Capsule Reviews of Films Playing at Local Theaters
All reviews and summaries of objectionable content are by the Daily Herald and wire services. Have any movie questions? E-mail theticket@Heraldextra.com. Daily Herald |Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2011 12:03 am | Loading…
MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY (1 hr., 46 min.; PG-13 for drug content, language and some mature thematic material) Cancer rears its ugly head in the latest movie to feature Mabel "Madea" Simmons, but Madea (who, ah, counsels others about a different character's battle with the Big C) don't take no crap from no terminal disease. This film was not screened for critics.
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (1 hr., 46 min.; PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image) Men with hats keep the world on track in this enjoyably thought-provoking romantic thriller. A politician (Matt Damon) and a dancer (Emily Blunt) want to be together, but fate -- make that Fate -- wants them apart. A visually strong film that gathers momentum from its consistently excellent performances. [A-]
ARTHUR (1 hr., 50 min.; PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references) Whoooof. Blah. "Arthur" is like a hangover without the beer buzz beforehand. Actually, you'd probably need to be dead drunk to remotely enjoy this remade version of the '80s comedy about a perpetually sozzled heir. Russell Brand is all wrong for the lead role; the film is an embarrassment for all concerned. [F]
ATLAS SHRUGGED: PART I (1 hr., 42 min.; PG-13 for some sexuality) This perplexing, on-the-cheap independent production of the first third of Ayn Rand's divisive opus has a strong central performance from Taylor Schilling, and almost nothing else going for it. The film is set five years in the future, but the specifics of the plot are curiously mired in the 1957 present of the book's publication. [D]
THE CONSPIRATOR (2 hrs., 3 min.; PG-13 for some violent content) In the aftermath of the Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln sparks fear among the populace of a still-broken nation. The tension swirling around the trial of possible accessory-to-the-crime Mary Surratt provides excellent fodder for this crackling, if preachy, fact-based courtroom drama. [A-]
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (1 hr., 39 min.; PG for some mild rude humor and mischief) Greg Heffley is back, and still wimpy, but no longer sarcastic or cranky. The kinder, gentler wimpy kid, unfortunately, is far less charming than the seething wannabe from the first movie. Kids will still adore the travails of His Wimpiness, but parents will this sequel less clever and more tedious. [C+]
GNOMEO AND JULIET (1 hr., 24 min.; G ) The ever-adaptable works of William Shakespeare get a garden party in this agreeably silly retelling of a certain play about doomed romance that now involves garden gnomes and Elton John tunes. The nuttiness and frantic pace overwhelm its story at some points, but lively acting by a fun cast keeps the film light and limber. [B-]
THE GREEN HORNET (1 hr., 59 min.; PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content) Seth Rogen wrote and stars in the latest take on the story of dissolute newspaper heir Britt Reid fighting crime with tech whiz and sidekick Kato. The action scenes are flat and draggy, but the lousy dialogue and lazy storytelling are worse. [D-]
HANNA (1 hr., 58 min.; PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language) Buckle up for a tense, atmospheric thrill ride with this story of a teenage girl, the daughter of a rogue CIA operative, who's been meticulously trained to become a pitiless assassin. "Hanna" is emotionally remote, but its action scenes are cleanly and clearly staged, and its twisty plot leads to some satisfying payoffs. [A-]
HOP (1 hr., 35 min.; PG for some mild rude humor) There didn't used to be very many movies out there about the Easter Bunny, and now this is one. That's about the best that can be said of the mostly inoffensive, dull and convoluted "Hop," which wastes some first-rate special effects work on an occasionally lively, mostly plodding father-son story about learning to live up to one's candy dispensing duties. [C-]
I AM NUMBER FOUR (1 hr., 49 min.; PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for language) British actor Alex Pettyfer solidly introduces a potential franchise character in this sci-fi action story (based on a young adult novel) about endangered extraterrestrials hiding out on Earth. The movie is more in touch with its teen angst than many similar films, and delivers solid action scenes to boot. [B]
INSIDIOUS (1 hr., 42 min.; PG-13 for thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language) An all-American family gets more than they bargained for from the two-story suburban home they move into in this devilishly entertaining fright film. Rose Byrne is especially good as a mother who fights for her comatose son against things that go bump in the night. [B+]
JANE EYRE (2 hrs.; PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content) The prototypical Gothic romance gets a wonderfully tempestuous, visually enchanting presentation from director Cary Fukunaga and writer Moira Buffini. Starts Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender are ideally matched as waifish Jane and devilishly magnetic Rochester. [A]
JUST GO WITH IT (1 hr., 56 min.; PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language) Ageless glamour queen Jennifer Aniston is still pretty handy with a quip and curvy Sports Illustrated swimsuit sensation Brooklyn Decker looks good in a bikini. Beyond that, Adam Sandler's new comedy about a white lie that becomes a white whale (of a tale) has very little to offer. [D]
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER (1 hr., 45 min.; G ) The boy wonder of pop music sings plenty, but largely lets other people do the talking in this polished, engaging retelling of his rise to international stardom. Bieber is nothing if not packaged, and it's hard to get past the feeling of being sold a carefully designed image, but his young (and old) female fans will doubtless be delighted. [B-]
THE KING'S SPEECH (1 hr., 58 min.; PG-13 for language) Colin Firth is a regal revelation as the self-consciously stammering British monarch elevated to the throne at the onset of World War II. Firth and Geoffrey Rush, playing the king's unconventional therapist, have a complex, merry and deeply engaging rapport in this bracingly excellent historical drama. Originally rated R; special edited version released April 1. [A]
LIMITLESS (1 hr., 45 min.; PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language) A frustrated novelist ("The Hangover" star Bradley Cooper) gets the ultimate kick-in-the-creative-pants after ingesting a top-secret drug that dramatically magnifies his cognitive function. It's a fun premise, smartly executed, that gets somewhat muddled by a generic murder plot. [B]
RED RIDING HOOD (1 hr., 40 min.; PG-13 for violence and creature terror, and some sensuality) A bosomy, blushy-cheeked village lass dangles in the winds of romantic destiny in this howlingly overwrought mashup of a relatively benign fairy tale and the swelling canon of teen supernatural romance. The entire enterprise is ripe for ridicule from start to finish. [D]
RIO (1 hr., 36 min.; PG for mild off color humor) A pampered cerulean macaw, long ago separated from his original habitat by rare bird smugglers, gets dragged back to Brazil to help repopulate his species in this (much) lighter-than-it-sounds fish-out-of-water story. The story is a little featherweight, but the comedy is fast, furious and funny, and the characters are surprisingly endearing. [A-]
SCREAM 4 (1 hr., 46 min.; R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking) Ho-hum. So much for fresh blood. The self-referential "Scream" franchise has become unintentionally self-mocking as it's gotten longer and longer in the tooth. Everything feels played (and replayed) out this time around, and longtime series stars Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell are (barely) going through the motions. [D]
SOUL SURFER (1 hr., 44 min.; PG for an intense sequence and some thematic material) The story of the billboard surfer girl who lost her arm to shark and lived to surf another day is warmly and winningly told in this nicely spiritual biopic. AnnaSophia Robb leads a strong cast as Bethany Hamilton, who finds balance again after life (and a hungry shark) deals her a heavy blow. [B+]
SOURCE CODE (1 hr., 33 min.; PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language) An Army captain serving in Afghanistan wakes up in the aftermath of a combat blackout to find himself riding a commuter train bound for Chicago. There's more to his circumstances than meets the eye, however, in the clever thriller that tracks a secret military mission to foil a terrorist bombing. [B+]
TANGLED (1 hr., 40 min.; PG for brief mild violence) The 50th feature-length film from Walt Disney Animation Studios is a lively romantic adventure, a visually stunning and fleet-footed lark through the fairy tale story of golden-haired Rapunzel. "Tangled" has great songs, a cagey villain and Disney's most engaging wooer of a princess in many a year, as well as providing two delightful animated animal sidekicks. [A]
TRON LEGACY (2 hrs., 7 min.; PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language) Here we glow again: The visual effects in this return trip to the digital domain first envisioned almost 30 years ago in "Tron" are totally awesome. The father-son story (with Jeff Bridges reprising his Kevin Flynn character from the original film) is mostly silly and eventually grows tedious. [C+]
TRUE GRIT (1 hr., 50 min.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images) John Wayne himself would be pleased with Joel and Ethan Coen's gorgeously detailed, deeply felt new adaptation of the classic Western novel by Charles Portis. Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld give riveting performances as, respectively, one-eyed Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn and iron-willed teen Mattie Ross. [A]
UNKNOWN (1 hr., 53 min.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content.) Dr. Martin Harris takes an ill-fated cab ride in Berlin and winds up hospitalized for several days. As Harris, Liam Neeson continues his late-career evolution into a startlingly effective macho action hero, and the movie is, refreshingly, much more plot-driven than bullet-riddled. [A-]
YOUR HIGHNESS (1 hr., 42 min.; PG-13 for strong crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity, violence and some drug use) "Eastbound and Down" star Danny McBride invites you to pick it, pack it, fire it up and come along on a bud-blasted quest to repel the designs of an evil sorcerer in the first ever stoner fantasy action comedy. Alas, the "humor" is mostly an avalanche of anachronistic profanity and vulgarity. [D-]
These films are playing exclusively in Salt Lake County at the theaters indicated.
