'Miss Bala' misses the mark

Mexico's 2011 Oscar entry, "Miss Bala," was a searing slice of social commentary wrapped up in a thriller, its beauty-queen-meets-drug-lord story based on a 2008 scandal. It's no wonder Hollywood saw it as prime remake material. In "Miss Bala" (⋆⋆½; PG-13), Gina Rodriguez stars as Gloria, a makeup artist from Los Angeles who gets caught up in the swirl of corruption and cartels while visiting a friend who is competing in the Miss Baja California pageant. The Hollywood ending misses the point of what "Miss Bala" was and should be.

Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

Also coming Tuesday

• "Arctic"

• "Dragged Across the Concrete"

• "Finding Joy"

• "Mission of Honor"

• "Serenity"