Film Clips:The Five Year Engagement

OPENING TODAY:

ELLES (NC-17) A journalist begins an investigative report on the lives of two student prostitutes, what began as another assignment quickly becomes very personal. The journalist, Anne, becomes so involved with these female students it forces her to confront her own reservations about what happens in the bedroom. The world’s oldest profession reveals more to Anne than she ever thought possible. Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta GA
THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT (R) From the producer of the marital comedy Bridesmaids, comes a new twist on the romantic comedy, a film spotlighting the time between the proposal and the marriage. When Tom and Violet get engaged, they have no idea what they are in for because it seems everything in the world is working against them getting married. The comedy ensues as this couple learns what it takes to make an engagement work.
THE HUNTER (R) A proficient and knowledgeable mercenary named Martin is sent into the Tasmanian wilderness to search for the rare Tasmanian tiger believed to be extinct. Hired by an anonymous company that desires the tiger’s genetic material, Martin poses as a scientist when he lands in Tasmania. While living with a family, the patriarch of the house goes missing, and Martin can’t help wanting to find the father. In the search, Martin’s mission to find the tiger becomes even more complicated than he could have ever imagined. Willem Dafoe plays an amazing mercenary and gives a chilling performance.Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta GA
THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISTFITS (PG) The same people who created Chicken Run and the Wallace and Gromit series, have created a new stop-motion film about a pirate captain who just isn’t very good at being a pirate. Voiced by Hugh Grant, the Pirate Captain is a lovable dope with aspirations of winning the “Pirate of the Year” award and finally getting some credit for his exploits as a buccaneer. Given directors Jeff Newitt’s and Peter Lord’s track record together, this movie is sure to be a great one.
THE RAVEN (R) When a deranged killer begins acting out the twisted poems and short stories of famed author Edgar Allen Poe, it is up to the author himself to stop the killer since Poe is the killer’s ultimate inspiration. Poe, played by John Cusack, is helped by a young detective in his search for the killer. But the game of chase takes a turn for the worst when Poe’s lover becomes the next target.
SAFE (R) Jason Statham plays Luke Wright a washed-up cage fighter in an MMA-style fighting circuit, essentially being paid to get beat up in front of a crowd. But when Luke wins a rigged fight he was supposed to lose, hell breaks loose, the Russian Mafia murders his family to teach him a lesson after costing them a small fortune. Then when Luke witnesses the Russians going after a young girl named Mei, he snaps and goes into an all out war against the mafia. In an attempt to redeem himself and avenge his own family, Statham delivers his usual action packed performance.

DULY NOTED

96 MINUTES (R) Is the story of four very different high school students on the brink of graduating, caught in the middle of a carjacking one night. The film follows each of the four student’s days leading up to the point of the carjacking. This coming of age film confronts societal issues such as race, income levels, gender roles, and the like through the drama that unfolds on the screen. AMC Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS When a trio of gorgeous girls at a college meet transfer student Lily, they immediately take her under their wing. The girls attempt to teach Lily the ways of life at their university, showing her their tap dancing therapy for depressed students. They seem to even have the men on the campus figured out, until a couple of guys threaten the girl’s grip on their environment. The collegiate comedy has tons of familiar faces and was selected to play at Venice and Toronto’s respective film festivals last year. UA Tara Cinemas 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS (2006) (R) This film follows the life of Diane Arbus, who is one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. Played by Nicole Kidman, Arbus turns away from her wealthy family and follows her heart into the arms of Lionel Sweeny (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who introduces her to the marginalized and deviant people that made her photos so famous. This film is being shown in conjunction with a series of other films at Poem 88 as part of their “Films for the 99% campaign.” Poem 88, Wed., May 2, 8 p.m. 1170 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA
RESTLESS CITY (R) The portrait film of Dijbril, a young African immigrant in NYC whose passion for music he hopes will take him all the way to the top and bring him a better life. He believes he can achieve his dreams and save his family back in Africa from a meager life, but its never that simple in the city that never sleeps. AMC Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA’’
CONTINUING
ACT OF VALOR ( R) This feature film draws on documentary techniques, casting a group of active duty U.S. Navy SEALs to dramatize a dangerous operation.
ADDICTION INCORPORATED (PG) This documentary reveals how, in 1994, scientist Victor DeNoble became the first whistleblower to reveal the tobacco industry’s efforts to manufacture “a maximally addictive” product. Interviewees include former Philip Morris VP Steven C. Parrish and Jeffrey Wigand, subject of Michael Mann’s film The Insider.
ALBERT NOBBS 2 stars (R ) Glenn Close has earned an Academy Award Best Actress nomination for playing the title character, a woman passing as male hotel waiter in 19th century Ireland. Close’s 30-year dedication to bring the character to the big screen doesn’t quite transfer to an engrossing story, although Janet McTeer genuinely earns her supporting actress nomination as another cross-dressing woman who brings masculine swagger to her masquerade. - Curt Holman
AMERICAN REUNION (R) The fourth installment (excluding the spin-off, straight to home video films) in the American Pie franchise, features all the original characters from this teen, coming-of-age comedy series. While (most of) the characters are acting like grown ups with real jobs and families now, their high school reunion brings back the same old hi-jinks, bodily humor, and awkward moments the first three films created.
THE ARTIST 5 stars (PG) In this pitch-perfect recreation of Hollywood’s black-and-white silent films, the effortlessly charming Jean Dujardin plays a swashbuckling matinee idol who stubbornly refuses to change his ways when the film industry switches to sound. Even in the film’s most downbeat moments, director Michel Hazanavicius uses clever visual gags to convey The Artist’s emotional core, while the story’s metaphor for professions transformed by new technology proves enormously relevant in the Internet age. - Holman
BEING FLYNN (R) Based on a true story, Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) is mourning the loss of his mother (Julianne Moore) when his long-absent father (Robert De Niro) reaches out to him. Mixed with the emotions of his mother’s death, his estranged father’s sudden interest in him, and trying to build a relationship with his girlfriend Denise, Nick is overwhelmed. While dealing with his father, who is a struggling writer and has artistic tantrums when something doesn’t go his way, Nick realizes this could be his one chance to have the relationship he missed in his childhood. UA Tara Cinemas 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
BIG MIRACLE (PG) When a family of gray whales become trapped under ice shelf in the Arctic Circle, a small town in Alaska rallies behind a young boy’s attempts to save them. A feel-good film starring The Office’s Josh Krasinski and Drew Barrymore.
BLUE LIKE JAZZ (PG-13) Don, the product of an oppressive Christian upbringing right in the thick of the Bible Belt in Texas, wants to distance himself from the Jesus-obsessed community he grew up in. So he heads to Portland, Oregon, to attend Reed College, one of the most progressive colleges in America. The eclectic and eccentric people he meets, allow Don to face his own spirituality and reservations and figure out his true beliefs.
BULLY (PG-13) This documentary by filmmaker Lee Hirsch investigates America’s problems with peer-to-peer bullying in schools and classrooms across the nation. Following the daily lives of 6 children and teens, Hirsch provides an insider’s look to the anxiety and fears bullied students deal with. Hirsch does not hold back, but rather dives deeply into this prominent issue exposing the horrors of what bullying can do to children when allowed to happen without reprimand.
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (R) A horror story that follows the trip of five friends to a remote cabin in the woods. As things start to get a little creepy, the audience thinks they are seeing the same old recycled horror story. But as the movie progresses and the twists get more and more absurd, this movie begins to turn the formulaic horror movie genre into something unique and different.
CHIMPANZEE (G) This documentary from Mark Linfield and Disney follows the story of Oscar, a young chimpanzee who is separated from his family during a skirmish with another group of chimps. In an unlikely turn of events, Oscar is ‘adopted’ by a full grown male chimp who finds him alone in the forest. This documentary offers a rarely seen glimpse into the world of chimpanzees, following the heartwarming story of Oscar.
CHRONICLE (PG-13) Three high school boys stumble upon a fallen meteor, and in the process gain superhero-like powers. But when one of the teens begins to abuse his new-found powers, his friends must stop him from destroying everything in his way.
CORIOLANUS 5 stars (R) Ralph Fiennes’ affinity for playing wrathful, infuriated characters reaches its pinnacle with his contemporary adaptation of a lesser-known Shakespeare play. Fiennes plays a Roman superwarrior whose intensity on the battlefield earns him enemies when he plays politics at home. Fiennes’ direction of the script by John Logan (Hugo, Rango) comfortably works Shakespearean exposition into CNN-style interview shows, while standouts in the excellent cast include Brian Cox and Vanessa Redgrave. - Curt Holman
DECLARATION OF WAR (NR) Director Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm co-wrote and play versions of themselves in this dramedy about a young couple who discover their newborn child is gravely ill and “declare war” on both the disease and the grim emotions that accompany it. Despite the subject matter, it’s supposed to be unexpectedly humorous.
THE DEEP BLUE SEA (NR) Hester Collyer (played by Rachel Weisz) is the wife of a British judge and she becomes entangled in a love affair with a former Royal Air Force pilot, sending her life out of control while falling hopelessly in love. Sacrificing her former husband’s wealth, social standing, and her own dignity, Hester struggles with true love and the life she has to leave behind. Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta GA
THE DESCENDENTS 4 stars (R ) George Clooney positions himself for a Best Actor win as the trustee of a Hawaiian real estate fortune who must step up his parenting skills when a boating accident puts his wife in a coma. Sideways director Alexander Payne would rather jerk tears than draw blood, and the first half relies dismayingly on swearing child and idiot boyfriend jokes. The Descendents hits its stride in its second half, though, when it dispenses with the forced humor and finds the emotional truths in painful situations. - Holman
THE DEVIL INSIDE (R) In this documentary-stylized movie, the main character Isabella travels to Italy when her mother is committed to insane asylum after a botched exorcism in which Isabella’s mother murders two priests and a nun. In an attempt to discover if she too will go crazy like her mother, Isabella finds herself in her own exorcism fiasco. -Henry Samuels
DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX (PG) In this adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ beloved picture book, a young boy tries to woo a girl by bringing a tree to their treeless home, leading to a flashback of how the land lost all of its trees. This comedy’s nod towards environmental conservation is balanced out by a hilarious performance from Danny DeVito as the Lorax.
FRIENDS WITH KIDS 2 stars (R ) A pair of platonic BFFs (Adam Scott and writer/director Jennifer Westfeldt) look at their friends’ angry marriages and resolve to have a baby together while remaining just friends. Nearly a Bridesmaids cast reunion (the other couples are played by Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm), the film features plenty of humor about baby poop and Kegel exercises, without Bridesmaids’ filthy inventiveness. Despite its low-budget, indie vibe, Friends With Kids subscribes to the stereotypes of Hollywood rom-coms and punts the complex relationship issues it brings up. - Curt Holman
INTRUDERS (R) This film follows Mia, a young girl who is writing a horror story for a class project. As she expands upon the tale, her nightmares reveal the hooded monster she created in her story. The more she works on the story the more real the ominous hooded figure becomes, until eventually he is real. Mia’s father can’t believe it at first, but Mia’s horror story becomes a true one as she and her father fight to stay alive.
ISLAND PRESIDENT (PG) This documentary follows the life of President Mohammed Nasheed of the Maldives, an island nation at the lowest elevation of anywhere in the world. After successfully introducing Democracy to his country, Nasheed is now faced with the battle of convincing the rest of the world to take global warming seriously. As the world gets warmer, Nasheed’s country slowly is being swallowed by the rising sea levels due to melting polar ice caps. This thought provoking documentary is an insightful way of addressing the issue of global warming with a human element.
GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (PG-13) Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle-riding, flaming-skull-headed comic book character, in the second installment in the Ghost Rider series. This time Ghost Rider tries to protect a boy from Satan, with the hopes that his infernal curse will be lifted.
GONE (PG-13) Amanda Seyfried plays Jill, a young woman who suspects that her younger sister taken by the same twisted murderer who kidnapped her two years ago. When the police write Jill off as being crazy and unstable, she takes matters into her own hands to find her sister and stop her former kidnapper before it’s too late.
GOON (R) Sean William Scott stars as Doug, a guy who just doesn’t fit in with his family of geniuses, especially when his career choice is being the bouncer at a club. His life seems pretty bleak, until one day when attending a hockey game, Doug gets in a fight with one of the players and knocks him out cold with one punch. The entire hockey arena goes ballistic when they see this, and Doug finds himself being offered a spot on the team. It seems he has finally found his calling, until the only other hockey player with a more bad ass reputation than Doug lets him know that he is out to get him.
