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Critics’ Choices
In this joyous and buoyant new documentary, the filmmakers keep the baby — and the bathwater — and everything else about infants that makes them so appealing that the rest of us keep making more of them. Squalls are few, colic doesn’t exist, neither does disease, diaper rash, or diapers at all for that matter as director Thomas Balmes traces the first year in the lives of four infants from four corners of the world. The sweet-smelling “Babies” is a very huggable movie experience, just not a primer on parenthood. (B.S., May 7) (1:19) PG.
The fatalistic romance that starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg and started a revolution, “Breathless” is that rare revival that, against noticeable odds, retains the elements that made it celebrated half a century in the past. (K.Tu., May 25). In French with English subtitles. (1:30) NR.
A smart, lively, thoroughly involving doc about a complex and critical subject — how special interests get their way in Washington — that couldn’t be more timely. Director Alex Gibney is as good as it gets at making complicated political material come alive on screen. (K.Tu., May 7) (2 hours) R.
Don’t let the warmth of the Sardinian sun, the caress of Mediterranean breezes, or the languor of oft-entwined limbs fool you. The bronzing young lovers on holiday in “Everyone Else” are headed for some dark and depressing times. Writer-director Maren Ade, one of German cinema’s smart new voices, has tossed this tantalizing pair into that phase between falling in love and commitment when the sex is still hot, but a truer self is coming out of hiding — teasing, taunting, surprising, disappointing. The result is a film that unsettles as often as it seduces. (B.S., May 14) (1:58) NR.
An extraordinarily empathetic humanistic family drama, a French film of love, joy, sadness and hope that understands how complex our emotions are and does beautiful justice to them. (K.Tu., May 21) (1:50) NR.
Everyone has secrets in this a mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller that takes its time unlocking one mystery only to uncover another all to chilling and immensely satisfying effect. The film is based on the first crime novel in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, and Danish director Niels Arden Oplev has somehow found a way to adapt one of Europe’s most popular contemporary books, a bestselling sensation here as well, and still infuse it with surprise. (B.S., March 19) In Swedish with English subtitles. (2:32) R.
Like smokestack soot, revenge colors “Harry Brown,” the smartly done socio-economic killer thriller that has Michael Caine at 77 armed and dangerous and mucking around in a world grown toxic around him. Set in a gritty present-day British housing project, circumstance soon turns Caine’s Harry from a chess-playing pensioner into a one-man wrecking crew determined to exact justice and bring some order to his drug-infested neighborhood. (B.S., April 30) (1:43) R.
has taken the age-old story of a teenage boy sorting through his fundamental life issues — fit in, figure out self, get the girl, don’t disappoint Dad — set it in ancient Viking times and still managed to give it a thoroughly modern spin. “Train Your Dragon,” which stars Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, a misfit in Ugg boots, is also a study in how nuance can actually complement the spectacle we’ve come to demand of 3-D animation. Like Hiccup’s growing pains, the film has its rough spots too but, mostly, like the mythical creatures at the heart of this tale, the movie soars. (B.S., March 26) (1:38) PG.
The wonderfully wry new film from Ken Loach is a melancholy comedy about wins and losses in soccer, life and love, and the power of a few pals, a few pints and the esoteric musings of a French footballing superstar. Set in working class Manchester, two Erics are backed into the same contemplative corner — soccer sensation Eric Cantona (playing himself with self-deprecating charm) and Eric Bishop (Steve Evets), a 50-ish postal worker in a wallow so deep he sees no way out. Footage pulled from actual games infuses the film with hope and heart that only a brilliant play when a game is on the line can deliver; Loach, a brilliant player at his own game, delivers the rest. (B.S., May 21) (1:56) NR.
To see this silent classic as director Fritz Lang intended — with 25 minutes of footage lost for more than 80 years — finally restored, is to have a one-of-a-kind big-screen experience. (K.Tu., April 25) (2:27) NR.
No American writer-director has as exact a sense of the way some of us live today, not to mention the ability to precisely calibrate the cinematic effects she’s after, as Nicole Holofcener. With this poignant and funny film starring Catherine Keener, Holofcener is at the top of her game. (K.Tu., April 30) (1:30) R.
In the latest edition of DreamWorks’ billion-dollar animated franchise, the much-domesticated ogre is in the midst of a major midlife meltdown and desperate to get his angry back. All the usual suspects are there with their celebrity voices, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy in particularly good form. Meanwhile, middle-aged angst suits Shrek and the movie. After the deep dive of 2007’s “Shrek the Third,” “Forever After” comes back with more heart and much of the kick-in-the-pop-culture-keister cleverness that made the greenish brute such a breath of fresh air nearly a decade ago. (B.S., May 21). In IMAX 3D. (1:33) PG.
