 Movie openings and capsule reviewsBAY AREA NEWS GROUP Posted: 11/04/2009 02:45:12 PM PST Updated: 11/04/2009 03:38:41 PM PST
"Amelia": Hilary Swank plays pioneering aviator and women's-rights advocate Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while trying to fly around the world in 1937. Glossy and superficial. Too much on Earhart's romance with her hubby (Richard Gere). — R. Myers. (PG) 1 hr., 51 min. C- "Antichrist": In Lars von Trier's psychosexual thriller, a grieving couple's (Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg) dark side surfaces after they retreat to their isolated cabin to deal with the death of their son. (NR) Not reviewed. "Astro Boy": Like "Pinocchio," this forgettable animated futuristic tale follows a superpowered young robot who yearns for acceptance as he does the hero thing. Voices by Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage and Charlize Theron. Could be funnier and more moving. — C. Lemire. (PG) 1 hr., 30 min. C "the Beaches of Agnes": The cine-memoir from French filmmaker Agnes Varda weaves together footage from her work, old photos and interviews with colleagues and collaborators such as Jean-Luc Godard. Captivating, impressionistic, surreal. In French. — C. Rickey. (NR) 1 hr., 40 min. A "Bright Star": Jane Campion directed and wrote this sumptuous drama about the three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and high-fashion student Fanny Brawne (Abby Cornish). Impeccable acting. — R. Myers. (PG) 1 hr., 59 min.
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B+ "CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT": Newly undead, a teenage boy joins a sideshow with freaks and bizarre beings and becomes a pawn between warring vampire groups. Starring John C. Reilly and Chris Massoglia. "Twilight"-lite. Not silly enough. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 47 min. C "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs": Animated comedy set in a world where giant pancakes and pasta drop from the sky and overload cities as a scientist tries to solve world hunger. A delight. Voice talent includes Bill Hader, Anna Faris. — R. Moore. (PG) 1 hr., 21 min. B+ "Coco Before Chanel": Audrey Tautou plays Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman. With a keen eye for appearances but not a lot of passion or insight, the film covers her formative years. In French. — C. Lemire. (PG-13) 1 hr., 50 mins. C+ "COUPLES RETREAT": Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Ackerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in a sputtering, sporadically amusing misfire about four bland Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a resort on Bora Bora. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 53 min. D "An Education": One of the year's best. Carey Mulligan sparkles as a suburban teen introduced to culture and fashion by a charming thirtysomething man (Peter Sarsgaard) in 1961 London. The ecstasy and heartbreak stay with you. — C. Lemire. (NR) 1 hr., 35 min. A "Good Hair": Chris Rock travels the world to find out how hairstyles influence the activities, wallets, sexual relationships and self-esteem of the black community. Strong mix of humor, heartbreak. Rock's hot. — A. Hornaaday. (PG-13) 1 hr., 35 min. B+ "The Invention of Lying": Ricky Gervais plays the only person in the world who can tell a lie. He uses this to advance his career and love life. Droll, thoughtful comedy, with Jennifer Garner. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 40 mins. B "Law Abiding Citizen": A prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) engages in a cat-and-mouse game with a clever sociopath (Gerard Butler) orchestrating a string of murders for revenge. Preposterous. Cynical. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 47 min. D "More Than A Game": Five talented young Akron, Ohio, basketball players, including LeBron James, are the focus of this coming-of-age documentary about uncommon friendship in the face of adversity. Inspiring, compelling, but states the obvious; zero subtlety. — C. Lemire. (PG) 1 hr., 42 min. C "New York, I Love You": Ten directors — including Mira Nair, Natalie Portman and Brett Ratner — create linked vignettes that nail the serendipitous nature of love, New York-style. Most work. Ensemble includes Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Blake Lively. — E. Abeel. (R) 1 hr., 50 min. B "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY": A couple put surveillance cameras in their new home to see if eerie things are happening or if the wife just has an overactive imagination. The surprisingly potent chiller, reportedly made for $15,000, is consistently creepy. — B. Sharkey. (R) 1 hr., 39 min. B "Paris": Three interwoven stories of love, romance and life's wonders. Too many story lines but fine cast headed by Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris. In French. — S. Linden. (NR) 2 hrs., 4 min. B "A SERIOUS MAN": The Coen brothers use the tale of a quiet physics professor at a Midwestern university whose wife has decided to leave him to create "a slapstick meditation on divine intent, human learning and the consolation of faith in an unfair, unpredictable universe." Technically flawless. — C. Covert. (R) 1 hr., 45 min. A "Saw VI": Jigsaw (Tobin Bell)'s sadistic games continue as two FBI profilers are called in to help a local detective, and a SWAT officer is abducted. More torture porn; excruciating, not scary. Perfunctory acting. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 33 min. D "The Stepfather": Inept remake of the creepy 1987 thriller with Dylan Walsh as the nasty stepdad. Some suspense, no mystery. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 40 min. D "This Is It": Using footage shot during rehearsals for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" concerts, director Kenny Ortega gives fans a sense of what might have been. Raw, unvarnished, oft-fascinating look at creating the magic for a mega-tour. Rare glimpse of Jackson at work behind the scenes. — C. McCollum. (PG) 1 hr., 51 min. B "Toy Story & Toy Story 2 — DOUBLE FEATURE": Woody and Buzz, together again, in 3-D. The 1995 and 1999 computer-animated comedies, two of Pixar's best, look fabulous. — R. Moore. (G) 3 hrs. A "Where the Wild Things Are": Director Spike Jonze's version of the Maurice Sendak classic about Max, a young boy who feels misunderstood at home and flees to a land where strange and mysterious creatures roam. "... simple in design, brilliant in presentation." — R. Bentley. (PG) 1 hr., 42 min. A "The yes men fix the world": Documentary follows two men who masquerade as top execs for corporations they hate, to explore why we give big business so much power, market ethics and greed. (NR) Not reviewed. "Zombieland": Zombies have taken over the world and Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg fight them. Very funny zombie movie. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 30 min. B+ The following movies are scheduled to open today in the Bay Area. "THE BOX" (PG-13): A disfigured stranger promises a teacher and her husband (Cameron Diaz, James Marsden) a million dollars if she presses the button in the box he brings despite knowing that someone in the world will die when she hits it. The couple have 24 hours to mull the offer. "Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL" (PG): Robert Zemeckis uses performance-capture ("The Polar Express") for this take on Dickens' classic, with digital versions of Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth and Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge and the ghosts. "THE FOURTH KIND" (PG-13): In modern-day Alaska, a psychologist (Milla Jovovich) finds evidence of alien abductions during interviews with traumatized patients. "Gentlemen Broncos" (PG-13): A teen science-fiction writer has his story stolen by his idol, a celebrated sci-fi author. Directed and written by Jared Hess ("Napoleon Dynamite"). "THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS" (R): George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges star in this adaptation of Jon Ronson's satirical novel about a reporter who bumps into a soldier who says he's part of a U.S. Army paranormal battalion. "SKIN" (PG-13): Drama based on a true story about a black child born in the 1950s, during apartheid, to white Afrikaners. Raised as white, she's eventually expelled by white society and spends years trying to find her identity. Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill and Alice Krige star. "(UNTITLED)" (R): A look at the state of contemporary art via the relationships among a sulky eccentric composer (Adam Goldberg), a gallery curator (Marley Shelton) and the artist (Vinnie Jones) she's showcasing. "VISUAL ACOUSTICS" (NR): Documentary about Julius Shulman, considered the world's greatest architectural photographer. Dustin Hoffman narrates. |
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