reel to reel | Week of Sept. 22, 2011

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Abduction

A young man who has always felt disconnected from his life begins to piece together his true identity, but he is targeted by assassins and must fight to survive. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Amigo

When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael (Joel Torre) comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer (Chris Cooper) to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fighters. But Rafael’s brother (Ronnie Lazaro) is the head of the local guerillas. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Apollo 18

On a top-secret moon mission in 1973, two astronauts uncover a deadly secret that explains why NASA never went back. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Attack the Block

Attack the Block follows a gang of tough innercity kids who try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Michael Rapaport sets out on tour with A Tribe Called Quest in 2008, when they reunited to perform sold-out concerts across the country. The film captures the story of how tenuous ATCQ’s relationship has become, and how per sonal differences and unresolved conflicts continue to threaten their creative cohesion. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Bellflower

Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building Mad Max-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse, anticipating the day their imaginary gang, Mother Medusa, will reign supreme. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Bobby Fischer Against the World

Considered by many to be the world’s greatest chess player, Bobby Fischer personified the link between genius and madness. His trajectory propelled him from child prodigy to world chess champion at age 29 and then into a nosedive of delusions and paranoia. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Brighton Rock

Brighton Rock embraces the classic elements of film noir and the British gangster film to tell the story of Pinkie, a desperate youth who is hellbent on clawing his way up through the ranks of organized crime. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star

A grocery bagger going nowhere in a small town discovers his straight-laced parents used to be adult-film stars and heads to Los Angeles to follow in their footsteps. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Caligula

Nicolas Le Riche embarks upon an intimate exploration of a rich and complex personality. In this ballet, accompanied by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the story translates the poetry and violence inherent in a life consumed by excess. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Colombiana

A woman who witnessed the murder of her parents as a child has grown up to be an assassin and hunts the mobster responsible for their deaths. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Contagion

When a lethal airborne virus causes a pandemic, the medical community races to find a cure as people struggle to survive in an unraveling society. At Century, Colony, and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Cowboys & Aliens

Jon Favreau directs this Western about an amnesiac (Daniel Craig) in 1873 who stumbles into an Arizona town ruled by a ruthless rancher (Harrison Ford) who doesn’t take kindly to strangers. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Crazy, Stupid, Love

After discovering his unfaithful wife wants a divorce, a straight-laced 40-something tries to readjust to single life under the tutelage of a young ladykiller. Rated PG-13. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Debt

Two retired Mossad agents receive shocking news about a mission they were presumed to have accomplished decades before, and they might need to finish the job. Rated R. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs

This documentary traces the origins and growth of midcentury architecture in the modernist mecca of Palm Springs, Calif. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom

A bizarre murder mystery brings together the most powerful woman in China, the soon-tobe-Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), and a formerly exiled detective, Dee Renjie (Andy Lau), at the infamous Imperial Palace. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Dolphin Tale

A dolphin whose tail is damaged in a crab trap is rescued and rehabilitated by a marine biologist, a prosthetics doctor and a young boy. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Drive

See full review on Page 53. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

An Evening with Heather Langenkamp

While Freddy Kreuger may have hordes of fans across the world wrapped around his bladed finger, the truth can’t be denied that this cinematic boogeyman was felled three times by the spunky and charismatic final girl Nancy Thompson, played with great heart and soul by actress Heather Langenkamp.At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Faust

Gounod’s Faust was the most successful opera of its time, reaching Covent Garden in 1863, four years after its Parisian premiere, and becoming a favorite of Victorian audiences. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Film Socialisme

Jean-Luc Godard returns to the screen with a magisterial essay on the decline of European Civilization. As a garish cruise ship travels the Mediterranean, Godard embarks on a state of the EU address in a vibrant collage of philosophical quotes, historical revelations and pure cinematographic beauty. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

The Future

Miranda July returns to the scene with this moving and fearless drama. When 30-something couple Sophie (writer/director July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) decide to adopt a stray cat, their perspective on life changes radically, literally altering the course of time and space, and testing their faith in themselves and each other. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

The Guard

Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang — one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straight-laced FBI agent. At Mayan and Century. — Landmark Theatres

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

In the new film, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is still hunting Horcruxes, which contain amounts of Voldemort’s (played by Ralph Fiennes) soul. Rated PG-13. At Century and Colony Square. — Michael Phillips

The Help

Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer star in this adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel as women in 1960s Mississippi who form an unlikely bond that shatters societal mores of the era. Rated PG-13. At Century and Colony Square. — Rene Rodriguez

Higher Ground

Acclaimed actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) makes her directorial debut with this look at a tight-knit spiritual community thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatre

I Don’t Know How She Does It

See full review on Page 53. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Filmmaker David Gelb follows 85-year-old master itamae Jiro Ono of Tokyo’s three-star Sukiyabashi Jiro as he bids on tuna at the fishmarket auction, massages octopus and otherwise exemplifies the intricacies of the art of sushi. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Killer Elite

An ex-special-ops agent is lured out of retirement to rescue his mentor, which will require him to take on a group of assassins. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Life in a Day

What do you get when you ask the people of the world to chronicle a single day in their lives? You get 80,000 submissions, 4,500 hours of footage, from 192 countries. Kevin Macdonald has taken this raw material, all shot on July 24, 2010, and created a 90-minute paean to what it means to be human in the world today. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

The Lion King

A 3-D version of the classic animated film about a young lion cub who must overcome his devious uncle to lead their kingdom. Rated G. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Magic Trip

In 1964, 29-year-old Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, decided to drive across the country to the New York World’s Fair and film the trip. At Chez Artiste. — Boedecker Theater

Midnight in Paris

This new romantic comedy from writer/director Woody Allen tells the story of a family that travels to the picturesque French capital on business. It is the story about a man’s great love for Paris, and the illusion that a life different from one’s own is always better. Rated PG-13. At Boedecker, Century and Mayan. — Boedecker Theater

Mozart’s Sister

Accomplished singer, harpsichordist and violinist Nannerl is Wolfgang’s (David Moreau) elder by five years. Originally held up as the family’s child prodigy, she has now been forced to accompany the star of the family, her younger brother. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Mysteries of Lisbon

Director Raúl Ruiz’s masterful, epic adaptation of the eponymous 19th-century Portuguese novel (by Camilo Castelo Branco) evokes the complex intertwined narratives of Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. The core story centers on Joao, the bastard child of an ill-fated romance between two members of the aristocracy who are forbidden to marry, and his quest to discover the truth of his parentage. At Chez Artiste.

— Landmark Theatres

Our Idiot Brother

Our Idiot Brother has a menage a trois, nudity, pot use and profanity. But the unfailing sweetness of Paul Rudd’s lead performance makes what could have been another raunchy and rude R-rated farce a bracing change of pace in a summer of aggressive comedies about aggressive people. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Roger Moore/MCT

Quadrophenia

This adaptation of The Who’s second rock opera (Tommy was the first) concerns the trials and tribulations of young mod Jimmy, who hates his job but loves his scooter, his clothes, girls, drugs, music and, most of all, fighting with rockers.At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Genetic experiments on primates lead to them developing intelligence and eventually battling humans for supremacy. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Romeos Lukas, 20, is right in the midst of male puberty — medically triggered — for he was in fact born a girl. Full of zest for life, he enters big-city life but even upon arrival encounters a major screw-up: Recruited for community service, he is the only male in a female nurses’ residential hall. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Sarah’s Key Sarah, a 10-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they arrest Jewish families. To protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard and promises to come back for him when they are released. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Senna

Brazilian Formula One racing legend Ayrton Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Shark Night

A group of college students expecting a weekend of fun at a Louisiana lake island cabin find themselves terrorized by sharks. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Shaolin

As warlords feud in China, a cocky young lord must reconsider his ways and join forces with Shaolin monks to make a stand against his rivals. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Smurfs

A Smurfs movie was probably inevitable. But doesn’t this feel as if it’s arriving a decade late? Rated PG. At Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

A retired secret agent who has her hands full with a new baby and twin step-kids is called back into action to battle a supervillain. Rated PG. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Straw Dogs

When a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife return to her small hometown in the South to prepare the family home for sale after her father’s death, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts with the locals reemerge. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life follows the journey of a family’s eldest son through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years. At IFS, Esquire and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Warrior Estranged brothers — a Marine with a tragic past and a physics teacher struggling to support his family — meet in the ring at a big mixed-martialarts tournament. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/MCT