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AMERICAN HUSTLE (R) A fictional
account of the real life ABSCAM inves
tigation that sent several members of
federal, state and local government to
prison, American Hustle, already nomi
nated for seven Golden Globes, is set
to rake in more nominations. Conman
Irving Rosenfeld (a near unrecogniz
able Christian Bale) and his not exactly
British girlfriend, Sydney Prosser (Amy
Adams), are forced by an unstable
FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (a sweetly
permed Bradley Cooper), into conning
the mayor of Camden, New Jersey,
Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), and
some of the scariest mobsters still
living (enjoy the uncredited surprise
guest!). Torn between his love and his
beautiful, crazy, young wife (Jennifer
Lawrence) and son, Irving has to come
up with his master plan to escape jail
and death. Director David 0. Russell
has proven an uncanny ability to take a
great cast and make them greater.
ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND
CONTINUES (PG-13) Much has
changed since last we heard from San
Diego’s top newsman, Ron Burgundy
(Will Ferrell). He married co-anchor,
Veronica Corningstone (Christina
Applegate), and moved to New York
City. But professional disappointment
relegates Ron back to San Diego
until he is offered the chance to front
a 24-hour news network, the first of
its kind. Ron returns to the Big Apple
with his old news team behind him:
features-stud Brian Fantana (Paul
Rudd), sports-guy Champ Kind (David
Koechner) and weatherman Brick
Tamland (Steve Carell). But they face
new challenges from rival anchor Jack
Lime (James Marsden) and Veronica’s
new lover Gary (Greg Kinnear). The
jokes might not fly as fast or as quot
able as those of the original, but the
narrative and characters are better.
Carell’s newfound stardom after the
first movie means more Brick, and
surprisingly, that's a good thing. A late
detour into staged melodrama falls a
bit flat, adding unnecessary length, and
the expected climactic battle gets too
cameo-heavy with little comic payoff.
Happily, the legend of Ron Burgundy
is not tarnished by his return; only
time will tell whether the sequel retains
(or surpasses?) its predecessor’s
rewatchability.
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 (including
director-cowriter Jeff Tremaine and
cowriter Spike Jonze) capture people’s
real reactions to the interactions of a
naughty, oversexed grandfather and
his eight-year-old grandson, Billy
(Jackson Nicoll). Sure, it’s raunchy, but
Knoxville never breaks character, even
when Zisman’s all alone. As a result,
he gives a transformative, Sellers-like
performance. Jackass has also been
shockingly effective comedy, and if one
can laugh at (or simply ignore) their
new flick’s sophomoric hijinks, one will
find the crew’s grown up...a little.
THE BOOK THIEF (PG-13) I 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 Lazhafs 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.
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. This flick sounds
like it barely escaped a direct to DVD
launch.
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 ‘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)
DESPICABLE ME 2 (PG) When a
new super villain steals a danger
ous, 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 enjoy
able kiddie flick with a kid definitely
increases the appeal of the little yel
low 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 X-Men Origins: Wolverinds
Gavin Hood, is not an adequate
replacement for reading Orson Scott
Card’s modern science fiction classic.
(I would feel remiss if I completely
ignored Card’s intolerance. While I
don’t condone it and wholly disagree
with it, I enjoyed his work of fiction and
highly recommend it.) 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 (including True Grits Hailee
Steinfeld) on a simulated battlefield in
order to fulfill Graff’s prophetic belief.
The look of Ender’s Game is strong,
as are the bulk of the performances.
Hood struggles to adapt Card's more
complex ideas and fails 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. Maybe that’s
the movie’s biggest problem; it fails to
realize that it’s more than a game.
47 RONIN (R) It’s hard to imagine this
long-delayed action flick (an original
release was scheduled for late 2012)
will make much of a dent at the box
office. Keanu Reeves stars as a samurai
(WTF?!) looking, along with a few
other roaming warriors, to avenge the
death of their master. Confidence is
not boosted with the knowledge that
this movie is Carl Rinsch's directorial
debut. Oddly, the script was written by
Oscar nominee Hossein Amini and Fast
and Furious' Chris Morgan.
