Welcome to L.A. Weekly's Movie Guide, your look at the hottest films in Los Angeles theaters this week, from indie art house gems and classics to popcorn-perfect blockbusters and new movies garnering buzz. Check here every week before you make your big-screen plans.

Limited/art-house

Friday, April 19

Red Joan comes courtesy of Trevor Nunn, the knighted English theater director whose occasional forays into filmmaking routinely feature top-drawer performances from predominantly British casts. The venerable Judi Dench headlines this espionage drama inspired by the life of Melita Norwood, a British civil servant who leaked state secrets to the KGB for over four decades. Sophie Cookson plays a younger version of the character and Tom Hughes is her love interest, a political radical. Viewers who admired the WWII British homefront thrillers Charlotte Gray and Enigma might find this appealing. The Landmark, 10850 Pico Blvd., West L.A.; Fri., April 19, various showtimes; $12-$15; (310) 470-0492, landmarktheatres.com.

Also opening Friday: Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché; Breaking Habits; Carmine Street Guitars; Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise; The Curse of La Llorona; Daddy Issues; Drunk Parents; Family; Get Out Your Handkerchiefs; Grass; Hail Satan?; Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse; His Father's Voice; Instant Dreams; Little Woods; Lost & Found; Naples in Veils; Okko's Inn; Rafiki; Stuck; Under the Silver Lake