John Mulderig

It may be the end of the world as we know it in “Knock at the Cabin.” But, unlike R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, no one in this offbeat but effective thriller feels fine.

By subverting its central trope, screenwriter Akela Cooper and director Gerard Johnstone serve up a wickedly funny treat in “M3GAN.”

The idea of incorporating iconic author Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the modern detective story, into a whodunit would seem like a winning one.

Grown fans of Gerard Butler and of the action genre may find director Jean-François Richet’s aviation adventure “Plane” (Lionsgate) appealing in some respects.

Director Kasi Lemmons’ profile charts singer Whitney Houston’s meteoric rise as well as the gradual descent into dependence that culminated in her untimely 2012 death at age 48.