Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Movie picks
Films recommended by our reviewers are indicated by an *.
Black Swan (R)
Director Darren Aronofsky has a knack for luring brittle, ropy women into masochistic lesbian-tending situations and for ending movies with a possibly fatal final leap. Could we forget about passion and maybe see some control? — Jonathan Kiefer
Tinseltown
Blue Valentine (R)
The director's two essential boyhood nightmares were of nuclear war and his parents divorcing. A vision of the latter is what this film explores, with what the filmmaker evidently hopes is all the ominous scorching force of the former. — Jonathan Kiefer
Kimball's Peak Three
Burlesque (PG-13)
A small-town girl takesa job in a burlesque club in Los Angeles. — Not reviewed
Picture Show
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG)
It doesn't help, that the adventures here have no heft or emotion, and that the only truly involving characters are the talking warrior mouse and a dragon who enters the story literally out of nowhere. — MaryAnn Johanson
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15
Despicable Me (PG)
There's nothing wrong with Despicable Me. It's just that the whole enterprise feels somewhat lazy. — Scott Renshaw
Picture Show
The Dilemma (PG-13)
Ronny's world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees his buddy Nick's wife out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. — Not reviewed
Tinseltown
*Due Date (R)
When two mismatched souls are Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, even when the structure supporting them is sometimes shaky, it's still hard to resist. — Scott Renshaw
Picture Show
*The Fighter (R)
The final 20 minutes feels like something of a letdown, but for 90 minutes, The Fighter serves up a marvelously loose-limbed look at fascinating people bumping against one another in a convincingly realized place. — Scott Renshaw
Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
*The Green Hornet (PG-13)
If the action is out-clevered by the comedy, it's a small price to pay, for slam-bang movie enjoyment and for some satisfying superhero yuks. — MaryAnn Johanson
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Gulliver's Travels (PG)
In this contemporary re-imagining of Jonathan Swift's classic tale, Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) is a perpetual underachiever and wannabe travel writer at a New York newspaper. — Not reviewed
Chapel Hills 15*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (PG-13)
This Potter falls somewhere between ambitious and momentous in its own way, yet never quite as powerful as it wants to be. — Scott Renshaw
Picture Show
How Do You Know (PG-13)
George and Lisa meet on the worst day of each of their lives and discover what it means to have something wonderful happen. — Not reviewed
Picture Show
*The King's Speech (R)
Viewers expecting the stiff royal drama that the dull title implies will be just as surprised as the stuttering king when he's eventually able to deliver a flawless speech. — Tricia Olszewski
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Kimball's Peak Three, Tinseltown
Little Fockers (PG-13)
It's mystifying trying to fathom just what the hell Robert De Niro is doing in a movie that finds the height of its humor in a child's projectile vomiting and dick jokes. — MaryAnn Johanson
Picture Show
The Mechanic (R)
Arthur Bishop is an elite assassin with a talent for eliminating targets. When his mentor and close friend is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached.— Not reviewed
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Megamind (PG)
Megamind is the world's most brilliant supervillain, and the least successful. His attempts to conquer Metro City have failed thanks to Metro Man, an invincible hero until the day Megamind actually kills him. Suddenly, he has no purpose. — Not reviewed
Picture Show
No Strings Attached (R)
A guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more. — Not reviewed
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
RED (PG-13)
It's not that RED doesn't provide individually entertaining moments. But a few kicks of adrenaline aren't quite enough to make me care. — Scott Renshaw
Picture Show
*The Rite (R)
Damn if Anthony Hopkins isn't fantastic at rendering in-your-face whispers or sudden glances creepy as hell. And when he's just Lucas, man of God, albeit an admittedly skeptical one, Hopkins is often funny. — Tricia Olszewski
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown
The Roommate (PG-13)
A college freshman becomes obsessed with her new roommate. — Not reviewed
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
*Sanctum (R)
Sanctum is a bit cheesy, but shows us gorgeous yawning caverns and claustrophobic tight spots. — MaryAnn Johanson
Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
Secretariat (PG)
Based on the novel Secretariat: The Making of a Champion by William Nack, Secretariat chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. — Not reviewed
Picture Show
*Tangled (PG)
Why is something with such familiar components so praiseworthy? Because it nails those components. The songs are Broadway-catchy, all three central voice performances are terrific, and the comic relief genuinely amusing. — Scott Renshaw
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown
TRON: Legacy (PG-13)
Legacy lectures us about immersing ourselves in the digital world at the risk of our interactions in the real world, but we could have enjoyed its candy-coated delights without having to be warned that there's no place like home. — Scott Renshaw
Cinemark 16 IMAX, Tinseltown
*True Grit (PG-13)
It may seem as though the Coen brothers just want to add "vintage Western" to the list of genre roads they've traveled. Instead, they've subtly crafted what may be their most deeply felt movie yet. — Scott Renshaw
Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown
*Unstoppable (PG-13)
Having played with fighter jets, race cars, submarines and subway trains, director Tony Scott still isn't done hurling around huge deadly vehicles. — Jonathan Kiefer
Picture Show
Yogi Bear (PG)
Yogi must prove that he really is "smarter than the average bear" and find a way to save Jellystone Park from closing forever. — Not reviewed
Carmike 10, Cinemark 16, Tinseltown
