NOW PLAYING
The Amazing Spider-Man You can argue that the last thing we need is another reboot of a comic-book movie franchise, but this film gets off to a good start, with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the lead roles. Technology has improved in the past 10 years, and the script is OK. This is the second-best Spider-Man movie. Rated PG-13. 136 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Awakening “Masterpiece Theater” meets “The Sixth Sense.” This tale about a ghost-busting author in 1920s England who exposes charlatans, only to get a supernatural jolt while investigating a school, has its share of mystery and chills, but the jumbled last 20 minutes may leave you scratching your head. Rated R. 107 minutes. — D. Lewis Beasts of the Southern Wild Benh Zeitlin’s poetic debut follows 6-yearold Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis), a denizen of a poor community in the Louisiana Delta, as she copes with a storm she thinks she caused. Not all is explained, but this is a rare beast, all humid visuals and cryptic Southern Gothic philosophizing. Rated PG-13. 93 minutes. — A. Biancolli
Beloved Christophe Honore’s drama, covering more than 40 years, traces the romantic tribulations of a woman, young (Ludivine Sagnier) and old (Catherine Deneuve), and that of her daughter (Deneuve’s real-life daughter, Chiara Mastroianni). It’s raw and a bit of a mess, yet there is a vision of something grand here. It has a big spirit and becomes a big movie. Not rated. 138 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Bill W. This admirable, illuminating film about the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous is like the man: solid, sometimes flawed and seriously unflashy. The proceedings do not always make for scintillating drama — this is a workmanlike, educational effort — but “Bill W.” succeeds in shedding light on a figure who affected the lives of millions. Not rated. 103 minutes. — D. Lewis
The Bourne Legacy This death-rattle addendum to the Bourne trilogy features a new secret agent (Jeremy Renner) running from his government, this time accompanied by a scientist (Rachel Weisz). But just getting to that point in the story takes a long, long hour, filled with pointless and confusing exposition, and the film resolves inconclusively, as if begging for a sequel. A real disappointment from director Tony Gilroy. Rated PG-13. 135 minutes. — M. LaSalle
rave Mother-daughter issues in fairy-tale Scotland take center stage in this story of a rebellious teenager who does something terrible to her mom — but then it’s a learning experience for all. This latest from Pixar is up to the company’s usual exalted visual standards, but something in the story and the emphasis feels off and at times at cross purposes. Rated PG. 100 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Campaign Jay Roach’s R-rated political satire follows rivals (Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis) on the campaign trail in North Carolina. The resulting spoofery is raucous, non-partisan — we never learn which flesh-pressing idiot is a Republican and which is a Democrat — and filled with the usual weirdness one expects from Ferrell. Rated R. 85 minutes. — A. Biancolli
and Jesse Forever Old-fashioned and modern, funny and melancholic, this witty, heart-felt romantic comedy involves a couple (the excellent Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg) doing everything to remain best friends forever, even with their impending divorce. This is a film populated with moments that seem familiar but turn out to be surprising. Rated R. 90 minutes. — D. Lewis The Dark Knight Rises Director and coscreenwriter Christopher Nolan employs the same tactic as he did with 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” using the Batman story as the platform for a fantasia on modern anxieties. But the result is more jumbled and muddled, and the film suffers from a depressed hero (Christian Bale) and a one-note villain (Tom Hardy). But Anne Hathaway as Catwoman livens things up. Rated PG-13. 165 minutes. — M. LaSalle Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog
Days In this third, sunny adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s hugely popular kids’ novels, middle schooler Greg (Zachary Gordon)
faces the summer doldrums. Characters are only partial jerks to each other, and the laughs are frequent and genuine — yielding the best, funniest and least obnoxious entry in the series so far. With Devon Bostick and Steve Zahn. Rated PG. 94 minutes.
— A. Biancolli
Easy Money An appealing thriller from Sweden, this film follows three men with different reasons for turning to a life in crime. But the movie slows down and lands in a zone of ambiguity about a half-hour before the finish, making the rest of it something of a slog. Rated R. 119 minutes. In Swedish with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
The Expendables 2 Sequel to 2010 action film about mercenaries. With Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not reviewed. Rated R. 103 minutes.
