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ALEX CROSS (PG-13) I’ve never read
one of James Patterson’s bestsellers
featuring police detective/forensic
psychologist Alex Cross, but I did see
Kiss the Girls, which I recall enjoying.
Alex Cross is no Kiss the Girls. In
Detective Dr. Cross’ third cinematic
case, Tyler Perry takes over for the
much more capable Morgan Freeman,
who portrayed Cross in Kiss the Girls
and Along Came a Spider. Perry’s
Cross must hunt down Picasso (a
muscular skeleton that once was Jack
from “Lost”), a professional assassin-
cum-serial killer whose first murder is
a mass one.
ANNA KARENINA (R) Joe Wright
reunites with his Pride & Prejudice and
Atonement slat Keira Knightley for what
could be another Oscar heavyweight.
Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard
(Ftosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead)
adapted Leo Tolstoy’s acclaimed novel
about the titular aristocrat (Knightley)
who embarks on an affair with young
Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Kick-Ass). (Cine)
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (NR)
1961. Audrey Hepburn is Holly
Golightly in this iconic film about a
naive New York socialite. (UGA Tate
Theatre)
CLOUD ATLAS (R) For the ambitious
Cloud Atlas, the Wachowski siblings
and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) have
masterfully adapted David Mitchell’s
award winning novel, intermingling six
disparate stories, spanning from 1849
to 106 Winters After the Fall. Each
anecdote stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry,
Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim
Sturgess, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant
and more in varying layers of makeup.
A DARK TRUTH (R) A former CIA
operative (Andy Garcia), who now host
a political talk show, heads to South
America after a corporate whistleblower
hires him to expose a massacre that
her company covered up. Eva Longoria
and Forrest Whitaker join Garcia as
a pair of political activists. Writer-
director Damian Lee has his name on
a lot of movies, but none of them are
good; based solely on title and cast,
my fave might be Abraxas, Guardian of
the Universe, starring Jesse Ventura.
DJANGO UNCHAINED (R) Not many
auteurs can take an academic cinematic
exercise and turn it into one of the
year’s most entertaining spectacles like
Quentin Tarantino can. Slave Django
(Jamie Foxx) is freed by dentist-
turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz
(Golden Globe nominee Christoph
Waltz, the single greatest gift QT has
given American movie audiences).
Together the duo hunts bad guys and
seeks Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry
Washington), who belongs to planta
tion owner Calvin Candie (Golden
Globe nominee Leonardo DiCaprio).
For a critically acclaimed award nomi
nee, Django Unchained is an ultravio-
lent blast.
GANGSTER SOUAD (R) In the 1940s
and 50s, the LAPD attempted to keep
the East Coast mafia from moving into
their jurisdiction. This period action
drama is a departure from director
Ruben Fleischer’s first two movies, the
action comedies Zombielandand 30
Minutes or Less.
THE GUILT TRIP (PG-13) Certainly
not as laughless as its trailers suggest,
The Guilt Trip mines some genuine
comic chemistry between its leads,
Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand, as
Andy Brewster, a son traveling across
the country with his mother, Joyce. The
many car-bound scenes featuring just
the two stars generate the movie’s big
gest laughs.
> A HAUNTED HOUSE (R) In this
found footage horror spoof, a young
couple, Malcolm and Keisha (Marlon
Wayans and Essence Atkins), move
into their dream home, only to learn a
demon is already in residence. Soon,
Keisha is possessed, and Malcolm
hires a priest, psychic, ghostbusters,
whomever he can find that could help
save his sex life. The trailers look
as miserably unfunny as one would
expect from this creative team. With
Alanna Ubach, Nick Swardson, David
Koechner and Cedric the Entertainer as
Father Doug.
HERE COIVIES THE BOOM (PG-13)
Adam Sandler’s made plenty of pic
tures worse than this Kevin James
vehicle about outlandish ways to save
education. James’ Scott Voss is a high
school biology teacher who turns to
MMA to fund the extracurriculars at his
struggling school.
