“Lawless”

The Bondurant brothers run a backwoods establishment to hide their bootlegging business in Prohibition-era Virginia, and war erupts when a sadistic lawman from Chicago tries to shut them down.

The buzz: The latest feature from John Hillcoat, director of “The Road,” attempts to balance graphic violence with dark humor. However, its studied approach to the past may drain the film’s liveliness and authenticity.

Showing at: Cinemark

Length: 115 min.

Showtimes: 12:00 p.m., 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20.

  “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

In a bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a 6-year-old girl on the brink of orphanhood faces a fierce storm.

The buzz: “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a fantastical, emotionally powerful journey, as well as a strong case of filmmaking that values imagination over money.

Length: 91 min.

Showtimes: Friday: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturday: 4:30, 7:00, and 9:00; Sunday: 4:30 and 7:00.