nowplaying 21 and Over J
Miles Teller, skylar asTin, JusTin Chon, sarah WrighT, JonaThan kelTz Raunchy Coming-of-Age Comedy Two buddies surprise their best friend from high school on his 21st birthday and alcohol sends their plans quickly awry. A generally unfunny comedy that tries to be about growing up, but is just too damn obnoxious to work. Rated R
amOur JJJ
Jean-louis TrinTignanT, eMManuelle riva, isabelle hupperT, alexandre Tharaud, WilliaM shinnell Drama A husband tries to cope with his wife’s terminal illness. Highly-acclaimed in most quarters, this slow, humorless essay in human misery is not going to be to everyone’s taste and will appeal mostly to those already sold on the director’s style. Rated PG-13
argO JJJJ
ben affleCk, bryan CransTon, alan arkin, John goodMan, viCTor garber Drama/Thriller The “true story” of the CIA’s attempts at removing diplomats from Iran during the hostage crisis by having agents and the diplomats pose as Canadian filmmakers working on the sci-fi picture Argo. A well-crafted, entertaining and intelligent crowd-pleaser that’s a bit too pat and Hollywood-ized to really transcend into greatness. Rated R
Beautiful Creatures JJJJ
alden ehrenreiCh, aliCe englerT, JereMy irons, viola davis, eMMa ThoMpson, eMMy rossuM, eileen aTkins Fantasy Romance A nonconformist human boy in a small Southern town falls for an outsider/newcomer who happens to be a witch. The course of this love does not run smoothly. Surprisingly likable, adult and even witty teen romance of the fantasy variety. The old pros help, but the script and the young leads are very strong. Rated PG-13
Chasing iCe JJJJ
JaMes balog, svavar JonaTansson, adaM leWinTer, louise psihoyos Documentary Documentary about climate change and the melting of the world’s glaciers. Beautiful and sometimes terrifying images abound, but the film perhaps spends too much time on the man behind the project rather than the project itself. Still worth a look for the breathtaking views. Rated PG-13
dead man dOwn JJJ
Colin farrell, nooMi rapaCe, TerrenCe hoWard, doMiniC Cooper, isabelle hupperT Revenge Thriller A disfigured woman blackmails a mobster into getting revenge for her while being unaware that he’s no hardened criminal, and is secretly out for vengeance of his own. An often stylish, morally complex revenge thriller that’s a bit too absurd and awkward in how it draws its characters and sets up its story. Rated R
emperOr JJJJJ
MaTTheW fox, ToMMy lee Jones, eriko haTsune, Masayoshi, haneda, kaori MoMoy, Colin Moy, MasaToshi nakaMura, TakaTarô kaTaoka, Toshiyuki nishida, isayo naTsuyagi Historical Drama The story of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s investigation into whether or not to try Emperor Hirohito for war crimes at the end of World War II. Surprisingly gripping entertainment can be found in this historical drama, thanks to a solid script, strong direction and an array of impeccable performances. The year’s first solid must-see. Rated PG-13
a gOOd day tO die hard JJ
bruCe Willis, Jai CourTney, sebasTian koCh, Mary elizabeTh WinsTead, yuliya snigir, Cole hauser Action When his son is arrested in Russia, John McClane goes to see what’s afoot and ends up involved in massive mayhem. It has Bruce Willis in his best remembered role. It has an R rating. It has car chases and shooting and explosions. It’s also pretty awful. Rated R
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
JaCk the giant slayer JJJJ
niCholas houlT, eleanor ToMlinson, eWan MCgregor, sTanley TuCCi, eddie Marsan, ian MCshane, eWen breMner Fantasy Adventure It’s “Jack and the Beanstalk,” but with a romantic interest, extra characters and enough giants to qualify as a spectacle. A purely pleasurable modern retelling of the old fairy tale that doesn’t rely on snark and pop culture references, but instead relies on writing, performances and direction to create an engaging fairy story on a large scale. Rated PG-13
JOhn dies at the end JJJJ
