CAPSULE REVIEWS OF FIRST RUN MOVIES NOW PLAYING IN CALGARY THEATRES
47 Ronin (not reviewed)
Keanu Reeves and Hiroyuki Sanada star in this tale about a band of samurai who aim to avenge the death and dishonour of their master, who was killed by a ruthless shogun.
About Time out of five
Jim, who loves Mary, has the ability to travel back in time and correct his errors. The result is entertaining whimsy with no real point.
American Hustle
Central cast members from Silver Linings Playbook reunite for this entertaining take on the events surrounding the 1978 Abscam scandal, in which the FBI went after corrupt politicians.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Will Ferrell returns as the idiotically self-regarding news anchor Ron Burgundy, this time to the 1980s to skewer the advent of the all-news universe.
The Book Thief ½
Despite the vaguely Disney-fied take on history, this movie based on the book about a girl who steals books during the Second World War tells a sincere story of loss.
Captain Phillips
Paul Greengrass’s drama re-creates the real-life 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of an American container ship. Tom Hanks is believably strong as the boat’s skipper.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
In this animated 3-D sequel, animal-food hybrids threaten the world and Flint must save the day. It’s big on food puns.
The Counselor
In the cautionary tale starring Michael Fassbender as a slick Texas lawyer looking to get rich quick, director Ridley Scott fills each frame with glam but he fails to make us care about the story.
The Crash Reel
Story of snowboarder Kevin Pearce who, training to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics, suffers a severe traumatic brain injury in Park City, Utah.
Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey transforms himself into Ron Woodroof, a real-life homophobe who learned in 1985 that he had AIDS. His reaction was to seek out drug therapies.
Delivery Man
Ken Scott tries to re-conjure the magic of his domestic hit Starbuck with this comedy starring Vince Vaughn as a meat delivery guy who discovers he has sired more than 400 children via multiple sperm donations.
Ender’s Game
Asa Butterfield stars as Ender Wiggin, a young battle strategist recruited by the Earth’s top defence force to fight aliens.
Free Birds ½
Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson play turkey buddies in this refreshing piece of animation. Thrown back in time, Reggie and Jake must convince the colonists that turkey makes a poor meal.
Frozen ½
In this Disney film, a princess has the ability to freeze everything, and her sister must rescue her and the kingdom from disaster.
Grudge Match
Despite a knockout performance from Robert De Niro, this comedy about two aging boxers who climb back into the ring fails because co-star Sylvester Stallone just isn’t up to the challenge.
The Hobbit: The Desolation
of Smaug
Part 2 in the trilogy is a long but entertaining trek through Middle Earth. Bilbo Baggins and a group of dwarfs battle giant spiders, evil orcs, elf foes and a dragon.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen, who is forced to compete in a second battle to the death.
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Coen Brothers movie stars Oscar Isaac as a folksinger in the 1960s who is on the edge of success but can’t quite make it. It’s a funny, sad and nostalgic evocation of the era. The great music, performed by an expert cast, makes it soar.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Johnny Knoxville, head of the Jackass troupe of stunt performers and pranksters, dons prosthetic makeup to become an old man taking his “grandson” on a road trip.
Justin Bieber’s Believe
(Not reviewed)
The cameras go behind the scenes for a look at Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber during his rise to stardom.
Last Vegas ½
Just shy of 70, lifelong bachelor Billy (Michael Douglas) is getting married and wants a last hurrah bachelor party in Las Vegas.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
A combination of black history lesson and melodrama with Forest Whitaker as a butler in the White House who served presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
A solid, responsible movie biography that touches all the chief incidents in the life of Nelson Mandela (an excellent Idris Elba) but never seems inspired. It’s a fitting tribute to a great man.
Nebraska
Alexander Payne directs Bruce Dern and Will Forte in this black and white road movie about a father and son road trip in a futile bid to pick up a million-dollar jackpot.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
(Not reviewed)
Another instalment in the Paranormal Activity franchise. A young California Latino named Jesse is marked for possession by the same malevolent demon who previously claimed Kristi and Katie.
Philomena
Judi Dench is magnificent as a religious woman searching for the baby who was taken 50 years earlier, and Steve Coogan balances the sentiment as a journalist who helps in the search.
Saving Mr. Banks ½
Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks star as P.L. Travers and Walt Disney in this period piece that takes us behind the scenes of Mary Poppins as Disney tried to secure the rights to Travers’s children’s book.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ½
Ben Stiller directs and stars in this ego-fest disguised as a feel-good movie about an fellow who works as a photo editor and dreams of becoming someone else. The idea of finding personal truth is solid, but when the whole movie feels like a fantasy exercise in itself, it defeats the point.
The Summit
Using photographs, survivors’ testimony and a complex series of recreations, director Nick Ryan reassembles the jigsaw pieces of tragedy and finds gaping holes in the narrative. Some of the survivors appear to be trapped in denial, or flat-out lying, in order to preserve their self-respect and reputation.
Thor: The Dark World ½
Thor battles some nasty elves to gain control of a supernatural weapon that could obliterate Earth.
Walking with Dinosaurs
A visual feast in service of a childish story. A little Pachyrhinosaurus and his tribe go on a long trek and run into a lot of ferocious enemies.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a real-life stockbroker who made a fortune and lost it all, in this entertaining movie from Martin Scorsese. Immersing us in a drug-fuelled rocket ride circa 1980, Scorsese shows us how Wall Street is fuelled by the basest impulses of human nature. You’ll feel dirty at the end of it, but that’s a good thing.