Reel to reel | Week of November 29, 2012

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Killing Them Softly combines crime drama and political commentary.

ANNA KARENINA

See full review. Rated R. At Century and Esquire.

ARGO

Ben Affleck’s latest directing project (in which he also stars) is based on true events from the Iranian revolution in 1979. Militants storm the U.S. embassy and take 52 Americans hostage, six Americans escape to the home of a Canadian ambassador. A CIA agent comes forward to get them out of the country before they’re found. Rated R. At Colony Square and Century.

BOLSHOI BALLET’S THE PHAROAH’S DAUGHTER

A young English Lord traveling through Egypt takes shelter in a pyramid with local characters. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

CHASING ICE

Acclaimed National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. At Century and Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

A CHRISTMAS STORY

Set in the 1940s, Ralphie tries to convince everyone around him that a Red Rider BB gun would be the perfect Christmas gift for him. At Century.

CLOUD ATLAS

This overly ambitious tale covers six stories written and directed by three people and multiple actors in multiple roles. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess and Hugo Weaving attempt to share intersecting tales of humanity and spirituality, some of which involve intergalactic travel and a cloned Asian woman who becomes a deity. The best art is unafraid to fail. This is definitely art. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb. Rated R. At Century.

CITADEL

Tommy Crowley is a young father inflicted with chronic agoraphobia since his wife was brutally attacked by a gang of a twisted feral children. Trapped in the dilapidated suburbia of Edenstown, he finds himself terrorized by the same gang who now seem intent on taking his baby daughter. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Center.

THE COLLECTION

The only man known to escape the grips of a psychopathic serial killer known as “The Collector” is hired to rescue a girl who has also fallen prey to him. Rated R. At Colony Square.

THE COMEDY

On the cusp of inheriting his father’s estate, Swanson is a man with unlimited options. An aging hipster in Brooklyn, he spends his days in aimless recreation with like-minded friends in games of comic irreverence and mock sincerity. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

THE FLAT

In his award-winning, emotionally riveting documentary, writer/director Arnon Goldfinger follows the hints his Israeli grandparents left behind to investigate long-buried family secrets and unravel the mystery of their painful past. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

FLIGHT

Denzel Washington stars in this action-packed mystery thriller as a seasoned pilot who saves his plane after a mid-air disaster, rescuing almost all his passengers. He’s dubbed a hero but the plane’s malfunctions reveal something different. Rated R. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

HEAD GAMES

Head Games tells the story of football player and wrestler Chris Nowinski’s quest to uncover the truth about the consequence of sports related head injuries. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

HENDRIX 70: LIVE AT WOODSTOCK

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s birth, experience Hendrix’s unforgettable August 1969 Woodstock concert for the very first time on the big screen and in surround sound. At Mayan. –– Landmark Theatres

HIGH GROUND

Eleven veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join an expedition to climb the 20,000 foot Himalayan giant Mount Lobuche. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

HITCHCOCK

Lurking behind Alfred Hitchcock — cinema’s “master of suspense” and the extraordinary film icon known for orchestrating some of the most intense experiences of menace and intrigue audiences have ever seen — was his hidden side: his creatively explosive romance with his steadfast wife and filmmaking collaborator, Alma Reville. At Mayan. –– Landmark Theatres

HOLY MOTORS

Over the course of a single day, Monsieur Oscar travels by limousine around Paris to a series of nine “appointments,” transforming into new characters or incarnations at each stop. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s seventh feature film begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hands of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz). At Esquire. –– Landmark Theatres

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

Amped-up violence meets political and economic commentary in this adaptation of George Higgins’ novel Cogan’s Trade, directed by Andrew Dominik. Brad Pitt plays chill hit man Jackie Cogan, who has been hired to catch three guys who have decided to rob a Mob-protected card game. Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks.

KNUCKLEBALL!

Knuckleball! is the story of a few good men, a handful of pitchers in the entire history of baseball forced to resort to the lowest rung on the credibility ladder in their sport: throwing a ball so slow and unpredictable that no one wants anything to do with it. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

A LATE QUARTET

When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet receives a life changing diagnosis, the group’s future suddenly hangs in the balance: suppressed emotions, competing egos, and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. Rated R. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

LIBERAL ARTS

Thirty-five, newly single and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher (writer/director Josh Radnor) worries that his best days are over. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

LIFE OF PI 3D

A storm ravages a boat carrying a zookeeper’s family and menagerie, and the only survivors are the family’s son, Pi, and a Bengal tiger, coyly named Richard Parker. The film follows the odd couple’s lifeboat as Pi devises ways to stay alive and tame his beastly companion. Shot in 3-D, the film is a visual feast and is an almost certain to receive a Best Picture nomination. Rated PG. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

LINCOLN

This is all about the creation of the penny. OK, kidding. This is Daniel Day-Lewis proving he’s the best there is (maybe ever) embodying the emancipatory president as he works to get the 13th Amendment through a divided Congress in the midst of war. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: LA CIEMENSA DI TITO

Conducted by Harry Bicket, NCM Fathom brings the live broadcast of this Mozart piece to theaters. At Century.

MIAMI CONNECTION

The year is 1987. Motorcycle ninjas tighten their grip on Florida’s narcotics trade, viciously annihilating anyone who dares move in on their turf. Multi-national martial arts synth rock band Dragon Sound has had enough, and embarks on a roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Four years earlier, Ruby was a vibrant medical student married to the love of her life, Derek. Now, she makes her way to the maximum security prison on the outskirts of town, where her love now resides. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

THE NUTCRACKER MARIINKSY BALLET

Tchaikovsky’s Christmas hit, The Nutcracker will be broadcast to movie theaters nationwide. At Century.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

A funny and touching coming-of-age story, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Rated PG-13. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN

Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four teenaged girls. They live in different parts of the US, in different kinds of families and are united by one thing: all four were adopted from China because all four had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China’s “One Child Policy”. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

This Must Be the Place is a visually striking, unpredictable dramatic comedy starring Sean Penn in one of his most unusual and acclaimed roles. Rated R. At Mayan. –– Landmark Theatres

QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

This Sundance award-winner is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

RED DAWN

In this remake of the 1984 movie, a group of teenagers seeks refuge in the woods and forms a guerrilla group of fighters when their city is attacked by foreign forces. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS 3D

Childhood legends such as Santa Claus, Sandman and the Easter Bunny along with Jack Frost team up to protect the imagination and beliefs of children. Rated PG. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

The longest-running midnight movie of all time starts Tim Curry as the kinky yet endearing “transvestite from Transylvania.” At Esquire. –– Landmark Theatres

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

The incredible and true story of Rodriguez, the greatest ’70s rock icon who never was. Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late-’60s, he went on to record an album that was supposed to secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

THE SESSIONS

Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California-based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, The Sessions tells the triumphant story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined — at age 38 — to lose his virginity. At Mayan and Century. –– Landmark Theatres

SKYFALL

While Daniel Craig has provided some entertaining moments as the world’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond purists have grumbled that Craig’s two films departed too greatly from the 22-film tradition of the womanizing spyhero. Skyfall is a return to form for 007. Action, beautiful dames, interesting gadgets and snappy one-liners abound in this thriller. No surprises there. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

TARANTINO XX: RESERVOIR DOGS 20TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT

NCM Fathom Events, Miramax and IGN are celebrating Tarantino’s 20 years in the business by bringing this movie back to the big screen, along with handpicked trailers which influenced his work. At Century.

TOM WOLFE GETS BACK TO BLOOD

This documentary, the only film made about Wolfe, chronicles how he conducted his research in Miami for his upcoming novel, Back to Blood. It is not only a peek inside the creative process of a master artist, but a study in how a great American writer has persisted in his craft for half a century. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 2

In the ending to this romantic epic, the Cullens seek the help of other vampire clans to the newly born Renesmee and the family from the Volturi. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

THE WATCHING HOUR: DETENTION

An apocalyptic fantasy, horror, science fiction, action-thriller, body swapping, time-travelling teen romantic comedy starring Josh Hutcheson, Dane Cook and Shanley Caswell, Detention follows the local students of Grizzly Lake as they survive their final year of high school. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society.

WRECK-IT RALPH

When a video game bad guy (John C. Reilly) grows tired of having to be mean, he abandons his game in search of more, winding up in a first-person shooter with a no-nonsense soldier (Jane Lynch) and a kart-racing game with a child (Sarah Silverman). Sweet, fluffy and loads of fun, beware that this isn’t a game changer even if it features lots of game characters. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb. Rated PG. At Colony Square, Century.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

A fresh and radical take on Emily Bronte’s classic, this adaptation forgoes period frills and strips Bronte’s story to its root of youthful passion, restoring its stark power for a modern audience. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater