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
“Prisoners” * * * ½
Reviewed on page 6C
“Salinger” * * ½
Reviewed on page 6C
“The Patience Stone” * * *
Reviewed on page 6C
“Thanks For Sharing” * * ½
Reviewed on page 7C
“Populaire” * * *
Reviewed on page 7C
“A Single Shot”
Reviewed on page 7C
“C.O.G.”* * * Reviewed on page 7C
“Ip Man: The Final Fight”
Not reviewed
“Battle of the Year” * *
Reviewed on page 7C
“Wizard of Oz 3D”
Not reviewed
Continuing
Selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically:
“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 Mayan. (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
“The Family”
Dark comedy. * * * R.
Adapted from Tonino Benacquista’s farcical novel “Malavita,” “The Family” is the rare breed of -black comedy that uses violence seriously or comically, depending on the situation. But what you remember most are the unconditional love these family members have for each other. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star. (Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald) 112 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
“Short Term 12”
Drama. * * * ½ R.
One wants to take care in trumpeting “Short Term 12″ as one of the best films of 2013. Take care that the blare of acclaim doesn’t drowning out the powerful hush of writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton’s gentle drama about Grace, Mason, newbie Nate and the at-risk kids they tend to as line staff at a group home. Short Term 12” captures the complex rhythms of institutional life . At the Mayan. (Kennedy) 96 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
