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Critics’ Choices
In the joyous and buoyant new documentary, “Babies,” 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.
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.
Everyone has secrets in the “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” 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.
Frankly, a literal mind is not something that should be brought anywhere near this raunchy party. So if everyone will just check theirs at the door, “Hot Tub Time Machine” will in turn deliver non-stop political incorrectness; completely illogical special effects; a story line that at times makes absolutely no sense; Crispin Glover in one running sight gag that gets better instead of old; a crush of very cool ‘80s references, John Cusack chief among them; some gross-out moments that are genius, at least in the highly competitive world of R ratings. Oh and about a billion laughs. (B.S., March 26) (1:40) 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.
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.
Also in Theaters
The afterlife in “After.Life” is deadly. Really. Deadly. It’s where the not-quite dead exist just before they cease to. According to “After.Life,” which stars Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson, it takes a human being about four days to stop being, depending on scheduling and how long the undertaker wants to chat. The afterlife is not, however, nearly as deadly or as ghastly as the movie itself, an undertaking so tortured that it digs a deeper grave with every passing scene. (B.S., April 9) (1:43) R.
Jennifer Lopez probably doesn’t need a backup plan, what with the recording career, Marc Anthony, the cosmetics business and the clothing line. Whatever points there are to be earned for being contemporary and PC, some should be deducted for predictability. Just because “Back-Up” is about baby bumps, baby daddies, baby mamas and baby making in general doesn’t mean every pregnancy cliche in the book should be used. (B.S., April 23) (1:44) PG-13.
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.
A look inside the art of burlesque during its golden age. Written and directed by Leslie Zemeckis. (1:38) NR.
An exploration of the critically panned, cult movie favorite “Troll 2.” Directed by Michael Paul Stephenson. (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.
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.
Director Neil LaBute’s new comedy, “Death at a Funeral,” which stars a posse of comics headed by Chris Rock, is the movie version of karaoke. It sings the same tune as the 2007 British underground hit, but it’s a little, and at times a lot, off-key. Anyone who saw the original Frank Oz comedy of manners, with its Pandora’s box of problems sharing coffin space with the deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional English family, should hold on to whatever fond memories they might have. (B.S., April 16) (1:30) R.
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.
Two teen boys fall in love and must hide their feelings from the rural backwoods community. With Stephan Bender, Max Roeg, Thomas Jay Ryan, Diana Scarwid and Rickie Lee Jones. Based on the novel by Jim Grimsley. Written and directed by James Bolton. (1:29) NR.
A widower still reeling from the death of his wife is plagued by terrifying apparitions and finds himself drawn to an empathetic author of supernatural fiction. With Ciar?n Hinds, Iben Hjejle, Aidan Quinn and Hannah Lynch. Screenplay by Conor McPherson and Billy Roche, based on Roche’s “Tales from Rainwater Pond.” Directed by McPherson. (1:28) NR.
Subversive, provocative and unexpected, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” 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.
A filmmaker and his family struggle with his suicidal despair. With Louis-Do de Lencquesaing and Chiara Caselli. Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Love. (1:50) NR.
“Furry Vengeance” is so exhausting in its mean-spirited unfunny business that it would prompt Al Gore to empty his recycling bin and light a match to the contents. “Furry Vengeance” fashions itself as a green movie, but given its focus on bodily functions and the area of the anatomy that headliner Brendan Fraser calls the “no-no zone,” the film is awash in an entirely different color. (Glenn Whipp, April 30) (1:30) PG.
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.
When a couple lose their teenage son, their fractured family is pushed to the edge but the appearance of a young woman helps everyone start to put the pieces back together. With Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, Aaron Johnson, Carey Mulligan, Michael Shannon, Johnny Simmons and Zoe Kravitz. Written and directed by Shana Feste.(1:39) R.
Granting a dying wish for one of a friend, a man embarks on a road trip to reunite with a group of friends from his Navy days and attempt to make amends for a violent confrontation over sexual identity which rocked their relationship. With Jamey Sheridan, Steve Buscemi, Campbell Scott, Aidan Quinn and John Savage. Directed by Bette Gordon. (1:34) NR.
The neglected child of parents living on a commune realizes he has to leave in order to survive. Based on a true story. With Mark L. Young, Piper Laurie, Hanna Hall, Rutger Hauer and Kevin Gage. Written and directed by Adam Sherman. (1:28) NR.