THE GREY 3 stars (R ) Liam Neeson reaffirms his status as the new Chuck Norris in this icy thriller about oil refinery workers fighting wolves in the Alaskan wilds. Director Joe Carnahan delivers a cracking first hour that features a terrifying plane crash and grisly animal attacks, but the film’s second half slows down considerably to ponder questions of faith and mortality. Neeson’s sorrowful gravity always serves to take the guilt out of his guilty pleasure action films. - Holman
HAYWIRE 2 stars (R ) Mixed martial arts star and American Gladiator Gina Carano makes her film acting debut as Mallory Kane, a covert ops contractor marked for death by her own employers. Director Steven Soderbergh clearly enjoys dabbling in Bourne-style chases and action scenes, and Carano makes an impact as a muscular action heroine, particularly in hand-to-hand fight scenes with Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender. But Soderbergh and scripter Lem Dobbs seem utterly indifferent to the film’s plot and motivations and leave Carano emotionally stranded. - Holman
HUGO 3 stars (PG) An ingenious orphan boy (Asa Butterfield) lives in a 1930s Parisian railway station, where he tries to solves the riddles of a malfunctioning mechanical man and a mysterious toy shop owner (Ben Kingsley). Martin Scorsese experiments with both 3D effects and family-oriented storytelling with mixed results. Hugo succeeds best as a lyrical love letter to the pioneers of cinema, but seems bored by the adventures of the title character and his young friend (Chloe Moretz). - Holman
THE HUNGER GAMES (PG-13) In a post apocolyptic world, the countries that once made up North America is now called Panem. The Capitol, a technological metropolis that controls everything, is surrounded by 12 districts. Every year, one boy and girl are selected from each of the twelve districts at random to compete in the Hunger Games, basically a Gladiator style fight to the death. When teenager Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the games, she is almost certainly sentencing herself to death. Based on the young adult novel by Suzanne Collins, Katniss must fight to the death in order to survive and return home to her sister.
IN DARKNESS (NR) One of this year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar nominees, this Holocaust drama depicts a sewer worker in a Polish city who uses his knowledge of underground tunnels to shelter a group of Jewish fugitives. Director Agnieska Holland helmed another terrific Holocaust-themed movie, Europa Europa, in 1991.
THE IRON LADY 2 stars (PG-13) Meryl Streep gives a predictably rich and insightful lead performance in this thin, superficial biopic of Margaret Thatcher, England’s first female prime minister. The Iron Lady seems primarily interested in the doddering, elderly Thatcher who speaks to her deceased husband Denis (an excellent Jim Broadbent), while the wishy-washy script refuses to form an opinion about Thatcher’s controversial politics. - Holman
JOHN CARTER 2 stars (R ) In this adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic sci-fi adventure, Civil War cavalryman turned Arizona prospector John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) finds himself transported to Mars, where he takes up the cause of Martian Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins, who’s like a classy Megan Fox) against a vicious warlord (Dominic West). “Friday Night Lights’” Taylor Kitsch brings laid-back charisma to a role that the film can’t seem to decide is a tortured hero or a charming rogue. John Carter proves too silly and rushed to work as a respectable fantasy epic, but too heavy and convoluted to achieve pure escapism. Pixar’s Andrew Stanton delivers astounding visual effects, including the hero’s ability to make incredible jumps in the Martian gravity, but John Carter has a harder time getting off the ground. - Holman
JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 3 stars (PG) In the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) and his mom’s new beau (Dwayne Johnson) pick up a cryptic signal originating from the mysterious island from Jules Verne’s books. Taking full advantage of the technologies at his disposal, director Brad Peyton places his cast upon a fantastic tropical paradise full of amazing creatures and fantastic landscapes. Full of baseline humor, teen angst, and family bonding moments there’s an equal amount of intense chases and thrill rides on both ships and beasts to balance it out. Journey 2 is a definite improvement in the franchise and definitely worth seeing. - Edward Adams
JOYFUL NOISE (PG-13) Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton share the spotlight as members of a small-town members with ambitions to take the choir to a national championship.
LOCKOUT (PG-13) In the future prisoners are kept on a space station, which seemed like a good idea until an uprising allowed the prisoners take control of the station. The president, whose daughter was taken captive by the prisoners during the uprising, asks for the help of an ex-government agent (played by Guy Pearce) who is convicted of conspiracy. For the safe return of his daughter, the president promises Pearce’s freedom. Action-packed, gun fights and battles ensue as just one man attempts to save the president’s daughter from a vicious group of convicts.
