mysterious French guy.

I'll post the final listings when the area theaters finalize their bookings.