Weekly Film Listings June 2-8

 

Opening

 

★★★ the greatest movie ever sold -(Odeon) Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) examines the pros and cons of product placement in the movies. And being the provocateur he is, Spurlock does this by making a movie entirely funded by advertisers, in a manner both transparent and very droll. Starts Fri. See review.

x–men: first class -() The earliest days of all those X-People are explored in a splashy action flick starring everyone from James McAvoy to Kevin Bacon. Starts Fri.

Continuing

 

★★★¼ the bang bang club -(Odeon) Ryan Phillippe heads up some fine actors in a fact-based drama exploring the gut-wrenching moral dilemmas facing a quartet of combat photojournalists striving to be “objective” about the nightmare of civil war and apartheid in South Africa.

★★★½ bridesmaids -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4) SNL’s Kristen Wiig co-wrote and stars in this raucous but smart and heartfelt comedy that celebrates female friendship (while often being rather rude).

★★★ fast five -(Odeon/SilverCity/Caprice) In the latest Fast & Furious installment, those sort-of good guys once again end up on the wrong side of the law as they finds themselves trapped between a vicious drug lord and an implacable federal agent. Starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. This is fine, trashy fun.

★★ the hangover, part II -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) In this follow-up to the raucous raunchfest of last year, that tragically awry bachelor party in Vegas segues into a different set of nuptials in Thailand. Sadly, this sequel is tedious and rarely funny. See review.

★★★½ hanna -(Capitol) A 16-year-old girl, trained as an assassin by her CIA rogue agent of a father, is on the run across North Africa and Europe as ruthless intelligence agents try to track her down. Starring Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana and a very persuasive Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones). The plot cheats a bit, but this thriller couched in terms of a fairy tale is engaging and very well directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice).

hoodwinked too! hood vs. evil -(Capitol) This kid-friendly animation is a wacky take-off of classic fairy tales, as Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are called on to investigate the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel.

★★★¼ kung fu panda 2 -(Capitol/SilverCity) It’s sequel time and Po (Jack Black) joins forces with other kung fu masters to defeat a dire villain. Although the plot is pretty basic, the set design is both clever and gorgeous and the characters have heart. With voicings by Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman and Seth Rogen.

★★★½ the lincoln lawyer -(Capitol) This tricky crime thriller stars Matthew McConaughey as an unconventional lawyer who gets in over his head while representing a wealthy client accused of murder. Based on the novel by Michael Connelly. McConaughey brings his natural gifts — roguish charm overlaid with dollops of sleaze and smug self-regard — in what could be a career-saving role. The great supporting cast includes Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo and Ryan Phillippe.

★★ pirates of the caribbean: on stranger tides -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) Penelope Cruz sets sail with Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and the other piratical ne’er-do-wells of The Black Pearl in the fourth edition of this increasingly tedious — and alarmingly lucrative — action-comedy series.

★★ priest -(Odeon/SilverCity) Possibly as penance for starring in the atrocious religio-horror flick Legion, talented English thespian Paul Bettany gets to star in another religio-horror flick, this one a post-apocalyptic vampire gorefest deliberately styled after classic westerns. Call it The Good, The Bad and the Undead.

★★★¼ rio -(Capitol/SilverCity/Caprice) This very colourful animated romp stars a domesticated macaw that heads off on a wild jaunt to Rio de Janeiro to find avian amour. Featuring the vocal talents of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway.

something borrowed -(Capitol) Kate Hudson stars in a romantic comedy about a perpetually single gal who unexpectedly falls for a guy — too bad he’s the fiancé of her best friend.  This turkey has been plucked by virtually every critic in North America.

soul surfer -(Capitol) A teenage surfer loses her arm to a shark attack and somehow summons the courage to ride the waves again. Based on the true-life tale from a few years back.

★★★ source code -(Odeon) Jake Gyllenhaal stars in a sci-fi-ish thriller about a soldier who is teleported into the body of a stranger in order to find the terrorist due to blow up a train in eight minutes. The Matrix-meets-Groundhog-Day premise is more clever than the movie itself, which is solid but unremarkable.

