Weekly Film Listings Sept 29- Oct. 5

 

Opening

 

dream house -(Capitol/Westshore/Uni 4) This supernatural thriller stars real-life couple Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz as happily marrieds who move into the “perfect” home, only to realize that they and their children may be in danger because of a brutal crime that happened there years previously.  Starts Fri.

50/50 -(Odeon/SilverCity/Caprice) Seth Rogen stars in an emo-comedy about a young man struggling with a cancer diagnosis that gives him a 50% chance of survival. Starts Fri.

what’s your number? -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4) That delightful neo-screwball comic Anna Faris stars in a raunchy chucklefest about a young woman who starts going backwards through her list of 20 previous lovers convinced that Mr. Perfect has somehow gone unrecognized. Starts Fri.

breakaway -(SilverCity) The very funny Russell Peters stars in a very Canadian comedy about an Indo-Canadian guy whose love of hockey makes him defy his tradition-minded parents. Starts Fri.

courageous -(SilverCity) Religion-focused Sherwood Pictures presents a drama about four police officers who confront a life-changing event that stirs an awakening of Christian consciousness. Starts Fri.

 

Continuing

 

abduction -(Capitol/SilverCity/Westshore) Twilight goth-stud Taylor Lautner stars in a universally derided thriller about a guy whose life spirals way out of control after he discovers his baby photo on a missing-persons website and makes the mistake of starting to investigate.

★★★★ cave of forgotten dreams -(Odeon) The critics are purring about the new film from quirky cine-genius Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man). Using the “immersive” side of 3-D, Herzog has made a unique documentary about a newly-discovered cave in France with walls covered with 30,000-year-old caveman art. This is an awe-inspiring delight.

★★★ contagion -(Capitol/Westshore) Matt Damon and Kate Winslet star in an edgy bio-thriller about a bird flu pandemic that is trashing the planet (and killing off some fine actors along the way). Despite being directed by Steven Soderbergh, this is surprisingly flat, diffuse and uninvolving.

★★★ crazy, stupid, love -(Odeon) A nice but slightly sappy guy (Steve Carell) gets dumped by his wife (Julianne Moore) and looks to a young stud (Ryan Gosling) to get some tips on how to deal with women. Thanks to a great cast and a clever script this is a fine and very funny romantic comedy. Note: no shows from Monday through Thursday.

★★★½ the debt -(Caprice) Helen Mirren heads up a great cast in a gripping and thoughtful espionage thriller about a trio of retired Mossad agents and the grubby truth about the deadly mission they have been celebrated for decades. With Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life).

dolphin tale -(Capitol/SilverCity/Westshore/Uni 4) This true-life story focuses on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin who was given a prosthetic tail. Starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.

★★★½ drive -(Odeon/SilverCity/Caprice) Mother always warned me about style over substance, but when it comes to this gory, ultra-noir thriller about a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a wheelman for serious criminals it’s hard not to succumb to its considerable charms. Starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan (An Education).

★★½ the help -(Odeon) This film exposes the genteel racism prevalent amongst upper-class white women in Mississippi of the 1960s. It’s an interesting but uneven effort where a few great performances are stuck in the middle of what is essentially a misguided attempt to turn the civil rights movement into an uplifting feel-good comedy-drama.

★★ killer elite -(Odeon/SilverCity/Westshore) Despite fine stars like Robert De Niro, Clive Owen, and Jason Statham, this addled actioner about revenge assassinations involving brutal mercenaries and retired members of Britain’s elite Special Air Service is disappointingly routine.

lion king -(Capitol/SilverCity) The classic Disney animation from 1994 has been tweaked for its re-release in 3-D.

★★★★ moneyball -(Capitol/SilverCity/Westshore/Uni 4) Even people with no interest in sports (or sports movies) will enjoy this riveting account of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), an underdog who bucked the standard way of doing things and used computer analysis in search of a winning team.

