Patch Weekend Movie Guide: 'The Founder,' 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage' and More

We have verdicts on "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," "The Founder," "Split" and more. Find out what to see and what to skip, plus check out the trailers.

Opening This Weekend

"The Founder" — Michael Keaton, Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, directed by John Lee Hancock

"The Founder" tells the story of the rise of a great American institution: McDonald's. Michael Keaton, who has been astounding in roles since "Birdman," plays Ray Kroc, chief architect of the fast food giant. For those wary of a film about McDonald's, remember the once-scorned film about Facebook, "The Social Network"? Yeah, it turned out great. There's rich drama to be mined with the trials and tribulations of bringing this industry titan from simple idea to complex realization.

The verdict: See it, if just for Michael Keaton's powerful, committed performance.

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" — Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Donnie Yen, directed by D.J. Caruso

Vin Diesel resurrects his long-dormant franchise surrounding the exploits of Xander Cage, extreme sports athlete turned NSA spy. This go-around, a presumed dead Cage is brought back into the fold by his handler (Jackson) to prevent another catastrophe involving satellites, a superweapon called Pandora's Box and terrible one-liners. The series wears its campiness on its sleeve, but that's not enough to reward two hours of your life.

The verdict: Skip it. We'll get through these January duds soon enough.

"Split" — James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Anya Taylor-Joy, directed by M. Night Shyamalan

After "The Sixth Sense," director M. Night Shyamalan was labelled the next Spielberg before languishing in a series commercial bombs. In recent years, he's scaled his budgets and has found great success with small, potent thrillers like "Split." This tale follows three women who are abducted by a man with 24 split personalities. They must convince one of his kinder sides to help set them free before it's too late.

The verdict: See it. Expect some nail-biting moments in this fun psychological thriller.

Quick Cuts

"Resurrection of Gavin Stone" (Limited Release) — Brett Dalton, Anjelah Johnson, directed by Dallas Jenkins

Skip it: In this faith-based indie film, a washed-up actor returns home to con his way into playing Jesus in a local megachurch's Easter play. This politely muted story is best viewed at home.

"20th Century Women" (Wide Release) — Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, directed by Mike Mills

See it: After several quiet years, Annette Bening flexes her talents in this comedy-drama about a single mother raising her son with the help of two female friends. If you liked Mike Mills' last feature directorial effort, "Beginners," this is a safe bet.

Watch the trailer for "The Founder"

Watch the trailer for "xXx: Return of Xander Cage"

Photo credit: StudiocanalUK via YouTube