THE LUCKY ONE (PG-13) US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, safe and sound. He is convinced his safety in battle was from a photograph of a beautiful woman (Taylor Schilling) he found on the ground during battle, keeping the photo with him at all times. Upon his arrival in the states he travels to North Carolina, searching for the woman who kept him alive without even knowing it.
MAN ON A LEDGE 2 stars (PG-13) Disgraced cop turned convict Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthingon) threatens to leap from the ledge of a high-rise Manhattan hotel. Is he really suicidal, or is he part of a complicated heist to clear his good name? Like Worthington struggling with his American accent, Man on a Ledge tries to impersonate earlier, better New York caper flicks like Dog Day Afternoon and Inside Man. Danish director Asger Leth builds suspense in the heist scenes, but doesn’t capture the Big Apple’s colorful character, so everything feels overcooked and slightly phony. It ends on a satisfying note, but Man on a Ledge won’t put on the edge of your seat. - Holman
MARLEY (PG-13) Made with the support of Bob Marley’s family, director Kevin McDonald takes an inside look at Marley’s impact on music and his social and political impacts as well. With rare footage, performances, interviews with people close to Marley, this film offers a portrait of a cultural icon. Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta GA
MIRROR MIRROR (PG) Julia Roberts stars as the evil queen in this remix of the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tale. The evil queen banishes Snow White into the fore in order to swoop in and steal the prince who has fallen in love with Snow White. But Snow White has different plans and enlists the help of seven little dwarfs to try and save the prince from marriage to the evil queen who is only after his money.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL 4 stars (PG-13) Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team of superspies must go rogue to catch a nuclear terrorist obsessed with launching World War III. Pixar director Brad Bird makes a confident leap to live-action with this outlandishly exciting spy flick, unified by plausible gadgets and jaw-dropping set pieces, which include Cruise dangling from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower, the world’s tallest building, as a sandstorm approaches. Simon Pegg deserves top billing for his hilarious comic relief. - Curt Holman
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (R ) Based on two books by British director Colin Clark, My Week With Marilyn recalls the week in 1957 that young Clark spent as set assistant to The Prince and the Showgirl, where he became friends with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). When Monroe’s new husband Arthur Miller leaves London, will Monroe focus more on work or play? Co-starring Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Oliver.
OCTOBER BABY (PG-13) When Hannah suddenly faints during a college play, during medical examination, she discovers that she was actually adopted. Even more shocking, she soon learns she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt by her birth mother. Faced with her own mortality and the fragility of life itself, Hannah sets out on a trip to find her birth mother and herself. In this coming of age story, the idea of family is challenged and redefined through Hannah’s journey.
ONE FOR THE MONEY (PG-13) When newly-divorced Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) loses her job at Macy’s, she is left with few options for employment. But when Stephanie finds work at her cousin’s bail-bond business, her first assignment is to track down an old lover (Jason O’Mara) who has skipped out on paying bail.
PROJECT X ( R) In this found-footage-style teen comedy, three high schoolers throw an epic birthday party to become the cool kids of their school, only to see the festivities spin out of control. High-jinks and debauchery create comedy, but this begs the question, who cleans up when the party is over.
THE RAID: REDEMPTION (R) Rama, the rookie member of a elite special forces team, is instructed to extract a vicious crime lord from a rundown, sketchy apartment buildilng. Difficult enough, but when the crime lord offers sanctuary to every vagrant living in the building in exchange for the heads of the special forces team, things start to get really tricky. After the team leader has fallen, everything rests on Rama’s shoulders to make sure his team makes it out alive with their prisoner.
