|
Hot Tub Time Machine / *** (R)
|
"Hot Tub Time Machine" (R, 98 minutes). A raunchy guy comedy where three buddies and a nephew fall into a magical hot tub and are transported in time to the scene of their legendary bacchanal at a 1980s ski lodge. Rob Corddry, from the Daily Show, steals the movie as a tireless party animal; John Cusack and Craig Robinson are his buddies, Clark Duke is Cusack's nephew, Crispin Glover is a surly one-armed bellboy, and Chevy Chase, with a twinkle in his eye, is the hot tub repairman. Not quite the equal of "The Hangover," but with a lot of the same appeal. Better than the title might suggest. Three stars
|
|
Greenberg / ***1/2 (R)
|
"Greenberg" (R, 107 minutes). Ben Stiller in one of his best performances as a chronic malcontent who returns to L.A. to house-sit, nurture his misery, and reconnect with people who quite rightly resent him. With Greta Gerwig as an aimless but pleasant young college graduate who feels sorry for him, and Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Jason Leigh as survivors of his troublesome past. Directed by Noah Baumbach, of "The Squid and the Whale." Three and a half stars
|
|
Mother / ***1/2 (R)
|
"Mother" (R, 128 minutes). A mentally-deficient 27-year-old seems almost certainly guilty of murder. His mother, who has protected him all his life, is determined to prove his innocence. She is a remorseless force of nature, in a South Korean thriller that moves far beyond our expectations, into labyrinths deeper than reality. Written and diffracted by Bong Joon-ho ("The Host"). Three and a half stars
|
|
How to Train Your Dragon / *** (PG)
|
"How to Train Your Dragon" (PG, 98 minutes). Young Hiccup, whose Viking village has long been beset by dragons, befriends a young one and tames it. Thus the elders discover there can be good dragons and bad ones, and that leads to an aerial battle sequence obviously yearning to become a video game. The new Dreamworks animated feature is bright, good-looking and has high energy. Kids are above the easily-scared age will probably like the movie the younger they are. Three stars.
|
|
Chloe / ***1/2 (No MPAA rating)
|
"Chloe" (Unrated, 96 minutes). A woman doctor (Julianne Moore) suspects her husband (Liam Neeson) of cheating, and hires a young call girl (Amanda Seyfried) to test how he might respond. She is fascinated by the girl's reports. Her jealousy shifts into curiosity. And the call girl? What's in this for her? Egoyan weaves a deceptive erotic web. Three and a half stars.
|
|
Waking Sleeping Beauty / ***1/2 (PG)
|
"Waking Sleeping Beauty" (PG, 86 minutes). A privileged inside look at the Disney animation studio from 1984 to 1994, a golden age that essentially recreated feature animation in the form we know it now. From "The Little Mermaid" to "The Lion King," interviews, archives, home movies and interviews recreate a time of creative turmoil and backstage rivalries. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Three and a half stars.
|
|
The Most Dangerous Man in America / *** (No MPAA rating)
|
"The Most Dangerous Man in America" (Unrated, 94 minutes). Narrated by Daniel Ellsberg, the man who supplied the Pentagon Papers to the American press, this doc tells the story of his personal evolution from Marine Corps company commander to a man accused of treason. In his very high ranking as an analyst for the Pentagon and the Rand Corporation, he had personal knowledge of fabricated information and official lies that justified the escalation of the Vietnam War. The film is skillful and provoking, although not very probing about Ellsberg himself. Three stars
|
|
The Bounty Hunter / *1/2 (PG-13)
|
"The Bounty Hunter" (PG-13, 110 minutes). An inconsequential formula comedy and a waste of the talents of Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. He's a bounty hunter, she's skipped bail on a traffic charge, they were once married, and that's the end of the movie's original ideas. We've seen earlier versions of every single scene to the point of catatonia. Rating: One and a half stars
|
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / **** (No MPAA rating)
|
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (Unrated, for adults, 148 minutes). Compelling thriller with a heroine more fascinating than the story. She's Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace), a 24-year-old Goth girl with body piercings and tattoos: thin, small, fierce, damaged, a genius computer hacker. She teams up with a taciturn Swedish investigator to end a serial killer's 40 years of evil. Based on the international best-seller. Intense and involving. The planned Hollywood remake will probably have to be toned down. Four stars
|
|
The Runaways / *** (R)
|
"The Runaways" (R. 102 minutes). A girl hard rock group is created from thin air by a Svengali rock manager, achieves stardom, and its lead singer collides with drug abuse. Persuasive performances by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Joan Jett and Cherrie Currie, and a scary one by Michael Shannon as their promoter. A lot of music, but not much insight into the biographies of the performers. The recreation of a moment in time that opened hard road to women. Three stars
|
