movie dope Some releases may not be showing locally this week. • indicates new review 2 GUNS (R) DEA Agent Bobby “Beans” Trench and Navy Intelligence Officer Michael “Stig” Stigman are two unlikely partners. When they unwittingly steal $43.125 million from a shadowy organization, represented by Earl (Bill Paxton), they must trust one another again to clear both their names. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg have great chemistry, and the latter shines. 2 Guns is loaded and hits the bull’s eye with every shot. AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS Who is writer-director David Lowery? Well, he edited Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color. He also really likes Terrance Malick. An affinity for Malick isn’t a character flaw (if it is, color me guilty), but I hope his feature debut isn’t as derivatively arty as its trailer and buzz suggest. Outlaw Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) escapes from prison to reunite with his former partner, Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), and their daughter. THE CONJURING (R) Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) investigate the things that go bump in the night. Most times, a rational explanation solves the case; sometimes, it’s something paranormal. The occurrences in the Perron family’s new house are not just paranormal; they’re malevolent. James Wan (Saw, Insidious) stages the Perron’s haunting with utmost care. From the font in the opening credits, the film harkens back to the ‘70s and places itself not as a wannabe, but as a peer next to such modern classics as The Amityville Horror and (dare I type it) The Exorcist. DESPICABLE ME 2 (PG) When a new super villain steals a dangerous, experimental serum, the Anti Villain League enlists former master criminal Gru’s (v. Steve Carell) assistance. Despicable Me 2 has no shot at surpassing expectations like its underdog predecessor, and its appeal to anyone over ten probably depends on one’s tolerance for the Minions, whose roles have been enlarged with their own spinoff in the works for 2014. • ELYSIUM (R) Science fiction offers a rich canvas upon which ambitious authors and filmmakers can point out the flaws in modern society via a far-off future. Think Orwell, Bradbury, Kubrick, etc. Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp certainly sees the polemical advantages of sci-fi. In 2154, the Earth has gone from third rock from the sun to third world.
Orbiting in the skies above the planet is Elysium, where the wealthy live forever thanks to breakthroughs in medical technology. An ex-con turned factory worker, Max De Costa (Matt Damon), gets sick in an industrial accident and seeks a means to get to Elysium. Tricked out with an exoskeleton that makes him stronger and nearly invincible, Max goes all Terminator until he gets to Elysium, run by ice-cold Defense Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster). With Blomkamp’s mastery of ultraviolence, cyborg tech and high concept satire, the South African could be a new (and improved?) Paul Verhoeven, were he to also equal the Dutchman’s exuberant sense of overkill. EPIC (PG) Unbeknownst to humanity, the forests are protected by the Leafmen, who constantly do battle with the Boggans, led by Mandrake (v. Christoph Waltz). When M.K. (v. Amanda Seyfried) is magically transported to their world, she must ensure the survival of the forest. The movie, based on William Joyce’s book, The Leafmen, does far too little to avoid Star Wars comparisons; it practically invites them. See bird racing (pod racing) and the two slugs who give off a distinct R2D2/C3PO sidekick vibe. FRUITVALE STATION (R) Fruitvale Station enters theaters having established quite a pedigree, picking up Sundance’s prestigious Grand Jury Prize (and Audience Award) plus the Best First Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Writer-director Ryan Coogler based his feature debut on the real life events that occurred to Oscar Grant, played by “Friday GROWN UPS 2 (PG-13) With nary a grown-up in it, this sequel to Adam Sandler’s second biggest box office hit of all time is worse than its subpar predecessor. Former Hollywood bigshot Lenny Feder (Sandler) moves his family back to his tiny hometown, but rather than spend time with them, he mostly hangs out with his childhood besties. Grown Ups 2’s biggest accomplishment is how worthless it is. Argue all you want about what a great guy Sandler is, because at this point in his career you’ll find it impossible to convince someone he’s still funny, or better yet, relevant. THE HEAT (R) Uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) needs the help of foulmouthed, unpopular
C I N E M AS Movie showtimes are not available by our deadline. Please check cinema websites for accurate information. CINÉ • 234 W. Hancock Ave. • 706-353-3343 • www.athenscine.com GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART • (UGA Campus) 90 Carlton St. • 706-542-GMOA • www.uga.edu/gamuseum/calendar/films.html TATE STUDENT CENTER • (UGA Campus) 45 Baxter St. • 706-542-6396 • www.union.uga.edu/movies Beechwood Stadium cinemas 11 • 196 Alps Rd. • 706-546-1011 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com Carmike 12 • 1570 Lexington Rd. • 706-354-0016 • www.carmike.com Georgia Square value cinemas 5 • 3710 Atlanta Hwy. • 706-548-3426 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com UNIVERSITY 16 cinemas • 1793 Oconee Connector • 706-355-9122 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com
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Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) to take down a dangerous drug lord. Bullock and McCarthy don’t have Fey/Pohler chemistry. Nevertheless, enough cannot be said about how refreshing it is to watch a buddy cop comedy starring two women. The Heat may not be smoking, but after a barren first act, it’s pretty darn funny. I’M SO EXCITED (R) Almodovar is back! The trailer for I’m So Excited doesn’t explain much, but it certainly is Almodovarian. Three flight attendants lip sync and dance to The Pointer Sisters’ titular hit, and that’s about it. Apparently, a technical failure has doomed the flight, leaving the pilots and crew to attempt everything in their power to make their passengers last moments as pleasant as possible. Don’t be surprised when Almodovar muses Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz pop by. (Ciné)
for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize, didn’t quite become the biggest little hit of summertime, but the trailers show a lot of laughs and heart. A comedy friendly cast including husband and wife team, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, and Alison Brie, cannot hurt, but how much will they help? Frustrated with life and their parents, three teenage boys (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and possible breakout Moises Arias) head into the woods to build a house and live off the land. (Ciné) LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (PG-13) Precious Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels directs this historical drama based on the life of an African-American man who witnessed the most important moments of the 20th century while serving as a White House butler. Forrest Whitaker stars as the titular server, while the presidents are portrayed by names like Robin Williams (Ike), Alan Rickman (Reagan),
Shit, Tofu Baby is now syndicated! THE INTERNSHIP (PG-13) As a follow-up to stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s Wedding Crashers, this movie would have killed in 2007. Of course, the economy hadn’t quite tanked at that point, so the tale of two down-on-their-luck salesmen forced to tackle a Google internship wouldn’t quite have had much relevance. The movie made me feel as if I’d stumbled upon a big budget training video for new Google employees. Sadly, most training videos are unintentionally funnier. Do with this movie what the movie folks at Google should have done: say no. JOBS (PG-13) Man, this Steve Jobs biopic comes with some sketchy pedigree. Ashton Kutcher stars as Jobs, who went from college dropout to founder of Apple to Apple reject to Apple savior. One assumes a great Jobs biopic is out there, but the writerdirector of the amiable Swing Vote, Joshua Michael Stern, probably won’t be behind the camera, and everyone knows/hopes Kutcher won’t be in front. KICK-ASS 2 (R) As imitators are inspired by the antics of Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is plotting revenge for the death of his gangster father. My hopes dropped a little at learning writer-director Matthew Vaughn was not returning, but he allegedly hand-picked replacement Jeff Wadlow (Cry_Wolf and Never Back Down). Co-star Jim Carrey has been refusing to do publicity due to the Sandy Hook tragedy. THE KINGS OF SUMMER (R) This sweetly sour indie comedy, a nominee
John Cusack (Nixon?), James Marsden (JFK) and Liev Schreiber (LBJ). With the star power and Forrest Gump-ian history lesson, one wonders why the film wasn’t released closer to awards season. LOVELACE (R) Amanda Seyfried stars as the titular porn star, whose turn in the infamous Deep Throat made her a household name. The rest of the impressive cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, Juno Temple, Adam Brody, Hank Azaria and James Franco as Hugh Hefner! Two-time Oscar winner Rob Epstein and his documentary directing partner Thomas Friedman must have decided they liked fictional features after helming Howl with Franco. (Ciné) MAN OF STEEL (PG-13) Director Christopher Nolan, writer David S. Goyer and director Zack Snyder realized Superman is an alien and nearly impossible to ground in the real world. Their solution: Treat the material like serious science fiction. The blockbuster soars in fits and starts, seeming most confident in its final frames than the previous hour and a half. MUD (PG-13) A coming of age tale set in the disappearing wilds of the small town South. Two teens— Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland)—discover a boat in a tree. They also discover Matthew McConaughey’s Mud, a fugitive living in the boat in the tree, while he waits to escape with the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Mud watches like a work of modern literature, capturing the last gasps of a dying culture as one boy becomes a man. m PARANOIA (PG-13) Why did Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman sign
up for this VOD-looking, corporate espionage flick? Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) stars as a little fish at a major corporation, who finds himself swimming with the sharks (Ford and Oldman) after being tasked with spying on his boss’ former mentor. Legally Blonde and 21 director Robert Luketic could use a hit after Killers, but does anyone seriously think this flick will be it? With Amber Heard. • PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS (PG) Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief was not terrible, but it definitely suffered from Chris Columbus Syndrome. Well, its successor, Sea of Monsters, has full-blown, terminal sequelitis. The titular hero, Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), must save Camp Half-Blood, the safe haven for the gods’ half-mortal children, so he embarks on a quest for the legendary Golden Fleece. Backed by his pals— Athena’s daughter Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and his Cyclops half-brother, Tyson (Douglas Smith)—Percy must defeat