reel to reel | Week of Feb 23, 2012

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ACT OF VALOR

After the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of Navy Seals is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt to foil the attack. At Century. Colony Square, Twin Peaks. ­— Los Angeles Times/MCT

ALBERT NOBBS

Glenn Close stars in this tale of a woman forced to live as a man, Albert Nobbs, in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland. After 30 years, a new love threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to build. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

THE ARTIST

Hollywood 1927. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin is enjoying the good life. He meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller, a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. At Century, Colony Square and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

Between Two Worlds uses five unique stories to go beyond the superficial to reveal the debates over identity and generational change that are taking place within today’s American Jewish community. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

BIG MIRACLE

Amid the Cold War, a small-town reporter and his environmentalist ex-girlfriend lead an unlikely international coalition to save a family of gray whales trapped in the Arctic circle.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

CHRONICLE

After making a surprising discovery, three high school students develop uncanny powers and begin to lose control. Rated PG-13.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

A DANGEROUS METHOD

A Dangerous Method takes a glimpse into the turbulent relationships among fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them. At Boedecker Theater and Esqure. — Landmark Theatres

THE DESCENDANTS

An indifferent father of two girls is forced to re-examine his life when his wife suffers a boating accident and he’s confronted with a big decision. At Century, Colony Square and Esquire. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

DOLPHIN BOY

A high school student from an Arab village in northern Israel who is kidnapped and severely beaten by classmates suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, leaving him disconnected and unable to communicate. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

EICHMANN’S END

The thrilling true story of how a blind Holocaust survivor living in Argentina eventually uncovers the hidden history of his neighbor. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. —Denver Film Society

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Stephen Daldry (The Hours) directs this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel about a young boy trying to make sense of the world after his father (Tom Hanks) is killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

GEI ONI

Fania, her baby daughter, emotionally scarred brother and her uncle are all that is left of her family after the Russian pogroms. They join the first wave of European Jews seeking new lives in late 19th century Palestine. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE 3D

Still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter, the supernatural antihero Ghost Rider risks everything to team with a rebel monk to save a young boy and himself. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

GONE

A woman who escaped a kidnapping a year earlier comes home to find her sister missing and suspects the same serial killer, whom she then races to track down and stop before it’s too late. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE GREY

When their plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, a group of roughneck oil rig workers struggle to survive injuries, the elements and a pack of wolves. Rated R. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE HELP

Best Picture nominee The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Academy Award nominee Viola Davis (Doubt) as Aibileen and Academy Award nominee Octavia Spencer as Minny — three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

HUGO

In 1930s Paris, an orphan living in a train station tries to unlock a mystery left behind by his late father. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE HUMAN TURBINE

When an Israeli physicist offers to help his Palestinian neighbors harness renewable energy, a partnership is formed. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE IRON LADY

This biopic presents a portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the only woman to be prime minister of the United Kingdom. Rated PG-13. At Mayan. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 3-D

A family embarks on an adventure to a mysterious island in this sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

KILL LIST

Eight months after a botched job in Kiev, Jay is an out-of-work hitman with no job, no money, no health insurance and a wife constantly on his case. When his business partner comes over for dinner, Jay quickly finds himself back in the game. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD

At a lavish European hotel, a handsome

stranger tries to convince a lovely young woman that they had a passionate affair a year ago. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MABUL

With his bar mitzvah rapidly approaching, Yoni’s already complex life is further complicated when his autistic brother, Tomer, unexpectedly returns home after living in an institution for the past 12 years. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY AUSTRALIA

When two brothers are caught vandalizing a Jewish neighborhood, their mother is distraught. Determined to build a new and better life for her boys, she decides they must leave Poland. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY BEST ENEMY

Betrayal, role-reversal, romance and intrigue combine in this suspenseful caper about two friends who play cat-and-mouse with each other in Nazi-occupied Europe. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY REINCARNATION

Namkhai Norbu rises to greatness as a Buddhist teacher in the West, while his son, Yeshi, recognized at birth as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master, breaks away from his father’s tradition to embrace the modern world. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

During the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956, a young British assistant introduces actress Marilyn Monroe to some of the charms of British life and helps her escape the pressures of Hollywood. At Mayan. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

OPERA: DON CARLO – LA SCALA

Don Carlo is considered by many to be Verdi’s ultimate dramatic accomplishment: a rich, nuanced score, paired with a complex, emotional story. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: ANIMATED

This year’s Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short. At Chez Artiste and International Film Series. — Landmark Theatres

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: LIVE ACTION

This year’s Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: DOCUMENTARY

God is the Bigger Elvis, Incident in New Baghdad, Saving Face, The Barber of Birmingham, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax and International Film Series — IFS

PINA

When Roger Ebert said that 3-D is “unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness,” he probably didn’t reckon with the mind of German director Wim Wenders, who chose the new technology to film his documentary on the late German choreographer Pina Bausch. The film that Wenders, the mind behind the breathtaking cinematography of the 1987 film Wings of Desire, has made uses 3-D to film Bausch’s work, and the results are gorgeous. Wender’s use of 3-D for art, as opposed to spectacle, is nothing short of groundbreaking. At Century.

Popular Girl. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THIS MEANS WAR

Two deadly CIA partners and best friends fall for the same woman and employ their skills and arsenals against each other to win her. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

RABIES

Take the ingredients of the American slasher flick, a touch of camp and a sly cinematic wink, then stir the whole thing up in an Israeli national park and what do you get? Israel’s first bona fide horror film! At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

REMEMBRANCE

Remembrance is the true story of two lovers who meet in a concentration camp in 1944. Tomasz, a Polish prisoner, pulls off a daring rescue, escaping from the camp with his Jewish lover Hannah Silberstein. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

ROMANCING THE STONE

Remember when Kathleen Turner was still a woman and Danny DeVito was still occasionally sober? When you knew Michael Douglas as that guy from China Syndrome doing a poor man’s Indiana Jones vs. that guy from Fatal Attraction doing Catherine Zeta Jones? At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

SAFE HOUSE

A rogue CIA operative who has been on the run for a decade forms an unlikely partnership with a frustrated rookie agent. Rated R.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

See full review on page 37. Rated G. At Century and Twin Peaks.

A SEPARATION

Simin wants to leave Iran to provide better opportunities for her daughter. When her husband refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father, Simin sues for divorce. But her request fails, so she returns to her parents’ home — without her daughter. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

THE SKIN I LIVE IN

Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D

A 3-D version of the spacefaring adventure about Jedi knights and interplanetary intrigue. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

TEEN WITCH

Louise was just another misfit teenager who pined for a handsome boy and a popular life — until a chance meeting with Madame Serena reveals she is a direct descendant of Salem witches. Now, if she can figure out how to use her powers, she’ll trump all her old antagonists and become The Most

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

The Cold War of the mid-20th century continues to threaten international relations.

Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is striving to keep pace with other countries’ espionage efforts. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

TOMBOY

Filmmaker Céline Sciamma brings a light and charming touch to this drama of childhood and gender identity, highlighting the relationship between one’s body and one’s heart. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

TYLER PERRY’S GOOD DEEDS

A successful businessman with a restless fiancee is jolted out of his routine after meeting a struggling single mother who works for the cleaning crew at his office building. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

WANDERLUST

A stressed-out Manhattan couple leaves the big city and stumbles upon an unusual freewheeling community populated by colorful characters. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

WEEKEND

This apocalyptic farce — Alice in Wonderland as reconceived by the Marquis de Sade ­— would mark both the high point and the end of Godard’s meteroic career as a popular artist. At International Film Series. — IFS

THE WHALE

When Luna, a baby orca, gets separated from his pod and unexpectedly starts making contact with people along a scenic fjord in British Columbia, no one can quite believe it. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

WINSTON CHURCHILL: WALKING WITH DESTINY

Many say, if not for Churchill’s determination to fight Hitler’s invasion of Britain at any cost, the Nazi flag would wave over Europe today. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

When a widowed lawyer is sent to a remote village to settle the affairs of a deceased eccentric, he discovers the place holds a deadly secret. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE VOW

After waking from a coma caused by a car accident, a newlywed wife copes with severe memory loss while her husband tries to win her heart again. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT