Friday’s openings: Big dog and a creepy doll

Though he's known most for his adventure stories, Jack London wrote mostly about adult issues. Still, that never stopped some film studios from adapting London's stories in any way they want.

Case in point: one of London's most famous novels, "The Call of the Wild," an adaptation of which is among Friday's opening movies, according to the national release schedule:

"The Call of the Wild": Harrison Ford stars alongside a digitally created dog named Buck in London's tale about a pampered St. Bernard/Scotch Collie who ends up living in Alaska with a succession of owners. Fair warning: The book ends happily for the dog, less so for the humans — but the producing company of this film, 20th Century Pictures, is owned by Disney, so …

"Brahms: The Boy II": When a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion (see "The Boy"), they discover some strange happenings involving a doll named Brahms. Shades of Chucky, yo.

That's all for the moment. As usual, I'll update when the area theaters finalize their bookings.