Capsule reviews, by Standard-Examiner movie critic Steve Salles, of next Tuesday's releases:
INSIDE JOB **** (PG-13) This is the most comprehensive discussion of the 2008 financial market collapse. No matter what your political persuasion is, you'll be incensed by the overt greed and lack of humanity that went into creating this economic nightmare. It's a powerfully significant documentary that deserves a wide audience. 109 minutes.
MORNING GLORY *** (PG-13) Some sexual content including dialogue, language and brief drug references. Rachel McAdams plays the young, enthusiastic TV producer to Harrison Ford's old and angry newsman in a film that has no right to be good, but is. It's light, fluffy and entertaining. Just when you thought Harrison Ford might be done, he's not. That made me smile, and it might make you smile as well. 102 minutes.
JACKASS 3D ** 1/2 (R) Male nudity, extremely crude and dangerous stunts throughout, and for language. Shock of shocks -- the Jackass troupe is back doing bodily injury to itself. And you have to wonder, at what point do these grown men say: "I'm getting too old for this $#!%!" This version is not as creative as previous "adventures," but they've still got a few tricks up their worn-out, puked-on sleeves. 94 minutes.
THE NEXT THREE DAYS ** 1/2 (PG-13) Violence, drug material, language, some sexuality and thematic elements. Russell Crowe's wife goes to prison for murder. She doesn't like prison. He decides to break her out. Painfully careful planning finally gives way to an action-packed getaway that would make Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw jealous. 122 minutes.
* * *
Also being released:
ADVENTURES OF A TEENAGE DRAGONSLAYER (PG) Mild rude humor, language and fantasy action. Bullied 12-year-old Arthur learns that he holds the key to slaying a vicious dragon, in this fantasy adventure for the entire family. 90 minutes.
A FILM UNFINISHED (Not rated) Nudity, adult situations. In 1942, more than two years after Nazi troops herded Poland's Jews into a ghetto in Warsaw, where they were to be held until they were sent to extermination camps, cameramen were sent into the ghetto to shoot material intended for a German propaganda film. The images they captured ran the gamut from scenes of day-to-day life to horrific moments of death and despair. The film was never completed, but after the war, the film was discovered in a German archive. 90 minutes.
FOUR LIONS (R) Sexual situations, profanity) A few young men set out to take on the decadent West but are more of a threat to themselves than anyone else in this black comedy. 102 minutes.
EVERYDAY (R) Profanity, drug content, sexual situations. A man struggles to keep his family together under trying circumstances. Ned (Liev Schreiber) works as a writer for a television series and his job has become increasing difficult as his producer Garrett (Eddie Izzard) demands increasing outlandish storylines. 93 minutes.
HELENA FROM THE WEDDING (Not rated) Newlyweds Alex and Alice host a New Year's Eve party for their closest friends at a remote cabin in the mountains. However, when an unexpected guest shows up, the group's facades begin to crumble. 89 minutes.
THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (R) Graphic violence, profanity, drug content, brief nudity) A retired special agent forges an unlikely bond with his neglected young neighbor and vows to bring the girl back home safely after she's kidnapped by violent criminals. 119 minutes.
RAGE (Not rated) Jose Maria, an angry man with a secret, becomes a silent witness to the life of strangers. When a conflict with his boss turns violent, he finds himself wanted by the law. 95 minutes.
Steve Salles can be reached at films@standard.net.
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