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ALL IS LOST (PG-13) A man (Robert
Redford) struggles to survive alone
at sea after he loses his boat. Writer-
director J.C. Chandor received an
Oscar nomination for his Margin Call
script, and his second feature could
portend bigger, better things to come
from the young filmmaker. The real
question is whether or not Redford can
carry this whole picture on his aged
shoulders, Cast/livaystyle. (Cine)
BABY DOLL 1956. Southern Culture
on the Screen continues with Elia
Kazan’s cinematic adaptation of
Tennessee Williams’ one act play, 27
Wagons Full of Cotton (the playwright
actually wrote the screenplay). Two
men (Karl Malden and Eli Wallach) lust
for a 19-year-old child bride (Carroll
Baker). The film was nominated for
four Academy Awards—Best Actress,
Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted
Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
The screening will be introduced by
Hugh Ruppersburg, UGA’s Interim Vice
Provost. (Cine)
BAD GRANDPA (R) Much funnier and
more poignant than one would expect
from a production company named
Dickhouse, Bad Grandpa expounds
upon the “Jackass” sketch featuring
Johnny Knoxville’s elderly alter ego,
Irving Zisman. Like Borat, Knoxville
and company capture people’s real
reactions to the interactions of a
naughty, oversexed grandfather and his
eight-year-old grandson, Billy (Jackson
Nicoll).
THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY (R) Taye
Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Terrance
Howard and Harold Perrineau return
as the former college pals audiences
first met in 1999’s The Best Man.
Now most are married and facing
numerous grown up problems rang
ing from money to kids to illness. A
well-appointed holiday movie clad
in melodrama and mostly on target
humor, The Best Man Holiday is the
sort of film Tyler Perry has never quite
made. Writer-director Malcolm D. Lee
handles the tonal shifts from laughter
to tears much more deftly.
BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT
ME (PG-13) Drew DeNicola and Olivia
Mori investigate the fascinating career
of Big Star (Alex Chilton, Chris Bell,
Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel),
commercial failures turned into critical
and cult icons. Their first three albums
are required listening, but don’t take
my word for it; their influence has been
cited by REM, The Replacements, Belle
& Sebastian, Elliot Smith and The
Flaming Lips. Enjoy the never before
seen footage, photos, interviews and
musical tribute from many of the bands
they inspired. (Cine)
BLACK NATIVITY (PG) Kasi
Lemmons, whose debut feature Eve's
Bayou must be seen, bravely brings
Langston Hughes’ musical version of
the Nativity story to the big screen for
a modern audience. A young mother
(Jennifer Hudson) sends her troubled
teenage son (Jacob Latimore) to live
with his estranged relatives (Forest
Whitaker and Angela Bassett). The
musical’s cast is rounded out by Tyrese
Gibson, Mary J. Blige and Nas. I’m
intrigued.
THE BOOK THIEF (PG-13) I have
always intended to read Marcus
Zusak’s novel before I saw the filmed
adaptation. That does not look like
it’s going to happen now. A tale set
in Nazi Germany and narrated by
Death, The Book Thief stars Monsieur
Lazha/s Sophie Nelisse as young
Liesel Meminger, who steals books.
“Downton Abbey" director Brian
Percival’s previous feature film was A
Boy Called Dad. Geoffrey Rush and
Emi ly Watson star as Liesel’s foster
parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (PG-13)
Recounting the real life story of Captain
Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), who was
kidnapped by Somali pirates and held
hostage in a claustrophobic lifeboat for
several days, director Paul Greengrass
crafts his best film since United 93. The
taut effectiveness of Billy Ray's script
certainly should not be undervalued,
but will be due to the incredible work
done by Greengrass, whose greatest
films seem like reality unfolding before
our eyes.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF
MEATBALLS 2 (PG) The animated
family comedy, Cloudy with a Chance
of Meatballs, wasn’t quite one for which
a sequel seemed necessary. Inventor
Flint Lockwood (v. Bill Hader) is work
ing for The Live Corp Company when
he must leave his job to investigate
claims that his machine is creating
food-animal hybrids.
THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE (PG)
In a small English village, legend has
it that an angel visits every 25 years
to bless a single candle. When lit, the
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
UNIVERSITY 16 CINEMAS • 1793 Oconee Connector
• 706-355-9122 • www.georgiatheatrecompany.com
candle delivers a special Christmas
miracle.
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (R)
Matthew McConaughey and Jared
Leto have been hogging a lot of the
recent buzz for their performances in
The Young Victoria, director Jean-
Marc Vallee’s mid-80s AIDS drama.
After being diagnosed with the deadly
disease, a hard living electrician Ron
Woodruff (McConaughey) overcomes
his homophobia and attempts to beat
the system while getting necessary
medications for himself and others
struggling to survive the burgeoning
epidemic. With Jennifer Garner, David
O’Hare (“American Horror Story") and
Steve Zahn.(Cine)
DELIVERANCE (R) 1972. Just when
you thought it was safe to get back in a
raft, the legendary film that frightened
an entire generation of men out of
the woods shows in Cine’s Southern
Classic Film Series. Considering
the Peach State connections (it stars
Waycross native Burt Reynolds, is
based on a novel by Georgia-born
appeal of the little yellow Minions,
whose roles have been enlarged with
their own spinoff in the works for 2014.
ENDER’S GAME (PG-13) The filmed
adaptation of Ender’s Game, written
and directed by Gavin Hood, is not
an adequate replacement for reading
Orson Scott Card’s modern science
fiction classic.Young Ender Wiggin
(Asa Butterfield, Hugo) is handpicked
by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) to
be the potential savior of humanity,
which is being threatened by an alien
race, and must complete against a
school of young starship troopers on
a simulated battlefield in order to fulfill
Graff’s prophetic belief. Hood struggles
to adequately portray Ender’s grueling
exhaustion in the Command School
finale, which seems much more like
a middle school graduation play than
a warm-up for the potential end of
humanity.
THE FAMILY (R) Fred Blake nee
Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro)
and his family are in international wit
ness protection under the gruff, watch
If you want the deep, deep “V” you’ve gotta lose six buttons.
James Dickey and was shot on the
Chattooga), an Athens-town screening
seems fitting. Four friends’ decision
to spend a weekend rafting rather than
golfing ends in “Dueling Banjos,” pig-
squealing, compound fractures, and
that eerie hand in the lake. After watch
ing this film, no one ever looks at Ned
Beatty the same way again. (Cine)
DELIVERYMAN (PG-13) In Ken
Scott’s remake of his own Canadian hit,
Vince Vaughn stars as Dave Wozniak,
a guy who, 20 years earlier, donated
nearly 700 samples to a sperm bank.
Now, the 500 plus kids that resulted
from his sperm want to know who their
daddy is via a class action lawsuit.
Vaughn gets to show a touch more
vulnerability as Dave, who’s more of a
woebegone charmer than his typical
fast talkers. The true standout of the
movie is Chris Pratt, who’s hopefully
set to blow up after muscleing up for
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Polish actor Andrzej Blumenfeld also
owns his few scenes as Dave’s sweet
father. Still, Pratt and Vaughn are not
enough to make this likable, comedic
slacker worth a theatrical viewing. This
cute, intriguing story, which already
played better in a smaller movie, might
be better off on a smaller screen.
DESPICABLE ME 2 (PG) When a
new super villain steals a dangerous,
experimental serum, the Anti Villain
League-represented by sweet potential
love interest Lucy (v. Kristen Wiig)—
enlist Gru’s (v. Steve Carell) assistance.
Watching this enjoyable kiddie flick
with a kid definitely increases the
ful eye of Tommy Lee Jones’ FBI agent.
The Family will not be remembered as
one of director Luc Besson’s stronger
efforts. Great mob movies are a trea
sure; mob comedies, as a genre, need
to be buried.
