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HER (R) Wens done little justice by loglines. People who haven’t
heard of it either find it too strange or too silly. They are so mis
guided. The first film written by Spike Jonze alone, Her stars a really nice,
mildmannered Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly. Ted writes personal
letters for strangers and is struggling through a divorce. Then he meets his
new Operating System and falls in love.. .with the OS. Samantha is voiced
by Scarlett Johannson, so the concept isn’t THAT outlandish. The film is
mostly Phoenix interacting with Johannson’s voice. Sometimes an unmade
Amy Adams pops by to again verify her brilliance. While Phoenix and ScarJo
incredibly do their thing, Jonze and his behind the scenes folk drip visual
magic into audience eyes with their retro-future design. You get told so many
times how awesome an award-worthy festival winner is before getting the
opportunity to see it, that, frankly, many times the hype trumps the film. Her
is the exception. It is unreservedly wonderful. Who would have thought that
2013 would be the year of science fiction? But here we are with Gravity and
Wecduking it out for my and many other best film accolades.
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (R) So the Coen Brothers deliver one
of their most rewarding films yet, even if it does feature yet another
self-destructive protagonist. Yet folk singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a
charmer as he hops from couch to couch during the cold New York winter of
1961; Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlakeare the two most recognizable
providers of said couches. Isaac has been an award show fixture, and his per
formance certainly fits the bill for breakout. He’s in every scene and, besides
some unsurprising scene stealing from John Goodman as a jazz-hole, no one
competes with Isaac. The Coens have given the young actor a heck of a gift.
What a witty way the Coens use space in these tiny New York hallways, and
music, obviously, plays the biggest role in a Coen film since 0 Brother, Where
Art Thou?, with whom this film shares music guru T-Bone Burnett. It has a
bit of a head scratching conclusion, but everything preceding it bittersweetly
tickles the heart and the quirky bone, much like we’ve come to expect from the
Brothers Coen. They forsake the showy genre gamesmanship of No Country
and True Grit for something more real and more emotionally effective.
LONE SURVIVOR (R) The spoiler-ishly titled Lone Survivor does
not hide from what it is, which amounts to injury porn in the second
act (the characters’ two falls are brutal). While on Operation Red Wings, four
Navy SEALs—team leader Mike Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Axe (Ben Foster),
Danny (Emile Hirsch, who more and more resembles a tiny version of Jack
Black) and Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), upon whose book this film is
based—battle an army of Taliban fighters. The cinematic account of this true
story is written and directed by Peter Berg, whose The Kingdom ms severely
underrated (and superior to his latest), like Friday Night Lights with soldiers.
Even the incredible Explosions in the Sky provides the score. Nothing about
Lone Survivor is particularly unsuccessful, though which member of the
bearded quartet is which can be hard to distinguish during the hectic firefight.
Berg shoots action with a visceral viciousness, taking some visual cues from
first person shooters like Call of Duty (a videogame movie Berg will probably
one day helm). Lone Survivor will please the action-heads out there, but it
takes the home movies before the end credits to remind audiences these sol
diers were actual husbands and fathers.
Could it be gluten whatchamacallit?
also playing
AMERICAN HUSTLE (R) Since
2004’s disappointing /Heart
Huckabees, from which his on-set
meltdown went viral, David 0. Russell
has been on fire. A fictional account
of the real life ABSCAM investigation
that sent several members of federal,
state and local government to prison,
American Hustle, already nominated
for seven Golden Globes, is set to rake
in more nominations. Conman Irving
Rosenfeld (a near unrecognizable
Christian Bale) and his not exactly
British girlfriend, Sydney Prosser (Amy
Adams), are forced by an unstable
FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (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.
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). The jokes
might not fly as fast or as quotable as
those of the original, but the narra
tive and characters are better. Carell’s
newfound stardom after the first movie
means more Brick, and that’s a good
thing. A late detour into staged melo
drama falls a bit flat, adding unneces
sary 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 pre
decessor’s rewatchability.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (R)
Another adaptation of a Tracey Letts’
play (see Bug and Killer Joe) brings an
all-star cast headed by Meryl Streep
to Oklahoma. A family crisis reunites
several strong willed women (includ
ing Streep, Julia Roberts and Juliette
Lewis) on the family farm. Drama
ensues.
Y DEVIL’S DUE (R) A newly mar
ried couple (Zach Gilford and Allison
Miller) come home from their honey
moon missing a night but expecting
a baby. This flick, directed by Matt
Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (part
of the V/H/Scollective), has some
obvious Rosemary's Baby influences.
Found footage does not work as wel I
with familiar faces, so Devil’s Due starts
behind the eight ball with “Friday Night
Lights’”s Gilford as its co-lead. Maybe
it will deliver some surprising January
scares. (It probably will not.)
47 RONIN(R) Keanu Reeves stars as
a samurai (WTF?i) looking to avenge
the death of his 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.
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. The nar
rative, adapted from Hans Christian
Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” by
Wreck-lt Ralph scdpter Jennifer Lee, is
as Disney formulaic as they come, and
the animation shines without stand
ing 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.