HITCHCOCK (PG-13) Hitchcock is
one of those biopics that has a leading
performance (in this case, two leading
performances) that are much bigger
and better than the whole. Though
Anthony Hopkins’ Hitch can sound a
bit Lecter-ish at times, Sir Tony mostly
makes you forget you’re not watching
the real, corpulent auteur in action. One
wishes the film would simply recount
the tumultuous making of Psycho, a
film that has become one of the cin
ematic master’s most significant works,
rather than subjectively poke around
so much in Hitch’s decidedly unigue
psyche.(Cine)
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED
JOURNEY (PG-13) How comforting it
is to return to Middle-earth, especially
with Peter Jackson (he replaced origi
nal director Guillermo del Toro, who
retained a co-writing credit with Lord
of the Rings Oscar winners Jackson,
Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens).
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, the
BBC “Office" star, a master of reaction
ary mugging) is asked by the wizard
Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan) to join
a company of Dwarves led by Thorin
Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).
Jackson and his writing cohort have
expanded Tolkien’s single novel into
three films by adding sequences from
the series’ appendices, a decision that
allows this first film to be paced a bit
logily in getting the company on the
road.
HOLY MOTORS (NR) Leos Carax
directs this intriguing French Surrealist
film about a night with Monsieur Oscar,
a man who drives throughout Paris,
stopping to fulfill appointments where
he is expected to be-and becomes-
someone different each time. With
Denis Lavant, Eva Mendes and Edith
Scob. (Cine)
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (PG) Unlike
the superior ParaNorman, which was
a genuinely, safely frightening family
horror flick, Hotel Transylvania is an
amusing, run-of-the-mill animated
family movie where the main characters
are harmless monsters. To protect
monsters and his daughter, Mavis,
from their dreaded enemies, humans,
Dracula (genially voiced by Adam
Sandler) sets up a hotel in the safe
confines of Transylvania.
JACK REACHER (PG-13) The epi
sodic exploits of Lee Child’s popular
literary character, a former Military
Policeman turned drifter, would make a
better television series than movie fran
chise, but star Tom Cruise and writer-
director Christopher McQuarrie (an
Academy Award winner for his Usual
Suspects script) pull off the big screen
feat as entertainingly as possible.
LES MISERABLES (PG-13) Les
Miserables harks back to the 1960s,
when colossal musical adaptations
were the rule, not the exception. (Four
of the decade’s 10 Best Picture winners
were musical adaptations.) Parolee
Jean Valjean (Golden Globe nominee
Hugh Jackman) attempts to make up
for his past crimes by raising Cosette
(Amanda Seyfried), the daughter
of a fallen young woman named
Fantine (Golden Globe nominee Anne
Hathaway). Constantly on Valjean’s
heels is Inspector Javert (Russell
Crowe), who will not give up the chase
for this parole violator.
LIFE OF PI (PG) Having last thought
of Yann Martel’s novel when I read it
nearly 10 years ago, the ineffective
trailers for Ang Lee’s adaptation failed
to remind me of how wonderful and
energetic Pi Patel’s life had been. I
recalled a shipwreck, a lifeboat and a
Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The
imaginatively conceived and beautifully
told work of art created by Brokeback
Mountain Oscar winner Lee reminded
me of the many, small joys that add up
to make the life of Pi. (Cine)
LINCOLN (PG-13) Historical biopics
do not come much more perfect than
Steven Spielberg’s take on our 16th
president’s struggle to end slavery by
way of the 13th Amendment. Rather
than tell Abraham Lincoln’s life story
screenwriter Tony Kushner (the Oscar
nominee for Munich also wrote the
excellent “Angels in America") chose
the ideal, earth-shattering month
upon which to focus. He populates
Spielberg’s 19th-century hallways with
living, breathing figures of American
history. Daniel Day-Lewis can solidify
his claim to the title of greatest living
actor.
