Special screenings
Anime Vegas
Showings of the latest Japanese animated movies and TV shows. West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., 507-3964. 5/10, 10:30 am-4:30 pm, free. Info: animevegas.com.
Enchanted
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden. Directed by Kevin Lima. 107 minutes. Rated PG.
A fairy-tale princess is stranded in modern New York City. The District at Green Valley Ranch, 2240 Village Walk Drive, Henderson, 564-8595. 5/10, 7:30 pm, free.
First Blood
Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy. Directed by Ted Kotcheff. 94 minutes. Rated R.
A mentally unstable Vietnam War vet wages a one-man war on the small-town police force that mistreats him. Film followed by alternate ending and interview with star Stallone. Regal Cinemas Colonnade, Red Rock, Santa Fe Station, Texas Station, Village Square, Century Orleans, Sam’s Town. 5/15, 7:30 pm, $10. Info: fathomevents.com.
For a Few Dollars More
Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte. Directed by Sergio Leone. 132 minutes. Rated R.
Two bounty hunters with completely different intentions team up to track down a Western outlaw. Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave., 507-4010. 5/11, 11:30 am, free.
Her Name is Sabine
Directed by Sandrine Bonnaire. 85 minutes. Not rated. In French with English subtitles.
A documentary about the filmmaker’s autistic sister. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 507-3400. 5/13, 7 pm, free.
High School Musical 2
Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale. Directed by Kenny Ortega. 104 minutes. Not rated.
A group of high-schoolers put on a talent show at a summer resort. The District at Green Valley Ranch, 2240 Village Walk Drive, Henderson, 564-8595. 5/9, 7:30 pm, free.
IMAX Theatre
Deep Sea 3D, Mystery of the Nile, Dinosaurs 3D: Giants of Patagonia, Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
Call for showtimes. $11.99 each show.
Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 262-4629.
Juno
Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner. Directed by Jason Reitman. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13.
A pregnant teen deals with finding an adoptive home for her child and navigating her relationship with the father. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 507-3400. 5/10, 2 pm, free.
La Boheme
Broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera Company’s performance of Puccini’s classic opera about poverty-stricken youths. Regal Cinemas Colonnade, Santa Fe Station, Village Square, Century Sam’s Town. 5/14, 6:30 pm, $15-$22. Info: fathomevents.com.
The Public Enemy
James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods. Directed by William A. Wellman. 83 minutes. Not rated.
A young hoodlum rises up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 507-3400. 5/13, 1 pm, free.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry. Directed by Jim Sharman. 100 minutes. Rated R.
The perennial 1975 cult classic is a mix of horror, comedy and musical, featuring sex, transvestites and the Time Warp. Augmented by a live cast and audience participation. Onyx Theater inside The Rack in Commercial Center, 953 E. Sahara Ave., #101. First & third Sat of month, 11:30 pm, $7. Info: 953-0682 or divinedecadence.org.
Russian Dolls
Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, Cecile De France. Directed by Cedric Klapisch.125 minutes. Not rated. In French with English subtitles.
Five years after their summer together in Barcelona, a group of former roommates reunites. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, 507-3860. 5/14, 2 pm, free.
New this week
Redbelt ** 1/2
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emily Mortimer, Tim Allen, Alice Braga. Directed by David Mamet. 99 minutes. Rated R.
Speed Racer **
Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman. Directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski. 129 minutes. Rated PG.
What Happens in Vegas **
Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell. Directed by Tom Vaughan. 99 minutes. Rated PG-13.
When Love Begins (Not reviewed)
Aga Muhlach, Anne Curtis. Directed by Jose Javier Reyes. 115 minutes. Not rated.
A crusading lawyer and a rich heiress must overcome obstacles to make their romance work.
Young @ Heart ***
Directed by Stephen Walker. 107 minutes. Rated PG.
Now playing
10,000 BC **
Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis. Directed by Roland Emmerich. 109 minutes. Rated PG-13.
In a small mountain village, the dreadlocked inhabitants speak modern American English with an all-purpose “foreign” accent, give great credence to the prophecies of the local crazy old lady and hunt big CGI woolly mammoths. Here vapid protagonist D’Leh (Strait) grows up in love with Evolet (Belle), a refugee from a nearby village ravaged by violent outsiders. When those same villains show up on horseback, kidnapping many members of D’Leh’s tribe (including Evolet), he sets out to rescue them, no matter what the cost. Although there is one exciting action sequence, most of the movie is given over to tedious wandering through mountains, jungles and deserts, or the soporific romance between D’Leh and Evolet. –JB
21 ** 1/2
Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey. Directed by Robert Luketic. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Sturgess is entirely bland and unconvincing as MIT senior Ben Campbell, whose need for funds to pay for medical school drives him to join the card-counting team run by math professor Micky Rosa (Spacey). The five students constantly practice their strategy for winning at blackjack, then head to Vegas on weekends to put it into effect. In the absence of the in-depth explanations that come from a good piece of nonfiction prose, the movie ought to be carried by compelling characters, but none of the main players has more than one dimension. The real story has been buried under all this unnecessary flash and fantasy. –JB
88 Minutes (Not reviewed)
Al Pacino, Neal McDonough, Alicia Witt. Directed by Jon Avnet. 108 minutes. Rated R.
Pacino is a college professor who, while moonlighting as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI, receives a death threat telling him that he has only 88 minutes to live.
Baby Mama **
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear. Directed by Michael McCullers. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Step 1: Create a simplistic dichotomy for your two protagonists, with aspiring single mother Kate (Fey) a wealthy, uptight business exec and handy spare uterus Angie (Poehler) a gum-snapping, barefoot white-trash nightmare. Step 2: Introduce a benign love interest (Kinnear) with whom Kate can briefly and pointlessly break up just as preposterous complications arise in the main plot, allowing for a montage of melancholy in which the characters mope around individually to some saccharine ballad. Step 3: Sprinkle scenes with various single-trait goofballs in the hope that they’ll distract us from the stale scenario. The movie isn’t totally laugh-free, but given the talent involved, we had the right to expect much more. –MD
The Bank Job *** 1/2
Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Daniel Mays. Directed by Roger Donaldson. 110 minutes. Rated R.
All that’s really known for sure about the 1971 London caper that inspired the film is that a group of amateur thieves tunneled their way into the basement vault of Lloyds Bank in Marylebone and made off with the contents of dozens of safe-deposit boxes. Though arrests were eventually made, little of the booty was ever recovered, and the incident quickly and rather mysteriously vanished from news reports. This prompted speculation that items involving national security had been pilfered, and the filmmakers have merrily woven the juiciest theories into a preposterously entertaining tapestry of scandal and intrigue, involving everything from evidence of police corruption to snapshots of Princess Margaret getting boned on some Caribbean island. –MD
The Counterfeiters **
Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow. Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky. 98 minutes. Rated R. In German with English subtitles.
The appealing, long-faced Markovics plays Salomon Sorowitsch, who makes a comfortable living crafting fake passports and such before the Nazis discover and arrest him. They force him to use his skills to imitate the British pound and the American dollar, with which the forces of evil will attempt to destroy the world economy. He and his team go to work, but certain men are more interested in subverting the evil plan than in saving their own lives. Ruzowitzky presents this material in the clumsiest, most mundane way imaginable. Though The Counterfeiters does indeed contain an amazing story, it is by no means a good film; it’s proof that one element does not automatically translate into the other. –JMA
Deal * 1/2
Bret Harrison, Shannon Elizabeth, Burt Reynolds. Directed by Gil Cates Jr. 86 minutes. Rated PG-13.
A particularly old and arthritic-looking Reynolds plays Tommy Vinson, the Fast Eddie Felson character in this blatant Color of Money rip-off. Tommy could’ve been the best, but quit gambling 20 years ago when it almost destroyed his marriage. Enter Alex Stillman (Harrison), a 21-year-old kid in whom Tommy sees potential after witnessing him play a single hand of poker. It’s not long before Tommy decides to stake Alex. A subplot results in an exceptionally unsurprising twist, which puts the relationship between Tommy and Alex on the rocks. So will mentor and student enter in the same high-stakes competition? Will our estranged protagonists inevitably go head to head at the final table? You won’t find safer bets than these anywhere in Vegas. –MSH
Deception ** 1/2
Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams. Directed by Marcel Langenegger. 108 minutes. Rated R.
Shy, reserved accountant Jonathan McQuarry (McGregor) meets dashing, outgoing lawyer Wyatt Bose (Jackman), and they become friends; Wyatt takes steps to coax Jonathan out of his shell. But when their cell phones get switched, Jonathan begins receiving calls from women asking him to meet them in hotel rooms. On one rendezvous, he meets a beautiful blonde (Williams), with whom he feels a connection (he spoke with her on the subway once). Of course, it’s all too good to be true, and anyone who’s ever seen any kind of twisty thriller will know who’s in on it, how and why. Even Dante Spinotti’s chilly cinematography, which emphasizes glass and reflections and nighttime (with blues and grays), is nothing surprising. –JMA
Drillbit Taylor **
Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, Leslie Mann. Directed by Steven Brill. 102 minutes. Rated PG-13.
After getting beat up one too many times during their first few days of high school, Wade (Hartley), the skinny one, and Ryan (Gentile), the fat one, place an online ad for a bodyguard. The only candidate they can afford, though, is the title character (Wilson), a homeless veteran who convinces the boys that he has special-forces training that will help them take down their tormentors. You can guess what happens from there, although it takes far too long and engages in far too many detours along the way. –JB
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! ***
Voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino. 88 minutes. Rated G.
Carrey carries the weight of a hyperactive pachyderm with a propensity for folding his large, malleable ears into headgear. Upon discovering that an endangered microcosm of life exists upon a speck of dust, he undertakes a treacherous journey to secure a safe haven atop Mount Nool for the diminutive Whos, vocally mimicking ninjas, airline pilots and even JFK along the way. The film is visually impressive, from subtly waving strands of hair to Seuss’ signature towers of household items and giant machinery, and more faithful to the author’s vision than were the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Cat in the Hat. Unfortunately, with jokes like, “How many times have I told you, the jungle is no place to act like an animal,” Horton is nowhere near as witty as, say, Shrek. –JS
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Not reviewed)
Directed by Nathan Frankowski. 90 minutes. Rated PG.
Documentary on the efforts to include the theory of intelligent design in academic curricula.
The Forbidden Kingdom * 1/2
Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. Directed by Rob Minkoff. 113 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Jason Tripitikas (Angarano) breathes and dreams kung fu. But he winds up getting his friend Old Hop (Chan) shot in a botched robbery. Before the old man can fade into unconsciousness, he thrusts a bo staff into Jason’s hands. This turns out to be a magical weapon that transports young Jason back in time to ancient China, where we discover that he is the prophesied keeper of the staff sent to free the Monkey King (Li) from his stone prison and end the tyranny of the Jade Warlord. The only bright spots in this mostly dismal kung-fu fantasy are the beautiful shots of the Chinese landscape and the far-too-rare one-liners delivered by Chan. In lieu of entertaining fight sequences, the scenery provides much-needed visual stimulation. –TC
Forgetting Sarah Marshall *** 1/2
Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis. Directed by Nicholas Stoller. 112 minutes. Rated R.
Segel’s Peter Bretter is dumped by his girlfriend, the titular Sarah Marshall (Bell), at the movie’s outset, and attempts to escape his heartbreak by taking a trip to Hawaii. But—surprise!—Sarah and her new rock-star boyfriend just happen to be staying at the same hotel. It’s obvious from the moment that Peter meets attractive and vivacious desk clerk Rachel (Kunis) that the two are meant to be together, and all the obstacles will be cleared away by the time the credits roll. But Segel and director Stoller make the formula fun and entertaining, with great performances and an entirely relatable lead character. –JB
The Hammer **
Adam Carolla, Oswaldo Castillo, Heather Juergensen. Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. 90 minutes. Rated R.
Carolla is Jerry Ferro, an aimless loser who celebrates his 40th birthday by getting fired from his job as a carpenter and dumped by his girlfriend. His only refuge are the boxing classes he teaches at the local gym, thanks to his status as a former Golden Gloves champion. One seemingly lucky punch attracts the attention of a veteran coach, who gives Jerry hope that he might have a shot at trying out for the Olympic boxing team. The movie hits all the expected beats, giving Jerry a cocky young rival who eventually becomes his ally; a spunky, supportive new love interest; a grizzled old trainer; and a wacky sidekick. It lopes along at a genial but lifeless pace; never does there seem to be much at stake for Jerry or anyone else, and the victories and defeats are presented with equal indifference. –JB
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay ***
John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry, Neil Patrick Harris. Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. 102 minutes. Rated R.
Picking up right where the 2004 original left off, H&K2 finds the titular potheads back from their epic journey to White Castle and about to head for Amsterdam so Harold can track down his dream girl. The trip to the pot capital of the world barely gets off the ground, though, as Korean-American Harold (Cho) and Indian-American Kumar (Penn) are mistaken for terrorists and shipped off to Guantanamo Bay. As the title implies, their stint in Gitmo doesn’t last very long, and soon the two are on a quest through the deep South to clear their names and disrupt the wedding of Kumar’s ex-girlfriend to a frat-boy tool. Along the way, there’s a lot of what made the first movie so entertaining: vulgar but clever humor; jokey deconstructions of racial stereotypes; copious female nudity; and a gonzo appearance by Harris as a twisted version of himself. –JB
Iron Man ***
Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow. Directed by Jon Favreau. 126 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Downey brings a great balance of snark and vulnerability to insanely rich industrialist Tony Stark, a weapons manufacturer whose life is forever changed when he’s kidnapped by terrorists after a product demonstration in Afghanistan. Forced to assemble one of his own deadly weapons for the bad guys’ use, Stark instead builds himself a suit of armor powered by some sort of mini-reactor. He busts out of captivity a changed man, determined to make the world a better place. Stark’s character arc holds the movie together, thanks mostly to Downey’s breezy, engaging performance. Iron Man is a perfectly entertaining superhero movie that fulfills all the requirements of its genre admirably, but never rises beyond the level of baseline satisfaction. –JB
Leatherheads ***
George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski. Directed by George Clooney. 114 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Clooney sets up a romance between two strong-willed, sharp-tongued people, aging pro football player Dodge Connelly (Clooney) and reporter Lexie Littleton (Zellweger). The two exchange barbs as Lexie works on a story about football star Carter Rutherford (Krasinski), who’s been lured away from the much more popular college circuit to play for Dodge’s struggling pro team, the Duluth Bulldogs. The back-and-forth zing is what saves Leatherheads from being terminally dull. The film can’t commit to its screwball ambitions, though, and Clooney’s pacing, crucial to the dizzying exchange of witty rejoinders, is off. That inconsistency prevents Leatherheads from being the breezy delight it sets out to be. –JB
Made of Honor (Not reviewed)
Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd. Directed by Paul Weiland. 101 minutes. Rated PG-13.
A man in love with his engaged best friend tries to win her over after she asks him to be her maid of honor.
My Blueberry Nights ****
Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, David Strathairn. Directed by Wong Kar-wai. 90 minutes. Rated PG-13.
The ever-intriguing and justly celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai makes his English-language debut with this tale of missed connections. Upon breaking up with her boyfriend, Elizabeth (Jones) stops at a New York diner and charms upbeat proprietor Jeremy (Law). She hits the road and meets many lost souls along the way, including a cop (Strathairn), his ex-wife (Weisz) and a gambler (Portman), while Jeremy dreamily awaits her return. The film is lighter in mood and tone than other Wong films, but even if that’s the case, it’s certainly not a bad thing. Either way, the new film is unmistakably Wong, and My Blueberry Nights is made with far more skill, heart, atmosphere and intelligence than many American pictures so far this year. –JMA
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Not reviewed)
Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger. Directed by Jon Turteltaub. 124 minutes. Rated PG.
Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) looks to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth’s diary.
Nim’s Island ** 1/2
Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler. Directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin. 95 minutes. Rated PG.
Eleven-year-old Nim (Breslin) lives alone on a remote South Pacific island with her marine-biologist dad, Jack (Butler), talks to animals and doesn’t go to school. Agoraphobic adventure writer Alex Rover (Foster) has e-mailed Jack about facts on volcanos for her latest book, but instead reaches Nim, who is Alex’s biggest fan (she thinks “Alex” is a man). When Jack goes off to search for new forms of sea life and goes missing in a storm, and “pirates” (actually tourists) threaten to invade Nim’s island, Nim pleads for Alex to leave the safety of her sanitized apartment and help. The filmmakers manage to re-create the summery brightness of the Indiana Jones films, achieving a refreshing, clean-air quality. But they utterly fail to capture the briskness and supple movement of an adventure film. –JMA
Prom Night (Not reviewed)
Brittany Snow, Johnathon Schaech, Jessica Stroup. Directed by Nelson McCormick. 88 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Donna’s senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, but a sadistic killer from her past has different plans for her and her friends.
The Rape of Europa ** 1/2
Directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen and Nicole Newnham. 117 minutes. Not rated.
“Comprehensive” would be a charitable way to describe this documentary; “tedious” would be equally accurate and a little more honest, though. While the movie tackles a very important subject with care and breadth, it’s also dry and sedate, presenting some amazing stories with all the gusto of a textbook. Actress Joan Allen narrates, almost monotonously, this account of the wholesale cultural plunder practiced by the Nazis during World War II. It’s impossible to give all the material its due even with the lengthy running time, and while Europa will make for a fine addition to the History Channel lineup in a few months, its lack of both style and focus keeps it from being a success as a feature film. –JB
Shine a Light ***
Directed by Martin Scorsese. 122 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Shine a Light kicks off in high-energy vérité mode, shifting locations more frantically than any Bond or Bourne adventure and capturing quick, jagged impressions of the endless negotiations and logistical hassles involved in preparing to shoot a Rolling Stones concert. Shine a Light delivers roughly half of a first-rate performance. The greatest-hits selections, concentrated mostly at the beginning and end of the film, tend to fall flat, often to the point where they make the Stones come across as a fairly mediocre Stones cover band. And various special-guest appearances amount to little more than stunts. But the band perks up considerably when tackling less well-worn material. At moments like these, the Stones genuinely seem like a band and not just a traveling Smithsonian exhibit. Still, it’s hard to argue that the world really needed another Stones concert flick at this late date, even one directed by Scorsese. –MD
Smart People ** 1/2
Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Sarah Jessica Parker. Directed by Noam Murro. 95 minutes. Rated R.
Vanessa Wetherhold (Page) is an overachieving high-schooler whose life revolves around studying for the SAT and attending Young Republicans meetings; her father, Lawrence (Quaid), is a college English professor who spends all his time imparting his alleged wisdom to his indifferent students and trying to get his book of obscure literary criticism published. Lawrence’s adopted brother Chuck (Church) shows up uninvited to move into the Wetherhold house, where he gets Vanessa to smoke pot and drink beer and helps her learn to stand up for herself and be her own person. The solid performances keep Smart People from being entirely insufferable, even if the actors are never able to convince us that these characters are anything other than complete jackasses. –JB
Snow Angels **
Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby. Directed by David Gordon Green. 106 minutes. Rated R.
The movie’s plot focuses on struggling single mother Annie (Beckinsale), who’s stuck with a crappy job, a nagging mother, a whiny four-year-old daughter and a seriously deranged soon-to-be-ex-husband. Glenn (Rockwell) is an intermittently employed alcoholic, a born-again Christian and an occasionally violent stalker. The movie starts with two gunshots ringing out in the distance. Want to guess where they came from? Writer-director Green then flashes back to a few weeks earlier to slowly tease out the unpleasant events that lead up to those shots. What looks at first to be a standard-issue indie relationship drama ratchets up the misery until it appears to climax with a horrible tragedy at the film’s midpoint. But by that time the affecting, human moments have been overshadowed by increasingly strained histrionics. –JB
Street Kings **
Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie. Directed by David Ayer. 107 minutes. Rated R.
Reeves plays Detective Tom Ludlow, a cop as dirty as he is invincible. Everything seems to be going well until Ludlow’s former partner starts talking to Internal Affairs. Enraged, Ludlow tracks him down at a convenience store to confront him when, suddenly, two lowlifes burst in with machine guns and replace Ludlow’s partner’s vital organs with lead. Determined to learn the truth behind the hit, Ludlow begins to dig up a trail of corruption that leads (where else?) all the way to the top. We’ve all seen this story before, but never with quite so many stock characters. And Reeves’ burn-out supercop stereotype is especially bland. He’s far too stoic to convincingly play a guy who chugs mini bottles of vodka while driving. –MSH
Superhero Movie (Not reviewed)
Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald. Directed by Craig Mazin. 85 minutes. Rated PG-13.
A send-up of superhero films.
Vantage Point ** 1/2
Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, Matthew Fox. Directed by Pete Travis. 90 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Quaid plays a Secret Service agent just returning to duty after taking a bullet for the president (Hurt) during an assassination attempt. He ends up caught in the middle of another assassination attempt, an elaborate and often nonsensical terror plot carried out during a peace summit in Spain. After shots are fired and two bombs go off, the movie is essentially one long chase sequence, but the filmmakers drag it out by employing a useless gimmick that keeps restarting the story from a different character’s perspective. It’s merely a cheap way to create false suspense, and also robs the movie of any chance for meaningful character development, so that we might care whether these people get blown up, or catch the undermotivated bad guys. –JB
The Visitor **
Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira. Directed by Thomas McCarthy. 108 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Jenkins (whom you’ll recognize as a bit player from countless movies) is sublimely low-key as economics professor Walter Vale, a widower who has fallen into a passionless rut. Forced to represent his Connecticut university at a conference in New York, Walter returns to his old apartment in the Big Apple and is surprised to find that he has two tenants. Illegal immigrants Tarek (Sleiman) and Zainab (Gurira) have been duped into renting the apartment that actually belongs to Walter. The Visitor makes a very one-sided and heavy-handed argument. In Michael Moore fashion, the film takes a valid point and wraps it in sensational exaggerations until even the people who already agree with the viewpoint feel manipulated. –MSH
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation ***
Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut, Daniela Piepszyk. Directed by Cao Hamburger. 104 minutes. Rated PG. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Joelsas as Mauro conveys the curiosity and petulance of pre-pubescence without becoming cloying or shrill, and Piepszyk is equally winning as Hanna, Mauro’s neighbor in the São Paulo apartment complex where his parents leave him while they go on their “vacation.” That’s code for hiding out from the government, since Mauro’s parents are left-wing activists of some sort. Taken in by his grandfather’s next-door neighbor and the apartment complex’s community of Orthodox Jews, Mauro learns a little about self-sufficiency, friendship and soccer as a handy metaphor for life. Year’s story of a young boy’s maturation is ultimately not really anything new, but that comforting familiarity, even in a foreign country in a time of political strife, is what makes it quietly effective. –JB
JMA Jeffrey M. Anderson; JB Josh Bell; TC Tasha Chemplavil; MD Mike D’Angelo; MSH Matthew Scott Hunter; JS Julie Seabaugh