Reel to Reel | Week of March 29, 2012

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21 JUMP STREET

See full review on page 47. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

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

ALL IN: THE POKER MOVIE

All In: The Poker Movie tells the story of poker’s renaissance in the first decade of the new millennium, from a game once played only by grandparents and teenagers unable to get a date on Friday night to a nationally televised sport played by millions, and watched by millions more.At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE ARTIST

Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller, a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. PG-13. At Century, Chez Artiste and Colony Square. — Landmark Theatres

BALLET: ROMEO AND JULIET

Live. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

BEING FLYNN

Being Flynn is adapted from Nick Flynn’s 2004 memoir Another Bulls—t Night in Suck City, and explores bonds both unbreakable and fragile between parent and child. Nick Flynn (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood) is a young writer seeking to define himself. He misses his late mother, Jody (Julianne Moore), and her loving nature, but he has not seen his father, self-styled “master storyteller” Jonathan Flynn (Robert De Niro), in 18 years. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

CARNAGE

After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the “victim” invite the parents of the “bully” over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

CASA DE MI PADRE

In Mexico, a rancher’s younger brother shows up at the family farm with a new fiancee and promises of financial success, but soon all parties are embroiled in a feud with a feared drug lord. Rated R. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same tracks the adventures, misadventures and experiences of three aliens from the planet Zots, sent down to Earth on a mission to rid themselves of romantic emotions, which are considered toxic to their planet’s atmosphere. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

CORIOLANUS

Caius Martius “Coriolanus” (director Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman general, is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus’ anger prompts a riot. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

CRAZY HORSE

Celebrated documentary director Frederick Wiseman spent 10 weeks with his camera exploring one of the most mythic places dedicated to women: the Crazy Horse. Over the years this legendary Parisian cabaret club, founded in 1951 by Alain Bernardin, has become the Parisian nightlife “must” for visitors, ranking alongside the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre. At Denver Film Center/Colfax — Denver Film Society

CRAZY WISDOM

Raised and trained in the Tibetan monastic tradition, Trungpa came to the West and shattered preconceived notions about how an enlightened teacher should behave. He openly smoked, drank and had intimate relations with students — yet his teachings are recognized as authentic, vast and influential. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

DARK TIDE

A shark expert whose business and spirits are down a year after a shark attack killed one of her crew is persuaded by an old flame to lead a wealthy thrill seeker on a dangerous dive. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

DELICACY

In the French romantic comedy Delicacy, Audrey Tautou (Amélie) is Nathalie, a beautiful, happy and successful Parisian business execu tive

who finds herself suddenly widowed after a three-year marriage to her soul mate. To cope with her loss, she buries herself and her emotions in her work to the dismay of her friends, family and co-workers. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE DESCENDANTS

The new vehicle for superstar George Clooney is this Alexander Payne comedy-drama about an aristocratic yet troubled American family in Hawaii. Clooney’s uncertain Matt King faces a series of crises when his wife is injured in a boating accident off Waikiki and he stumbles in his attempts to mend fences with his two daughters, ages 10 and 17. Rated R. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE DEVIL, PROBABLY

Constructed as a flashback from news reports of a young man’s suspicious suicide, Robert Bresson’s splenetic 1977 drama puts the post- 1968 world on trial and judges it unlivable. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

DRAGONSLAYER

Grand Jury Prize Winner for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011, Dragonslayer provides an intimate vérité portrait of the life and times of Josh “Skreech” Sandoval, a 23-year-old skate legend from the stagnant suburbs of Fullerton, Calif. The film takes the viewer through a golden SoCal haze of lost youth, broken homes and abandoned swimming pools. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

DR. SUESS’ THE LORAX 3D

In this animated film, a 12-year-old boy searching for the key to winning over his dream girl must confront a mysterious grumpy creature protective of his homeland. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

FOOTNOTE

Footnote is the tale of a great rivalry between a father and son. Eliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are both eccentric professors who have dedicated their lives to their work in Talmudic Studies. The father, Eliezer, is a stubborn purist who fears the establishment and has never been recognized for his work. Meanwhile his son, Uriel, is an up-and-coming star in the field who appears to feed on accolades. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD

Winner of Best Screenplay awards at the Berlin Film Festival and Chicago Film Festival, the powerful and richly textured second feature from talented director Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace) focuses on an Albanian family caught up in a blood feud. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

FRIENDS WITH KIDS

See full review page 47. Rated R. At Century.

