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MOVIES THEATERS CINEMARK DENTON 2825 Wind River Lane off I-35E. 940535-2654. www.cinemark.com.
MOVIE TAVERN 916 W. University Drive. 940-566FILM (3456). www.movietavern.com.
RAVE MOTION PICTURES 8380 S. I-35E, Hickory Creek. 940321-2788. www.movietickets.com.
SILVER CINEMAS Inside Golden Triangle Mall, 2201 S. I-35E. 940-387-1957.
OPENING FRIDAY Bridesmaids (###) Broad but amusing Judd Apatow comedy from director Paul Feig (Unaccompanied Minors) about an impending wedding in which a neurotic maid of honor (Kristen Wiig) threatens her friendship with the bride (Maya Rudolph) because she can’t get along with her fellow bridesmaids. It’s too obnoxious and overlong at times, yet Wiig provides some big laughs in a breakthrough performance that headlines an appealing ensemble cast. Rated R, 125 minutes. — Todd Jorgenson Cave of Forgotten Dreams (###) Master filmmaker Werner Herzog received rare permission from the French government and then took limited filming equipment into the Chauvet caves in southern France. There, he captured the delicate images left on the walls 30,000 years ago. With such limited access, Herzog cannot avoid repetition, but he maintains interest with various interviews and his always-engaging narration. Not rated, 90 minutes. At the Angelika Dallas. — Boo Allen Hesher (#1/2) For its name cast only does this strident, annoying film earn points. A violent, unhinged, seemingly homeless man, Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), moves uninvited into the home of a man (Rainn Wilson) paralyzed with grief over the loss of his wife. The young son (Devin Brochu), who’s grieving too, suffers most of Hesher’s nonsensical abuse. Natalie Portman plays a store clerk who somehow becomes involved. Pointless, loud and violent, with little to say about dealing with loss. Rated R, 100 minutes. At the Angelika Dallas. — B.A. Meek’s Cutoff (####) The latest minimalist effort from director Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy) is a Western about a wagon train in 1845 trying to navigate the Oregon Trail that becomes lost despite hiring a guide (Bruce Greenwood), causing strife that coincides with the arrival of an American Indian intruder. The rich period detail and desert cinematography supplement a character study that rewards patient viewers. Cast includes Michelle Williams and Paul Dano. Rated PG, 102 minutes. At the Magnolia in Dallas. — T.J. Priest In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by wars between humans and vampires, a warrior priest goes
Will Ferrell is uncharacteristically subdued in Everything Must Go, a film about an alcoholic in relapse who decides to rid himself of his worldly possessions. Roadside Attractions
Not just another Will Ferrell movie Film proves it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for
surprised to find out how well he pulls it off. Ferrell brings compassion and depth to the role of Nick, a marketing executive whose boozing leads to the loss of his job and his wife, who throws all of his possessions on the front lawn of their suburban house and changes the locks. His car also is repossessed and his phone service is cut off.
This causes Nick to take up residence on the front lawn under the guise of a yard sale, where he finds sympathy from a neighborhood teenager (Christopher Wallace, the son of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) and an artist (Rebecca Hall) who moves in across the street. More importantly, he’s forced to reconsider his life and his addictions. It’s a story of redemption, of a man driven to extreme measures by his demons and his checkered past, and someone who finds consolation from unlikely sources. Everything Must Go was adapted from a short story by Raymond Carver by rookie writer-director Dan Rush,
whose approach to the material has touches of bleakness and optimism. The film works best as a character study, although Rush’s script too often turns contrived and melodramatic, such as when Nick clumsily attempts to reunite with an old high school flame (Laura Dern). Yet the film is given a boost by Ferrell, who has proven his versatility previously in Stranger Than Fiction and knows how to make an audience laugh at the right moments. While this modest effort won’t get the same level of mainstream attention as Ferrell’s many commercial successes, it’s more rewarding than most of them.
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Questions of constitutionality add to the human drama, while excellent overall production values aid the narrative. Rated PG-13, 123 minutes. — B.A. Insidious (##1/2) Low-budget haunted-house movie from director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell (Saw) centers on a couple (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) that moves into a suburban house, where their young son suddenly lapses into a coma, raising the question of whether his body is being inhabited by paranormal beings. The film
shows a lot of promise in the first half, generating some effective chills, before revealing an uninspired twist that leads to a predictable conclusion. Rated R, 102 minutes. — T.J. Prom (##) As predictable as the titular event itself, this innocuous ensemble teen flick follows more than a dozen characters at a suburban high school as they endure minor social crises while preparing for prom, including the overachiever (Aimee Teegarden) who heads the planning committee and the outcast (Thomas McDonell) who reluctantly helps at the last minute. The cast of fresh
faces is mostly engaging, but the script feels like little more than a compilation of Facebook status updates. Rated PG, 103 minutes. — T.J. Thor (##1/2) In this Marvel comic adaptation, Anthony Hopkins plays Odin, leader of other-worldly Asgard. He exiles his son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to Earth, where he becomes the requisite fish out of water. A team of scientists (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings) helps him return to his homeland. Big, brassy and loud rendering by director Kenneth Branagh. Rated PG13, 114 minutes. — B.A.
Everything Must Go
By Todd Jorgenson Film Critic
It’s true that Everything Must Go is the latest movie starring Will Ferrell, but it’s not necessarily the latest Will Ferrell movie. Those expecting the highpitched slapstick antics of Talladega Nights or Step Brothers might be surprised to find a quieter, gentler Ferrell in a mostly dramatic role in this low-budget independent story of a middle-aged man forced to start his life over. Even more people might be on a quest to rescue his kidnapped niece. With Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet and Maggie Q. Written by Cory Goodman. Directed by Scott Stewart. Rated PG-13, 88 minutes. — Los Angeles Times
NOW PLAYING The Conspirator (###) Robert Redford directed this fact-based story with modern relevance about Mary Cassatt (Robin Wright), who was tried for conspiracy after her son had been implicated in President
Rated R, 96 minutes. Opens Friday.