FREE BIRDS (PG) More an oddity
than a cute family movie, Free Birds
features the voices of Woody Harrelson
and Owen Wilson as two turkeys,
Jake and Reggie, that travel back in
time to stop turkey from making the
Thanksgiving Day menu. Harrelson’s
militaristic idiot is much more enter
taining than Wilson’s too talky turkey.
The strange Free Birds will not become
a new holiday viewing tradition, but it’s
pleasant enough to be watched once.
• FROZEN (PG) Disney returns with a
newfangled computer animated feature
that feels very old school. A young
princess, Anna (v. Kristen Bell), must
venture into the frozen wilds to save
her sister, recently crowned Queen
Elsa (v. Idina Menzel), who has lost
control over her icy powers. Anna is
assisted in her search by ice salesman
Kristoff (v. Jonathan Groff, “Glee”),
his reindeer, Sven, and a goofy, talk
ing snowman named Olaf (v. Josh
Gad). The narrative, adapted from
Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow
Queen” by Wreck-lt Ralph scnpter
Jennifer Lee (who co-directed), is as
Disney formulaic as they come, and the
animation shines without standing out.
Nonetheless, the characters, especially
Gad's silly snowman, are winning. The
songs are catchy, as is their diegetic
musical inclusion. Little kids will love
Frozen, and parents who grew up on
Disney classics will not feel left out in
the cold.
GRAVITY (PG-13) An astronaut
(George Clooney) and a doctor (Sandra
Bullock) must work together to survive
an accident in the cold, silent confines
of space. Gravity is an acting tour
de force by Bullock and the most
incredible special effects driven film I
have ever seen. You feel like you are
in space, which is simultaneously
awe-inspiringly beautiful and coldly
dangerous. Taking two mega-stars
and placing them in a straight up
disaster movie that is heavily reliant on
special effects takes so much vision
and control to keep the spectacle from
overwhelming the humanity.
• HOMEFRONT (R) So the best thing
about this Jason Statham actioner,
written by Sylvester Stallone, is the
casting of James Franco as the meth-
cooking local baddie, Gator Bodine. He
menaces with the proper combination
of charm, crazy and family values.
Retired DEA super-agent Phil Broker
does nothing unexpected of a Statham
hero. He kicks small-town, “Loo”-siana
ass with relish, even when his impres
sionable, motherless daughter (Izabela
Vidovic) is looking on with awe. A
supporting cast that includes Winona
Ryder, Kate Bosworth and Clancy “The
Kurgan" Brown elevates this standard
action fare, but Franco is the only
reason anyone will remember this
Statham flick over another. In a year of
quirky turns by Franco, Homefronfs
Gator is not his most outstanding (see
Alien in Spring Breakers), but he is an
actor always worth the attention. The
fact that Stallone contributed the script,
an adaptation of a Chuck Logan novel,
is merely another entertaining footnote
for a working class, action-heavy crime
thriller that gets the job done without
ever excelling.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING
FIRE (PG-13) The Hunger Games
returns, and its sequel, while more a
formality setting up the series’ final,
revolutionary entry, improves upon an
original that was more of a visual book
report than an exciting cinematic adap
tation. (Original director Gary Ross’
absence was addition by subtraction.)
After surviving the 74th Hunger Games,
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)
and Peeta Mel lark (Josh Hutcherson)
are the Capitol’s newest celebrities.
But all is not well in the Districts,
and creepy President Snow (Donald
Sutherland, who I’ve only just noticed
resembles Sid Haig) lets Katniss know
it by putting her back in the next year’s
Games. New director Francis Lawrence
(/Am Legend) paces the film better
once we escape District 12 (every
scene in it is so drab and boring), and
the Quarter Quell is excitingly envi
sioned with deadly fog, killer monkeys
and fun new faces like Finnick (a key
new role well played by Sam Claflin)
and Johanna (Jena Malone). Largely
dismissed as repetitive upon the nov
el’s release, the underrated Catching
Fire successfully adds more wrinkles
to the Suzanne Collins’ formula than
its more straightforward predecessor.
