MOVIE REVIEWS YOUR GUIDE TO THE BIG SCREEN
AMERICAN REUNION. — (R) The gang from 1999’s “American Pie” returns, this time for their 13-year high school reunion. The cast is far from that of “American Graffiti,” so it’s not like we’ve been waiting; still, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy make the most of their time in this so-so third sequel. And yes, there are gross-out jokes. —Joe Neumaier
THE ARTIST. — (PG-13). Don’t be put off by its old-fashioned description: Michel Hazanavicius’s silent, blackand-white romance is a delight. Jean Dujardin offers a layered portrayal of a 1920s matinee idol whose career wanes with the arrival of talkies. Winner of 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor and Director. —Elizabeth Weitzman
ATM. — (R). The latest entry in the genre we’ll call “claustro-cinema,” drops us in an ATM vestibule with three bland bankers being tormented by a silent sociopath. There are a few jolts, but 90 minutes is too long to be stuck with such unmemorable company. —E.W.
BULLY. — (NR). A flawed, but essential documentary, that chronicles the pain of several families whose children are bullied by peers. As long as anyone espouses the dangerous “kids will be kids” attitudes seen here, this should be required viewing in every school. —E.W.
CASA DE MI PADRE. — (R). Will Ferrell stars as the doofus son (of course) of a Mexican landowner in this unfunny stunt of a movie, in Spanish with English subtitles. Ferrell’s Armando battles a drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal), romances his brother’s wife and generally lopes around as the audience waits for something silly to happen. A waste of an idea. —J.N.
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS. — (PG13). A cutesy campus comedy that’s smart and sardonic, but never un-ironic long enough to make an impression. Greta Gerwig is a co-ed who hopes to save classmates she deems “lost.” Writer-director Whit Stillman’s mannered style is less annoying than in the ’90s, but still light as a feather. —J.N.
THE DEEP BLUE SEA. — (R). Terence Davies’ beautifully-composed tragedy lacks a certain immediacy, but there’s still power in its sad triangle: in postwar England, a wealthy woman (Rachel Weisz) leaves her husband (Simon Russell Beale) for a careless lover (Tom Hiddleston). —E.W.
DETACHMENT. — (NR). Adrien Brody is a teacher battling a broken system and bored students, in a movie filled with righteous anger that doesn’t know what to do with it. Good performances by Brody, James Caan and Christina Hendricks help when things devolve into melodrama. —J.N.
DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX. — (PG). A greedy industrialist destroys a beautiful valley in this charmingly animated family film, based (a bit too loosely) on Dr. Seuss’s eco-classic. The original solemnity is lightened, but the directors do meld a valuable message into catchy songs, bright images (nicely done in 3D), and funny characters. —E.W.
FOOTNOTE. — (PG). Wise, witty Israeli drama about the complex and competitive relationship between a father and son, both of whom are Talmudic scholars. —E.W.
FRIENDS WITH KIDS. — (R). An unabashed descendant of “When Harry Met Sally,” this predictable, but engaging romantic comedy stars writer/director Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott as platonic friends who decide to have a baby together. The supporting cast is the movie’s biggest asset: “Bridesmaids” quartet Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Chris O’dowd. —E.W.
GOON. — (NR). Rowdy, generally amusing sports dramedy starring an excellent Seann William Scott as a hockey enforcer who just wants a quiet life off the ice. —E.W.
THE HUNGER GAMES. — (PG13). An action adventure far better than its bestselling source book. Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss, a 16 year-old in a future North America, fighting for her life in an annual, televised death match. Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson are terrific in a movie full of dark allegory, serious themes and can’tlook-away action. —J.N.
THE HUNTER. — (R) Willem Dafoe is a mercenary hired to track down an Australian animal previously thought to be extinct. Unfortunately for this movie, he gets sidetracked by the family he’s staying with and standard outsider-vslocals drama ensues. —J.N.
THE IRON LADY. — (PG-13). While this poorly-structured portrait of Margaret Thatcher fails as a biography, it does succeed as a showcase. Meryl Streep captures her subject’s mannerisms and then provides new shadings, adding vital depth to a regrettably shallow tour of personal and political highlights. Winner of Two Oscars: Best Makeup and Actress (Streep). —E.W.
JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME. — (R). Jason Segel and Ed Helms are wildly different brothers in this shaggy comedy. Jeff (Segel), a layabout lost soul, believes everything is connected; Susan Sarandon is his mom who would like to see her boys help each other during one crucial day. If you look at it the right way, “Jeff” is endearing. —J.N.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI. — (PG). Delicious documentary about Jiro Ono, an expert sushi chef who, in his 80s, is committed to excellence in a tiny Tokyo restaurant. Leaves you hungry for more. —J.N.