Carmike Ritz Hollywood Connection at 3217 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City -- (801) 973-4386
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (1 hr., 56 min.; PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language) Semper fi! It's World War II all over again -- conceptually, that is -- after invading aliens pin down a company of grunts (Marine corps grunts, no less) in explosion-ravaged Los Angeles. Cliches both enrich and overburden this sometimes stuff, always gruffly heroic war movie. [B-] Carmike Ritz
BEASTLY (1 hr., 35 min.; PG-13 for language including crude comments, brief violence and some thematic material) A hunk-tastic teen gets a taste of his own body image venom after a teenage witch turns him into a grotesque man-troll. Only the love of a good woman can save fallen Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) in this surprisingly wise and winning high school take on "Beauty and the Beast." [B] Cinemark 9, Cinemark Valley Fair
BORN TO BE WILD 3D (40 min.; G ) Morgan Freeman wasn't born to be wild -- though he did love being the wild card in that one thriller with Ashley Judd and Evil Jim Caviezel -- but he does narrate this involving nature documentary about wild animals at play in the fields of the Lord. [B] Clark Planetarium, Megaplex 17
THE LINCOLN LAWYER (1 hr., 58 min.; R for some violence, sexual content and language) It's pure pleasure to watch Matthew McConaughey operate as slick attorney Mickey Haller, who does business from the back seat of his Lincoln town car. Though it gets talky some moments and is annoyingly stylized at others, the film stays on its feet from start to finish. [B+] Century 16 Sandy, Megaplex 17, Megaplex 20
PAUL (1 hr., 44 min.; R for language including sexual references, and some drug use) Better than its wretched trailers, yet far less funny that it ought to be, given the satiric track record of Simon Pegg, "Paul" is a genial, lightly amusing disappointment. Seth Rogen steers far too much of the comedy as the voice and weed-addled soul of a canny American E.T. [B-] Carmike Ritz, Cinemark 24
RANGO (1 hr., 47 min.; PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking) Adults and children can both enjoy this madly inventive homage to Hollywood Westerns in which a timid chameleon who fancies himself an actor (and has the voice of Johnny Depp) becomes the unlikely sheriff of a dusty desert town. A triumphant first foray into feature animation for Industrial Light and Magic. [B+] Carmike 12, Carmike Ritz, Cinemark 24
SUCKER PUNCH (1 hr., 49 min.; PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language) A teenage girl in a hospital for the criminally insane gets the other girls there to help her break out by all of them imagining that they're strippers and soldiers. More like a hospital for the criminally inane -- strong visuals, weak everything else. [D] Megaplex 17, Megaplex 20
THE WILDEST DREAM (1 hr., 34 min.; PG for thematic elements involving hardships of climbing, and some historical smoking images) The icy crags and forbidding cliffs of Mount Everest are the real star of this engaging documentary that explores whether British climber George Mallory, who died attempting to summit Everest in 1924, may have actually gotten to the top. [B] Clark Planetarium
WIN WIN (1 hr., 46 min.; R for language) A sad-sack lawyer (played by Paul Giamatti, who excels at cinematic sad-sackery), agress to care for an elderly client in exchange for a court-mandated stipend -- only to dump the old coot in a rest home. More sympathetic and human than it sounds, the film manages to be a warmly engaging view of an American family scraping by. [B+] Broadway, Century 16 Salt Lake, Megaplex 20
Posted in Movies on Thursday, April 21, 2011 12:03 am Updated: 7:17 am. | Tags: Movie Listings
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