LOOPER (R) Whoa! Ever since Brick, I
have waited for Rian Johnson to make
good on that coolly stylish teen-noir’s
immense promise. Johnson might
still have better films to come, but this
tricksy, time travel, sci-fi noir ensures
Bricks promise has been fulfilled. In
a future where time travel is an illegal
reality hitmen called loopers wait in the
past for gangsters to send them their
targets. Armed with a blunderbuss,
Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) awaits his
marks, knowing one day he will have to
“close the loop," meaning kill his older
self. (UGA Tate Theatre)
MONSTERS, INC. (G) Disney is
re-releasing Monsters, Inc. in 3D
to remind audiences of Sulley and
Mike before June’s prequel, Monsters
University. The cute story involves top
scarer Sulley (v. John Goodman) and
his pal, Mike (v. Billy Crystal), whose
lives are turned upside down when a
child ventures into Monstropolis. The
film lost the Best Animated Feature
Oscar to Shrek, while Randy Newman
went home with an Academy Award for
his song, “If I Didn't Have You.”
PARENTAL GUIDANCE (PG) Billy
Crystal and Bette Midler star as
old-school grandparents forced to
care for their decidedly 21 st-century
grandchildren. Director Andy Fickman’s
filmography is more weak (The Game
Plan, Race to Witch Mountain) than
bad (YouAgain): I did enjoy his
Amanda Bynes cross-dressing comedy,
She’s the Man. Splash Academy Award
nominees Lowell Ganz and Babaloo
Mandel are credited with the rewrite.
•PROMISED LAND (R)GusVan
Sant travels between the worlds of
independent, experimental filmmaking
and popular movies better than any
director but Steven Soderbergh. His
newest film is impeccably appointed
as always, sporting a nifty new script
from Academy Award winner Matt
Damon (co-written with costar John
Krasinski from a story by Dave Eggers).
Working for a billion-dollar natural gas
company, Steve Butler (Damon) and
Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand)
travel to small rural communities, sell
ing poor people big dreams for little
effort. In the small town of McKinley,
Steve and Sue run into more resis
tance than usual courtesy of a high
school science teacher (Hal Holbrook)
and a small-time environmentalist
(Krasinski). Viewers who have seen the
documentary Gaslandwill be informa
tionally advantaged, but the engaging
Promised Land needs no prerequisite
viewing to be enjoyed.
QUARTET (PG-13) Dustin Hoffman
makes his directorial debut (at the ripe
old age of 75) with this musical dram-
edy set at a retirement home for old
opera singers. Disruptions abound at
the annual concert to celebrate Verdi’s
birthday with the arrival of a new diva.
The aged cast—Maggie Smith, Tom
Courtenay, Billy Connolly Pauline
Collins and Michael Gambon—is still
remarkably spry. The Pianist Oscar
winner Ronald Harwood adapted his
own play for the big screen.
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (PG)
Author William Joyce's very cool idea
is brought to the big screen by first
time animated feature director Peter
Ramsey and fantastical executive pro
ducer Guillermo del Toro. Holiday leg
ends North (aka Santa, who is voiced
very Russianly by Alec Baldwin),
Bunny (v. Hugh Jackman) and Tooth
(v. Isla Fisher) are joined by Jack Frost
(v. Chris Pine) as they do battle with
the evil Pitch (v. Jude Law). Imagining
massive audiences of children falling
hard for this potential animated fran
chise is not hard.
$ELLEBRITY (NR) Celebrity photog
rapher Kevin Mazur makes his directo
rial debut with this feature documentary
about the rise of the celebrity. Tons of
stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Marc
Anthony Rosanna Arquette, Sheryl
Crow, Salma Hayek, Elton John, Kid
Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica
Parker and many more, appear to dis
cuss society’s insatiable curiosity and
fascination with famous people. I don’t
know that the healthiest way to address
this addiction is by providing more
access to celebrities. Also, do you
really want to hear the rich and famous
complain about being rich and famous?
SKYFALL (PG-13) The middle third
of Daniel Craig's third outing as James
Bond is the best 007 adventure in 20,
maybe even 30, years. Too bad direc
tor Sam Mendes (American Beauty)
and his team of scripters won’t just let
Bond be Bond for the entirety of the
film. Skyfallalmost completely unrav
els before the opening credits. The
pre-credits chase—involving Bond, a
CINEMAS
Movie showtimes are not available by our deadline. Please check cinema
websites for accurate information.
CINE • 234 W. Hancock Ave. • 706-353-3343 • www.athenscine.com
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART • (UGA Campus) 90 Carlton St.