My Queen By far the best film about Marie Antoinette ever made, this film tells the story of the French Revolution’s early days as seen through the eyes of the queen’s reader, a commoner played by Lea Seydoux. Diane Kruger plays the queen, in an example of ideal casting. Rated R. 100 minutes. In French with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Hara-Kiri Takashi Miike, the bad boy of Japanese cinema, suddenly has the patience of an old master. For the second time, he has remade a 1960s classic into an elegant, brutal film. In 2010, it was “13 Assassins.” Now it’s Masaki Kobayashi’s “Harakiri.” Set in 1630, the new film opens with a wandering ronin asking a suspicious lord for permission to commit ritual suicide. It’s at once a battle of wits and a moving melodrama. Not rated. 135 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. — G. Allen Johnson
Hope Springs As long as you’re forewarned that this movie is no comedy, but a fairly grim look at the trials and dead ends that marriages sometimes face, you’ll be prepared for this well-acted study of a married couple (Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep) who do a weeklong couples-therapy retreat. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Ice Age: Continental Drift Pangaea breaks apart 200 million years late in this fourth installment (second in 3-D) of the animated series starring prehistoric creatures. Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the sabertoothed cat (Denis Leary) get separated from the clan and meet pirates. The action crashes and the animation pops; few surprises. Rated PG. 87 minutes. — A. Biancolli
The Imposter Heartbreaking deceit is the subject of this documentary, which tells the hypnotically strange tale of a French con man who duped a Texas family into believing he was their long-missing son. The film theatrically melds interviews with dramatic re-enactments, making it sometimes hard to tell what’s real and what’s bogus. Directed by Bart Layton. Rated R. 95 minutes. — A. Biancolli
The Intouchables This film — the second biggest box-office smash in French film history — comes here on an incredible wave of advance reputation, but this story of a Senegalese thief (Omar Sy) who becomes assistant to a wealthy quadriplegic is a hit-and-miss proposition, emotionally tone-deaf, yet with a handful of welldone set pieces. Rated R. 112 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Joe Director William Friedkin and playwright Tracy Letts combine their talents in this adaptation of Letts’ brutal black comedy, an effective and enjoyable, if savage, story of white trash greed in Texas. Starring Matthew McConaughey as a contract killer. Rated NC-17. 102 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Magic Mike Steven Soderbergh’s latest, about the friendship between male strippers (Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer), is a well-written, smartly directed delight, one of the year’s freshest films so far. Rated R. 110 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Moonrise Kingdom Wes Anderson’s tale of misfit 12-year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) trekking across a fictitious New England island, is an adventure, a love story, a biblical allegory. It’s as poetic as any film out there, but it also has heart. With Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand. Rated PG-13. 94 minutes. — A. Biancolli The Odd Life of Timothy
Green The extraordinary C.J. Adams stars as Timothy, a boy who sprouts from the garden one magic night, sporting leaves on his shins. The film is total
Disney: sun-dappled, heartwarming, manipulative and cliched, and the end could jerk tears from a crank. With Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner. Rated PG. 104 minutes.
— A. Biancolli
From the studio that made “Coraline” comes this visually breathtaking 3D stopmotion fable, about a boy (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who sees dead people and his mission to save his town from a zombiepocalypse. It gets too preachy, but the look of the film is beguiling. With the voices of Anna Kendrick and Casey Affleck. Rated PG. 96 minutes. — A. Biancolli The Queen of Versailles Lauren Greenfield’s startlingly candid look at one family’s descent from colossal wealth — as they attempt to build the country’s biggest single-family home — offers more than schadenfreude for the masses. Unclouded by politics or blame, it offers insight into the hazardous practice of living beyond our means. Rated PG. 100 minutes. — A. Biancolli
Sparks An original and well-executed fantasy romance, written by co-star Zoe Kazan, about a novelist who, in writing about his dream woman, accidentally causes her to spring to life. A good idea with a good follow-through. Rated R. 104 minutes. — M. LaSalle
for Sugar Man Malik Bendjelloul’s superb documentary covers the 1990s investigation into the fate of rock footnote Sixto Rodriguez. “Searching” has emotional valleys and zeniths, and gaspinducing turns, as old friends, fans and Rodriguez’s grown daughters are interviewed. But there’s still a meditative quality. Rated PG-13. 86 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Sparkle Remake of 1976 film
O tracing the rise of a ’60s singing group resembling the Supremes. With Jordin Sparks, Tika Sumpter, Carmen Ejogo and Whitney Houston. Rated PG-13. 116 minutes. Ted “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane directed, co-wrote and coproduced this threewheeled romantic comedy about a pot-smoking, pottymouthed talking teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane) and his friendship with a Boston slacker (Mark Wahlberg). Some weirdly funny stuff — a teddy bear humping a grocery check-out girl — attached to a conventional plot. With Mila Kunis. Rated R. 106 minutes.
— A. Biancolli
Rome With Love big mess from Woody Allen, this mix of four unrelated stories is tired and uninspired, but if you want to see Rome and enjoy a Woody Allen universe, you won’t mind. Rated R. 111 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Recall Colin Farrell plays a dour late-21st century factory worker who’s actually a secret agent with implanted memories in Len Wiseman’s adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story — a PG-13 remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Despite dazzling cityscapes and nonstop action, this is a bloodless, humorless, colorless thing. With Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel. Rated PG-13. 118 minutes. — A. Biancolli
2 Days in New York Julie Delpy is a real director, and this comedy, which she also cowrote, has flair and a specific and winning style. Delpy plays a French American woman entertaining her eccentric French relatives, and Chris Rock, never better onscreen, is her live-in boyfriend. A sequel to “2 Days in Paris.” Rated R. 95 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Unforgivable A novelist and a travel agent meet and marry in Venice, then have to deal with life’s irritations in this interesting — though not dramatic — film
about midlife romance and its obstacles. Directed by Andre Techine. Not rated. 112 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
The Watch A warmed-over “Ghostbusters,” with Ben Stiller as a bland control freak who starts a neighborhood watch and finds himself doing battle with space aliens. Co-starring Vince Vaughn, the comedy gets occasional laughs, but not enough to make this remotely worth seeing. Rated R. 112 minutes. — M. LaSalle