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Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.
Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings.
“Confessions of a Shopaholic”
Comedy. ** 1/2. PG. Directed by P.J. Hogan of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” this comedy owes a debt to Golden Age screwball jaunts in which ruses and misunderstandings rule. Thanks to Isla Fisher, the film makes an interest payment. There is something comedically right about the red-head. She takes a place alongside Téa Leoni in the much depleted ranks of pratfalling, pretty women. Daughter of thrifty, working-class parents, the credit-addled Rebecca Bloomwood becomes a personal finance columnist for a biz magazine. She’d hope to work at a high-fashion rag more suitable to her upscale hankerings. The joke is obvious and its just a matter of time before the jig is up and the debt collector snags her? Brit Hugh Dancy plays the Girl in the Green Scarf’s editor. Kristin Scott Thomas has bilingual sport as the fashion editor of “Alette.” But the movie is decidely slight. When it comes to its use of a homeless character, it’s downright cowardly. (Kennedy) 112 minutes.
“Coraline”
Animated tale. ** 1/2. PG. A film as painstakingly crafted as this one about a curious girl (Dakota Fanning) who travels through a tunnel and finds a parallel family should be cause for celebration. And the stop-motion animation is often mesmerizing. Visually, screenwriter-director Henry Selick’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel is a wonder. (Although the 3D seems over-hyped.) But an unpleasantness haunts the yarn. It’s not the “Other” parents Coraline discovers with their button eyes and dark intentions that create a problem in tone. It’s her real parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman). They provide a disturbing portrait in parental disregard. Perhaps their harassed moods are supposed to ring true. Instead Coraline’s folks — especially Mom — are as sour as the food left spoiling in the fridge while they pursue their careers. (Kennedy) 100 minutes
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Magical Fable. ****. PG-13. David Fincher brings his visual gift and his ever deepening appreciation of storytelling to this wondrous tale of a man who ages backward. The film begins in early 20th Century New Orleans and ends in this century as a hurricane bares down on the Crescent City. Brad Pitt is Benjamin, a creation of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Orphaned, the ancient infant comes under the care of Queenie, a nursing-home attendant (Taraji P. Henson.) He grows up. He grows younger. Benjamin’s saga unfolds in a modern hospital room where a daughter learns about her aged mother’s great love. Cate Blanchett is Daisy and Julia Ormond plays Caroline. Much expanded from Fitzgerald’s short story, Eric Roth’s script has many similarites with his “Forrest Gump” screenplay. Benjamin is wiser, more tender. So, too, Fincher’s magical, mortal vision. (Kennedy) 156 minutes
“Fired Up”
Teen Comedy. *1/2. PG-13. It’s “Wedding Crashers” with high school seniors and bras and panties. Two vaguely unsympathetic hot shots duck football camp in order to join the overwhelmingly female cheerleading squad. Cheer camp, they learn, is a rolling meadow of pliable teen nubility. (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune) 94 minutes
“Friday the 13th”
Slasher redux. *. R. It slayed them at the box office opening weekend but that doesn’t mean director Marcus Nispel’s retread of the Jason Vorhees story should be celebrated. When his sister goes missing, Clay (Jared Padalecki) heads into the kill zone known as Camp Crystal Lake. In the woods, he finds a nememis in smug frat boy Trent and an ally in Jenna (Danielle Panabaker). As he gets closer to learning what happened to sis, the body count mounts. The movie is short on wit. (Exception: Aaron Yoo having fun as the stoned rube who goes into the shed — no, not the shed!) But then its lead, machete-weilding character Jason has always been short on personality. Gore aficianado Keith Garcia, program manager at the Denver Film Society and tag-team partner on the Denver Post review (see denverpost.com/movies) put it this way “I give it one star. For boring me to tears when it should have made me scream.” (Kennedy) 98 minutes.
