FILM CAPSULES CP
= CITY PAPER APPROVED
NEW THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE. This comedy, written by John Francis Daley of Horrible Bosses fame, follows a bestfriend duo of Las Vegas magicians and their misadventures as they try to remain relevant in a viral-video age of magic. The eponymous Mr. Wonderstone — played by Steve Carell — is a predictably arrogant and unlikable character who relies so heavily on overwrought Will Ferrell-style antics that even Carell’s charms can’t salvage him. Steve Buscemi, whose discomfort playing his role is almost captivating, plays Wonderstone’s sidekick, Anton. The unbearable cheesiness that ensues makes for a long hour and 40 minutes that’s far from incredible. (Jeff Ihaza)
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OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN. Terrorists have taken the White House, but luckily there’s a disgraced former White House guard on site. I smell victory and redemption! Aaron Eckhart and Gerard Butler star; Antoine Fuqua directs. Starts Fri., March 22. SPRING BREAKERS. The latest from buttonpushing director Harmony Korine (Gummo, Mr. Lonely, Trash Humpers) is surely his most mainstream venture yet: a crime drama about four best-girlfriend college pals who get in over their heads on spring break thanks to a drug dealer named Alien (played by James Franco). Also starring the till-now-squeaky-clean Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson. Starts Fri., March 22.
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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone special effects that date other older fantasy films. As Wonka, Gene Wilder is a delight, warm yet somehow malevolent. He doesn’t seem to care at all when bratty kids disappear. Sure, he says they’re coming back … What wicked pleasure to see irksome kids just vanish into psychedelic machinery. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 20. AMC Loews. $5. (Al Hoff) RUN LOLA RUN. Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to find and deliver 100,000 Deutsche marks to her boyfriend waiting across town, or he’ll incur the probably fatal wrath of his gangster boss. Yet director Tom Tykwer spins out a clever and entertaining thriller. With a frenetic mix of media — film, video, still photography, animation, techno music — and technique (slow motion, jumpcuts, split screens, color tinting), Lola’s short footpounding journey through the Berlin streets is presented three times. Three identical beginnings are altered slightly (Lola trips in one version) so that subsequent events occur on a different timeline and culminate with three wildly different conclusions. Run Lola Run has great fun inverting how thrillers — even arty European thrillers — are expected to end. The 1999 film wraps up a month-long, Sunday-night series of suspense films. In German, with subtitles. 8 p.m. Wed., March 20. Melwood. $2 (AH)
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THE WE AND THE I. In this new film from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), a group of teens from a South Bronx high school ride a city bus home on the last day of school. As expected, they’re keyed up — loud and obnoxious, their catcalls and pranks spilling over the seats and across the aisles, irritating the few adult passengers. Working almost exclusively within the bus, Gondry’s cameras are equally kinetic, bouncing from teen to teen, teasing out a hodgepodge of stories. But there’s no real narrative, just flashes of insight as these various threads unfold and intertwine. The title plays on the dreadful paradox of late adolescence — of being a newly formed individual, but still desiring to belong to a group, even at the cost of the self — and much of the conflict revolves around this tension. As the bus rolls on, they gradually lose the energy to posture and their encounters become more revealing. The ensemble cast are real Bronx teens, whom Gondry workshopped this film with, and the authenticity shows (even if the acting is a bit wobbly). The work is filmed in more-or-less real time, with a few
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AN ADRENALINE SHOT” TO THE CEREBRAL CORTEX! – Marshall Fine, HUFFINGTON POST
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Olympus Has Fallen STOKER. An already unstable family gets further disrupted when an uncle comes to stay. Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode star in this drama directed by Chanwook Park (Old Boy). Starts Fri., March 22. AMC Loews, Manor
REPERTORY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE CP WILLY FACTORY. Mel Stuart’s 1971 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story is heartwarming without being gooey and still deliciously weird. It’s a slow set-up while we wait out all the winners of the trip into Wonka’s secret candy factory — but once inside, the wonder, wackiness and even danger begin! The sets are wonderful color-saturated structures, free from the dumb
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NEWS
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TA S T E
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M A I N F E AT U R E
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MUSIC
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ARTS
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MUSIC BY
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PITTSBURGH The Manor Theatre (412) 422-7729
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DIRECTED BY
WEST HOMESTEAD AMC Loews Waterfront 22 (888) AMC-4FUN CLASSIFIEDS
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