Sunday, May 19, 2013
Movie Picks
Films recommended by our reviewers are indicated by an *.
Australia (PG-13)
For the first 85 minutes, Australia's a sprawling Western set in 1939 Northern Australia (starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman). The second half is an epic wartime romance. The film has its impressive moments, but director Baz Luhrmann ends up over-reaching as he tries to staple the two movies together. Scott Renshaw
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG)
Drew Barrymore provides the voice of Chloe, a rich chihuahua who finds herself lost on vacation in Mexico. Not reviewed
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Bolt (PG)
A dog (voiced by John Travolta), who acts in a television show, thinks he has superpowers until he learns about the power of friendship on a cross-country journey. Not reviewed
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (PG-13)
A World War II story told from the viewpoint of a concentration camp commandant's young son, who befriends a Jewish boy. Not reviewed
Cinemark 16
Changeling (R)
In the clunky overlong Changeling, a true 1920s tale of child abduction, authoritarian corruption and maternal indignation, director Clint Eastwood's restraint becomes its own kind of mugging. Jonathan Kiefer
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City of Ember (PG)
The people of Ember have lived in their city of lights for years. When the generator begins to fail, two teens must race to find the secret that keeps their city alive. Not reviewed
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*The Dark Knight (PG-13)
Batman's purposeful, gadget-abetted vigilantism has shown results, but still he has his work cut out for him. The film offers many thrills, some surprises and a few remarkable character transformations. Jonathan Kiefer
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (PG-13)
This is The Day the Earth Barely Even Notices We're on the Brink of Doom, and Why Don't Those Damn Hippies Just Shut Up About Global Warming Already? I'll be damned if there's any indication why the aliens prefer to save the planet over us, or why the audience should understand it either. MaryAnn Johanson
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Cinemark 16 IMAX, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Eagle Eye (PG-13)
Two strangers (Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan) end up fighting for their lives together when an unexpected phone call puts them into dangerous situations that keep escalating. Not reviewed
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Fireproof (PG)
In an attempt to help their failing marriage, a fireman and his wife enlist in a stunt called "The Love Dare." Not reviewed
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Four Christmases (PG-13)
A couple (Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn) attempt to visit all four of their parents' homes for the holidays. Not reviewed
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Igor (PG)
In this animated feature, a hunchbacked lab assistant longs to be a full-fledged scientist and to win top honors at the Evil Science Fair. Not reviewed
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Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG)
In this animated sequel, Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller) and his zoo friends board a flight to New York City, only to end up in Africa. Not reviewed
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown
Max Payne (PG-13)
Mark Wahlberg stars as a New York City DEA agent seeking revenge after his family is killed in the midst of a conspiracy. Not reviewed
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Milk (R)
If no single moment can be completely fitting for a biographical drama about martyred civil rights hero Harvey Milk, this moment, 30 years after his assassination, sure feels close. In the end, Milk transcends its historical duty, seeming both timely and timeless. Jonathan Kiefer
Cinemark 16, Kimball's Twin Peak
Nights in Rodanthe (PG-13)
Travelling to meet his long lost son, a man (Richard Gere) connects with a woman (Diane Lane), who is struggling with her marriage, when he stops at a small inn. Not reviewed
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Nothing Like the Holidays (PG-13)
Members of a widely scattered Puerto Rican family gather in Chicago to celebrate the Christmas holiday and the youngest son's return from war. Not reviewed
Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Punisher: War Zone (R)
This time around Ray Stevenson (of TV's Rome) plays Frank Castle (aka the Punisher) as he tracks down violent criminals in this sequel to 2004's The Punisher. Not reviewed
Tinseltown
Quantum of Solace (PG-13)
Quantum of Solace is a mean little film, grim and single-minded, without the pleasure or mischief that has made James Bond so endearing. Jonathan Kiefer
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Quarantine (R)
When government officials quarantine an apartment complex in California, the residents are never heard from again. Not reviewed
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Role Models (R)
Role Models is that usual assemblage of tittering about bodily fluids, casual homophobia, random sex acts and other expressions of apparently unoutgrowable male adolescent anxiety that passes for comedy today. MaryAnn Johanson
Chapel Hills 15
Transporter 3 (PG-13)
Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin, a mercenary whose expertise is the delivery of high-risk cargo. Not reviewed
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Tinseltown
Twilight (PG-13)
OMG! This is the best movie ever (if you're a 12-year-old fan). Twilight is all about Bella, who's a junior in high school, and Edward, who is the totally cute vampire teenager she meets at school. It's, like, so totally romantic! MaryAnn Johanson
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
*WALL-E (G)
A trash-compacting robot abandoned on an uninhabitable Earth for 700 years falls in love with a robot probe. Scott Renshaw
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