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.
Wilson is not only outdone by this co
lead, supporting voices Amy Poehler,
George Takei, Keith David and Dan
Fogler are all more entertaining. The
strange Free Birds will not become a
new holiday viewing tradition, but it’s
pleasant enough to be watched once, if
one has no other choice.
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), his reindeer, Sven, and
a goofy, talking snowman named Olaf
(v. Josh Gad). The narrative, adapted
from Hans Christian Anderson’s The
Snow Queen by Jennifer Lee, is as
Disney formulaic as they come, and
the animation shines without standing
out. Nonetheless, the characters are
winning and the songs are catchy. Little
kids will love Frozen, and parents who
grew up on Disney classics will not feel
left out in the cold.
THE GREAT BEAUTY 2013
Journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni
Servillo, Gomorrah and II Divo) cel
ebrates his 65th birthday and finally
looks beyond the parties and night
clubs of Rome thanks to a surprise
from his past. This Golden Globe nom
inee for Best Foreign Language Film
was also nominated for the Palme d’Or
at Cannes and won the European Film
Award for Best Film. You may have
seen writer-director Paolo Sorrentino’s
previous films, This Must Be the Place
and IIDivo. (Cine)
•GRUDGE MATCH (PG-13) Pairing
the Raging Bull with Rocky seems like
a cinematic bout made in heaven, but
in the hands of director Peter Segal (his
best picture is.. .ummm... Get Smart!)
and a gaggle of unimpressive writers
(but let's chiefly blame “Entourage”
creator Doug Ellin), the only knockout
is of the viewer. Boxers Henry “Razor”
Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy
“The Kid" McDonnan (Robert De Niro)
finally get their third rematch—they
split the first two—thirty years later
(too late?). Stallone is given the better
(i.e. more sympathetic) role, as De Niro
is mostly an aging ass, and Stallone
benefits from the lower expectations.
Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin provide
comic relief to appeal to two disparate
demographics, but even these two are
done no service by a script that’s domi
nated by weak one-liners. If you think
the lines in the trailer are stinkers, don't
expect much more from the ones kept
for the movie. The golden oldies from
Last Vegas had more strength left in
their punches than these two paunch-
drunk prizefighters.
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION
OF SMAUG (PG-13) Peter Jackson’s
first return to Middle-Earth, The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey, did not disap
point, even if it failed to excite like The
Lord of the Bings trilogy. The second
WoAMfeature still feels hobbled by
a feeling of deja vu. Armies of ores
marching to war or battles against giant
killer spiders are nothing new. But
when Jackson takes us to new locales
like Lake Town at the foot of the Lonely
Mountain, where mammoth dragon
Smaug (v. Benedict Cumberbatch)
resides, the epic fantasy film reaches
toward those heights of its predecessor.
The return of Legolas (Orlando Bloom)
does not hurt nor does the first appear
ance of the lovely elven warrior, Tauriel
(Evangeline Lilly). The river barrel ride
that acts as the film’s highlight action
set piece is spectacular, except for
moments of poor FX so uncharacteris
tic of Jackson or the Weta digital effects
house. Smaug, though, is a wonderful,
massive work of CGI art. The climactic,
fiery escape from the Lonely Mountain
leaves the audience breathless, eager
for the final installment, There and
Back Again, due next December.
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
adaptation. After surviving the 74th
Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen
(Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark
(Josh Hutcherson) are the Capitol’s
newest celebrities. But all is not well
in the Districts, and creepy President
Snow (Donald Sutherland) lets Katniss
know it by putting her back in the next
year’s Games. New director Francis
Lawrence (I Am Legend) paces the film
better once we escape District 12, and
the Quarter Quell is excitingly envi
sioned. Largely dismissed as repetitive
upon the novel's release, the under
rated Catching Fire successfully adds
more wrinkles to the Suzanne Collins’
formula than its more straightforward
predecessor.
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (R) The
Coen Bros return with their depiction of
Greenwich Village circa 1961. Spend
a week with young folk singer Llewyn
Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he navigates
the music biz and New York City in the
wintertime. Naturally this film is poised
for multiple Oscar nominations, and its
cast (Carey Mulligan, John Goodman,
Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake)
is as strong as one would expect from
the Coens. Come on. You know you’re
more than a little bit excited. (Cine)
JUSTIN BEIBER’S BELIEVE (PG)
Director of Beiber: A/e i/e/' Say /Ve i/er J o n
M. Chu brings you a second Beiber
documentary featuring an on-stage and
off-stage look at the young pop star
and his fandom.
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.
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
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
It says Flagpole has moved.
unimaginative the script.
LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER
(PG-13) This crowd-pleasing slice
of historical nostalgia chronicles the
major events of the second half of the
20th century through the eyes of White
House butler Cecil Gaines (Forrest
Whitaker). With its exceptional cast—
Robin Williams, James Marsden,
Liev Schreiber, John Cusack and
Alan Rickman appear as Presidents
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
and Reagan—The Butler overcomes
the natural tendency of such films to
drift into sentimental nostalgia. Daniels
never sugarcoats the Civil Rights
Movement.
THE LEGEND OF HERCULES
(PG-13) The style of Zack Snyder’s 300
has lived on in Tarsem’s Immortals and
The Clash of the Titans remake. Now
comes a new Hercules flick starring
Kellan Lutz, better known as Twilights
Emmett Cullen. (Incidentally, it’s the
first of two Herc-flicks being released
in 2014; the second one stars the Rock
under the direction of Brett Ratner.)
Renny Harlin, former ‘80s action dar
ing and former Mr. Geena Davis, can
still earn a gig.
LIFE THE GRIOT The USA imprisons
more citizens than any other nation in
the world, and many of them are young
African American males incarcerated
for non-violent crimes. Life the Griot,
nee Lemuel LaRoche, is trying to flip
the script. I’ve seen Life speak at a
local high school, and he speaks with
a rare energy and power. Thanks to
Watkinsville’s Sunnybank Films, more
people will meet Life. Five dollars will
get you a ticket, popcorn and soda.
All proceeds will benefit Chess &
Community Conference. (Cine)
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO
FREEDOM (PG-13) The Other Boleyn
Girl director Justin Chadwick gives you
a history of the life of Nelson Mandela,
the first democratically elected presi
dent of South Africa. Idris Elba (Luther
and The Wire) plays Mandela and has
already been nominated for a Golden
Globe for Best Performance by an Actor
in a Motion Picture.
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS The
acclaimed band, The National, get
their own rockumentary courtesy of
lead singer Matt Berninger’s brother,
Tom, and Cine has an advance screen
ing of the doc just for you, Athens.
This screening is sponsored by
Amanda Martin of Balance Pilates and
Underground Dance Society. It will be
followed by a reception catered by the
restaurant that shares its name with the
band (hint, it’s next door to Cine) and
a live performance by Easter Island.
(Cine)
< ONE CHANCE (PG-13) So, appar
ently, this movie is based on a true
story. Paul Potts (James Corden, who
was on “Doctor Who" once or twice)
is bullied by day and sings opera at
night. Eventually, he is selected for and
wins “Britain’s Got Talent.” Once upon
a time, director David Frankel helmed
the above average The Devil Wears
Prada. Taylor Swift was nominated for
a Golden Globe for her original song,
“Sweeter than Fiction." With Julie
Walters and Colm Meaney.
• PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE
MARKED ONES (R) Don’t give up on
the Paranormal Activity franchise just
yet. This series of haunted found foot
age recovers nicely from its fourth and
worst entry. Deviating from the central
gimmick of stationary cameras as
part of a home surveillance setup, PA:
TMO has recent high school gradu
ate, Jesse (Andrew Jacobs), and his
pals, Hector (Jorge Diaz) and Marisol
(Gabriel Walsh). After Jesse's neighbor,
thought to be a witch by everyone, is
murdered by one of Jesse’s classmates,
the activity gets a bit paranormal. It
never gets as scary as any of the first
three movies, but a few jumpy jolts
exist. Dropping the stationary cameras
10 FLAGPOLE.COM • JANUARY 8, 2014