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June 4 - June 10, 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
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
This documentary succeeds every which way: as ’80s heavy metal nostalgia, as a twisted sort of reality-show attempt at a comeback, as an unexpectedly touching portrait of a friendship. Director Sacha Gervasi hung out with the band Anvil in London in the early ’80s during a tour. Then, a generation later, he hunted them down to find out what happened in the interim. Anvil! answers the question, and even if it's not a question that was on your mind, the movie catches you up in highly entertaining fashion. No MPAA rating (some language, extreme heavy metal). At Mayan. — Michael Phillips
 Brothers Bloom
Two con-man brothers (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody) travel the world in search of great marks. One day they meet Penelope (Rachel Weisz), and from the carefully orchestrated moment she drives her canary-yellow Lamborghini into their lives, their cons take on new meaning. This is a funny, sharply observed, emotionally resonant crime caper, one that lapses only occasionally into preciousness. Rated PG-13 (violence, some sensuality and brief strong language). At Century and Chez Artiste. — Jessica Reaves
Carmen & Geoffrey
This joyful documentary celebrates two giants of the dance and theatrical worlds: dancer/choreographer/actress Carmen De Lavallade and multi-hyphenate Geoffrey Holder, married to each other for nearly 50 years. Wife-husband team Atkinson (a student of Carmen’s) and Doob (Academy Award-winner for From Mao to Mozart) capture the intimate chemistry between quietly brilliant Carmen and larger-than-life Geoffrey, whose credits include his legendary production of The Wiz. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
A scientific expedition searching for fossils in tropical backwaters of the Amazon discover a prehistoric gill-man which they attempt to capture. Along the way the creature falls in love with the fiancée of one of the scientists. Swimming champion Ricou Browning plays the creature in underwater sequences and had to hold his breath for up to four minutes as the tight fitting suit did not permit the use of an aqua lung. 3-D glasses are provided. At Boulder Public Library.—BPL Film Program
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 Twin Peaks. — Glenn Whipp
Drag Me to Hell
See full screen review on page 41. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.
Eldorado
Yvan and Elie are two loners who wander aimlessly through their lives. Yvan is a quick-tempered 40-year-old vintage car dealer while Elie is a young burglar and ex-junkie. One day Yvan catches Elie trying to rob him. Instead of beating him up, he becomes strangely attached to him and agrees to drive him home to his parents in his old Chevrolet. Yvan and Elie are both nostalgic about lost relationships, which is what leads them to undertake a bizarre journey through a region that is as spectacular as it is crazy. Both are trying to find the pieces of a puzzle that they want to put back together, but it might be too late. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Soceity
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
The Loved One (1965)
This film has become a cult classic especially in Hollywood, as it is a great send-up of the studio system, and also the “death industry” (i.e., Forest Lawn where some of the scenes were shot). Based on Evelyn Waugh's novel, co-written with Christopher Isherwood, shot by Haskell Wexler, and edited by Hal Ashby this was Terry Southern’s entry into a hip, collaborative Hollywood of 1965. The marketing tag-line was “the motion picture with something to offend everyone!” but it actually is a poet’s view of the loss of innocence and grandeur in an ever-commercialized and psychosis-inducing dreamland: Los Angeles. At Boulder Public Library. — BPL Film Program
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
Opera: Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni, probably Mozart’s most famous opera, is the opening production of the Festival in 2008. Following his successful production of Le nozze di Figaro in Salzburg, German stage director Claus Guth is preparing his second Da Ponte opera. In the title role British baritone Christopher Maltman, Winner of the Lieder Prize at the 1997 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition will be making his first appearance in Salzburg in an opera production. Annette Dasch, highly celebrated last season as Armida, takes the role of Donna Anna. Bertrand de Billy, Anna Netrebko’s favourite conductor, directs the Vienna Philharmonic. Dorothea Röschmann, particularly renowned for her interpretation of the great Mozart roles, sings the Donna Elvira and Erwin Schrott appears as Leporello. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Soceity
Revenge of the Creature (1955)
The gill-man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon is recaptured and transported to the Florida Marine Land Aquarium for study. The scientists in charge attempt to teach him to talk without success. Once there he falls in love again and pursues the object of his desire. This film was the first 3-D motion picture to be aired on television. 3-D glasses are provided. At Boulder Public Library. — BPL Film Program
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 Esquire. — Michael Phillips
Terminator Salvation
This fourth edition of the Terminator franchise stars Christian Bale as John Connor, living out his destiny to save the world from the killing machines introduced in 1984. In director McG’s new world order, the machines rule with enforcers of every shape roaming the land. If you’re a Terminator fan, Salvation is mostly worth it. There are plenty of pyrotechnics and artillery. And when the story starts to crumble around Bale, Sam Worthington, playing a gunslinging warrior, is usually there to pick up the pieces. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language). At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Betsy Sharkey
This Sporting Life
Director Lindsay Anderson was one of the founders of the British “Free Cinema” movement of the late 1950s and early ’60s. The film has a hard documentary feel, class consciousness and a profound sense of the harshness of life. Richard Harris plays a Yorkshire coal miner who becomes a professional rugby player. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Soceity
Tony Manero
Santiago de Chile, 1978. In the midst of the tough social context of Pinochet’s dictatorship, Raúl Peralta, a man in his fifties, is obsessed with the idea of impersonating Tony Manero, John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever. Raúl leads a small group of dancers regularly performing at a bar located in the outskirts of the city. Every Saturday evening, he unleashes his passion for the film’s music by imitating his idol. His dream of being recognized as a successful showbiz star is about to become a reality when the national television announces a Tony Manero impersonating contest. His urge to reproduce his idol’s likeness drives him to commit a series of crimes and thefts. In the meantime, his dancing partners, who are involved in underground activities against the regime, are persecuted by the government's secret police. Tony Manero is a story about loss of identity and obsession in the recent Chilean history. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Soceity
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 Century and Mayan. — Kenneth Turan
Up
See full screen review on page 41. Rated PG. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.
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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