bland villain Luke (Jake Abel), who’s still mad at his dad (Zeus), rescue satyr Grover (Brandon Jackson) from Polyphemus (fortunately voiced by Ron Perlman) and defeat a reborn Cronos. This flick isn’t even worth the excuse to stare at Alexandra Daddario for almost two hours. Even the all right FX cannot overcome the awful writing and charmless acting. • PLANES (PG) What with its Cars pedigree and Dane Cook voicework, Planes could have been a lot worse. It’s no more disagreeable than Turbo, a kiddie flick with which it shares some central DNA. A cropduster named Dusty Crophopper (v. Cook) longs to race across the skies. Unfortunately, he’s afraid of heights. With the help of his friends—including a Mater stand-in named Chug (v. Brad Garrett)—and mentor, Skipper (v. Stacy Keach), Dusty conquers his fears and the skies. It’s cute, sweet, and maybe a smidge direct-to-DVD; the voice cast—Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, John Cleese, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer and Sinbad (?!)—is a step below the usual Pixar crop. R.I.P.D. (PG-13) Summer’s biggest bomb absolutely deserves its box office failure. This misguided adaptation of Peter M. Lenkov’s comic, Rest in Peace Department, stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as deceased cops—former Boston PD detective Nick Walker and Old West lawman Roy Pulsipher— tasked with bringing in rogue spirits. If you think this flick is a Men in Black rip off, it pretty much is. THE SEARCHERS 1956. Ciné concludes its Summer Classic Movie Series with a doozy starring the Duke. John Ford directed John Wayne in the inimitable Searchers. Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards (Wayne) and his nephew, Martin (Jeffrey Hunter, “Star Trek”’s original captain, Christopher Pike), embark on a years-long search for a niece kidnapped by Native Americans under Chief Scar. Natalie Wood plays the niece, Debbie, at the age of 15. (Ciné) THE SMURFS 2 (PG) Even the Smurfs seem less “smurfed” up about their sequel. Gargamel (Hank Azaria, still ruining a great cartoon villain) creates some fake Smurfs—he calls them Naughties. Vexy (v. Christina Ricci) and Hackus (v. J.B. Smoove) are
an un-Smurf-like gray, so Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette (v. Katy Perry), who holds the secret to turning the Naughties blue. Sadly, Smurfette is an easier target than usual as the birthday girl feels forgotten by Papa Smurf (v. the late Jonathan Winters) and the rest of her blue brethren. (She’s the only girl; no blue-blooded Smurf ever forgets Smurfette.) Maybe the kids will be entertained again, but the illogical trip to Paris, where Gargamel has become a big celebrity magician, will flummox adults. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (PG-13) Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads the crew of the Starship Enterprise—Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekhov (Anton Yelchin) and Scotty (Simon Pegg)—after a rogue Federation operative (Benedict Cumberbatch) turns terrorist. Star Trek 2 seems like the luckiest of numbers; this sequel achieves Khan-like greatness. TURBO (PG) After a first act highlighted by endearing animation and stellar voice work from Ryan Reynolds and Paul Giamatti, Turbo gets stupid, as the main mollusk is imbued with the abilities of a car (not just speed but alarm, radio and headlights) after a freak accident involving a street racer and some nitrous. Turbo and his other racing snail pals—including Whiplash (v. Samuel L. Jackson) and Smoove Move (v. Snoop Dogg)—head to the Indy 500, where they will face off against defending champion and the world’s greatest racecar driver, Guy Gagne (v. Bill Hader). THE WAY, WAY BACK (PG-13) This coming of age comedy stars Liam James as Duncan, who negotiates a summer with his mom (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend (Steve Carell) by getting a job at a local water park, where he is befriended by its odd owner (Sam Rockwell). This Sundance favorite looks appealing enough to be summer’s indie breakout hit. • WE’RE THE MILLERS (R) We’re the Millers doesn’t break any laugh records, but after a few laughless weeks at the cinema, it more than accomplishes its goal. Its silliest problem is its star, the hilarious Jason Sudeikis, who comes off far too smug far too easily. (One wonders how this movie would have played with a more sympathetic David Clark, played by Jason Bateman or Jason Segel, etc.) After running afoul of his drug kingpin pal (Ed Helms), Dave (Sudeikis) must smuggle a smidge that turns out to be a lot more than a smidge of marijuana across the border. Dave hatches a brilliant plan to fake a family with stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston, who is getting hotter with age), runaway teen Casey (Emma Roberts) and virginal Kenny (Will Poulter, Son of Rambow). Everything works out great until he runs into a swell DEA agent and his wife (Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn) and the big-time Mexican drug lord to whom the weed really belongs to catches up with them. THE WOLVERINE (PG-13) A darker, more complicated hero than Marvel’s super-bankable Iron Man and SpiderMan, Wolvie poses a narrative difficulty, much like The Punisher, who Hollywood has yet to get right. The Wolverine comes closest to nailing this popular, mysterious icon. After the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan has shed his Wolverine persona to live a solitary life in the woods. However, the last request of a dying friend whisks the clawed one off to Japan. Director James Mangold and writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank chose smartly in adapting Frank Miller and Chris Claremont’s seminal 1982 limited series. Drew Wheeler