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 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—30 years later (too late?). 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 Rings trilogy. The second
Hobbit feature still feels hobbled by
a feeling of dejavu. 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 river barrel ride that acts as the
film's highlight action set piece is spec
tacular, except for moments of poor
FX so uncharacteristic of Jackson or
the Weta digital effects house. Smaug,
though, is a wonder, a 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 adap
tation. 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 envisioned
with deadly fog, killer monkeys and fun
new faces.
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT
(PG-13) Chris Pine stars as the third
and youngest incarnation of the late
novelist Tom Clancy’s CIA hero, Jack
Ryan. Early in his career as a spy, Ryan
must balance a rocky personal life
with wife, Cathy (Keira Knightley), and
a Russian baddie (director Kenneth
Branagh). Kevin Costner should excel
as Ryan’s gruff mentor, William Harper.
Branagh did good action things with
Thor. If I see this trailer a few more
times, I’m going to be over it before
it opens.
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
ling and former Mr. Geena Davis, can
still earn a gig.
NEBRASKA (R) Oscar winner
Alexander Payne (The Descendants,
Sideways, About Schmidt, Election and
Citizen Ruth) has a new film; I need to
know nothing more about this film to
be excited. For those who do, Nebraska
stars Golden Globe nominee Bruce
Dern as a father on a road trip with his
son (Will Forte). Nominated for five
Golden Globes. (Cine)
THE NUT JOB (PG) The latest ani
mated feature pits a curmudgeonly
squirrel named (a bit on the nose)
Surly (v. Will Arnett) against the city.
When he finds Maury’s Nut Store, he
may just have found the way to allevi
ate his and the rest of his park commu
nity’s winter worries. Brendan Fraser,
Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigl are
the next three biggest names in the
voice cast. Will this movie capture its
family audience without a big name like
Disney or DreamWorks behind it?
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE
MARKED ONES (R) Don’t give up on
the Paranormal Activity handn\se 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. Christopher “Son of Michael”
Landon has written Paranormal Activity
2, Sand 4; he peppers his first stab at
directing a PA with lots of little Easter
eggs referencing its predecessors.
PHILOMENA (PG-13) Journalist
Martin Sixsmith (co-writer Steve
Coogan) picks up the story of the title
character (Dame Judi Dench) who
gave up her son years ago after she
was forced to live in a convent. Often,
the work of two-time Oscar nominated
director Stephen Frears (Dangerous
Liaisons, The Grifters, High Fidelity,
Dirty Pretty Things and The Queen)
finds itself well-received by critics.
The vastly talented Coogan can be an
acquired taste. Nominated for three
Golden Globes—Best Motion Picture,
Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
(Cine)
RIDE ALONG (PG-13) Judging
from the trailers, Kevin Hart and Ice
Cube’s team up for an action comedy
set in Atlanta could be worse. Hart
stars as a security guard who goes on
patrol with his girlfriend’s tough cop
brother, played by Cube, in order to
earn his blessing. Tika Sumpter [Tyler
Perry’s A Madea Christmas) stars as
the girlfriend/sister. It’s co-written by
the super-funny Jason Mantzoukas
(TheLeague's Rafi); granted, he’s one
of four credited scripters. Tim Story
(Barbershop, Fantastic Four) directs.
SAVING MR. BANKS (PG-13) PL.
Travers (Emma Thompson) meets
with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) himself
during the negotiations for and the
filming of her classic Mary Poppins.
Apparently, the whole story was about
her difficult Australian childhood and
her own dad, who served as the inspi
ration for Mr. Banks.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER
MITTY (PG) Director-star Ben Stiller’s
adaptation of James Thurber’s clas
sic short story is an odd duck. Take
Thurber’s simple literary seed and fer
tilize it with writer Steve Conrad’s brand
of The Weather Man/The Pursuit of
Happyness pablum. The resulting film
pleases on its own and disappoints
as aversion of Thurber. Daydreamer
Walter Mitty (Stiller) works at a maga
zine that is about to go completely
digital, and he has lost the negative of
the final cover photo, provided by a
legendary photog (Sean Penn). Having
never done anything, Walter goes on
an impromptu adventure to Greenland,
Iceland and Afghanistan. Stiller’s
humor never quite gels with Conrad’s
insipid sincerity. Stiller’s direction
shines, though he seems to be chan
neling a sterile, mass market Wes
Anderson. Still, it’s laudable and cre
ative; everything that the script is not.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (R)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jordan
Belfort, who ruled the Bulls and the
Bears before the age of 30. Hopped up
on Quaaludes and cocaine, Belfort and
his crew at Stratton Oakmont peddled
penny stocks and defrauded investors
so badly, he ended up in prison for
22 months. Director Martin Scorsese
captures every debauched moment—
hookers, drugs and dwarf tossing—of
Belfort’s life. DiCaprio will be an Oscar
frontrunner if voters can get beyond the
vileness of Belfort enough to celebrate
the actor’s most physical performance.
At three hours, The Wolfts far from too
long, though some individual scenes
linger too long. How awesome is it to
see Scorsese churning out still relevant
work with a new muse, while his old
muse, Robert De Niro, is mired in
crummy comedies like Grudge Match?
Drew Wheeler
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-GM0A • www.uga.edu/gamuseum/calendar/films.html
TATE STUDENT CENTER • (UGA 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
10 FLAGPOLE.COM • JANUARY 15, 2014