reel to reel | Week of Jan. 16

Movies playing in Boulder this week

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American Hustle

When the FBI decides to recruit con artists to infiltrate the Jersey mob and crooked power-brokers, things get interesting in a hurry in this well-acted film starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) has traded his old anchor job in for a modern cable news position. He is joined by his original team: Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), street reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner). If you laughed at the original, you’ll laugh at this one as well. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

August: Osage County

Oscar regulars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Sam Shepard lead an extraordinary cast in this play-turned-film about a family reunion in Oklahoma that none of us will ever forget. Don’t miss it. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Bettie Page Reveals All

With her razor-sharp wit and Tennessee twang, the world’s greatest pin-up model and cult icon recounts her life in intimate detail. An abundance of provocative photos and film clips help uncover her enigmatic and irresistible personality while telling the story of how her free expression overcame government witch hunts to help launch America’s sexual revolution. At Boedecker and SIE Film Center. — Boedecker Theater

The Book Thief

This film tells the story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a new family in World War II Germany. Young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) embarks upon a journey marked by discovery, courage, friendship — and the power to triumph over the most daunting obstacles. Rated PG-13. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks gives a great performance as the captain of a freighter hijacked at sea by Somali pirates and held for ransom. Rated PG-13. At Century.

Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey stars in Dallas Buyers Club as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose freewheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. Rated R. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Devil’s Due

A newlywed couple experience a lost night on their honeymoon. When she turns up pregnant and starts acting all demonic and stuff, he figures out that something has gone terribly wrong. Rated R. At Twin Peaks and Century.

Fargo

Jerry Lundegaard’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson. A Coen Brothers classic. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Frozen

When the snow queen traps a tiny kingdom in eternal winter, Anna and Kristoff, accompanied by Sven the reindeer and a comical snowman that has trouble keeping his head, set out to end the spell. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

 

The Great Beauty

Gorgeously photographed in Rome and Tuscany, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) is a dazzling, lyrical and at times surreal dramatic comedy, like a modernday La Dolce Vita. The magnetic Toni Servillo plays dapper journalist Jep Gambardella, slick and soulful, who has been a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles since the legendary success of his one and only novel. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself taking stock of his life. At SIE Film Center.

Gravity

Astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney get stranded in space when a spacewalk goes terribly wrong. Rated PG-13. At Century.

Her

Only Spike Jonze could come up with a comedy flick wherein a shy writer (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with his computer’s sexy-voiced operating system. Rated R. At Century and Colony Square.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Another entertaining installment in the Lord of the Rings series. This one has a giant dragon guarding treasure. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks and Colony Square.

The Human Scale

Fifty percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, by 2050 it will be 80 percent. Cities have become the primary human habitat, and if we are to make them sustainable and livable we must re-imagine the very foundations of modern urban planning. Rather than examining buildings and urban structures themselves, visionaries study the in-between spaces of urban life: the places where people meet, interact, live and behave. Stunningly photographed, Director Andreas Dalsgaard’s film travels around the world to explore how Jan Gehl and other like-minded designers, city planners and urban activists have begun to transform cities as diverse as New York, Beijing, Christchurch and London. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Jennifer Lawrence dazzles in this adventure sequel. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Coen brothers craft this story of a homeless young folk singer trying to create a name for himself in the Greenwich Village of the 1960s. Rated R. At Mayan and Century.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Based on author Tom Clancy’s character, this action thriller follows Jack (Chris Pine) from 9/11 through Afghanistan as he tries to thwart a terrorist plot. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Jewels: The Bolshoi Ballet LIVE

Inspired by brilliant precious stones, George Balanchine exquisitely choreographed Jewels in 1967 as three disparate parts, each with its own composer and striking beauty. The ballet serves as a tribute the three cities — Paris, New York and St. Petersburg, all of which carved the elegance, aesthetic and style of Balanchine. Emeralds, honoring the French romantic school, reveals the most delicate of movements, while Rubies reflects the lightning-fast pace of New York in a jazzy, witty and sharp attack. Diamonds is an homage to the opulence and regality of Balanchine’s native Russia. Music by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Kill Your Darlings

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Beat Generation icon Allen Ginsberg in this biopic set during the famed poet’s early years at Columbia University, and centering on a murder investigation involving Ginsberg, his handsome classmate Lucien Carr, and fellow Beat author William Burroughs. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyra Sedgwick, David Cross, and Michael C. Hall co-star. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Legend of Hercules

Kellan Lutz stars as Hercules, the mythical son of Zeus. The super-strong half-god, half-man kicks some gladiator butt in this action film. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks and Century.

Lone Survivor

If you still have the stomach for such tales, this film finds Mark Wahlberg telling the story of a group of Navy SEALs on a covert mission gone wrong trying to kill a big-shot Taliban operative. The SEALs get ambushed in Afghanistan. The film is based on a bestselling book. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

MisLEAD: America’s Secret Epidemic.

The Dairy Center for the Arts will screen a 94-minute rough-cut of this film that has been showing around the country over the past several months. The free screening will be at The Dairy Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion of lead poisoning issues with Tamara Rubin, who directed the film. Everyone who attends this free screening will also be given a free lead-paint test kit for their home. At Boedecker.

Nebraska

After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Rated R. At Colony Square and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

When a young man starts behaving oddly, as in possessed with evil demons, family and friends step in to help and things get scary. Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks.

The Nut Job 3D

This animated film is an action-packed comedy starring a mischievous squirrel named Surly (voiced by Will Arnett). Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Philomena

The unparalleled Dame Judi Dench brings to life the story of a woman who gave away the child she conceived out of wedlock for adoption in the United States and her search, decades later, to find that son with the help of a BBC reporter. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square, Esquire and Chez Artiste.

Ride Along

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube star in this latest tale about misfit cops as partners. Rated PG-13. At Century.

Saving Mr. Banks

Inspired by a true story, this film tells the tale of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) was finally able to convince the very difficult writer P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to allow him to bring her book Mary Poppins to the big screen. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller stars in this film version of author James Thurber’s classic. It’s a tale of a man who escapes his ordinary life by day-dreaming his way into fantasy worlds filled with adventure. But when his real world gets threatened, he and his co-worker, played by Kristen Wiig, get caught up in a wilder adventure than Mitty ever could have imagined. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

The Selfish Giant

Set in a gloomy but picturesque region of Northern England, two teenage boys skip school and find themselves more useful and interested in making money by finding scrap metal. The boys are increasingly encouraged by the scrapyard owner and motivated to help their poor families, but everyone learns how the pursuit of money, even with good intent, can lead the selfish and the naïve to a tragic ending. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

12 Years a Slave

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man, is abducted and sold into slavery. Rated R. At Colony Square and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Jean Dujardin in this adaptation of 1990s banker gone bad Jordan Belfort’s memoir. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

Additional films showing at the Denver Film Society’s SIE Film Center in Denver: Blue is the Warmest Color; All is Lost; A Touch of Sin; Pink Famingos; The Armstrong Lie; Frances Ha; God Loves Uganda; A Winter of Cyclists; I am Divine; Female Trouble.