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May 28-June 3, 2009
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Angels and Demons
On the heels of the 2006 adaptation of Dan Brown’s best-seller The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks returns to the dullest role of his career, once again under the direction of Ron Howard, who takes the material as seriously as a kidney stone on the way out. Angels & Demons is the same sort of lumbering mediocrity that Da Vinci Code was. It’s more violent, which is something, I guess, and its narrative structure ensures a regular string of cliffhangers. But what turns the pages in print doesn’t necessarily propel a story onscreen. Rated PG-13 (sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material). At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
Brothers Bloom
See full screen review on page 37. Rated R. At Century and Chez Artiste.
Dance Flick
The Wayans brothers had nothing to do with Date Movie and Epic Movie, fatigued exercises in tedium that followed the Wayans’ deadly funny Scary Movie, but the assumption remains that they did, tainting Dance Flick by association. But this send-up possesses a more nimble comic footing. It’s a buzz-saw parody that grinds its way through formulas found in recent dance movies such as Step Up and You Got Served, not to mention the “classics” such as Flashdance and Fame. Rated PG-13 (crude and sexual content throughout and language). At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Glenn Whipp
Every Little Step
A Chorus Line celebrates the itch to perform and the exquisite, control-freaky showmanship that is the Broadway musical at its greatest. You can assess the stage original’s influence through this wonderful new documentary, which intercuts the story of how the original 1975 show came together with a step-by-step, fly-on-the-wall account of how the custodians of the recent 2006 Broadway revival came to cast whom they cast and why. Rated PG-13 (some strong language including sexual references). At Chez Artiste. — Michael Phillips
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
If you look up the word “typecasting” in the dictionary, you’ll find Matthew McConaughey’s smirk affixed to this film’s title. Nonetheless, this Lothario-learns-a-lesson comedy offers a few guilty chuckles. Riffing on A Christmas Carol, the script concerns a caddish fashion photographer (McConaughey) who spends his days lining up femmes to be bagged. This snake’s reckoning is a supernatural job, arranged by the ghost of his late uncle (Michael Douglas). Jennifer Garner is the love interest. Rated PG-13 (sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference). At Flatiron and Century. — Michael Phillips
 I Love You, Man
This minor but enjoyable entry in the boy-man comedy genre stars Paul Rudd as a heterosexual L.A. real estate agent engaged to be married but short on straight-up male companionship in general and a best man for his wedding in particular. Along comes a sometime investment whiz (Jason Segel) living the life of a Venice Beach slacker. How these two meet and bond leads to much engaging time-wasting. Rated R (pervasive language, including crude and sexual references). At Boulder Theater. — Michael Phillips
Limits of Control
The Limits of Control is the story of a mysterious loner (Isaach De Bankolé), a stranger whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged. His journey, paradoxically both intently focused and dreamlike, takes him not only across Spain but also through his own consciousness. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Ghost Dog, Down by Law), the crime thriller is set in the striking and varied landscapes of contemporary Spain, both urban and otherwise, beautifully shot by cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love). Not rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Monsters vs. Aliens
DreamWorks’ animated 3-D feature is blessed with a high-concept title and Seth Rogen’s serenely dense line readings in the role of a genetically altered tomato gone wrong. But much of the project went wrong somewhere, along with the tomato. The script piles on the mayhem and forgets the funny. To add insult to a paucity of jokes, the look of the picture is cold and oddly flat. This story of imprisoned monsters and rampaging aliens centers on a woman (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who is creamed by a meteor that turns her into a giant. Rated PG (sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language). At Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ben Stiller reprises the role of the Museum of Natural History security guard who saved the day in the 2006 original, making peace among the warring tribes and beasts and magically energized figurines. Here, the old gang, including the mammoth Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), mini-cowboy Jed (Owen Wilson) and micro-Roman Octavius (Steve Coogan), are being shipped off for storage in the bowels of the Smithsonian Institution. This film is breezier than the first, and Amy Adams is a sparkling screen presence as aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Rated PG (mild action and brief language). At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
Sin Nombre
Sin Nombre is an epic dramatic thriller from award-winning writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Seeking the promise of America, a beautiful young Honduran woman, Sayra (Paulina Gaytan), joins her father and uncle on an odyssey to cross the gauntlet of the Latin American countryside en route to the United States. Along the way she crosses paths with a teenaged gang member, El Casper (Edgar M. Flores), who is maneuvering to outrun his violent past and elude his unforgiving former associates. Together they must rely on faith, trust and street smarts if they are to survive their increasingly perilous journey towards the hope of new lives. Winner of the dramatic Directing Award and Excellence in Cinematography Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Not rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
The Soloist
In this film based on a true-life story, Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey Jr.) discovers street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a former Juilliard student plagued by undiagnosed schizophrenia, leading to a series of influential columns and an eventful relationship between the two men. You couldn’t ask for better actors; the real-life characters, however, deserved a more dimensional screenplay. Rated PG-13 (thematic elements, some drug use, and language). At Colony Square. — Michael Phillips
Star Trek
The new Star Trek seeks to extend a lucrative brand with a young demographic. But it’s a real movie — breathlessly paced bordering on manic, but propulsively entertaining. The script ping-pongs early on between Iowa and Vulcan, as the destinies of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) entwine. The plot issues — of moderate interest at best — deal with the space-time continuum and alternate reality. The film may not be memorable science fiction, but it's an engaging pop diversion. Rated PG-13 (sci-fi action and violence and brief sexual content).Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play sisters who start up an unlicensed crime-scene cleanup business. They’re haunted by the suicide death of their mother; for them the biohazard removal biz is a way of processing their grief, and bringing to survivors the comfort they themselves seek. Certain narrative events are more about dramatic convenience than the mess of real life. But it helps to have actresses as vibrant as Adams and Blunt around. Director Christine Jeffs loosens the plotting as best she can, letting the interactions breathe. Rated R (language, disturbing images, some sexuality and drug use). At Mayan. — Michael Phillips
Terminator Salvation
See full screen review on page 37. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.
Three Monkeys
After his critically acclaimed mood pieces Distant and Climates, Turkey’s leading filmmaker moves in a more plot-driven direction while retaining his mastery of ambience, nuance and astonishing cinematography. Winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes, Three Monkeys tells a twisty, noirish tale that opens with an ambitious politician fleeing a hit-and-run accident. Afraid of hurting his election chances, he pays off his chauffeur Eyüp to take the rap. The film concerns the effects of this devil’s bargain on Eyüp’s family as simmering tensions and sexual intrigue wreak havoc in a household already haunted by hidden ghosts. In the spirit of Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Haneke’s Caché, Three Monkeys mounts a caustic critique of the bourgeois family, riddled with hypocrisy yet stubbornly resilient in its seemingly boundless capacity to sidestep guilt and accountability. Not rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Tyson
Tyson is not a conventional film biography. There is no variety of viewpoints, no back and forth about episodes in his life, and, except for interview footage from the past, no other voices heard. What you get is Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champion, former substance abuser, former prison inmate, talking with that unexpected slight lisp. You may not be happy with everything said, but you will not be bored. Rated R (language, including sexual references). At Mayan. — Kenneth Turan
Valentino: The Last Emperor
This critically acclaimed documentary feature has captured the hearts and minds of audiences at film festivals around the world. It stars the legendary designer Valentino and his longtime business and life partner Giancarlo Giammetti, who together built a fashion empire like no other. An intimate, unprecedented and very funny exploration of the singular world of two of Italy’s richest and most famous men, the film joins them behind the curtain as they confront the final act of a nearly 50-year reign at the top of the glamorous and fiercely competitive world of fashion. Directed by Matt Tyrnauer, a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. Not rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This fourth X-Men picture ties for weakest X-Men picture with No. 3. Here and there you get what you want from an X-Men prequel, thanks to the irrepressible Hugh Jackman and several other members of the cast, including Liev Schreiber as Wolverine’s nemesis, Sabretooth. But there’s a rote quality to the proceedings, and director Gavin Hood shoots the action in such a way as to minimize the performers’ abilities to perform it. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity). At Flatiron and Colony Squares. — Michael Phillips
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