Also in Theaters
Cinematically “After the Cup” lacks the intimacy and narrative focus needed for a more wholly involving experience. Director Christopher Browne often brings a kinetic energy to his portrait of Bnei Sakhnin, a national symbol of co-existence comprising Arab, Jewish and foreign-born players guided by an Arab owner and a Jewish coach. The soccer footage provides a vivid sense of the game’s ardent, sometimes inflammatory fans and its significant place within the Israeli zeitgeist. (Gary Goldstein, May 28) (1:24) NR.
Two slaves compete for the heart of the beautiful mathematician and philosopher Hypatia in ancient Alexandria. With Rachel Weisz, Oscar Isaac, Michael Lonsdale and Max Minghella. Screenplay by Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil. Directed by Amenabar. (2:21) NR.
The combination of director Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll’s fantasy classic sounds promising, but despite the presence of Johnny Depp the finished product is only mildly successful, more like a Burton derivative than something he actually did himself. (K.Tu., March 4). In Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D. (1:49) PG.
Four young friends start a business in ‘90s Mumbai. With Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang and Vir Das. Written and directed by Parmeet Sethi. In Hindi with English subtitles. (2:24) NR.
If “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo” sounds like some retro Japanese creature feature, guess again. This is, in fact, a gentle docu-tribute to Japan’s age-old connection to the insect world, a meditative piece that is by turns hypnotically beautiful and painfully slow. Punctuated by poetic narration and a single talking head interview with author-anatomist Takeshi Yoro, the movie works best whenever director Jessica Oreck’s cameras turn on a child’s wonderment over their beloved insect friends. They are truly joyous moments to behold. (Gary Goldstein, May 28) (1:29) NR.
A look inside the art of burlesque during its golden age. Written and directed by Leslie Zemeckis. (1:38) NR.
In its more amusing and accepting moments, this captures the geek-joy fizz when fame morphs into notoriety, and artlessness becomes its own art. (Robert Abele, May 20) (1:33) NR.
The new action caper starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler as dueling exes plays to everything that turned one of the “Friends” six-pack into a lip-gloss superstar. First to be exploited is Aniston’s perk power. When that fails, the second line of defense is a close-up of that really great hair, which doesn’t so much make for a movie as a running photo op. (B.S., March 19) (1:46) PG-13.
“We think of dance in a very limited way,” Anna Halprin, the doyenne of avant-garde dance says at one point, and in a sense her whole life has been based on widening our horizons, on confounding the notion of boundaries. As this moving documentary bears witness, it has been a success. (K.Tu., May 7) (1:20) NR.
A brother and sister live in a terrorist region and navigate social and financial tribulations in an adaptation of Majid Majidi’s film “Children of Heaven.” With Darsheel Safary, Atul Kulkarni, Rituparna Sangupta and Ziyah Vastani. Screenplay by Manesha Korde. Directed by Priyadarshan. In Hindi with English subtitles. NR.
The 14-year journey of a pioneering medical doctor and biochemist, Dr. Stanislaw Burrzynski, involving his battles with the FDA and his discovery of the genetic mechanism to cure most human cancers. Directed by Eric Merola. (1:48) NR.
A family’s bizarre and layered lies to one another come unraveled. With Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Alan Arkin and Emily Mortimer. Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta. (1:43) PG-13.
Because it stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, funny is a given here, but the story of a date night in Manhattan gone horribly wrong will likely leave you hungry for more. (K.Tu., April 9) (1:28) PG-13.
A young soldier home on leave falls in love with an idealistic college student during her spring vacation and over the next few years they meet only sporadically and correspond through love letters. With Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Scott Porter and Richard Jenkins. Screenplay by Jamie Linden, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. (1:48) PG-13.
The adventures of wise-cracking middle school student Greg Heffley, who must somehow survive the scariest time of anyone’s life: middle school. Based on the best-selling illustrated novel by Jeff Kinney. With Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris and Devon Bostick. Directed by Thor Freudenthal. (1:31) PG.
A young man falls helplessly in love with a mysterious blond woman that turns his life upside down. With Ricardo Trepa and Catarina Wallenstein. Based on a story by Jose Maria de Eca de Quieroz. Written and directed by Manoel de Oliveira. In Portuguese with English subtitles. (1:04) NR.
Subversive, provocative and unexpected, this delights in taking you by surprise, starting quietly but ending up in a hall of mirrors as unsettling as anything Lewis Carroll’s Alice ever experienced. Even when you think you’ve figured this film out, you can’t shake the notion that maybe you haven’t. Banksy’s website calls “Exit Through the Gift Shop” “the world’s first street art disaster movie,” which is about as good a description of this singular documentary as we’re going to get. Like revenge, it’s a dish best served cold, which means you’ll want to see it knowing as little as possible; on the other hand, its story has so much resonance that the film rewards multiple viewings. (K.Tu., April 16) (1:26) NR.
An ambitious record company executive has three days to escort an uncooperative rock legend to Hollywood for a comeback concert. With Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney and Sean Combs. Written and directed by Nicholas Stoller. (1:48) R.
There’s a kind of wicked irony around every corner in “The Good Heart,” where nothing and everything turns out exactly as it should in this life and death story of second chances and the duck that got away. Brian Cox and Paul Dano are two mismatched souls who end up in the same hospital room both having barely cheated death and only one happy about it. Writer-director Dagur Kari plays around with drama and comedy as much as his characters, and, one senses, the audience as well. But if you’re in the mood for a splash of dark drama, a bit of humor, very dry, on the rocks, with a twist, this will come close to satisfying. (B.S., April 30) (1:35) R.
A jaded middle-aged New Yorker, goes to Serbia to make quick cash by marrying someone for U.S. immigration papers. But the plan goes awry when the promised cash never arrives. With David Thornton, Branislav Trifunovic, Mirjana Karanovic and Cyndi Lauper. Directed by Darko Lungulov. In English and Serbian with English subtitles. (1:25) NR.
Given its intriguing premise and inherently meaty conflicts, the glibly titled crime drama “Holy Rollers” never quite catches fire, calling for more edge and narrative tension than director Kevin Asch and screenwriter Antonio Macia manage to deliver. Still, it’s an often evocative dip into unique territory fleshed out by a highly convincing cast. (Gary Goldstein, May 21) (1:29) R.
A demented German surgeon abducts two girls traveling through Europe and attempts to connect them in a horrifying surgical procedure. With Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, and Akihiro Kitamura. Written and Directed by Tom Six. (1:30) NR (shocking situations).
A man who struggles with parasomnia, a rare sleep disorder which makes him do things in his sleep which he cannot remember the next day, wakes up with blood on his hands and a knife at his side. That same morning, a close friend is found stabbed to death. With Philip Winchester, Lacey Chabert, Abigail Spencer, Tim Draxl, Kelly Overton, Michael Badalucco, Beth Grant and Tony Hale. Written and directed by Allen Wolf. (1:30) PG-13.
As sequels go, this one is acceptable, nothing more, nothing less. With star Robert Downey, Jr. and director Jon Favreau back in the fold, this is a haphazard film thrown together by talented people, with all the pluses and minuses that implies. (K.Tu., May 6). In IMAX. (2:05) PG-13.
Based on a true story, a German businessman rescues more than 200,000 civilians during the “Nanking Massacre” in China. With Steve Buscemi, Ulrich Tukur, Daniel Bruhl and Anne Consigny. Directed by Florian Gallenberger. (1:14) R.
A therapist falls for her NBA client, who is attracted to her best friend. With Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier and James Pickens, Jr. Written by Michael Elliot. Directed by Sanaa Hamri. (1:51) PG.
is the movie our parents warned us about, the movie you don’t want your children to see. As zestily orchestrated by director Matthew Vaughn, this is the kind of cartoonish violence, choreographed to upbeat music, that’s come to define modern action movie culture. It’s as if all the arguments about these hyper-violent films — why they are so popular, what they have done to our culture — are open for business in one convenient location. It may or may not be the end of civilization as we know it, but “Kick-Ass” certainly is Exhibit A of the here and now. (K.Tu., April 16) (1:57) R.
A newlywed couple’s blissful suburban life is theatened when the husband’s former life as a gun-for-hire resurfaces to haunt them. With Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara, Katheryn Winnick, Kevin Sussman, Lisa Ann Walter, Casey Wilson, Rob Riggle, Martin Mull and Alex Borstein. Screenplay by Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin. Directed by Robert Luketic. PG-13.
A mortally wounded man isleft for dead in the Mexican desert; the only thing keeping him alive ishis quest to track down the womanhe loves. With Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut. Written by Robin Bhatt, Akarsh Khuranaand Anurag Basu. Directed by Basu. NR.
Director Brett Ratner deftly reedits a satisfyingly streamlined version of Anurag Basu’s Bollywood original. (Kevin Thomas, May 25) (1:30) NR.
A reluctant teenager begrudgingly spends the summer with her estranged father and they bond over a love for music. With Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Bobby Coleman, Hallock Beals, Nick Lashaway, Carly Chaikin, Nick Searcy, Kate Vernon, Kelly Preston and Greg Kinnear. Screenplay by Nicholas Sparks and Jeff Van Wie, based on Sparks’ book. Directed by Julie Anne Robinson. (1:47) PG.
is an ode to romance of the most starry-eyed sort, a sugary paean to quixotic cliches and a film destined to be a guilty pleasure for some (me included, sigh) and the painful price of a relationship for others (so steel yourselves). The time the still luminous Vanessa Redgrave spends with Franco Nero, her longtime partner in real life, is so infused with a slow burning fire it could make a cynic, or a critic, waver, so I will. (B.S., May 14) (1:45) PG.
You can’t hate this tale, set on Cape Cod in 1912. But Richard Dreyfuss overacts, and the plot is predictable. It’s static, poorly staged and buried in flowery language. In short, it plays like an adaptation of a dog-eared romance novel. (Glenn Whipp, May 7) (1:40) PG.
Interweaving stories of four volunteers as they struggle to provide emergency medical care under extreme conditions in Congo and Liberia. Directed by Mark N. Hopkins. (1:33) NR.
What probably appealed to the makers of “MacGruber”—co-writer/star Will Forte, and his writing collaborators John Solomon and Jorma Taccone, who also directed — was the idea that their mullet-sporting, special ops goofball almost cried out for the multiplex-sized mayhem treatment. With a role like this, creating an anything-goes vibe is half the battle. And Forte — a worthy post-Will Ferrell clown in both deadpan or outburst modes — handily establishes his gonzo comedy cred. (Robert Abele, May 22) (1:39) R.
The super-sized Great Dane’s canine life is turned upside down when his family moves to California. With the voices of Owen Wilson, Lee Pace, Judy Greer, George Lopez and William H. Macy. Written by Tim Rasmussen and Vince DiMeglio. Directed by Tom Dey. (1:27) PG.
A man and his wacky crew of friends take revenge on weapon manufacturers that have caused him hardship. With Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicolas Marie and Jean-Pierre Marielle. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In French with English subtitles. (1:44) R.
Writer-director Rodrigo Garcia’s calm, steady guidance behind the camera, along with his nicely finessed faith in a very good cast, makes “Mother and Child” a fuller and more satisfying example of this storytelling style than we’ve seen lately. It’s great to see Annette Bening back on screen and playing a central role. You may buy the increasingly intertwining pattern of Garcia’s script; you may resist it. But the characters and their dilemmas hold your interest. (Michael Phillips, May 7, 2010) (2:06) R.
is Woody Allen lite — there’s a lot of introspective fumbling around and intellectual foreplay, but, in the end, instead of a satisfying climax, it feels like someone is faking it. Where the film succeeds best is in reminding us what’s gone missing since Woody’s decamped to London and Barcelona: The urban and urbane New Yorker whose penchant for talk therapy is satisfied by a cultured salon of friends and family willing to listen. Instead, we have Timothy Hutton’s Gabriel doing a lot of soul-searching that should provoke and enlighten us more than it does. (B.S., May 7) (1:37) R.
Karan Johar’s sweeping epic in the melodramatic Bollywood manner emerges as a potent, engaging and timely entertainment. The film evolves from the story of a man with Asperger’s learning to live a successful, happy life to that of a man who embarks, in the wake of tragedy and violence, on an odyssey to declare to President Obama, “I am a Muslim and I am not a terrorist.” (Kevin Thomas, Feb. 13) (2:25) NR.
A documentary recounting the story of the 1990 execution-style massacre of seven people at Las Cruces bowling alley. Written by Charlie Minn and Sara Vander Horn. Directed by Minn. (1:45) NR (crime scene footage).
The first “Nightmare” was the brainchild of horrormeister Wes Craven, who looked to embolden the slasher era with a child killer let loose during sleepy time: Reality-bending imagery added to the usual rip-and-bleed gore craft. What we want are freaky visuals, and as an exercise in “re-imagining,” to use Hollywood’s favorite rehash euphemism, this “Nightmare” is mostly stale goods. Your last fever dream about failing to study for an exam was probably scarier. (Robert Abele, April 30) (1:42) R.
This heart-pounding descent into the illegal underground music scene of Tehran comes at you like the scream of an electric guitar. Director Bahman Ghobadi shot it on the run in just 17 days and without a government permit, a choice that landed the crew in jail twice during the production. The film has a remarkably exuberant spirit that is impossible to resist. The narrative arc swings between light and darkness, from the sheer joy of the Persian rappers who practice atop an unfinished skyscraper to Nadar’s arrest and interrogation for his black-market DVDs. In Ghobadi’s hands, though, it always feels real. (B.S., April 23) (1:46) NR.
The daughter of a lonely fisherman believes the beautiful woman he pulled out of the sea is a selkie, a Celtic mermaid. With Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry and Stephen Rea. Written and directed by Neil Jordan. (1:51) PG-13.
A grown man with a hallucinatory holdover from boyhood has thematic potential, considering our culture’s pervasive idolization of childish things over the hard business of life. But the movie’s tone disintegrates whenever the filmmakers shoehorn in the blond, spandex-and-cape-clad Ryan Reynolds for unfunny slapstick and heartfelt discourse. Meant to amuse, Reynolds’ why-am-I-here look feels all too understood. (Robert Abele, April 23) (1:50) R.
Three men flee to the mountains to hide out from Dublin’s meanest gangster. With Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson Jodie Whittaker and Jim Broadbent. Written by Mark O’Rowe. Directed by Ian Fizgibbon. (1:28) NR.
A documentary interweaves the stories of eight janitors who work for some of America’s top universities (including Pasadena’s Caltech), like Princeton University janitor Josue Lajeunesse, who works two jobs (janitor by day and taxi driver by night) not only to support his family in Haiti but also to finance a water project he started in his native village of La Source, Haiti. Directed by Patrick Shen. (1:10) NR.
With apologies to Ben Franklin, the only things certain in life are death, taxes and that a Jerry Bruckheimer film will do its bombastic best to pummel, pound and, now, parkour you into submission. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is all that — deaths by the thousands and the sort of spectacular spectacle possible with a rumored budget of $150 million and change. But there should be more of those white-knuckle, gut-wrenching feelings churning around somewhere and there aren’t, even with the death-defying, street-style gymnastics of parkour in nearly every scene. (B.S., May 25) (1:55) PG-13.
Based on the true story, a turn-of-the-century princess is caught up in the last days of the Hawaiian monarchy. With Q’orianka Kilcher, Barry Pepper, Shaun Evans and Will Patton. Written and directed by Mark Forby. (1:40) PG.
A man struggles to keep away from his family’s business—politics. Having been sucked in, he descends into the moral hell that is Indian democracy and a rivalry between two sets of cousins escalates into an all-out war and draws the hero into the dark side of dealing with his enemies. Directed by Prakash Jha. (2:58) NR.
A frustrating film, a “Robin Before the Hood” prequel, in which an overly busy story line cancels out the good work of director Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. (K.Tu. May 14) (2:28) PG-13.
This documentary follows the journeys of four deaf entertainers through a single year as their stories intertwine and culminate in some of the largest events of their lives. With C.J. Jones, Robert DeMayo, T.L. Forsberg and Bob Hiltermann. Directed by Hilari Scarl. (1:31) PG-13.
If only they’d called it “Almost No Sex and Very Little City,” at least we would know what we were in for with “Sex and the City 2.” In this second screen incarnation of the fabulous HBO series, the satire is sagging, the irony’s atrophied and the funny is flabby. Yes, the clothes are more fabulous than ever, but Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte (Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis) have misplaced their chic and sassy and become, gulp, too ordinary and desperate. (B.S., May 25) (2:27) R.
A Hindu goddess, leading lady of India’s epic “The Ramayana” and dutiful wife, follows her husband Rama on a 14-year exile to a forest, only to be kidnapped by an evil king from Sri Lanka. Directed, written, produced, and animated by Nina Paley. (1:22) NR.
A fiftysomething former car dealer, who through his own bad choices lost his entire business, attempts a comeback. With Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, Jesse Eisenberg, Jenna Fischer, Mary-Louise Parker and Susan Sarandon. Written by Brian Koppelman. Directed by Koppelman and David Levien. (1:30) R.
Two scientists develop an animal-human hybrid which threatens mankind as it rapidly evolves. With Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. Screenplay by Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor. Directed by Natali. (1:44) R.
George A. Romero’s zombie movies may no longer frighten, but the director always tries to provide something to chew on. In his new “Survival of the Dead,” though, the metaphorical meat is one audiences may not care to digest. Romero is using better actors than in the past but they are hobbled by a sometimes nonsensical script with logical lapses even genre fans will find hard to swallow. (Michael Ordona, May 28) (1:30) R.
A small group of elderly, sociopathic “peeping Toms” are followed through the shadows and margins of an unfamiliar world. With Paul Booker, Dave Cloud and Chris Crofton. Written and directed by Harmony Korine. (1:18) NR.
All movies are in general release unless noted. Also included: the film’s running time and ratings. MPAA categories: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one 17 and younger admitted.
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