Chase WilliaMson, rob Mayes, paul giaMaTTi, ClanCy broWn, glynn TurMan, doug Jones Sc-Fi Fantasy Horror Comedy A pair of self-proclaimed psychic investigators find themselves in the position of saving the world — regardless of the possibilty that one of them might or might not be dead. A wild ride of intelligent, splattery horror comedy that offers what may be an illegal amount of bizarre fun. It’s not a film for everybody, but for those who are in tune with inspired bad taste and lunacy, it’s pretty wonderful. Rated R
the last exOrCism part ii J
ashley bell, Julia garner, spenCer TreaT Clark, david Jensen, Tarra riggs Dismal Demonic Doings The further demonic possession travails of the girl from The Last Exorcism. An unnecessary and pretty darn bad sequel to a pretty good horror film. Its biggest sin is that it’s dismally dull. Rated PG-13
les miseraBles JJJ
hugh JaCkMan, russell CroWe, anne haThaWay, aManda seyfried, saCha baron Cohen, helena bonhaM CarTer, eddie redMayne Musical Drama Film version of the immensely popular stage-show musical adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Fans of the show will probably rejoice. The uninitiated may feel differently about this extremely long, over-emphatic and self-serious film version. Rated PG-13
life Of pi JJJJ
suraJ sharMa, irrfan khan, ayush Tandon, gauTaM belur, adil hussain, rafe spall, gérard depardieu Allegorical Action Drama The story of a young man and a tiger adrift for 227 days in a lifeboat and their struggle to survive. Ang Lee’s film is a triumph of technical wonders and magnificent images, but how satisfying it is on thematic and dramatic levels is likely going to be a question of personal beliefs and baggage. Rated PG
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
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 firstrate treatment by an excellent cast and assured direction. Extremely enjoyable, especially for Anglophiles and fans of the stars. Rated PG-13
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safe haven JJ
Julianne hough, Josh duhaMel, david lyons, Cobie sMulders Melodramatic Romance A woman on the run ends up in a sleepy coastal town while her past tries desperately to catch up with her. Purely schmaltzy melodrama from the reigning goofball king of it, Nicholas Sparks, that redeems itself — or at least is made interesting—by one supremely silly ending. Rated PG-13
side effeCts JJJJ
Jude laW, Mara rooney, CaTherine zeTa-Jones, Channing TaTuM Crime Thriller A young woman accidentally kills her husband, seemingly due to side effects from her antidepressant medication, but things are perhaps more complicated — and nefarious — than they seem. A beautifully shot, expertly acted, wholly professional murder thriller from Steven Soderbergh that misses greatness by being a bit too emotionally detached and slightly too rambling in its climax. Rated R
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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
snitCh JJ
dWayne Johnson, barry pepper, Jon bernThal, susan sarandon, MiChael k. WilliaMs Fact-Inspired Action When his son receives an aburdly long sentence for a drug violation, a father goes undercover to help reduce his kid’s sentence. It’s way longer than it needs to be. It does nothing new. It has no sense of humor. It’s just plain not good. Rated PG-13
warm BOdies JJJJ
niCholas houlT, Teresa palMer, analeigh TipTon, rob Corddry, dave franCo, John MalkoviCh Rom-Com with Zombies A more sentient than average zombie falls in love with a human girl — with surprising (sort of) results. Intensely likable, if never quite remarkable, new take on the tired old zombie movie. Purists may rail against it, but I’d raher have this than all umpteen Resident Evil pictures put together. Rated PG-13
zerO dark thirty JJJ
JessiCa ChasTain, Joel edgerTon, Jennifer ehle, Jason Clarke, JaMes gandolfini, Mark sTrong Fact-Based Drama The story of the ten year hunt for Osama bin Laden. Efficient and professionally made, but not all that involving due to a lack of characterization and a detached approach. How you feel about its controversial and off-hand depiction of torture will likely play a role in your assessment of the movie. Rated R
mountainx.com • MARCH 13 - MARCH 19, 2013 67