The weekend in multiplexes will be dominated by the King of Wakanda, but Aardman animation and Oscar nominees—one Foreign Language Feature, and the documentary shorts—make their way to the art houses.

Black Panther squeezes its intriguing meditation on power and responsibility into the formula of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Annette Bening's movie-star performance anchors the fact-based romantic drama of Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (pictured). The Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Short explore a variety of topics, with varying degrees of success

David Riedel recognizes the artistic merit of the Oscar-nominated Lebanese film The Insult, but can't bear spending 114 minutes with its detestable main characters.

In this week's feature review, MaryAnn Johanson wonders what happened to the wit and warmth of Aardman in the trite underdog sports comedy of Early Man.

Also opening this week, but not screened for critics: a dramatic adaptation of the Biblical story of Samson.