Weekend Q MOVIEOPENINGS
Q MOVIETIMES A Most Wanted Man (R) Century 16: 10:30 a.m., 1:25, 4:20, 7:15 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 10:35 a.m., 1:35, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:25 p.m. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Fri 5:55 & 9:05 p.m. Begin Again (R) Aquarius Theatre: 5:40 & 10:20 p.m. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) (R) Century 16: Sun 2 p.m. Century 20: Sun 2 p.m. Boyhood (R) ++++ Aquarius Theatre: 11:50 a.m., 1:15, 3:20, 7 & 8:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:05 a.m., 2:45, 6:20 & 9:55 p.m. Calvary (R) Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:40, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m.
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Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Fri 7:30 p.m.
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello are back in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
Chef (R) Palo Alto Square: 1:30, 4:15, 7 & 9:45 p.m.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 00
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) +++ Century 16: 9:50 a.m., 12:55, 4:10, 7:20 &10:25 p.m. Century 20: 10:25 a.m., 1:25, 4:35, 7:25 & 10:35 p.m.
(Century 16, 20) Unless you’re an 8-year-old just getting acquainted with them, you probably made up your mind about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles long, long ago. After all, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s heroes in a half-shell debuted 30 years ago, when their cheeky action adventures had the foresight to spoof the ‘80s even while they were happening. Well, they’re back on the big screen again for a fifth goround after three ‘90s live-action films and a 2007 CGI-animated one-off. The new picture, titled simply “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” blends live-action (most of the settings and all of the humans) with CGI (most of the action and all of the nonhuman characters). And you’re either really excited to see them again (and, if so, may I just say, “Cowabunga, dude”) or have already turned to something more interesting, like the real estate listings. So that leaves it to me to describe the reboot by Jonathan Liebesman, a Hollywood go-to-guy for mid-range hor-
ror pictures and action flicks no one else wants (“Wrath of the Titans,” anyone?). Look, despite the looming presence of crap-maestro Michael Bay as producer, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” isn’t so terrible. It fits the brief, as it were, with some variations on the concept that don’t challenge the fundamentals, four of which are in the title. So the TMNT — Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello — study ninjitsu under a similarly mutated rat named Splinter (to whom an unbilled Tony Shalhoub gives voice) and make their debut as vigilantes battling back the criminal Foot Clan. This gets the attention of fluff-piece reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox), who aspires to serious journalism and turns out to have all sorts of history with the people and creatures currently making news: industrialist Eric Sachs (William Fichtner), the Turtles and Splinter. Pulling the strings of the Foot Clan is Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), a big guy in a robotic samurai suit who seems to have escaped from one of Bay’s “Transformers” flicks. O’Neil’s surprising ties to the Turtles may rankle purists,
but to be fair, this isn’t “War and Peace.” It’s a movie with a nunchuk-wielding reptile standing over 6 feet tall, drooling over pizza and making boner jokes about Megan Fox. So we can be choosy about what we complain about. To be fair to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” it’s aimed squarely at action-loving tykes, and they’ll duly love it. The script is an unironic throwback to ‘80s action movies (OK, some irony when they make Batman cracks), and though the blank Fox is less a star than a placeholder, her foil is Will Arnett as a funny cameraman. Most of the one-liners are pretty lame, but kids won’t agree, and they’ll be held rapt by the head-spinning (3D, if you want it) action, from acrobatic fights to an insane chase down a snowy mountain and a climax over Times Square ripped wholesale from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” And what does it all amount to? Nothing more than a seemingly self-descriptive bit of scripting uttered by Arnett: “Froth. It’s nice.” Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence. One hour, 41 minutes. — Peter Canavese