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 Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

HUNGER GAMES

In the post-apocalyptic ruins of North America, a teenage girl competes in a nationally televised battle to the death against 23 of her peers. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

IN DARKNESS

Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz), a sewer worker and petty thief in Lvov, a Nazioccupied city in Poland, one day encounters a group of Jews trying to escape the liquidation of the ghetto. He hides them for money in the labyrinth of the town’s sewers beneath the bustling activity of the city above. At Century. — Landmark Theatres

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME

A 30-year-old man-child hunkered down in his mother’s basement ventures out into the real world on an errand and winds up on an adventure with his brother. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Mayan. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI

For most of his 85 years, Jiro Ono, the most famous sushi chef in Tokyo, has been perfecting the art of making sushi. He works from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish, meticulously train his employees, and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. Rated PG. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

JOHN CARTER

A former military captain is mysteriously transported to Mars, where he becomes involved in an epic conflict among the planet’s inhabitants. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 3-D

A family embarks on an adventure to a mys-

terious island in this sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

LET THE BULLETS FLY

In the lawless land that is rural China in the 1920s, legendary bandit “Pocky” Zhang and his gang stage a train robbery. They are quite unhappy to discover that instead of silver, the only thing left on the train is the con man, Tang. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MIRROR MIRROR

An exiled princess enlists the help of a group of diminutive bandits to take back her usurped throne from an evil queen in this retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

PINA

“Dance, dance or we are lost.” Pina Bausch’s final words summarize her life and provide the inspiration for acclaimed director Wim Wenders’ breathtaking tribute to the legendary choreographer. Bausch and her Tanztheater in Wuppertal elevated dance into brilliantly subversive new expressive realms. In this exhilarating film Wenders captures the raw, heart-stopping intensity of the movement and transforms it into a transcendent cinematic experience. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

PROJECT NIM

The story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

PROJECT X

Three ordinary high school seniors attempt to make a name for themselves by throwing an unforgettable party, which spirals way out of control. Rated R. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

SAFE HOUSE

A rogue CIA operative forms an unlikely partnership with a frustrated rookie agent. Rated R. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

The inspirational romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen stars Ewan McGregor as Dr. Alfred Jones, a fisheries scientist who one day receives an unusual request. A businesswoman named Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt, The Adjustment Bureau) wants his help in fulfilling a wealthy sheikh’s (Amr Waked) desire to bring sport fishing to Yemen. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

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. Rated PG-13. At Century and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

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 Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

THIN ICE

An insurance agent trying to invigorate his business and win back his estranged wife tries to con a retired farmer. Rated R. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax and Mayan. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

THIS MEANS WAR

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

A THOUSAND WORDS

A fast-talking literary agent must choose his words carefully when he finds himself bonded to a magical tree that sheds a leaf each time he speaks. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

UNDEFEATED

Set against the backdrop of a high school football season, Undefeated is an intimate chronicle of three underprivileged studentathletes from inner-city Memphis and the volunteer coach trying to help them beat the odds on and off the field.. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

WANDERLUST

A stressed-out Manhattan couple leave the big city and stumble upon a freewheeling community. Rated R. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller from director/co-writer Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar), We Need to Talk About Kevin explores the fractious relationship between a mother and her evil son. Rated R. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

WRATH OF THE TITANS 3D

Ten years after defeating the Kraken, the demigod Perseus must leave his quiet life to aid his father, Zeus, in a battle against the Titans. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT