Movie Capsule Reviews

A TOUCH OF SIN ★★★

Chinese director Jia Zhangke divides his movie into roughly four overlapping segments, all of them centering on an act of violence. The message is loud and clear: China’s explosive economy hasn’t merely left some people behind, it’s crushing them to death. It’s not a subtle film, but it’s composed with a passion and sinuous grace that makes it far more effective than many other sincere message movies. (2hr13) NR. (2hr13) NR. (violence, nudity, sexuality, profanity) (violence, nudity, sexuality, profanity) — —

FarranSmithNehme FarranSmithNehme

ALL IS BRIGHT ★ ½

Even Paul Giamatti’s performance as a misanthropic FrenchCanadian parolee selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn (with a miscast Paul Rudd) can’t save this depressing and shapeless comedydrama. (1 hr47) R.(profanity) — LouLumenick

DON JON ★★★

Short, sweet, raunchy and frequently hilarious directorial debut by Joseph GordonLevitt has him playing a New Jersey babe magnet who has trouble weaning himself from porn even after he meets the girl of his dreams (Scarlett Johansson). Or is it older woman Julianne Moore? (1hr29) R. (graphic sex and nudity, drugs)

— Lumenick

GRAVITY ★★★★

A popcorn blockbuster that’s also a work of art, Alfonso Cuaron’s groundbreaking and spellbinding space opera is the ultimate woman in peril movie, a tautly gripping adventure about a rookie astronaut (Sandra Bullock) struggling to survive after a catastrophic shuttle accident. George Clooney also stars in a film that presents a unique view of two people stranded in orbit around the Earth, an unforgettable ride that’s greatly enhanced by spellbinding special effects and judiciously applied 3D. One of the year’s best; don’t miss it. (1hr30) PG 13.(intense peril, frightening images) —

Lumenick

LET THE FIRE BURN ★★★

In 1985, Philadelphia tried to evict the radical AfricanAmerican group MOVE from its headquarters in a residential area by dropping a bomb on the roof. The ensuing fire killed six adults and five children, and gutted 61 homes. Jason Osder’s harrowing documentary uses only archival footage of MOVE, the siege and a later hearing; it’s a highly effective approach, but it leaves mostly a sense of despair. (1hr35)NR. (profanity, violence,b rief nudity) — Nehme

LINSANITY ★★ ½

Nobody knew much about the Knicks point guard who dazzled the world when he burst onto the scene in February 2012; documentarian Evan Leong aims to show the complicated back story of the recordbreaking Asian American basketball player, whose Christian faith plays a large role here. It’s not a particularly stylish film, but it does the job — and it’s a thrill to relive those Linsanity glory days. (1hr28) NR. (language) — SaraStewart

MUSCLE SHOALS ★★★

For decades the small town of Muscle Shoals, Ala., has been worldfamous for two recording studios that have produced a staggering amount of music. Greg Camalier’s documentary uses Rick Hall, who started it all with FAME Studios, to anchor his story. There’s some unconvincing chatter about the mystic power of rivers, and it’s hard to know what Bono is doing here, but Camalier does this towering music as much justice as any filmmaker can. (1hr51) PG. (profanity, brief nudity,drug references and smoking) — Nehme

NOTHING LEFT TO FEAR ★

A pastor (James Tupper), his wife (Anne Heche) and their kids (Jennifer Stone, Rebekah Brandes, Carter Cabassa) move to a rural town for his new job, but it turns out they’re marked as bait for a nebulous monster living in a nearby well. Nothing new or particularly scary here, just the de rigueur sacrificing of a teenage girl, and some tertiary others. (1hr40) R.(violence,

language) — Stewart

PRISONERS ★★★ ½

Twisty, compelling, brilliantly acted (and sometimes hardtowatch) thriller about the father (Hugh Jackman) of a kidnapped child who decides to torture the sole suspect (Paul Dano) for information after he’s released by police for lack of evidence. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the gonzo police detective handling the case, and director Denis Villeneuve’s excellent cast includes Terrence Howard, Viola Davis and an unforgettable Melissa Leo. (2hr53) R.(graphic violence,

torture) — Lumenick

WADJDA ★★★ ½

This is the first fulllength feature film shot inside Saudi Arabia. In a suburb of Riyadh lives a 10yearold girl, Wadjda (Waad Mohammed), whose fondest wish is for a bicycle, so she can race the little boy she’s not supposed to play with. Director Haifaa AlMansour creates a modernday Jo March in the person of her irresistible heroine, who keeps making trouble in her restricted world simply by being herself. (1hr37)PG.(mild adult situations, smoking) — Nehme