Riddick, Salinger, The Ultimate Life out in theaters this weekend

Movie theaters this week get three new flicks for the big screen.

Vin Diesel, known for his roles in the Fast and the Furious series and The Chronicles of Riddick, returns to the latter in Riddick, the latest in the multi-part sci-fi action franchise starring.

Rafer Guzman, Newsday’s film critic, called the movie slow to start, but strong “once it gets going.”

“It really taps into its inner 13-year-old boy,” he said. “It’s pretty well-made, some great effects.”

In Riddick, the character is trapped on a foreign planet with a hostile population looking to kill him for the first half of the movie. Kristen Meinzer, The Takeaway’s culture producer, said that portion of the film reminded her of a bad CGI version of Castaway.

The second half of the movie, Riddick fights bounty hunters and Meinzer compared it to “every awful horror movie you’ve ever seen, except a lot worse.”

In short: awful, she said, though admitting perhaps it’s because she doesn’t have an inner 13-year-old boy.

Also out this weekend is the documentary “Salinger,” which promises to divulge some secrets about what writer J.D. Salinger did during all his years in seclusion.

In the film, Salinger’s daughter lays out how her father had prepared manuscripts to be published on his death. The books are expected to be published in the years ahead..

The documentary looks at what Salinger did during his time in seclusion in New Hampshire — after publishing Catcher in the Rye. And it also lays out what books are ready for publication, what the titles and summaries are.

“I think for Salinger fans, the big reveal is going to be worth it,” Meinzer said. “If you’re not a Salinger fan, and even if you are, you might some of this documentary a little sloppy, a little choppy.”

The other movie out this week is the inspirational “The Ultimate Life,” directed by Michael Landon Jr. Landon’s father, of the same name, is known for his own inspirational movies, as well as his appearances in the TV series Little House on the Prairie.

The movie sort of provides tips for highly successful people, Meinzer said. It’s also being released to the Hallmark Channel later this year, and Meinzer suggested waiting for the movie to be released to TV.