Soldier works as solid, big-budget entertainment. Despite surfacelevel attempts to include timely political commentary, this movie — deep down in its big, noisy heart — wants nothing more than to be a high-priced spectacle. To that end, the movie is mostly successful, and it will certainly make a ton of cash. Just don’t expect much beyond the usual comic book antics. Shorn of the first film’s tedious origin story, the sequel feels leaner and jumps straight into the action. The plot roams around a bit, but that isn’t a huge problem. After all, the storyline is simply a mode for transitioning from one explosion to another. The idea here is that Captain America (Chris Evans) — a WWII supersoldier bred by the military and accidentally frozen and thawed out decades later — is embroiled in a confusing and short-sighted plot to to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. and murder a ton of Americans. All of this seems to center on a mysterious masked assassin with a metal arm called The Winter Soldier. There are lots of fights along the way (for a PG-13 rating, the visceral nature of the violence is unexpected), a dumpster fire in an amateurish car chase and plenty of CGI explosions and property damage. It is the kind of sound and fury that has become so commonplace that the value of its spectacle has been totally lost. With that said — assuming you care about the extended Marvel serial — there are some serious consequences to the comic book universe the studio has constructed. Unfortunately, this news might carry more weight if it wasn’t explained to us by a Nazi scientist’s brain (voiced by Toby Jones) trapped in a computer, which is infinitely less fun than it sounds. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who are best known for their sitcom work, the filmmaking is smart at times, and the non-action scenes are welcomely cheeky. Captain America himself is a more interesting character outside of his origin story and placed inside this hero-outside-oftime scenario. It’s not only the culture shock (which is mostly played for laughs but is never quite overdone) but the greater issue of a wholly old-fashioned American superhero finding himself in a world with ethical shades of gray he never imagined. Here, the movie becomes critical of the cur-
rent surveillance state and drone warfare, with a heavy dose paranoia. In theory, the simple inclusion of political commentary is commendable, but it doesn’t go anywhere or ultimately say much, keeping Winter Soldier from being anything more than loud and engaging. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout. reviewed by Justin Souther Playing at Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, United Artists Beaucatcher.
Community Screenings Film At tHe AsHeville Art museum 2 N. Pack Square, 253-3227, ashevilleart. org. $8/$7 students and seniors. • SA (4/12) & SU (4/13), 2-4pm - Beasts of the Southern Wild. AsHeville JeWisH Film FestivAl 253-3227 or ashevillejewishfilmfestival. com. Held at the Fine Arts Theatre, 36 Broadway. $8.50. • TH (4/10), 7pm - Sukkah City, a documentary about an architectural competition. • FR (4/11), 1pm - Sukkah City, a documentary about an architectural competition. clAssic World cinemA Foreign Film series 273-3332. Free unless otherwise noted. • FR (4/11), 8pm - Last Year at Marienbad. Held at Courtyard Gallery, 109 Roberts St. Phil Mechanic Building Film At uncA 251-6585, unca.edu. Held in the Highsmith Student Union. Free. • WE (4/9), 6:30pm - La Haine, a French suspense film. Film screenings At Wcu 227-2324. Held in the A.K. Hinds University Center. Free. • TH (4/10), 7:30pm - The Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975, a documentary. gloW: gAy & lesbiAn+ oF Western nortH cArolinA 828-253-0701, ext. 112, neil@jcc-asheville. org. Reservations recommended. • TH (4/10), 7-9:30pm - City of Borders, a documentary about the underground gay community in Jerusalem. Held in the Rhodes Robinson building at UNCA. Wild & scenic Film FestivAl wnca.org • TU (4/15), 6-9pm - An enviornmental film festival hosted by Western North Carolina Alliance. $10/$6 students. Held at Asheville Community Theater, 35 E. Walnut St.
staRting fRiday
Rio 2
Draft Day Why is it, do you suppose, that the only mainstream release this week that doesn’t have any reviews is Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day? OK, Kevin Costner isn’t the draw he once was, but he’s surrounded by an interesting cast — Jennifer Garner, Dennis Leary, Ellen Burstyn, Frank Langella — and sports movies (especially the PG-13 variety) tend to be popular. The studio tells us: “On the day of the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.” Sounds serviceable if not exciting. So why the silence? We shall see. (Pg-13)
You know what this is — the inevitable sequel to a popular animated kids’ movie. It will make a mint. It boasts a pricey voice cast, lots of bright colors and some musical numbers. The plot has something to do with Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) leaving Rio for further adventures in the wilds of the Amazon jungle. (If you can discern anything more from the trailer, you’re up on me.) So far the reviews are mostly positive but rarely ecstatic. (Pg)
The Raid 2 See review in “Cranky Hanke.”
Nymphomaniac vol. 2 See review in “Cranky Hanke.”
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Oculus Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has been around for a while — mostly in the horror-fantasy realm — but Oculus marks his first shot at a breakthrough into the mainstream. It has no star power to speak of (mostly people from TV), but it has a spooky premise that’s full of promise: “Ten years ago, tragedy struck the Russell family, leaving the lives of teenage siblings Tim and Kaylie forever changed when Tim was convicted of the brutal murder of their parents. Now in his 20s, Tim is newly released from protective custody and only wants to move on with his life; but Kaylie, still haunted by that fateful night, is convinced her parents’ deaths were caused by something else altogether: a malevolent supernatural force unleashed through the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror in their childhood home.” Its trailer is solid if not overwhelming. Plus, it has nothing but positive reviews from the first 10 critics to review. A small sampling, yes, but a diverse one that isn’t all from horror fan sites. (R)
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aPRiL 9 - aPRiL 15 2014
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