CHEAP SEATS
Capsule reviews of second-run films now showing at Calgary theatres
21 Jump Street ★★ out of five
Despite some good acting from stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, this send-up of the ’80s-era TV show about cops going undercover in high school is so selfaware, it feels desperate.
American Reunion ★★ ½
Thirteen years after American Pie, the characters return for a high school reunion. The result is vulgar and clunky, although Seann William Scott is a scene-stealer as Stifler.
Battleship ★★★
Taylor Kitsch stars as an ill-be-haved member of the U.S. navy who learns the most valuable lesson of all when aliens attack Earth. Director Peter Berg finds the right balance between camp and drama, but what earns this movie extra points is the way it cleverly incorporates elements of the board game into the action.
Bully ★★★★
A heartbreaking documentary by filmmaker Lee Hirsch, who looks at the victims of bullying: a sensitive boy who’s attacked daily on a school bus, a lonely lesbian, a teen driven to bring a gun to school. Every student should see it. The Cabin in the Woods ★★★ ½ Five young people go to an isolated cabin and run into cliché terrors. Co-writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard are creating a critique — and a tribute — that is both funny and clever, but neglects to be frightening
Chimpanzee ★★★ ½ A remarkable nature documentary that follows an adorable baby chimp named Oscar through his tribulations (mom dies) and victories (he learns how to crack nuts). Tim Allen’s folksy narration tries too hard, but Oscar triumphs over that, as well. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax ★★★ ½ Danny DeVito takes on the role of Dr. Seuss’s environmentalist, the Lorax, in this adaptation of the book about greed and its devastating effects on the planet. The Five-Year Engagement ★★★★
A charming, off-kilter romantic comedy with Jason Segel as a chef who gives up his job for his fiancee (Emily Blunt). His resulting halfunderstood resentment almost sinks their relationship.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
★★★
In this sequel, Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson go to a magical island with Michael Caine and Vanessa Hudgens. When the island starts to sink, the group must devise an escape plan.
The Lucky One ★★ ½ Zac Efron stars as an ex-marine who finds a photograph of a woman in the battlefield and sets out to find her. Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
Mirror Mirror ★★★ A highly stylized and bizarrely comic version of the Snow White story. Julia Roberts is the evil stepmother and Lily Collins is a feisty princess with memorable eyebrows. Mostly what you remember are the elaborate sets and surreal costumes.
Monsieur Lazhar ★★★★ In Quebec director Philippe Falardeau’s Oscar-nominated film, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. French with English subtitles. The Pirates! Band of Misfits
★★★ ½ Hugh Grant drops his voice an octave to play the seemingly generic Pirate Captain in this effort from stop-action gurus Aardman Animation. A chaotic flurry of action and sentiment, the story explores the nature of identity and ego, as the Captain tries to win the big pirate prize — only to discover he sold part of his soul along the way. Sophisticated enough for adults and the kids walk the plank.
Safe ★★ Jason Statham takes on the mob, and his own boss, in this action movie from Boaz Yakin that attempts genuine drama by including a little girl in the mix. When a young Chinese girl is shipped to the U.S. in the employ of a mobster, Statham becomes her not-so-fairy godfather. Good stunts but weak dialogue. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
★★★ ½ Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt play star-crossed lovers in this creative and frequently funny adaptation of Paul Torday’s bestselling novel of a fisheries scientist forced to bring salmon to the Arabian Peninsula.
Wrath of the Titans ★★ ½ A sequel to the mythological epic in which Perseus (Sam Worthington) must rescue his father, Zeus (Liam Neeson), from the clutches of Hades (Ralph Fiennes). It’s occasionally cheesy, and the effects are good.