Get On Up (PG-13) Century 16: 9:10 a.m., 12:20, 3:35, 7:05 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m., 12:55, 2:35, 5:40, 7:15 & 8:50 p.m. Guardians of the Galaxy (PG-13) Century 16: 10:30 a.m., 1:30, 4:30, 7:45, 8:30, 10:40 & 11:30 p.m. In 3-D at 9, 9:45 & 11:15 a.m.; noon, 12:45, 2:15, 3, 3:45, 5:15 & 6:15 p.m. Century 20: 10:20 a.m., 1:15, 4:05, 5:25, 7, 8:25 & 10 p.m. In 3-D at 11:35 a.m., 12:05, 12:40, 2:25, 3:05, 3:35, 4:50, 6, 6:35 & 9 p.m. Hercules (2014) (PG-13) Century 16: 7:25 & 9:55 p.m. Century 20: 10:20 a.m., 12:45, 3:10, 5:45, 8:15 & 10:40 p.m. The Hundred-Foot Journey (PG) Century 16: 10:35 a.m., 1:35, 4:35, 7:35 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 10:35 a.m., 1:30, 4:30, 7:25 & 10:15 p.m. Into the Storm (PG-13) Century 16: 9:15, 10:25 & 11:45 a.m.; 1, 2:10, 3:30, 4:45, 6:10, 7:10 & 8:35 p.m. Century 20: 10:50 a.m., 12:10, 1:20, 2:30, 3:50, 6:45, 8 & 9:15 p.m. In X-D at 5:20 & 10:40 p.m. James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge 3D (PG) Century 16: 10:40 a.m., 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8 & 10:20 p.m. Lucy (R) +++ Century 16: 10:10 a.m., 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 10:40 a.m., 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8:05 & 10:30 p.m. Magic in the Moonlight (PG-13) Century 20: 11:15 a.m., 1:45, 4:20, 7:10 & 9:45 p.m. Guild Theatre: 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:10 & 9:30 p.m. Monty Python Live (Mostly) (R) Aquarius Theatre: Sat 11 a.m. National Theatre Live: A Small Family Business (Not Rated) Aquarius Theatre: Sun 11 a.m. Planes: Fire & Rescue (PG) Century 16: 9:30 & 11:50 a.m.; 2:25 & 4:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:15, 7:05 & 9:25 p.m. The Purge: Anarchy (R) Century 20: 10:25 a.m., 4:10 & 10:35 p.m. Queen Christina (1933) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Sat & Sun 5:40 & 9:40 p.m. Roman Holiday (1953) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Sat & Sun 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. Step Up All In (PG-13) Century 16: 1:45 & 7:50 p.m.; 12:10 a.m. In 3-D at 10:55 a.m., 4:40 & 10:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m. & 7:40 p.m. In 3-D at 2:15, 5 & 10:20 p.m. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG-13) Century 16: 10:20 a.m., 1:05, 6:20, 9 & 11:40 p.m. In 3-D at 9 & 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 3:40, 5, 7:40 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 10:30 a.m., 2:20, 7:50 & 9:05 a.m. In 3-D at 11:45 a.m., 1:05, 3:40, 5:10, 6:25 & 10:30 p.m.
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Helen Mirren stars in “The Hundred-Foot Journey”.
THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY 001/2 (Century 16, 20) There’s a moment in “The Hundred-Foot Journey” — Lasse Hallstrom’s film adaptation of Richard C. 24
Morais’s bestselling novel — when the female ingenue gives the male ingenue a hot tip on how to prepare corn. Better listen carefully: if anyone would know how to prepare corn, it’s
Q Mountain View Voice Q MountainViewOnline.com Q August 8, 2014
the creators of “The HundredFoot Journey.” Zing! Okay, okay, this GMO hybrid of foodie drama, cultureContinued on next page
AQUARIUS: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) CENTURY CINEMA 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) CENTURY 20 DOWNTOWN: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) CINEARTS AT PALO ALTO SQUARE: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456) STANFORD THEATRE: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) For show times, plot synopses and more information about any films playing at the Aquarius, visit www.LandmarkTheatres.com 0 Skip it 00 Some redeeming qualities 000 A good bet 0000 Outstanding
For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more movie info, visit www.mv-voice.com and click on movies.