JOHN CARTER. — (PG-13). This movie of a 100-year-old, highly influential Edgar Rice Burroughs story about an earthman teleported to Mars and involved in a civil war is silly, sprawling and easy to make fun of, but also playful, epic and sure of what it is – which in this genre is rare indeed. —J.N. KEYHOLE. — (NR). A poor David Lynch substitute, from Canadian auteur Guy Maddin, involving memory tricks, yowling old men, gangsters, molls, psycho-sexual imagery and blackand-white images that would scare a carnival clown. Jason Patric and Isabella Rossellini costar. Basically pointless, but great to look at. —J.N.
THE KID WITH A BIKE. — (PG-13). A foster kid looks for guidance in this beautifully naturalistic (and unusually hopeful) drama from Belgium’s revered Dardenne brothers. —E.W.
MIRROR, MIRROR. — (PG). This unfunny, nearly unwatchable fairy tale re-do wants to be “The Princess Bride,” but instead is a charmless mess. Julia Roberts is the evil queen, Lily Collins is Snow White and Armie Hammer is the prince. Visually and tonally dull, it’s all made worse by seven unfunny dwarfs. “Dopey” is too good a word for it. —J.N.
PROJECT X. — (R). Obnoxiously selfcongratulatory teen comedy about three guys who throw an epic party to boost their popularity. There are a couple of likable actors and a few laughs, but overall it’s as if the filmmakers decided “Superbad” could be improved by jettisoning plot and character development. —E.W.
THE RAID REDEMPTION. — (R).A kinetic Indonesian actioner about a SWAT team facing down a drug gang floor by floor in a high-rise building. Bloody and repetitive, but full of adrenaline. —J.N. SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN. — (PG-13). Inoffensive, but unexceptional comedy about a bureaucrat (Ewan Mcgregor) and a PR agent (Emily Blunt) working to help a sheik’s wild plans. Contains a bit of the old British satire, but rewards with very little bite. —J.N.
A SEPARATION. — (PG-13). An Iranian drama about a married couple’s plans to divorce that becomes an examination of a tragic chain of events. . —J.N. SURVIVING PROGRESS. — (NR). Though rushed and somewhat unfocused, this sociological documentary is effective in its urgency. Arguments from the likes of Jane Goodall, Margaret Atwood, and Stephen Hawking make the case that we’re evolving faster than the Earth — or humanity — can handle. —E.W.
THIS MEANS WAR. — (PG-13). Mcg’s depressingly mean-spirited rom-com insults its primary audience and panders to their dates. Tom Hardy and Chris Pine are spies competing over Reese Witherspoon; they’ll each do anything necessary to gain the upper hand. Hardy’s a standout as the good guy, but MCG is far more impressed by Pine’s slickly obnoxious bad boy. —E.W.
A THOUSAND WORDS. — (PG-13). The big idea here is seeing Eddie Murphy pantomime wildly as a motor-mouthed agent magically connected to a tree – every leaf falls with every word he says, and when it dies, he dies. But the movie never realizes it’s potential until it’s too late. —J.N.
TITANIC 3D. — (PG-13). James Cameron’s 1997 spectacle is even more spectacular now that pristine 3D has been added. The ship still sinks, but the water meets the floor and the scope of this epic is even greater now. And for all of Cameron’s issues with dialogue, a young Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet buoy even the cheesiest moments. —J.N.
TURN ME ON, DAMMIT! — (NR). Refreshingly frank coming-of-age drama about a Norwegian teenager whose naivete and curiosity about sex makes everyone around her uncomfortable. —E.W.
21 JUMP STREET. — (R). Big-screen update of the late ‘80s TV series is like a comedy on Red Bull, and scores laughs by avoiding predictability. Cops Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are sent undercover at a high school, where, they need to catch teen drug dealers, and get a chance at a do-over. Often chaotic, but also very funny. —J.N.
WANDERLUST. — (R). David Wain’s disappointingly banal comedy will be remembered only for bringing together off-screen couple Justin Theroux (as the leader of a free-love commune) and Jennifer Aniston (as the uptight New Yorker intrigued by him). Both are totally miscast, but at least Paul Rudd is typically charming as Aniston’s hapless husband. —E.W.
WE HAVE A POPE. — (NR). Nanni Moretti’s tale of a crisis at the Vatican is a gently comic, but surprisingly effective challenge to the notions of power, faith, and fallibility. Michel Piccoli adds crucial weight as a Pope who doesn’t want the job. —E.W.
WE THE PARTY. — (R). It’s too clichéd to connect with the force intended. But Mario Van Peebles’ teen dramedy — about a class of racially-diverse students planning for prom — stands out for its socially conscious morality. —E.W.
WRATH OF THE TITANS. — (PG-13). Though we never do get to see all of the monsters promised in the trailer, this sequel to the 2010 remake of a 1981 fantasy pic has moments that recall grand-old corny swords-n-sandals cinema. Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Huston are old bearded guys stuck in a cave; Sam Worthington again is the demigod hero Perseus. Rosamund Pike is a breath of fresh air as Andromeda. —J.N. Save situation: Greta Gerwig in “Damsels in Distress”