RAMPART 4 stars ( R) Woody Harrelson gives a career-best performance as seething LAPD cop “Date Rape” Dave Brown in this gritty drama co-written by director Oren Moverman and L.A. Confidential author James Ellroy. Against the backdrop of the Rampart corruption scandal of 1999, Dave’s personality problems - and possibly a conspiracy against him - begin tearing his life apart. While Ellroy’s work can sometimes seem like apologias for sadists willing to break the law to protect the peace, Moverman provides a more humanistic counterweight, with sensitivity that refuses to glorify or demonize the character. Harrelson’s excellent sparring partners include Ice Cube, Ann Heche, Ben Foster and Robin Wright. - Curt Holman
RED TAILS 3 stars (PG-13) Stationed in Italy in 1944, the Tuskegee Airman fight to prove their value to the U.S. Air Force in battling evil German aviators. Self-consciously corny, repetitive and overloaded with subplots, this old-fashioned war movie benefits from spectacular air battles and some interesting details about the strategies of airborne combat. Terence Howard stands out as a tough colonel. - Holman
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (PG-13) Ewan McGregor plays Dr Alfred Jones, Britain’s leading fisheries expert, who is approached by a consultant with a wild plan. A sheik in Yemen has a dream of bringing one of his favorite hobbies, salmon fishing, to the desert of Yemen. Jones scoffs at such an idea, calling it impossible, but eventually takes on the upstream battle of introducing cold water river fish into a hot desert country in the Middle East. As the project grows, it takes on a greater meaning than just the fish, it soon becomes a metaphor for the building of a relationship between the Western and Eastern world. UA Tara Cinemas 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
SAFE HOUSE ( R) When a rouge ex-CIA agent named Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought to Agent Weston’s (Ryan Reynolds) CIA safe house in South Africa, a small militia attacks the safe house in an attempt to capture Frost. The inexperienced Weston is then tasked with protecting Frost, one of the most dangerous men alive.
THE SECRET LIFE OF ARRIETTY 4 stars (G) This loose adaptation of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers depicts the wary friendship between a sickly boy convalescing in a country house and the Thumbelina-sized “Borrower” who lives with her mom and dad beneath the floorboards. This contemplative fantasy adventure is never more exciting than when Arrietty goes on an expedition to get a cube of sugar in the colossal kitchen (from her point of view). Like nearly all of the animated films from Japan’s Studio Ghibli, it introduces a sharp, self-reliant young heroine while advancing a message of respect for other people and nature. - Holman
A SEPARATION 4 stars (NR) Filmmaker Asghar Farhadi presents no villains in his powerful, wrenching Iranian drama, except possibly for the legal and political system that puts undue pressure on the lives of ordinary citizens. A woman wants to immigrate from Iran to secure a better life for her teenage daughter, but her husband won’t abandon his Alzheimer’s-ridden father, and their separation sets off a chain reaction of mishaps and confrontations. One of the best films of 2011 and a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. - Curt Holman
SHERLOCK HOLMES: GAME OF SHADOWS (PG-13) Director Guy Ritchie directs Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in another fast-paced, bromantic take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s supersleuth. Noomi Rapace of Sweden’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo plays a mystery woman, and Jared Harris of “Mad Men” takes on the iconic role of Holmes’ archnemesis, Moriarty.
SILENT HOUSE (R) The night Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the Olsen twins), and her father visit the family lake house, they hear sinister noises and suspect that they’re not alone. Torture, panic, blood and psychological terror ensue. This horror film is shot as a single 88 minute scene.
THE SKINNY This film from writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk, follows the story of five African-American Brown University classmates; four gay men and one lesbian. The friends reunite in NYC for a weekend of fun, sin, secrets and drama. Midtown Art Cinema 931 Monroe Drive Atlanta GA
STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D (1999) 2 stars (PG) Two Jedi knights (Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor), a bumbling fish-man and a gifted young boy (Jake Lloyd) aid the deposed queen (Natalie Portman) of a besieged alien planet. The first of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels unquestionably suffers from wooden performances, terrible dialogue and a misguided comic relief character, but disappointed Star Wars who call it the worst film ever made should really see more movies. On the plus side it offers some subtly ingenious intergalactic skullduggery, some lavishly designed alien worlds and the best light-saber battle in the six-film franchise. - Holman
A THOUSAND WORDS (PG-13) Jerky literary agent Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) fouls up a deal for a self-help guru, who plants a tree in Jack’s back yard. A leaf falls from the tree every time Jack utters a word, and once they’re all gone, Jack believes he will die. Sounds like Liar, Liar with more pantomime and hand gestures.
TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE 2 stars ( R) After blowing a billion dollars on an unreleasable film, Adult Swim’s Tim Heidecker and Eric Warenheim (playing deranged versions of themselves) attempt to revitalize a crappy shopping mall to pay back the nefarious Schlaaang Corporation. The fake commercials, endless company credits and ghastly make-up provide an entertaining first half-hour, but Tim and Eric’s mix of gross-outs and corporate kitsch proves no substitute for a satisfying plot, and the film turns into kind of a slog. Featuring John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. - Holman
THINK LIKE A MAN (PG-13) The story of a group men’s love lives that are turned completely upside down when their respective ladies buy Steve Harvey’s new book that teaches women to act like ladies but think like men. When the ladies start turning the tables on their respective men, they conspire to reverse the book’s power and use it against the ladies. Featuring an all star cast of names like Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good, Kevin Hart, Jerry Ferrara and others, this comedy puts a new spin on how relationships work.
