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sense of its absurdity but also apparent honesty by a fifth-grader who has known debilitating hunger. Directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, “A Place at the Table” looks at food insecurity, an existential state in which an individual or family may not know where the next meal is coming from, or if it will provide sufficient nutrition. Millions of Americans live hand to mouth, and millions more make do on diets of processed foods that will inevitably prove devastating to their health. The hallucinating fifth-grader hails from Collbrun, Colo., described by one resident as “close-knit, caring and yet almost desperate.” In other words, it’s a place where having to make resources “stretch” is a common daily struggle. The film provides plenty of credibly damning statistics (though, touching off a pet peeve of mine, they’re rarely sourced), one of the key ones being that 30 percent of U.S. families are food-insecure. Jacobson and Silverbush identify as ground zero Mississippi, the state with the highest rate of food insecurity and the highest rate of obesity, twin indicators of low income. While the film provides plenty of moving case studies, it’s most useful for its prismatic look at the problem of American hunger, examining the problem’s recent history, its root causes (principally poverty, but also farm subsidies that determine the marketplace by making processed foods cheaper and more accessible than fresh produce), and its inextricability from other national crises: how the hunger problem multiplies the healthcare problem and the education problem, as well as their attendant costs. The film approximates that 23.5 million Americans live in so-called “food deserts” born of the shipping principle “maximum delivery, minimum cost.” It looks at the disproportionate impact on children who, because they are undernourished, have a diminished capacity to learn. Jacobson and Silverbush also briefly exhume the relevant news story of U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., who discusses his experimental one-week “food-stamp diet” (during which he learned the average food-stamp benefit is $3 a day). It’s a challenge getting butts in seats for a film like “A Place at the Table” — after all, it’s hardly a date movie — so it’s understandable that the filmmakers recruited a Special Guest Star in Jeff Bridges. He’s the actor who has made the End Hunger Network one of his primary causes, producing a TV movie, excerpted here, on the subject of domestic hunger: “Hidden in America.” Bridges lends his engagingly folksy voice of reason, pointing out how the U.S. is currently “in denial” about a problem that well-funded government programs once had in check.
The giants are visually impressive in “Jack the Giant Slayer.”
Jack the Giant Slayer ---
(Century 16, Century 20) The classic folk tale has become a fascination for Hollywood lately, and the evolution of visual effects has made such stories easier to translate to the big screen. Some succeed (last year’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” was decent) while others stumble (2011’s “Red Riding Hood” was not). The good news here is that director Bryan Singer’s take on the “Jack and the Beanstalk” fable proves to be an excellent adaptation of a time-honored yarn — maybe the best yet. Singer, of “The Usual Suspects” and “X-Men” fame, infuses the film with just the right balance of action, romance and goofy fun. The picture moves at a brisk pace, the effects are spot-on and the script (by Darren Lemke, Dan Studney and Singer’s “Usual Suspects” partner Christopher McQuarrie) is refreshingly sharp. If high adventure is what you crave, “Jack the Giant Slayer” has you covered. Up-and-comer Nicholas Hoult (“Warm Bodies,” “X-Men: First Class”) plays Jack, a humble farmhand who lives in relative squalor with his uncle. Jack’s uncle tasks him with taking a horse to town to sell, and Jack reluctantly parts with the animal for — you guessed it — a handful of unusual beans. But the beans’ bearer issues an ominous warning: Don’t get them wet. Soon after, the kingdom’s sheltered princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) shows up at Jack’s doorstep seeking refuge from the rain after straying from the castle for some much-needed “me time.” As the chemistry between Jack and Isabelle sizzles, one wayward bean falls beneath the house and sprouts, launching a massive stalk up toward the heavens with the house and Isabelle in tow. Despite Jack’s best efforts, he gets left behind. King Brahmwell (Ian McShane) orders his best soldier, Elmont (Ewan McGregor), to lead a team up the stalk to rescue Isabelle. The group — which includes Jack, Elmont’s fierce friend Crawe (Eddie Marsan) and Brahmwell’s
