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21 JUMP STREET

Two young police officers and ex-classmates go undercover at a local high school to investigate a dangerous drug ring. Rated R. At Century. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE AVENGERS 3D

A team of superheroes including Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Thor unite to save the world. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE BALLAD OF GENESIS AND LADY JAYE

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye documents a truly new brand of Romantic consciousness, one in defiance of the daily dehumanization of the body by the pervasive presence of advertising and pornography, conveying beauty, dignity and devotion from a perspective never before seen on film. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a witty comedy-drama about a group of British retirees (Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith) who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the place a shell of its former self. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

BULLY

See full review, page 40. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Writer Joss Whedon and writer/director Drew Goddard play footsie with stale horror movie tropes and themes in one of the most entertaining genre movies in recent memory. As a quintet of teenagers face clichéd terror, the result is surprisingly refreshing. So see it before a spoiler-peddler ruins it for you. Rated R. At Century and Colony Square. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

CHIMPANZEE

This nature documentary follows a baby chimpanzee and his family as they survive in the African forest. Rated G. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE

Have you ever imagined a place where Vulcans and vampires get along? Where wizards and wookies can be themselves? Welcome to Comic-Con San Diego. What started as a fringe comic book convention for 500 fans has grown into the pop culture event of the year that influences every form of entertainment, now attended by over 140,000 strong. At Denver

FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

Writer/director Whit Stillman’s (Barcelona, Metropolitan) comically deadpan and charming film Damsels in Distress follows a trio of beautiful girls who set out to revolutionize life at a grungy East Coast College. Rated PG-13. At Century and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

DARLING COMPANION

Beth (Diane Keaton) saves a lost dog from the side of the freeway on a wintry day in Denver. Struggling with her distracted, self-involved husband Joseph (Kevin Kline) and an empty nest at home, Beth forms a special bond with the rescued animal. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Writer/director Terence Davies, master chronicler of post-War England, returns with a timeless romantic drama starring Rachel Weisz as a woman whose overpowering love threatens her well-being and alienates the men in her life. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

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 who is protective of his homeland. Rated PG. At Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

EL MARIACHI

Filmed in two weeks on a budget of $7,000, El Mariachi was one of the singular pleasures of the 1993-1994 movie season. Kind-spirited guitarist El Mariachi simply wants to wander through life as his father and grandfather did, with a song in his heart and a smile on his lips. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

ELLES

Juliette Binoche plays Anne, a wife, mother and journalist researching an article about student prostitution for the French edition of ELLE magazine. She finds herself drawn to two young women who have entered the sex trade for different reasons. As they open up, Anne confronts realities of her own bourgeois life.

At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

See full review, page 40. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

FOUR LOVERS

In this French romantic drama, two couples decide to explore the boundaries of their relationships by swapping partners. What starts as a free-spirited ménage-afour experimentation full of sleepovers, shared vacations and dinner parties soon turns into a hotbed of desire, anger and confusion. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

HAPPENSTANCE

This hybrid film and live performance documents and enhances a series of dance and theater pieces set in Lucky’s Market and Lucky’s Cafe. It also features an art installation by Sara Rockinger. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

HIT SO HARD

Hit so Hard follows the journey of Patty Schemel, the openly gay drummer of Courtney Love’s seminal rock band Hole. As a young girl who always knew she was “different” from the other kids in her farm town home outside of Seattle, Patty never dreamed she would one day have her picture on the cover of Rolling Stone. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY 

A deranged killer lives in the basement of an old mansion and pops out occasionally to commit grisly murders that include beheadings, ripped throats and stabbings with a fireplace poker. The killer needs fresh body parts to rejuvenate his cells. He also has maggots for blood. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

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

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 Boedecker and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

LOCKOUT

A wrongly convicted ex-government agent can regain his freedom by saving the president’s daughter from rioting inmates at an outer-space prison. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE LUCKY ONE

A Marine returns home from his third tour of duty in Iraq with his good-luck charm: a found photo of a woman he’s never met but intends to find and thank. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

MARLEY

Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Director Kevin Macdonald’s (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) documentary Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

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

OPERA: MACBETH

Verdi’s most evocative music brings Shakespeare’s drama to life on the stage of the Royal Opera House. Macbeth stars British baritone Simon Keenlyside as the titular tormented ruler of Scotland. Don’t miss this thrilling tale of power and corruption. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

Australian filmmaker Peter Weir has often been interested in encounters with things beautifully strange, and here it’s with something entirely unknown. On an outing with her school to a fascinating and mysterious rock formation, a high school girl wanders off by herself. When she finally returns, something has happened – but what? Parents and authorities leap to all sorts of conclusions. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS

The Pirate Captain tries to beat out a bitter rival for the Pirate of the Year Award in Hugh Grant’s animated film debut. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

THE QUEEN AND I

When Nahid Persson Sarvestani, an Iranian activist in exile, set out to make a documentary about Empress Farah Pahlavi, the wife of the Shah of Iran, she expected to encounter her opposite. Surprisingly, Empress Farah welcomes her as a fellow refugee from their beloved homeland, granting unprecedented access. Over the next year and a half, Sarvestani enters Queen Pahlavi’s world, planning to challenge the Shah’s ideology; instead, she must rethink her own. Not rated. At Boedecker Theater — Boedecker Theater

THE RAID: REDEMPTION

When a well-intentioned cop (Iko Uwais) storms an apartment complex populated entirely by murderous criminals, the results are super violent and super cool. Featuring gorgeous kung fu choreography and kinetic, non-stop action, this is a movie destined to find a cult following among violence enthusiasts and martial arts aficionados. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

THE RAVEN

In The Raven, a killer stalks the streets of early-1800s Baltimore, committing murders modeled after the tales of author Edgar Allen Poe. Poe himself (John Cusack) teams with a Baltimore detective (Luke Evans) to find the killer before he targets Poe’s love (Alice Eve). This suspenseful thriller costars Brendan Gleeson and Kevin McNally.

Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks.

#REGENERATION

Ryan Gosling produces and narrates this feature documentary directed by Phillip Montgomery. Beyond the labels of

Generation X and Generation Y, #ReGENERATION takes an uncompromising look at the issues facing today’s youth and young adults and the influences that perpetuate our culture’s apathetic approach to social and political causes. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

SAFE

A cage fighter and mixed martial artist swoops in to avenge his family and protect a 12-year-old girl. Jason Statham continues to impress … or not. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

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 Century and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

THE SALT OF LIFE

In his warm and witty follow-up to the 2010 sleeper hit Mid-August Lunch, writerdirector-actor Gianni Di Gregorio has created another sparkling comedy — this time with a dash of the bittersweet. At Boedecker, Denver FilmCenter/Colfax and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

A SEPARATION

Set in contemporary Iran, this is a compelling drama about the dissolution of a marriage. Rated PG-13. At Boedecker Theater.

— Boedecker Theater

TITANIC 3D

A new 3-D version of the 1997 romance film about two star-crossed lovers aboard the doomed ocean liner. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THINK LIKE A MAN

Four men have their love lives shaken up when the women they are pursuing read a relationship-advice book and take its lessons to heart. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE THREE STOOGES

Three infants left on a nun’s doorstep grow up to be knuckleheads who get embroiled in a strange murder plot and stumble into a reality TV show. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — 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. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

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 Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT