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
“Short Term 12” * * * ½ Reviewed on page 5C
“The Family” * * * Reviewed above
“Paradise: Faith” * * * Reviewed on page 4C “Insidious Chapter 2” Not reviewed “A Teacher” Not reviewed “Il Futuro” Not reviewed
Continuing
Selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically:
“Afternoon Delight”
Dramedy. * * * R. Kathryn Hahn is best known for her supporting TV roles, bAt the Mayan. (Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle) 99 minutes
“Austenland”
Romantic comedy. * * PG-13. This is yet another way of updating Austen, by telling the story of a woman who spends all her money on an Austen-based vacation. Keri Russell plays a young woman who, unhappy in love and obsessed with Austen’s novels, takes her life savings and goes off to stay at Austenland, a mansion of the Austen era offering an authentic experience of life at that time. At the Esquire. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) 97 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
“Getaway”
Action. * ½ PG-13. “Getaway” has some of the elements of a good gear grinder — a B-movie where a car takes a pivotal role in the cast. It’s got Ethan Hawke, doing enough of his own driving to pass muster. It’s got a cool car — a Shelby Super Snake version of the Ford Mustang. It has an unusual city setting — Sofia, Bulgaria. And then Selena Gomez shows up as the mouthy, tech-savvy sidekick dragged along for a long, Christmas-season chase through the not-quite-generic (tramlines, train tracks) mean streets of Sofia. (LaSalle) 88 minutes
“In a World … ”
Comedy. * * * ½ R. Even Lake Bell’s fans 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
“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
“One Direction: This is Us”
Documentary. PG. There is nothing one critic can say that will sway the concrete will of a One Direction fan from seeing this documentary. (Peter Hartlaub, The San Francisco Chronicle) 92 minutes
“Prince Avalanche”
Comedy. * * * R. There’s plenty of absurd and deadpan humor, even slapstick, in this minimalist tale of mismatched workers who paint lines on isolated Texas roads. At the Sie FilmCenter. (Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle) 94 minutes
“Riddick”
Sci-fi. * ½ R. Vin Diesel is back in the third and latest installment of the sci-fi saga. The bald and beefy Diesel, whose sturdy commercial appeal is proven again and again, is always fun to watch. (Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press) 119 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. (Kennedy) 95 minutes
