nowplaying Admission JJJJ
Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, naT WolFF, lily Tomlin, michael Sheen Comedy A by-the-book Princeton admissions officer’s life is turned upside down when — among other things — she finds out a teen (who may or may not be the son she once gave up for adoption) is trying to get into her school. A refreshingly mature, intelligent, goodhearted comedy that unfortunately slips a bit into the realm of forgettable. Rated PG-13
The CAll JJ
halle BeRRy, aBigail BReSlin, moRRiS cheSTnuT, michael eklund, david oTunga Thriller A 911 operator tries to help a kidnapped teen over the phone, only to learn that she’s encountered the kidnapper once before, with horrific consequences. A borderline competent thriller that’s dumb as a brick — and almost entertaining because of it. Rated R
The Croods JJJJJ
(voiceS) nicolaS cage, emma STone, caTheRine keeneR, Ryan ReynoldS, cloRiS leachman, claRk duke Animated Adventure A Stone Age family must learn how to adapt to a drastically changing world that threatens to become — literally — a thing of the past. Spectacular-looking, exciting and (I dare say) even moving animated film with extremely good voice casting. It’s nothing at all like the film the trailer suggests and even though it’s not Chris Sanders’ earlier Lilo & Stitch or How to Train Your Dragon, it’s still very good indeed. Rated PG
evil deAd JJJ
Jane levy, Shiloh FeRnandez, lou TayloR Pucci, JeSSica lucaS, elizaBeTh BlackmoRe Splattery Horror A group of 20-somethings find an aged book of occultism in the incredibly spacious basement of a cabin. One of them foolishly reads from it. Nastiness ensues. Slick, gory, reasonably efficient remake of the 1981 Sam Raimi cult favorite. It’s OK, but apart from a pretty terrific ending, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before — plenty of times. Rated R
G.i. Joe: reTAliATion J
dWayne JohnSon, adRianne Palicki, d.J. coTRona, Byung-hun lee, BRuce WilliS Action The members of G.I. Joe team are attacked and nearly destroyed as the evil cabal that is Cobra attempts to bring the world to its knees. A cheesy, charmless blow-em-up, heavy in dumb, macho action-movie clichés that’s short on tact. Rated PG-13
The GATekeepers JJJJ
ami ayalon, avi dichTeR, yuval diSkin, caRmi gillon, yaakov PeRi, avRaham Shalom Documentary An oral history of the Israeli intelligence agency, Shin Bet, as told by the men who’ve run it. An informative and occasionally eye-opening documentary that’s a bit too stodgy and erudite, but works well when it displays its humanity. Rated PG-13
The hosT J
SaoiRSe Ronan, max iRonS, William huRT, Jake aBel, diane kRugeR Mushy Sci-fi Romance Sci-Fi silliness about aliens taking over earthlings’ bodies — with timeout for teen passions. Unbelievably tedious, occasionally unintentionally funny, teencentric sci-fi soaper that moves at a pace that makes 125 minutes seem like it must be no more than three or four days. Rated PG-13
idenTiTy Thief J
JaSon BaTeman, meliSSa mccaRThy, amanda PeeT, T.i., geneSiS RoRiguez, John cho Raunch-com When a woman steals a man’s identity and runs up astronomical debts, her victim tracks her down in search of reparation. Overlong, distasteful, strikingly unfunny and badly written. It’s not directed all that well either. Rated R
The inCredible burT WondersTone JJ
STeve caRell, STeve BuScemi, olivia Wilde, Jim caRRey. alan aRkin, JameS gandolFini, Jay mohR Comedy A pair of Vegas magicians find themselves being upstaged by a nontraditional street performer. Largely painless, but utterly mediocre and unnecessary. Rated PG-13
like someone in love JJJJ
Rin TakanaShi, TadaShi okuno, Ryo kaSe, denden, mihoko Suzuki Drama A call girl is sent to spend the evening with an elderly professor and a strange kinship begins. A slight, slow-moving, fragile little movie that will either haunt you with its vagueness, or frustrate you beyond endurance. I do think it’s worth a look, but it’s definitely for specialized tastes. Rated NR
olympus hAs fAllen J
geRaRd BuTleR, aaRon eckhaRT, moRgan FReeman, dylan mcdeRmoTT, angela BaSSeTT, meliSSa leo Jingoistic Revenge Action Renegade North Korean terrorists take over the White House and one Secret Service agent must save the president — and possibly the United States itself. Preposterous, yet utterly predictable, nasty little jingoistic thriller with bad special effects. Loud, mean-spirited, fairly appalling Die Hard rip-off that will probably make a fortune. Rated R
