OPENING
★★★½ west is west -(Odeon) This sequel to 1999’s East Is East is an equally funny and touching look at the travails of the Khan clan, Pakistani immigrants to England who eventually don’t really seem to fit in either country. Starts Fri. See review.
sucker punch -(Capitol/SilverCity/Caprice) The newest visual extravaganza from the director of 300 features a young woman sent to a brutal insane asylum by a wicked stepfather. She escapes from the horror of her imprisonment by believing that the power of her imagination is enough to let her escape. Starts Fri.
hobo with a shotgun -(Capitol) Spring has sprung and here comes a grumpy Rutger Hauer playing a homeless vigilante who blasts his pump-action shotgun at a variety of shitweasels including crooked cops and a pedophile Santa (!). The fun starts Fri.
diary of a wimpy kid: rodrick rules -(SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) A grade seven kid is the protagonist in this sequel to last year’s popular piece of family entertainment, based on a series of bestselling books. Starts Fri.
CONTINUING
★★ the adjustment bureau -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4) Hard-working Matt Damon stars in a tepid sci-fi thriller about a man who defies a mysterious agency that secretly controls events on Earth in order to pursue a love affair that was not supposed to happen.
★★★½ barney’s version -(Odeon) 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.
★★ battle: los angeles -(Odeon/SilverCity) Aaron Eckhart heads up a platoon of marines who have the daunting task of defeating an invasion force of heavily armed space aliens, in what proves to be a less-than-engaging combination war flick and sci-fi thriller.
beastly -(Capitol) A vain young man gets a fairy tale curse placed on him and turns rather, well, beastly, in a contemporary version of the Beauty and the Beast story.
gnomeo & juliet -(Roxy, 1:00 Sat.-Sun.) I wish I were making this up, but Hollywood’s latest tribute to the Bard features a retelling of his classic tale of star-crossed lovers – only this time the characters are garden gnomes.
hall pass -(SilverCity) The latest comedy from the Farrelly Brothers features a married guy who gets permission from his wife to have an affair. Things may get interesting when the wife joins in the fun. Starring Owen Wilson and Christina Applegate.
just go with it -(Roxy, 7:00) Adam Sandler is on the loose again, this time playing a bachelor who pretends to be unhappily married as a gimmick. Most critics have advised: just go without it.
★★★ the king’s SPEECH -(Odeon/SilverCity) Long live this royal Oscar champ, the much-loved and lauded historical drama about King George VI and his struggle to overcome a crippling stammer and lead his country into war against Germany.
★★½ limitless -(Odeon/SilverCity) Bradley Cooper plays an unmotivated writer who discovers a new drug that somehow gives him super-human mental powers, in a thriller with aspects of a headtrip movie. Co-starring Robert De Niro and Australia’s Abbie Cornish (Bright Star).
★★★½ the lincoln lawyer -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4) 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. 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 and Ryan Phillippe.
mars needs moms -(SilverCity) A boy develops a much deeper appreciation of his mom after she is captured by Martians. This wacky sci-fi animated comedy features Seth Rogen, Joan Cusack and Dan Fogler. By all accounts, one of the great bombs in recent memory.
★★★ paul -(Odeon/SilverCity) A pair of comic-book geeks get more than they bargained for when they come across a cute but decidedly profane hipster extra-terrestrial. A bit slow at first, the movie sets up lots of gags, has good comic timing, and a sweet heart beneath all the crudity. Starring Simon Pegg (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and SNL’s Kirsten Wiig (who nearly steals the show).
★★★¼ rango -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) This wacky animated spoof of classic westerns stars a chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who dreams of being a hero — then finds himself appointed the sheriff in a troubled western town and has to reach way down deep to connect with his inner gunslinger. Great fun!
red riding hood -(Capitol/SilverCity) Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman star in this elaborate reworking of the gothic and gory fairy tale beloved of morbid children, here featuring a werewolf plaguing a medieval village.
true grit -(Roxy, 2:30 Sat.-Sun.) Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon star in the Coen Brothers remake of the famed revenge western that originally starred a grizzled John Wayne as aging U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Dark and mythic, this is a classic western and classic Coen Brothers.
★★½ unknown -(Roxy, 9:10, 4:35 Sat.-Sun.) Liam Neeson continues his late-blooming move into action cinema with this thriller.
IMAX
★★★½ ARABIA -(10am, 2:00 5:00) The past and the present merge in this exploration of the rich history and present-day exoticism and complexity of Saudi Arabia.
journey into amazing caves -(11am, 1:00, 3:00, 6:00).
★★★ legends of flight -(noon, 4:00) The creation of the “next generation” commercial jetliner is detailed in this fascinating documentary.
★★½ tron: legacy -(7:00) The original TRON was a visionary sci-fi classic that never got the box office it deserved. Twenty years later, we return to the inner world of a video game, with mixed results.
SCREENINGS
Lord of the Dance 3D – Michael Flatley’s legendary Irish dance performance gets the 3D treatment. 7pm THURSDAY and MONDAY at SilverCity. $14.95.
Wrong Way to Hope – Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Owyhee River in the Oregon desert, a group of young Canadian cancer survivors embark on a journey of a lifetime down the one of the most remote rivers in the Lower 48. 7:30pm SATURDAY at the Gibson Auditorium, Camoson College (Lansdowne). By donation. wrongwaytohope.com.
The Wizard of Oz – Watch the 1939 classic on the big screen. 1pm SUNDAY at SilverCity. $5.
Movie Monday – Screening Family Matters. Locally made, this documentary follows four mainland families who are struggling to support a family member suffering from bi-polar disorder. 6:30pm MONDAY in the 1900-block Fort. By donation. 595-FLIC. moviemonday.ca
CINECENTA
dogtooth -(Wed.-Thurs., Mar. 23-24: 7:10, 9:00) This Cannes award winner and Oscar nominee from Greece is a quirky black comedy about three siblings who have been raised by their manipulative father in complete isolation. “Leaves bite marks that stick around long after you are released from its grip.” -Globe and Mail.
true grit -(Fri.-Sat., Mar. 25-26: 3:00, 7:00, 9:10) See Continuing.
★★★½ the illusionist -(Sat., Mar. 26: 1:00 matinee & Sun., Mar. 27: 1:00, 3:00, 7:15, 9:00 & Mon., Mar. 28: 7:15, 9:00) The latest piece of quirky animation from the director of The Triplets of Belleville is a charming, bittersweet portrait of the unusual relationship between an over-the-hill magician and a naive young woman. Adapted from an unfilmed script by France’s comic genius Jacques Tati. Starts Fri. See review.
★★★ dead man -(Tues., Mar. 29: 7:00, 9:20) This moody and mysterious 1995 film from cine-hipster Jim Jarmusch stars Johnny Depp, Gabriel Byrne and Billy Bob Thornton. Its depiction of a never-was Old West becomes a mythic portrait of American greed and violence.
somewhere -(Wed.-Thurs., Mar. 30-31: 7:00, 9:00) The latest from Sofia Coppola (Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) stars Stephen Dorff as a self-absorbed movie star who gradually realizes that his 11-year-old daughter is an important part of his life.