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.
A Hasidic youth struggles with his beliefs and faith when he begins smuggling Ecstasy between Amsterdam and New York in the late 90’s With Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Danny A. Abeckaser, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs and Q-Tip. Written by Antonio Macia. Directed by Kevin Asch. (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.
A perfect-seeming family moves into an upscale neighborhood, generating envy and, yes, a scramble to keep up with them. The catch? They’re not a real family. They’re an advertising construct. “The Joneses” is a list of grievances nailed to the door of the Church of Materialism, but the hammer never hits the audience’s fingers. (Michael Ordona, April 16) (1:33) 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 mortally wounded man is left for dead in the Mexican desert; the only thing keeping him alive is his quest to track down the woman he loves. With Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut. Written by Robin Bhatt, Akarsh Khurana and Anurag Basu. Directed by Basu. 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.
A down-on-his-luck postman turns to his hero, soccer genius, philosopher and poster boy Eric Cantona for help. With Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop, Gerard Kearns and John Henshaw. Written by Paul Laverty. Directed by Ken Loach. (1:56) NR.
For the action-loving comic-book fans the film has in its sights, just one word: Duck! There are burning fragments of what passes for a story flying around everywhere in the massive debris field that is “The Losers.” There are enough clever bits, in that exploding-bodies kind of way, to inject some fun into the party. Now if only they can locate that plot in case there’s a sequel. (B.S., April 23) (1:38) PG-13.
A mullet-wearing soldier and special operative is called up to find a nuclear warhead stolen by his sworn enemy. With Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe and Maya Rudolph. Written by Forte, John Solomon and Jorma Taccone. Directed by Taccone. (1:39) R.
A cynical romance novelist finds true love. With Whitney Able, Bre Blair, Scott Caan, Wendy Glenn, James Caan and Dylan McDermott. Written by Scott Caan. Directed by Patrick Hoelck. (1:27) NR.
When a mama’s boy is convicted of a young girl’s murder, his mother sets out to find the girl’s killer and prove her son’s innocence. With Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin. Written by Park Eun-kyo and Bong Joon-ho. Directed by Joon-ho. In Korean with English subtitles. (2:08) NR.
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) (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.
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.
An interlocking drama and trial of two brothers-in-law associated with Al Qaeda and who served closely with Osama bin Laden. Directed by Laura Poitras. (1:30) NR.
If the existence of a documentary that records the vastness and diversity of the ocean is hardly unexpected, what French filmmakers (and “Winged Migration” veterans) Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzard have achieved is more surprising and more difficult than might be immediately apparent. “Oceans’” voice-over narration is the film’s weakest link. Where is the spirit that inspired the title of Jacques Cousteau’s classic “The Silent World” when we need it? But once “Oceans’” exhilarating visuals get going, it’s easy to ignore the words. This is not just another world, it’s an alien universe, and we are privileged to get a look inside. (K.Tu., April 22) (1:42) G.
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.
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.
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.
Returning to her hometown in Montana for the first time since her sex change, a transgendered filmmaker sets out to document her reunion at the high school where she had formerly been a star quarterback and hopes to make peace with her classmate and long-estranged, brain-damaged adopted brother, Marc. Things do not go as planned. Directed by Kimberly Reed (1:26) 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.
Shrek finds himself without Fiona in a twisted version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted and Rumpelstiltskin is king. With the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas. Written By Josh Klauser and Darren Lemke. Directed by Mike Mitchell. In IMAX 3D. (1:33) PG.
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 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.
Filmmaker Michel Gondry’s personal look at the life of Gondry family matriarch, his aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves. Michel examines Suzette’s years as a schoolteacher and her life in rural France and, through the course of filming the documentary, new family stories are unearthed. In French with English subtitles. (1:26) NR.
The independently made “TiMER” is a high-concept romantic comedy with all the makings of a starry studio vehicle. Thankfully, it eluded the big-budget assembly line, allowing writer-director Jac Schaeffer to infuse her funny and charming feature debut with a more singular vision than those of its often overcooked competitors. Make time for this one. (Gary Goldstein, April 30) (1:39) 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.
A comic and an aspiring actor ponder their career choices as they struggle in Hollywood. With Anthony Montgomery, Tom Huang, Sheetal Sheth and Lynn Chen. Directed by Huang. (1:58) 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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