Capsule reviews, by Standard-Examiner movie critic Steve Salles, of next Tuesday's releases:
MICMACS ***1/2 (R) Some sexuality and brief violence. In French with subtitles. A Frenchman's life is ruined by a stray bullet made by a company that couldn't care less. He will seek comical revenge for the callousness shown him. He'll be aided by a nutty bunch of junk peddlers. 105 minutes.
THE A-TEAM *** (PG-13) Intense sequences of action and violence throughout, language and smoking. Bigger, louder and flashier, this big screen A-Team takes you for a wild ride that is both exhilarating and preposterous. However, it's the commitment to playing it straight-faced that eventually wins you over. 117 minutes.
CYRUS *** (R) Language and some sexual material. Although this features two actors known for their comedic skills, this is more of a relationship story between a lonely man, a beautiful woman and her troubled, grown son. The comedy and drama come from the intensely awkward situations created by the Duplass brothers, who love making people squirm. John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener and Matt Walsh star. 91 minutes.
DESPICABLE ME *** (PG) Rude humor and mild action. Steve Carell gives voice to an unsavory character who is planning on stealing the moon. But three little orphan girls find their way into his heart and show him a new path for living. It's a bit rough around the edges early on, but it finds a warm, hopeful tone in the third act that makes it, dare I say, enjoyable? Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett and Kristen Wiig also lend their voices. 95 minutes.
MOTHER AND CHILD *** (R) Sexuality, brief nudity, and language. Three intersecting stories deal with adoption. One from a woman who's haunted by the decision, another from the now-grown daughter of that decision and a third by a couple looking for a baby to adopt. It's powerful and well-acted. 125 minutes.
THE OTHER GUYS *** (PG-13) Crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material. This makes fun of the buddy-cop movie genre, but also has fun with it. Will Ferrell is back in true form as the wisecracking innocent partnered with the volcanic Mark Wahlberg as two desk-bound NYPD detectives. They hope to see some action. They, and we, will be rewarded in this funny, but occasionally saucy, comedy. 107 minutes.
THE TOWN *** (R) Strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use. Ben Affleck co-writes, stars and directs this crime drama set in Boston. So if anything goes wrong, it's ALL on his head. Fortunately, there's a lot RIGHT with this movie, including the plot and the action. However, robbing from Fenway Park took a lot of guts. 123 minutes.
LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE **1/2 (PG) Some sequences of scary action. The owl kingdom is divided between the oppressors and the oppressed. Thankfully, some Guardian owls are nearby to straighten things out. Sound remotely familiar? We get great visuals in a by-the-numbers story. 90 minutes.
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS **1/2 (PG) Rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements. Second verse, similar to the first. Only now you have American Maggie Gyllenhaal playing a British farm mom, and the setting is World War I. Other than that, it's the same obnoxious-type kids walking around in muddy poop, chasing cute, talented piglets. Oh, and they learn to behave by magic. Yeah. 109 minutes
Steve Salles can be reached at films@standard.net.
Comments