Chile Pages
ARGENTINA Not rated. 97 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 48. THE FALLEN IDOL In one breathtaking stretch in the late 1940s, Carol Reed made a string of classic thrillers that equal or better the best of Hitchcock. They are Odd Man Out (1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), and The Third Man (1949). This one, about an ambassador’s son (Bobby Henrey) who idolizes the embassy butler (Ralph Richardson) and gets him in a heap of trouble while trying to protect him, has been rediscovered as a lost gem in the last decade. It has restored some of the stature of Reed as well. Not rated. 95 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Jonathan Richards) GURUKULAM This documentary takes viewers inside a remote ashram in southern India, allowing them to experience the relaxed rhythm of life there and learn about meditation, yoga, and philosophy. The footage is split between the students and Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who passes along his teachings about the meaning of life. Not rated. 108 minutes. In English, Tamil, and Sanskrit. The Screen. (Not reviewed) MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES Zac Efron and Adam Devine play two brothers who manage to ruin every event they attend with their awful behavior. To prevent them from ruining their sister’s wedding, their parents make them bring dates. The plan backfires when the women (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) turn out to be wilder than their escorts. Rated R. 98 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. (Not reviewed) THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS: YOYO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, thoroughly charismatic and introspective in this documentary, unites musicians from all over the world (with a particular emphasis on the Middle East and Asia) as the Silk Road Ensemble. This engrossing film highlights Ma along with other musicians, including Chinese pipa player Wu Man and Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor — and ties it together with outstanding photography, crisp editing, and predictably wonderful music. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Robert Ker) SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Bryan Lee O’Malley’s brilliant graphic-novel series comes to hyperactive life in this 2010 sleeper hit courtesy of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead). The plot centers on the title character (Michael Cera), an indie-rock bassist who falls for the new hottie in town, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and must battle her seven evil ex-boyfriends to win her love. There’s little emotional core to prop up this story, and the movie exhausts itself on its own energy and ideas. But at least it has energy and ideas. Rated PG-13. 113 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Robert Ker) THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS Have you ever wondered what your pets do when you leave the house all day? This animated movie, made by the folks behind the Despicable Me franchise, presumes that they behave with quirky, snarky humor of that franchise’s Minions. The plot involves a dog named Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) who must put aside his differences with a rival dog called Duke (Eric Stonestreet) when a greater menace (led by a bunny voiced by Kevin Hart) arises. Rated PG. 90 minutes. Screens in 3-D and 2-D at Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown; DreamCatcher. Screens in 2-D only at Regal DeVargas. (Not reviewed) YARN Author Barbara Kingsolver contributes a narrative voice-over about the fundamental nature of wool in this documentary homage to knitting and crocheting. Yarn follows female fiber artists from Poland, Iceland, and Japan as they push past what they consider to be a sexist bias in the art world against any medium associated with handicrafts, a bias strong enough to cause some of them to leave their home countries and seek acceptance elsewhere. Not rated. 76 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Jennifer Levin)