However, it’s about time Katniss take
more charge of her situation, a flaw
hopefully remedied by the franchise
finale, Mockingjay.
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 (PG-13)
When Josh (Patrick Wilson) returned
from the spirit world at the conclusion
of Insidious, he didn't return alone, and
his family—wife Renai (Rose Byrne)
and sons Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and
Foster (Andrew Astor)—is in danger.
Chapter 1 had its chilling, mysterious
first two acts bogged down by Josh’s
blah final stroll through the spirit
world. The sequel painfully explicates a
dumb story for two acts, relying on trite
haunted house tropes like slamming
doors and flying household objects,
before a strong final act that finally
brings the scary and some nifty call
backs to the first movie.
KILL YOUR DARLINGS (R) Harry
Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, con
tinues to distance himself from the Boy
Who Lived. (Too bad it doesn’t matter
what roles he plays; he will never
escape that career defining character.)
In Kill YourDarlings, director John
Krokidas’ feature debut, Radcliffe plays
famed beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Also
appearing are fellow legends Jack
Kerouac (Jack Huston, who is so good
on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire") and
William Burroughs (Ben Foster, who
makes another strong casting choice).
With Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall
and Jennifer Jason Leigh. (Cine)
THE LAST UNICORN (G) 1982.
In this animated film, based on the
novel, The Last Unicorn, by Peter S.
Beagle, a unicorn learns she is the last
of her kind after a demonic Red Bull
has chased all other unicorns to the
ends of the earth. She embarks on a
quest to rescue them, becoming friends
with a magician named Schmendrick
along the way. Beagle, who also wrote
the film’s screenplay, will be in atten
dance for a Q&A session as part of the
film’s international tour. (Cine)
LAST VEGAS (PG-13) The comedy is
funnier than expected, and the drama is
worse than one can imagine. Four old
friends—Paddy (Robert De Niro), Billy
(Michael Douglas), Archie (Morgan
Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline)—
head to Vegas for Billy’s bachelor party.
Hilarity ensues as horndog Sam hits
on all the ladies, Paddy gripes and
grimaces, Archie drinks and gambles,
and engaged Billy romances an older
woman, lounge singer Diana (Mary
Steenburgen). Director Jon Turteltaub
smartly lets his four strong leads do
their thing, and they are an appealing
quartet. They work well together, no
matter how unimaginative the script.
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (G) In
this prequel to Monsters, Inc., we learn
how Mike (v. Billy Crystal) and Sully
(v. John Goodman) met. Apparently,
the two scarers didn’t start as best
buds. First, they were scaring rivals at
Monsters University. This Revenge of
the Monster Nerds doesn’t creatively
bend college life for monsters as one
would expect from Pixar. Fortunately,
the animation, especially the creature
design, is as lush and lifelike as ever.
< OUT OF THE FURNACE (R)
Crazy Hearts filmmaker returns with
a dark thriller starring Christian Bale
and Woody Harrelson. When his
brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck), goes
missing and the law won’t do anything
about it, Russell Baze (Bale) heads
into the hills to confront Harlan De
Groat (Harrelson), who sits atop the
local, criminal food chain. Cooper has
attracted some top fl ight talent (Zoe
Saldana, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe
and Forest Whitaker join the aforemen
tioned stars) for his sophomore feature.
PHILOMENA (PG-13) DameJudi
Dench stars as Philomena Lee, a
women looking for her long lost son
with the help of BBC correspondent
Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). This
film is based on Sixsmith’s book The
Lost Child of Philomena Lee, a true
story about Philomena’s 50 year search
for her son.
PLANES (PG) What with its Cars pedi
gree and Dane Cook voicework, Planes
could have been a lot worse. A crop-
duster named Dusty Crophopper (v.
12 FLAGPOLE.COM • DECEMBER 4, 2013