“Gomorrah”
Mob Drama. ***1/2. R. Matteo Garrone’s harsh and beautiful adaptation of Roberto Saviano’s nonfiction exposé about the Camorra crime syndicate operating in Naples follows the rough trajectories of five vexing stories: that of a gifted tailor who begins teaching the Chinese competition, two petty criminals with Tony Montana dreams, a tired don, a 13-year-old boy who enlists in a gang and an optimistic grad who finds himself in the toxic world of waste management. The film’s multiple strands reflect the ongoing trend in multiple story lines. But Garrone’s choice also argues just how pervasive the corruption is in this community. If these stories had an odor, it would get into your clothes, your hair, your mouth. It would — and should — make you gag. In Italian. English subtitles. (Kennedy) 135 minutes
“Gran Torino”
Racial drama. ***. R. The real muscle car here isn’t the sleek forest-green Ford of the title, it’s Clint Eastwood. The icon directed and stars as Walt Kowalski, a bigoted, growling retired autoworker whose routine shifts hard after a Hmong teen tries to steal his prized possession. In addition to race, faith and family are deep themes. A young priest hopes to get Walt into the confessional. Like “Million Dollar Baby,” Eastwood’s Oscar-winning movie, this film is a neo-melodrama. Emotions and antagonisms are heightened in ways that look over-simplified. Yet so much feels true and honorable. Eastwood’s flinty performance finds sweet chemistry with newcomers Bee Vang and Ahney Her, who play the Hmong neighbors Walt finds kinship with. (Kennedy) 116 minutes
“He’s Just Not That Into You”
Romantic comedy. ** 1/2. P-13. Gigi is so off about the guys she dates, she seems like a proto-stalker. Realist Alex (Justin Long) is the fella with the insights to cure her delusions. Expanded to other characters, this setup has its charms. There really are things men and women can reveal about the opposite gender’s playbook. If only Gigi’s delusions weren’t so wince-inducing. Director Ken Kwapis makes it far too easy to feel superior to Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) who acts as the film’s linch-pin. She’s not silly. She’s psycho. In gender parity, this star-driven comedy also does a disservice to Ben (handsome Bradley Cooper), the hubby who’s torn between knockout temptress Anna (Scarlett Johansson) and his knockout wife (Jennifer Connelly). Displaying chemistry worthy a better rom-com, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston provide a respite from the rote unmarrieds seven years into a good thing before doubt set in. (Kennedy) 129 minutes
“Ink”
Sci-Fi Allegory. ***. PG-13. PG-13. Denver-based writer-director Jamin Winans delivers an ambitious sci-fi tale about the fight between forces good and ill for a father and his young daughter, Emma. Most filmmakers know how hard a sci-fi flick is to pull off on a lean allowance. Winans takes on the challenge and gives audiences some memorable images to go with his metaphysical tale about a mercenary named Ink who steals Emma away, among them: evil beings with flat-panel screen faces; a shimmering aspen grove where the forces of good gather before returning to do battle for Emma. He also gets an impressively warmhearted turn from former Denver actor Jessica Duffy as Liev, Emma’s protector. Continuing at the Starz FilmCenter. (Kennedy) 95 minutes
“The International”
Thriller. ***. R. Clive Owen brings scruffy, dogged energy to this globe-leaping thriller that’ll have you booking travel to Berlin, Milan and Istanbul. Louis Salinger is a former Scotland Yard man who’s never gotten used to being merely an investigator. When a colleague is killed in the midst of a case against a multi-national, many-tendrilled bank, his cop reflexes are roused. Naomi Watts gives a surprisingly stilted turn as Salinger’s partner in crime-busting, Manhattan assistant D.A. Eleanor Whitman. Evenso, Tom Tykwer directs this satisfying ride with taut vigor. Armin Mueller-Stahl does subtle work as Wilhelm Wexler, the bank’s fixer and the movie’s most interesting monster. One of his acheivments: making it very clear that the buttoned-down purveyors of debt and destruction are the worst sort of baddies. (Kennedy) 118 minutes
“The Last House on the Left”