on The roAd JJJ
Sam Riley, gaRReTT hedlund, kRiSTen STeWaRT, amy adamS, Tom STuRRidge, alice BRaga, kiRSTen dunST, viggo moRTenSen Quasi-biographical Drama Film version of Jack Kerouac’s autobiographical novel. It looks good, it’s solidly produced and it offers a reasonable approximation of the book, but it’s never very exciting, nor does it dig very deeply. Rated R
oz The GreAT And poWerful JJJ
JameS FRanco, mila kuniS, Rachel WeiSz, michelle WilliamS, zach BRaFF, Bill coBBS, Joey king, Tony cox Fantasy An unauthorized, but very obvious prequel to the 1939 Wizard of Oz. Good-looking, likable, but hardly the definitive Oz film it wants to be — and one that suffers from largely efficient, but faceless direction, and the usual longer-than-needed running time. Rated PG
The plACe beyond The pines JJJJJ
Ryan goSling, BRadley cooPeR, eva mendeS, dane dehaan, emoRy cohen, Ben mendelSohn Drama Three stories — involving a dirt-bike-riding bank robber, a small-town cop and their respective sons — intersect. An often flawed, overlong drama that remains worthy of attention because of its humanely drawn characters and sheer ambition. Rated R
QuArTeT JJJJ
maggie SmiTh, Tom couRTenay, Billy connolly, Pauline collinS, michael gamBon Comedy Drama Life at a retirement home for musicians and musical performers is disrupted by the arrival of a famous diva and the threat of the home being shut down if their annual gala isn’t a big success. A rather familiar story is given a first-rate treatment by an excellent cast and assured direction. Extremely enjoyable, especially for Anglophiles and fans of the stars. Rated PG-13
silver lininGs plAybook JJJJJ
BRadley cooPeR, JenniFeR laWRence, RoBeRT de niRo, Jacki WeaveR, chRiS TuckeR, anuPam kheR Romantic Comedy Unusual screwball romantic comedy about two very dysfunctional people. Richly rewarding, funny, fresh and touching romantic comedy that both adheres to the genre while taking it to new places. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence make for a very appealing couple — and get great support from the rest of the A-list cast. Rated R
sToker JJJJJ
mia WaSikoWSka, nicole kidman, maTTheW goode, Jacki WeaveR, deRmoT mulRoney, alden ehRenReich Mystery Suspense Thriller When her father dies in an accident, India Stoker finds her world turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious uncle, who may be romancing her mother, or possibly her, but whose motives are as cloudy as his past. Ultra stylish mystery thriller from South Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park with excellent performances from its high-powered cast. Far and away the best movie to come out this year thus far. Rated R
TrAnCe JJJJJ
JameS mcavoy, vincenT caSSel, RoSaRio daWSon, danny SaPani, maTT cRoSS, WahaB Sheikh Dark Twisty Thriller Fast-paced combination heist movie and psychological thriller about the theft of a painting, and its incredibly convoluted aftermath where what you think you know is almost always wrong. Cheekily amoral, unbelievably complex, dark, humored thriller from Danny Boyle that’s reminiscent of his earlier work. Deep? Probably not, but as an act of pure filmmaking it’s a must-see. Rated R
Tyler perry’s TempATion J
JuRnee SmolleTT-Bell, lance gRoSS, kim kaRdaShian, vaneSSa WilliamS, RoBBie JoneS, BRandy noRWood, Renée TayloR Cautionary Drama Moralizing cautionary drama about the wages of sin and leaving your husband for a slick millionaire sociopath. Quite possibly, it’s the most appalling movie Tyler Perry has churned out in ages. What more needs be said? Rated PG-13
WesT of memphis JJJJJ
damien Wayne echolS, JaSon BaldWin, JeSSie miSSkelley, loRRiS daviS Documentary Documentary on the West Memphis Three and the efforts to prove them innocent of the murders for which they were convicted in 1994. If you know little about the case, this should be one suspenseful moviegoing experience. If you’re familiar with the case, it ought to still prove a compelling watch because of the amassed and distilled information. Rated R
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