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
“Captain Phillips” * * * ½ Reviewed on page 1C
“We Are What We Are” * * * Reviewed on page 7C
“Machete Kills” Reviewed on page 7C
“Romeo & Juliet” * * Reviewed on page 7C
“Herb & Dorothy 50×50” * Reviewed on page 7C
“Escape From Tomorrow” * * * Reviewed on page 7C
“Sweetwater” Not reviewed
Continuing
Selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically:
“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 widowed or dumped ’50s wives who find themselves with nary a skill to survive in the manner they’d grown accustomed. At the Esquire. (Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post) 98 minutes
“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2”
Animated adventure. * * PG. The original “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” was a sweet treat of an adaptation of the 1982 book by Judi and Ron Barrett. This sequel comes across like eating leftovers. The film picks up on the island where all of the culinary madness started. Food items are evolving into living creatures such as Shrimpanzees and Flamangos. Bill Hader, Benjamin Bratt and Neil Patrick Harris lend their voices. (Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee) 95 minutes
“Don Jon”
Comedy. * * * R. Jon Martello’s relentless libido has a comic math to it. At the club, Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his pals rate girls on a scale of one to “a dime.” His life is a circle of replenishing lust, a ritual of superficial pleasures. Jon’s compulsive routine is broken when he meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson). Tony Danza and Glenne Headly star as Jon’s parents. (Jake Coyle, Associated Press) 90 minutes
“Enough Said”
Comedy. * * * ½ PG-13. Authentically romantic and terrifically funny, Nicole Holofcener’s comedy stars small-screen titans Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini. Louis-Dreyfus brings a new depth to her acting as Eva, a divorced masseuse. Gandolfini twinkles and winces touchingly as Albert, a television archivist, also divorced. Though they had their initial doubts, they have a genuine if tentative connection — a spark Eva allows to be called into question when she figures out that the ex-husband her new client and friend Marianne rails against with such abandon is none other than Albert. At the Esquire. (Kennedy) 93 minutes
“Gravity”
Space drama. * * * ½ PG-13. Nerve-racking, sentimental and thrilling, director Alfonso Cuarón and co-writer and son Jonas Cuarón’s stellar achievement honors terra firma even as it reaches for the stars with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Anchored by a stirring melding of film technology and character-driven drama, “Gravity” finds Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Mission Commander Matt Kowalski alone in space after a debris incident. Clooney provides the kind of charming, buck-up authority one would crave in a tight spot. Bullock’s existential turn puts her on a trajectory for a Oscar nomination. See it in 3-D, not because “dropped” tools float toward you (they do!) but because Alfonso, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and visual-effects ace Tim Webber have created a visceral world worth entering. Zero gravity, or microgravity, has never looked so fluid. Space has seldom seemed quite so human and strange. In 2-D, 3-D and IMAX 3-D at area theaters. (Kennedy) 97 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
“Inequality for All”
Documentary. * * * PG. Documentaries sink or swim according to the rules of movies: Do you want to watch this person for 90 minutes? The fortunate thing about “Inequality for All” is that it has an appealing person at its center: Robert Reich, the economics expert and Berkeley professor who was also the labor secretary under Bill Clinton. The film skillfully juggles several elements: It tells Reich’s personal story, shows him lecturing, in public appearances and talking directly about his economic ideas. At the Mayan. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) 90 minutes
“Prisoners”
Thriller. * * * ½ R. Two girls disappear from outside their homes one drizzly Thanksgiving, A suspect (Paul Dano), is apprehended by the police led by lone-wolf Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) then released. Director Denis Villeneuve takes us on a gripping, provocative journey, plunging us into fury, swerving toward moral dilemmas, teasing us with conviction and tormenting us with uncertainty. (Kennedy) 153 minutes
“Runner Runner”
Drama. R. This drama follows a young American gambler who gets sucked way above his head into the criminal doings of a big-time offshore operator. It would have found its ideal life as a tough, punchy, black-and-white programmer back in the 1950s. Despite an intriguing setup and Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake heading the cast, this Fox release holds a losing box-office hand. (Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter) 91 minutes
“Rush”
Action-drama. * * * ½ R. Sure, Ron Howard’s thrill ride is based on a legendary season in Formula 1 racing, but “Rush” — with its light and dark and its doubling of themes — has the layers of a bedtime fable, albeit a rumbling, roaring — and at times randy and romantic — one. In 1976, the Formula 1 racing world was treated to a dangerous competition that pitted James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), an upstart with playboy elan, against Austrian automotive rationalist and world champion Niki Lauda (a very busy Daniel Brühl). (Kennedy) 123 minutes
“Wadjda”
Drama. * * * ½ PG-13. The Wright brothers saw the possibility of flight, of liberation, in a bicycle. So does director-screenwriter Haifaa al-Mansour for her 10-year-old heroine. Played with natural verve by Waad Mohammed, Wadjda spies freedom atop a pickup that drops its precious cargo at a nearby toy store. She wants the green bike in part to race friend Abdullah (charmer Abdullrahman al-Gohani). That fugitive yearning is the heart of this delight, in which a young girl’s desire for a bike provides an intimate glimpse into the possibilities and limitations of a cloaked culture. “Wadjda” is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, which would make it a curiosity. But fine performances and subtle but confident storytelling make it a gem. At the Chez. (Kennedy) 97 minutes