Horror Remake. ***. R. A graphically depicted sexual assault and murder leads to a confrontation between a victim’s parents and her assailants. Wes Craven’s 1972 grindhouse classic returns to the screen with its horror still shattering and a better wrought story about families both toxic and loving. In the midst of an able and scary cast, Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter are especially empathetic as the Collingworths. (Kennedy) 105 minutes
“Miss March”
Cruddy Comedy. *. R. A cut-rate raunch comedy about two mismatched pals who take a road trip to see the ex-girlfriend who became a Playboy playmate, is one of those painful comedies in which the strain to be funny shows — always. But the road trip that is the heart of the movie is as dull as the real drive from mid-America to the L.A. Playboy Mansion. Yes, hot lesbians pick up the lads hitchhiking. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 96 minutes
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”
Family-friendly comedy. ** 1/2. PG. There is plenty that should make this Kevin James vehicle just another manufactured comedy headed for a predictable ending and decent box-office numbers. But James’ shtick conjures warm memories of time spent with Abbott and Costello flicks. James is all Lou Costello but with something unexpected and gently exploited: a goofy sex appeal. James is a single father and shopping mall security guard vet. “Mall Cop” isn’t pretty. It looks tackier than any of the stores anchoring the Jersey mall targeted by a skateboarding, BMX’ing crew of robbers. If it feels familiar, it’s because “Mall Cop” recasts “Die Hard,” putting a bumbler where John McClane once ruled. Still, in the midst of Oscar-contending dramas comes a fizzy tonic for families hankering for live-action, raunch-free comedy. (Kennedy) 87 minutes
“The Pink Panther 2”
Broad comedy. * 1/2. PG. Steve Martin is back as the bumbling French detective. He still hasn’t bothered to learn a faux French accent. The editing doesn’t hide that even the simplest stunts are now done by fellows in snow-white wigs. But this family-friendly farce plays lighter than the first Martin “Panther,” even if Martin himself still doesn’t “get” what made the character funny. The Magna Carta, the Shroud of Turin and a famous Japanese sword have been stolen by The Tornado. An international “dream team” — English (Alfred Molina), Italian (Andy Garcia, actually funny), Japanese (Yuki Matsuzaki) and Indian (Aishwarya Rai) — has been assembled to crack the case. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 89 minutes
“Push”
Science fiction. * 1/2. PG-13. Dakota Fanning stars in this new comic-book-inspired thriller about mind readers and mind benders, people with telekinetic powers given to them by the government in some demented effort to create walking, talking human weapons. It’s a confusing mash-up of every movie or TV show you’ve ever seen about telekinesis. Fanning plays Cassie, a 13-year-old “watcher,” somebody who can see the future and sketch it out on her note pad. She shows up at the Hong Kong door of a “mover” played by Chris Evans. He’s been expecting her. His dad, a watcher, told him to look for her 10 years ago. And here she is, perky, punky and ready to bring down the bad guys. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 108 minutes
“Race to Witch Mountain”
Fantasy. **. PG. Local light AnnaSophia Robb has a key role in this middling adaptation of Alexander Key’s young adult novel “Escape to Witch Mountain.” She plays Sara alongside Alexander Ludwig’s Seth, two extraterrestrials who land in the back seat of Las Vegas taxi driver Jack Bruno. Dwayne Johnson has rock solid appeal as the reluctant, wisecracking hero. Carla Gugino does nimble work as an mildly disgraced astrophysist. But, too much of the action and story unfurls like a hurried primer for action flicks. Even if they don’t know it yet, kids deserve better. (Kennedy) 99 minutes
“Slumdog Millionaire”
Rags to Riches Wonder. ***1/2. R. It’s a bold salvo beginning a movie as vastly entertaining as “Slumdog Millionaire” with scenes of torture. Yet, Danny Boyle does just that. The director doesn’t turn away from the harsh realities of a poor child’s life in Mumbai, India. “Slumdog” captures the corrugated roofs of shantytowns, the mountains of garbage, the sick commerce of child prostitution and enforced begging. All of this could be overwhelming if not for the vibrant saga of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), brother Salim (Madhur Mittal)and beloved Lakita (Freida Pinto). Jamal’s tale of triumphs and tragedies unfolds as he explains to a police inspector why he is poised to win “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?” Patel and Anil Kapoor are terrific opposites as the guiless Jamal and the arrogant game-show host. That Jamal may escape his fate to pursue his destiny by answering a question on a goofy show is tricky. Still, we sit on the edge of our seats like the movie’s citizens to cheer Jamal on. (Kennedy) 121 minutes
“Taken”
Action thriller. *1/2. PG-13. Former CIA operative Bryan Mills is a divorced father trying to rebuild a relationship with his teen daughter after years of clandestine absences. His daddy talents may be fledgling but not his more lethal skill set. So pity the Albanian fools that rouse them when they kidnap 17-year-old Kim, a virgin, for the underground sex trade. Directed by Pierre Morel, this thriller has none of the hyper-active charms of his rousing “District B13.” Instead, thanks to the handiwork of writers Luc Besson and Mark Kamen, “Taken” is an exploitation thriller. It seizes the worst the world has to offer (the sex-slave outrages that The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof exposes so brilliantly) to bolster its utterly rote rhythms and payback conclusions. As Mills, Liam Neeson cuts a fine determined figure in a black leather jacket, but he’s decidely glum. And one gets the sense it isn’t merely because his daughter’s been snatched. (Kennedy) 94 minutes
“The Watchmen”
Graphic novel flick. *** R. Writer Alan Moore and illustrator David Gibbons’ heralded 1986 graphic novel arrives on the big screen withtout the famed writer’s credit. More’s the pity. This tale of a group of bitter, marginalized (and targeted) masked heros set in an on-going Cold War could have used Moore’s deeper dystopian chill. Which doesn’t mean director Zack Snyder of “300” fame hasn’t delivered a number of vivid moments. Among them: an assault of a hero named the Comedian scored to Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.” And Billy Crudup, bathed in blue and bald, hits deep, melancholy notes as Dr. Manhattan, hero and weapon. (Kennedy) 162 minutes
“Wendy and Lucy”
Drama. **1/2. R. A young woman headed to Alaska for work runs into trouble in an Oregon town. In a situation the opposite of “through no fault of her own,” she’s separated from her beloved dog. She spends the rest of the film trying to find Lucy. This is a spare summation of Kelly Reichardt’s painstakingly paced drama about drifting through. The lauded indie director delivers a willful, deliberate work — cowritten with author Jon Raymond. Our sympathies are not guaranteed. Far from it. Still, the director’s great capacity for empathy is impressive. Reichardt has a way with hushed performance and gets a compelling one from Michelle Williams. She also encourages the other actors (among them Will Patton and Walter Dalton) to radiate ever so softly as they go about being the hurdles Wendy has trouble clearing. (Kennedy) 80 minutes
“The Wrestler”
Comeback drama. ***1/2. R. Headstrong director Darren Aronofsky delivers one of the finest pictures of the year, featuring one of the rawest performances of the year. Playing a man whose job description requires a physical fortitude that has waned, but who’s possessed of the will to go on, Golden Globe-winner Mickey Rourke rattles and touches core sympathies as pro-wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson. So, too, does Marisa Tomei as Cassidy, the stripper Randy flirts lovingly with. Neither career path may reflect our own, but their vulnerabilities are profoundly recognizable. Rachel Evan Wood plays the other woman in Randy’s life, estranged daughter Stephanie. “The Wrestler” has the intimacy of a fly-on-the-wall documentary and more than a few wince-inducing moments in the ring. But the tough-tender drama (written by Robert Siegel) makes for visceral art. Like its protagonist, it aims to endure. (Kennedy) 105 minutes
