Now Showing
Some reviews originate at newspapers that do not award star ratings; some movies are not screened in advance for critics. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
OPENING THIS WEEK
“Closed Circuit” * * * Reviewed on page 4C
“One Direction: This is Us” Reviewed at denverpost.com/movies
“Austenland”* * Reviewed on page 4C
“The Grandmaster”* * Reviewed on page 4C
“Drinking Buddies” * * * Reviewed on page 4C
“Getaway” * ½ Reviewed on page 4C
“Passion”* * Reviewed on page 4C
“I Declare War” Not reviewed
“The Lifeguard” Not reviewed
Continuing
Selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically:
“Blackfish”
Documentary. PG-13. Prompted by the 2010 death of SeaWorld orca trainer Dawn Brancheau, “Blackfish” looks at the history of killer whales in captivity but focuses primarily on Tilikum, a male orca involved in the deaths of three people at marine theme parks. At the Chez. (Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times) 83 minutes
“Blue Jasmine”
Drama. * * * ½ PG-13. Cate Blanchett is as good as you’ve heard as the unraveling wife of a disgraced financier (Alec Baldwin). When she shows up at sister Ginger’s San Fran apartment, she resembles one of those ’50s wives — widowed or dumped — who find themselves with nary a skill to survive, or at least not in the manner they’d grown accustomed. Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard also star. At the Esquire. (Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post) 98 minutes
“Elysium”
Dystopian action flick. * * * ½ R. To save his own radiated skin, Max (Matt Damon) illegally crosses the space border from a ruined Earth to the space station Elysium. Jodie Foster portrays the chilly defense secretary of that 1 Percenter haven. (Kennedy) 109 minutes
“In a World … ”
Comedy. * * * ½ R. Even Lake Bell’s fans (I count myself one) should be pleasantly wowed by the actress’ debut as writer-director of this funny, smart comedy. Vocal coach Carol Solomon gets a shot at a voice-over trailer gig that puts her in direct competition with dad Sam Sollo, a legend. At the Chez. (Kennedy) 93 minutes
“Jobs”
Drama. * * ½ PG-13. “Jobs” is a satisfying account of the career of Steve Jobs, who rose to become one of the great entrepreneurs and technological innovators of our era. Ashton Kutcher is perfectly convincing as Jobs and is from his first minutes on screen. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) 122 minutes
“Kick-Ass 2”
Action. * * R. Covering much of the same ground as the first, with a lot of the cute worn off or aged out. (Roger Moore, McClatchy News Service) 95 minutes
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
Historical drama. * * * ½ PG-13. A history lesson in violence and endurance. Director Lee Daniels and his dedicated cast deliver all that and more. Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker rate Oscar nods. “The Butler” traces the Civil Rights era through the experiences of White House butler Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) as he serves seven presidential administrations. (Kennedy) 132 minutes
“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”
Action. * PG-13. Young Clary Fray (Lily Collins) discovers she is related to the shadowhunters, angel-like beings that have been battling the undead in an ages-old war undetected to humans. (Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle) 130 minutes
“Planes”
Animation. * * PG. “Planes” was supposed to debut direct to video, before Disney decided it was deserving of the big screen. (Hartlaub) 92 minutes
“The Spectacular Now”
Teen romance. * * * ½ R. After a night of drinking, high-school senior Sutter Keely wakens on a lawn with classmate Aimee Finecky staring down at him. Thanks to the lovely chemistry of their portrayers, Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, this turns out to be the start of a beautiful, well, something. (Kennedy) 95 minutes
“Two Guns”
Action flick. * * * R. The biggest guns in this action flick are Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg who have very different styles that work surprisingly well together. The wrinkle here is each man — unbeknownst to the other — is a lawman working to entrap his partner. (Kennedy) 109 minutes
“The Way, Way Back”
Coming of Age. PG-13. An awkward and misunderstood kid takes a summer off from regular life and finds a way to come of age, often with the help of an equally quirky adult. (Joceyln Noveck, The Associated Press) 103 minutes
“We’re the Millers”
Comedy. * ½ R. This film is an identity comedy with identity issues. Jason Sudeikis plays a pot dealer who, as a disguise for smuggling a huge shipment of weed, forms a fake family to drive an RV across the Mexico border. (Jake Coyle, The Associated Press) 110 minutes.
“The World’s End”
Comedy. * * R. Five former high-school friends reunite for an epic pub crawl some 20 years after they didn’t complete the binge. What starts off darkly funny — former ringleader Gary King (Pegg) suffers from a besotted case of arrested development — turns sci-fi ridiculous. Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Martin Freeman and Rosamund Pike also star. (Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post) 109 minute
“You’re Next”
Slasher film. R.“You’re Next” is a nasty little slasher film that starts poorly but gets better once most of the cast has been butchered. (John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter) 96 minutes