★★½ thor -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) Directed, rather improbably, by Kenneth Branagh, this is a 3D account of the hammer-swinging Norse god after he gets the boot out of Asgard and ends up on earth — which he then has to save from annihilation. Two of the stars not playing Thor are Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman. Silly and awkward, but often entertaining.

 

Imax

 

★★★★ born to be wild -(10am, noon, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00) Take a remarkable safari as this documentary takes you up close and personal with the people who nurture orphaned baby elephants and orangutans en route to re-releasing them into the wild. Narrated by Morgan Freeman. This is a great film!

journey into amazing caves -(1:00, 4:00, 8:00)

★★★ wired to win: surviving the tour de france -(11am, 2:00, 6:00) Gorgeous race footage combines with intriguing medical details of what happens inside the body when racers go the limit in the ultimate endurance contest.

 

Screenings

 

Movie Monday -Screening  Mighty Jerome. Harry Jerome, one of Canada’s most celebrated track and field stars, gets a compelling documentary treatment that candidly explores the racism he faced, the controversies he stirred up, and his amazing comeback. 6:30pm MONDAY in the 1900-block Fort. By donation. 595-FLIC. moviemonday.ca.

climate on a sphere -The Royal BC Museum is screening three climate-related films on a dynamic, two-metre globe in their Climate Change Gallery. Running from June 5 to June 12.

you never bike alone -Cycle fans should check out this documentary about how the ever-growing bicycling culture in Vancouver is helping to transform the city. Friday, June 3, 7 pm at Camosun College’s Young Building. Admission by donation.

 

Cinecenta

 

Cinecenta at UVic screens its films in the Student Union Building. Tickets are available 40 minutes prior to showtime. Info: 721-8365. cinecenta.com.

★★★½ barney’s version -(Wed.-Thurs., June 1-2: 7:00, 9:35) Mordecai Richler’s last novel comes to the screen, starring Paul Giamatti as a curmudgeonly rascal of a romantic who struggles mightily with the vicissitudes of life and love — and his own outsize flaws. Co-starring Dustin Hoffman.

the topp twins: untouchable girls -(Fri.-Sun., June 3-5: 7:15, 9:00) This immensely popular documentary is a portrait of what is presumably the planet’s only yodeling, lesbian, country-and-western-singing twins. Although they are subversive satirists, they are mostly entertaining and funny as hell.

★★★★ of gods and men -(Mon.-Thurs., June 6-9: 7:00, 9:25) Based on events during an upsurge of Islamist violence in 1996 Algeria, this elegant and meditative drama centres on eight French monks whose religious beliefs are challenged by their harrowing predicament. This award winner, one of the few great films of the year, is a must-see for film fans. “A luminous tale of faith and heroism,” says Time Magazine

 

The Roxy

 

hop -(2:15, Sat.-Sun.) In this fluffy bit of animated fun for the whole family the teenage son of the Easter Bunny heads to Hollywood to join a rock ‘n’ roll band — only to encounter some unexpected adventures.

★★★ source code -(Odeon) Jake Gyllenhaal stars in a sci-fi-ish thriller about a soldier who is teleported into the body of a stranger in order to find the terrorist due to blow up a train in eight minutes. The Matrix-meets-Groundhog-Day premise is more clever than the movie itself, which is solid but unremarkable.

something borrowed -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4) Kate Hudson stars in a romantic comedy about a perpetually single gal who unexpectedly falls for a guy — too bad he’s the fiancé of her best friend. Starts Fri.

soul surfer -(Capitol) A teenage surfer loses her arm to a shark attack and somehow summons the courage to ride the waves again. Based on the true-life tale from a few years back.

hoodwinked too! hood vs. evil -(Capitol/SilverCity/Caprice) This kid-friendly animation is a wacky take-off of classic fairy tales, as Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are called on to investigate the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel.