Reel to reel | Week of Jan. 23

Movies playing in Boulder this week

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, \"can you hear me now?\"

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 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 and Century.

The Armstrong Lie

This documentary examines the career of cycling legend Lance Armstrong and his spectacular fall as a result of doping. NR. At SIE Film Center 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.

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

Clue

A murder has been committed. And the game is on … the screen, that is! The popular board game of the ’80s gets the all-star treatment in this comic caper set in a Victorian mansion, based on a story by John Landis (Animal House). Whodunit? Rated PG. At Esquire.— Landmark Theatres

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 Century, Colony Square and 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.

DocuWest Presents: A Whole Lott More

Lott Industries in Toledo, Ohio, employs more than 1,200 workers, all with developmental disabilities. For decades the company excelled in assembling car parts. However, with the decline of the auto industry in neighboring Detroit, Lott is threatened with closure. The company has 12 months to reinvent itself and to save the livelihoods of its employees. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. 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.

Gravity

 

Astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney get stranded in space when a space walk 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, Century and Colony Square.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Jennifer Lawrence dazzles in this adventure sequel. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks.

I, Frankenstein 3D

In a world of gargoyles and demons, a battle for ultimate power rages as both try to uncover the secret behind the immortality of Victor Frankenstein’s creation, Adam (Aaron Eckhart). PG-13. At Twin Peaks 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.

The Invisible Woman

Ralph Fiennes (who also directs) shines as the most famous writer of his day, novelist Charles Dickens, who had a secret affair with 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy). Dickens was 45 and at the top of his fame when he met the beautiful young actress, performing in a troupe with her sisters, and was immediately struck. Her pragmatic mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) encouraged Nelly to welcome the interest of such a famous man, even if she can never become his wife. At first Nelly resists, but Dickens makes her the focus of his passion and his muse, and they embark on an affair, lasting 13 years until his death. Rated R. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Rated PG-13. See full review on page 39. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

John Mieras and Friends: A live music and fresh music video event

Stackable Productions, in association with The Dairy Center for the Arts, presents a concert of local independent singer-songwiters John Mieras, Megan Burtt and Andy Palmer, with a screening of their latest music videos. Included will be the world premier of Mieras’ “Abilene.” 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.

The Motel Life

Based on the popular novel by Willy Vlautin, this film is a searing and profound examination of brotherhood set in the timeless Sierra Nevadan frontier. Frank (Emile Hirsch) and Jerry Lee Flannigan (Stephen Dorff) work odd jobs, drink hard, and drift from motel to motel. Their only escape is through Frank’s fantastic stories and Jerry Lee’s rich illustrations. Everything changes when Jerry Lee is involved in a hit-and-run accident, which forces the brothers across the state to the home of Frank’s old flame, Annie (Dakota Fanning). At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

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

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.

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 Twin Peaks.

The Past

After a four-year separation and at his estranged French wife Marie’s (Bérénice Bejo, The Artist) request, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa, Leila) returns to Paris from Tehran to finalize their divorce procedure so she can marry her new boyfriend Samir (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet). During his tense brief stay, Ahmad discovers the conflicting nature of Marie’s relationship with their teenage daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet), and his efforts to improve this relationship soon unveil a secret from their past. NR. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

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, Esquire and Chez Artiste.

The Revolutionary Optimists

This film draws us into the world of two 11-year-olds with no access to clean drinking water, a girl forced to labor inside a brick kiln, and a teenage dancer on the precipice of choosing child marriage to escape from her abusive family. From these fragile lives, lawyer-turnedchange-agent Amlan Ganguly mines the strength and vision to build a most unlikely revolution. The film follows Ganguly and four children from Kolkata’s poorest slums on an intimate journey through their adolescence. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

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 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.

Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along: From London’s West End

Set over three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the relationship between three friends Franklin, Mary and Charley. Traveling backwards in time, this powerful and moving story features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most beautiful songs, including ‘Good Thing Going,’ ‘Not a Day Goes By’ and ‘Old Friends’.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 Century and Colony Square.

Additional films showing at the Denver Film Society’s SIE Film Center in Denver: Captain Phillips; Maidentrip; I Used To Be Darker; Blue is the Warmest Color; All is Lost; Frankenstein; Polyester; God Loves Uganda; Betty Page Reveals All; I am Divine; The Great Beauty.