★★½ our idiot brother -(Caprice) Paul Rudd stars in a slightly sour comedy about a naive man whose excessive idealism brings chaos into the flawed lives of his three sisters.

the smurfs -(Caprice) A nasty wizard chases those cute blue blobs out of their magical medieval world and all the way to Manhattan.

 

Leaving Thurs.

★★★½ the whistleblower -(Odeon)

★★★ straW DOGS -(Odeon/SilverCity)

★★★ rise of the planet of the apes -(SilverCity/Westshore)

apollo 18 -(Caprice)

conan the barbarian -(Caprice)

i don’t know how she does it -(Capitol/SilverCity)

 

Imax

 

beavers -(10am, 1:00, 5:00; & 7:00, Thurs.-Sat). According to the ads, this is “the best dam movie” you’ll ever see about that iconic Canadian animal with the beautiful buck teeth.

★★★★ born to be wild -(11am, 3:00) 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!

sea–rex: journey to a prehistoric world -(noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00) In this adventure travel back millions of years to when amazing sea monsters ruled the seas.

★★½ harry potter and the deathly hallows: part 2 -(8:00, Thurs.-Sat., & 7:00, Sun.-Wed.) The long-running fantasy series by JK Rowling comes to a disappointingly ho-hum climax as the plucky boy wizard has that deadly, long-anticipated final confrontation with nostril-challenged supervillain Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

 

Screenings

 

Movie Monday – Screening The Beaver. Jodie Foster directs and co-stars in this drama starring disgraced actor Mel Gibson as an emotionally disturbed man who uses a hand puppet to communicate with the world he is profoundly alienated from. 6:30pm MONDAY in the 1900-block Fort. By donation. 595-FLIC. moviemonday.ca.

 

Cinecenta

 

if a tree falls: a story of the earth liberation front -(Wed.-Thurs., Sept. 28-29: 7:10, 9:00) By all accounts this is a fascinating and fair-minded account of the criminal trial of an enviro-activist that explores all the complex moral and ethical questions surrounding how to manage — or even just think about managing — the planet’s timber resources.

★★★½ beginners -(Fri.-Sat., Sept. 30, Oct. 1: 3:00, 7:00, 9:10) Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer are both great in a touching comedy-drama about a young man who is shocked by two revelations from his dad: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has been a closeted gay who has just taken up with a much younger male lover. See review.

rocky horror picture show -(Fri.-Sat., Sept. 30-Oct. 1: 11:15pm) The timeless and warped cult classic invites you to: Come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.

★★★¼ kung fu panda 2  -(Sat.-Sun., Oct. 1-2: 1:00 matinee) 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.

the trip -(Sun., Oct. 2: 3:00, 7:00, 9:15 & Mon., Oct. 3: 7:00, 9:15) Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, two of Britain’s most eccentric and often acerbic comics, undertake a weird road trip filmed by equally strange filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story).

marion woodman: dancing in the flames -(Tues., Oct. 4: 7:15, 9:00)There is a lot of interest in this documentary portrait of Jungian analyst, author and educator Marion Woodman, who is known for her efforts to combine spirituality with professional psychology. Back by popular demand!

snow flower and the secret fan -(Wed.-Thurs., Oct. 5-6: 7:00, 9:10) Wayne Wang (Smoke, The Joy Luck Club) directs this drama about two women in 19th century China whose lifelong friendship sustains them while they struggle against the strictness of a society where women have no freedom.

 

 

 

 

The Roxy

 

★★½ harry potter and the deathly hallows: part 2 -(7:00.) The long-running fantasy series by JK Rowling comes to a disappointingly ho-hum climax.

★★★½ the debt -(9:15) Helen Mirren heads up a great cast in a gripping and thoughtful espionage thriller about a trio of retired Mossad agents and the grubby truth about the deadly mission they have been celebrated for for decades. With Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life).

★★★¼ kung fu panda 2  -(2:00,  Sat.-Sun.) 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.

smurfs -(3:40, Sat.-Sun.) A nasty wizard chases those cute blue blobs out of their magical medieval world and all the way to Manhattan.

★★★½