• 706-542-GMOA • www.uga.edu/gamuseum/calendar/films.html
TATE STUDENT CENTER • (JGA Campus) 45 Baxter St.
• 706-542-6396 • www.union.uga.edu/movies
BEECHWOOD STADIUM CINEMAS II • 196 Alps Rd.
• 706-546-1011 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com
CARMIKE 12 • 1570 Lexington Rd. • 706-354-0016
• www.carmike.com
GEORGIA SQUARE VALUE CINEMAS 5 • 3710 Atlanta Hwy
• 706-548-3426 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com
I can hear a joke in there somewhere...
female agent, a train and a baddie—
concludes with M (Judi Dench)
showing no faith in her best agent,
a decision that makes little sense in
this, or any, Bond-verse. In three films,
Bond has gone from a newly licensed
Double 0 to a dinosaur; when can Bond
just be Bond again?
STORAGE 24 (R) A crashed military
plane drops its classified cargo across
London. An unfortunate group of
people, become trapped in a storage
facility while a mysterious predator
hunts them down. Director Johannes
Roberts’ previous features all appear to
be low-rent horror quickies.
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING (NR)
“Glee’”s Chris Colter hits the big
screen and provided the script to boot.
Colter’s Carson Phillips narrates from
the grave as a teenager, struck and
killed by lightning, explaining how he
blackmailed his peers into providing
material for his literary magazine.
TAKEN 2 (PG-13) Most movies fail to
encapsulate the description “unneces
sary sequel" as perfectly as Taken 2.
(I wish it had had some silly subtitle
like Taken2: Takenier, but alas.) As a
consequence of the violent methods
he employed to retrieve his kidnapped
daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), in the
first movie, retired CIA operative Bryan
Mills (Liam Neeson), must face off
against the Albanian dad (played by
go-to Eastern European baddie Rade
Serbedzija) of one of the sex traffickers
he killed during his rescue mission.
• TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (R) Even
franchise diehards will have a hard
time coming up with reasons to watch
Leatherface’s latest massacre. Heather
Miller (the always welcome Alexandra
Daddario) discovers she is adopted and
that her recently deceased grandmother
left her property. When Heather and
some friends visit the old family home
stead, her cousin, Leatherface (Dan
Yeager), goes on another rampage. On
paper, TXC3D shows more respect to
the series’ roots than previous sequels.
THIS IS 40 (R) Sure, 77ws/s40will
provide viewers with more laughs than
any of its contemporary comedic peers,
but it should; it's at least one sitcom
episode longer than a typical comedy.
Writer-director Judd Apatow, of whom
I am a big fan, could definitely benefit
from some stronger criticisms of over
stuffed, raunch-filled dramedies. This
semi-sequel to Knocked Up follows
Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie
Mann) as they turn 40. Life isn’t quite
what they expected. They struggle to
raise their two daughters (Apatow and
Mann’s real life kids, Iris and Maude),
and support Pete’s dad (the always
welcome Albert Brooks).
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING
DAWN—PART 2 (PG-13) Stephenie
Meyer’s phenomenon concludes as sat
isfactorily as one would expect, though
Breaking Dawn—Part 1 exceeds its
follow-up, mostly thanks to the former’s
more horrific plot. Part2s concluding
battle merely proves Meyer’s non
monsters aren't really vampires; they
are romantic superheroes. The terrible
CGI work—the needlessly computer
generated baby Renesmee vies for the
worst special effect of 1992—shows
the lack of serious craftsmanship with
which this material has been handled.
ZERO DARK THIRTY (R) Kathryn
Bigelow follows up her Oscar winning
success, The Hurt Locker, with another
smart military flick. A recount of the
attack on the compound of Osama bin
Laden and the events leading up to it
has already generated some contro
versy, but it’s also one of the 2012’s
best reviewed films. Jessica Chastain,
Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong and Chris
Pratt appear as the members of SEAL
Team 6 and the other government
employees privy to classified informa
tion about this high profile mission.
Drew Wheeler
10 FLAGPOLE.COM • JANUARY 9, 2013