Movies Out This Weekend: 'Paddington 2,' 'The Commuter,' And More

With the long weekend coming up, you'll hopefully have plenty of time to head to the movie theater for some big screen entertainment. If you loved the first "Paddington" film, you won't want to miss the family-friendly sequel in which the lovable bear lands himself in hot water after Hugh Grant's villainous character frames him for robbery.

Thrill seekers have two exciting adventure flicks to choose from this weekend. In "The Commuter," Liam Neeson gets wrapped up in a criminal conspiracy while searching for a missing person. Meanwhile, Taraji P. Henson plays a take-no-prisoners hit woman in "Proud Mary."

Here's what to see and what to skip this weekend:

Movies Out This Weekend

“Paddington 2” — Ben Wishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, directed by Paul King

The heartwarming follow up to the popular 2014 family film based on Michael Bond’s beloved children’s stories is every bit as delightful as the original. In the sequel, the adventures of Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw) continue in London, where the Peruvian bear is now happily settled with his adopted family, the Browns (Hawkins and Bonneville).

Determined to buy the perfect gift for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington sets his sights on a 19th-century pop-up book, which subsequently gets stolen by a vain, elderly actor (Hugh Grant). Ironically, our hero ends up in jail for a crime he did not commit.

See it. The crowd-pleasing movie is a movie for young and old alike. Endearing to the core, you can almost feel “Paddington” cuddling you close. Plus, Grant is superb!

“The Commuter” — Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, directed by Jaume Collet-Sera

Liam Neeson reunites with his “Unknown” and “Non-Stop” director Jaume Collet-Sera in this psychological thriller about Michael MacCauley (Neeson), a cop-turned-insurance salesman on the verge of financial ruin.

One day unexpectedly on his way home from work, a female passenger (Farmiga) approaches the former cop and offers him a hefty reward if he is able to find a hidden passenger on-board the commuter train. Desperate for money, he agrees to take the clandestine job only to learn that he must now navigate an intricate web of criminal conspiracy.

See it. Collet-Sera’s fast-paced action movie has an unrelenting tension, and Neeson, the natural action-man he is, gives the train ride a lot of thrills.

“Proud Mary” — Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, directed by Babak Najafi

Taraji P. Henson stars as a relentless assassin in Najafi’s action thriller about redemption and acts of selflessness. Mary (Henson) is a ruthless hit woman, whose life revolves around her human targets, fascinating clothes, fancy cars and lethal weapons— that is, until she encounters a young boy who’s about to change her life forever.

See it. Henson is electrifying!

Note: In addition to the three movies above, past weeks' favorites — Meryl Streep's "The Post," Jessica Chastain's "Molly's Game," Daniel Day-Lewis's "Phantom Thread," and Christian Bale's "Hostiles"— continue their platform expansion in other markets.

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