THIS MEANS WAR 2 stars (PG-13) : It’s bromance vs. romance when buddy CIA agents (Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) discover they’re both dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). : This Means War attempts to combine the light comedy, sexy actors and explosive set pieces of both rom-coms and action movies, but in some kind of mix-up, presents weak jokes, thin clichés and ugly set pieces. Witherspoon and Hardy are better than the material and Pine proves blandly handsome in a Ben Affleck sort of way. Where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt play battling spy spouses in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, FDR and Tuck’s escalating rivalry could be called Mr. and Mr. Smith. - Holman
THE THREE STOOGES: THE MOVIE (PG) The three stooges are back at it after a sabbatical from the screens of movie theaters for over 40 years. The same slapstick comedy and dopey humor that made the original vaudeville act hilarious is back for this reincarnation of a classic piece of American comedy. In the new film, three infants are left on a nun’s doorstep (the nun is played by Larry David) and are raised at the orphanage run by the nuns. When they are grown up and learn that the orphanage is facing foreclosure, they set out into the big world to save their home. Along the way, they become entangled with a murder plot and end up starring in a reality TV show with the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore .
TYLER PERRY’S GOOD DEEDS (PG-13) Tyler Perry plays the title role (sort of) as Wesley Deeds, a successful businessman who, despite his good fortune and great life, is unhappy. One night he discovers the janitor Lindsey (Thandie Newton) has been letting her daughter sleep in a supply closet at night while she works. Will Wesley’s friendship with Lindsey teach him how to be happy for the first time in his life? Spoilers.
UNDERWORLD AWAKENING (R ) Kate Beckinsale returns as Selene, the vampire warrior, in the fourth installment in the ‘Underworld’ series. After being captured and cryogenically frozen for 12 years, Selene wakes up to a world where the tables have turned on her kind, and humans are hunting the vampires.
THE VOW (PG-13) Brain damage from a car accident causes Paige (Rachel McAdams) to lose her memory, including all of the memories of her newlywed husband Leo (Channing Tatum). As Leo tries to win over Paige’s heart again, the couple encounters many obstacles in finding the meaning of true love.
WANDERLUST ( R) When Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston suddenly find themselves both unemployed in NYC, they realize they must move away to stay financially stable. After driving aimlessly, they arrive at an off-the-map bed and breakfast that turns out to be a hippie-esque commune. The comedy ensues as Rudd and Aniston learn whacky lessons from the eclectic group of people living on the commune.
WAR HORSE 3 stars (PG-13) A Devon farmboy (Jeremy Irvine) raises a thoroughbred named Joey, only to see it sold to an English cavalry officer and whisked away to World War I No-Man’s-Land. When director Stephen Spielberg focuses on the military the film proves powerful and harrowing, but its scenes of farm life (including the endless first half hour) are clumsy, mawkish, and practically crushed under the weight of a suffocating John Williams score. At least War Horse doesn’t obnoxiously anthropomorphize the title steed. - Holman
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (PG-13) A young lawyer (Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe) in 19th century London journeys to a remote estate to sort out a will, and encounters all kinds of spooky goings-on. The film is based the same novel by Susan Hill as the popular stage version, which is one of the most spooky plays ever written. Ciarin Hinds and Albert Nobbs Oscar nominee Janet McTeer co-star.
WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED: ON THE 7TH DAY (PG-13) The Ames’ family seemed to be the perfect family, beautiful wife, successful husband, and a darling little girl. Until one morning, when Kari (Sharon Leal) goes to wake he daughter up for school and discovers that she is missing. In the investigative race to find their kidnapped daughter, the Ames begin to discover secrets about their each other that could destroy their life together forever, whether or not they find their daughter.
WRATH OF THE TITANS (PG-13) Perseus, one of the earliest heroes of Greek mythology, must face the dangerous underworld to save his father Zeus. Zeus has been taken captive by his son Ares and his brother Hades. Epic battles ensue, pitting Perseus against the infamous Titans like Cyclops, Medusa and a cast of other mythological monstrosities.