less-than-honorable adviser Roderick (Stanley Tucci) — makes its way up the sinewy plant to discover a horde of surly giants. “Jack” is a virtual thrill ride throughout, bolstered by a solid cast and compelling love story. McGregor is all charm as the courageous Elmont, and Hoult’s Jack is an admirable blend of heroics and aww-shucks humility. The usually spectacular Tucci (phenomenal in “Big Night” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” among other roles) is sadly miscast here and comes across as something of a weak link. The giants — especially the dual-headed General Fallon (voiced by Bill Nighy) — are visually impressive. In one scene the audience is literally brought face-to-face with a giant, which feels akin to a theme-park ride (in a good way). There is some sophomoric humor here and there, such as the giants’ penchant for flatulence and one behemoth’s nose-picking urge. The movie reminded this reviewer of fantasy classics like “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) or “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963), pictures that relay a sense of adventure and heroism. And “Jack” pays homage to its literary origins with subtle additions. Keep your eyes open for the gilded egg and magic harp. Fee-fi-fo-fun. Rated PG-13 for intense scenes of fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief language. One hour, 55 minutes. — Tyler Hanley
A Place at the Table ---
(Aquarius) It’s long been a cliché for comically hungry characters, especially in cartoons, to look at friends and begin to envision them as hearty food. While we’re pretty much all familiar with this punchy visual image, few of us probably think of it as likely to occur in real life. And yet, there it is in the new documentary “A Place at the Table,” a reverie recounted with a
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Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language. One hour, 25 minutes. — Peter Canavese
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
(Aquarius) Life can change in a heartbeat. An elderly, cultured Parisian couple (Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant) have their worlds fall apart when one of them suffers a pair of debilitating strokes. Seeing these French iconic actors in their 80s is shocking in itself, and director Michael Haneke also creates a story and a world that is one of his most difficult to watch. The film is also one of his most masterful. As the couple’s life together unspools in flashbacks, moving toward the painful present day, Haneke unblinkingly and compassionately presents universal truths, while revealing the illusion of filmmaking and our role as spectators. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including a disturbing act, and brief language. In French with English subtitles. Two hours, seven minutes. — S.T. (Reviewed Jan. 11, 2013)
The Gatekeepers ---1/2
(Palo Alto Square) Dror Moreh’s documentary “The Gatekeepers” proves more intellectually engaging than Hollywood’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” and at least as unsettling. Moreh pursued the participation of former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service. Six of these men agreed for the first time to explain their actions, discuss their successes and air their regrets. Obviously men who have run the Shin Bet will be both canny enough and skilled enough to say just what they want, no more or less. Essentially the sole criticism of Moreh’s film is that it gives the men a venue to couch their past actions in the best possible light and to polish their legacies by explaining how they have, in hindsight, turned certain political corners. The sometimes-slick visual approach, incorporating recreations of satellite surveillance and an animated photographer’seye view of the 1984 debacle, can at times feel like overkill, but they also help to put what’s otherwise a series of talking heads in the game with other eyecatching top docs. Rated PG-13 for violent content including disturbing images. One hour, 41 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed Feb. 22, 2013) Les Miserables ---
(Century 16) One has to admire the ambition of this through-sung play that’s now a big-screen musical. A condensation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 epic novel, the musical by composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyricists Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel achieved enormous popular appeal with its melodies and melodrama. But it’s equally true that “Les Miserables” has never been known for its subtlety, with its storytelling in all-caps and its music thunderously repetitive. None of this changes, exactly, in the film adaptation helmed by Tom Hooper, Oscar-winning director of “The King’s Speech.” And like so many movie musicals, this one’s a mixed bag of suitable and not-so-suitable choices. On balance, though, it’s about as compelling a screen version of “Les Mis” as we have any right to expect. Hugh Jackman stars as Jean Valjean, a parole violator in
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Century Theatres at Palo Alto Square Fri 3/1 The Gatekeepers - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25, 10:05 Argo - 1:30, 4:15, 7:15, 10:00 Sat 3/2 The Gatekeepers - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25, 10:05 Argo - 4:15, 7:15, 10:00
Sun thru Tues, Thurs 3/3-3/5 & 3/7 The Gatekeepers - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25 Argo - 1:30, 4:15, 7:15 Wed ONLY 3/6 The Gatekeepers - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25 Argo - 1:30
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