MOVIES

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RECOMMENDED

KILLER JOE

Grant Park. 18A

Desperate drug dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch) puts a hit out on his own mom after she steals his stash, but his contract with the hit man (Matthew McConaughey, above) involves making Chris's fey younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple) collateral. Not recommended for a relaxing night out at the movies, but there is much to love in director William Friedkin's most vivid expression of misanthropy since To Live and Die in L.A. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

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STARTING TOMORROW

FINDING NEMO 3D

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. G

Pixar's 3D processing of its back catalogue continues with this 2003 feature about a panicky clownfish (voiced by Albert Brooks) intent on finding his lost son in the big blue ocean. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

LEGEND OF A WARRIOR

Cinematheque. PG

A portrait of celebrated martial artist Frank Lee, the man who brought White Crane kung fu to North America, as seen through the eyes of his documentary filmmaker son Corey Lee.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Globe. 14A

In anticipation of the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Indiana Jones collection comes this newly restored edition of the Steven Spielberg-directed 1981 adventure classic.

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION

Grant Park, Kildonan Place, Polo Park, Polo Park IMAX, St. Vital, Towne. 14A

Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues her desperate battle against legions of the undead and the vicious Umbrella Corporation, this time coming up against weirdly reincarnated manifestations of former allies, which explains the presence of the first film's presumed dead Michelle Rodriguez.

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NOW

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The following movies have been previously reviewed by Free Press movie critic Randall King, unless otherwise noted.

THE BOURNE LEGACY

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital. PG

A Bourne movie without Jason Bourne feels like a squeeze at the franchise cash cow: The Bourne Lactation. But this fourth entry adds something fresh into the mix with a new tormented hero, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), and a different dynamic: The Bourne Legacy is largely an oft-riveting old-school damsel-in-distress story, courtesy of an endangered scientist played by Rachel Weisz. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

THE CAMPAIGN

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital. 14A

Will Ferrell plays a slothful incumbent Democrat congressman in the fight for his life when he is challenged by a nebbish Republican (Zach Galifianakis). We're used to politicians talking out of both sides of their mouths. This is a political comedy that attempts that feat. It's a rude and crude farce but movies that step on that third rail of filmgoer appeal -- politics -- always pull their punches. 'Ö'Ö'Ö (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER

Globe. 14A

Rashida Jones co-wrote and stars in this rom-com about a woman who attempts to maintain a close friendship with her about-to-be-ex-husband (Andy Samberg). It's debatable if you can even call this a romantic comedy, given it's about a protracted breakup, but given the option between this and the usual boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl-back formula flick, we'll take C+J gladly. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Polo Park, Portage Place IMAX, St. Vital. 14A

Christopher Nolan completes his Batman trilogy in style with this apocalyptic tale of class warfare in Gotham City, as Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is forced out of exile by a mysterious terrorist known as Bane (Tom Hardy). Even at its most outrageous, there is a ping of realpolitik plausibility here that distinguishes this movie from other superhero movies. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

THE EXPENDABLES 2

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. 14A

A group of over-the-hill action heroes -- Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren et al. -- and their more modern confreres (Jason Statham, Liam Hemsworth) return for another impossible, high-velocity mission. It's explosive and absurd, but it has a certain nostalgia value. 'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Jay Stone)

HIT AND RUN

Kildonan Place, Polo Park. 14A

A former getaway driver (Dax Shepard) abandons the Witness Protection Program to drive his girlfriend (Kristen Bell) to L.A. so she can land her dream job, resulting in violent comic hijinks. Actor-writer-co-director Shepard attempts to splice Tarantino-esque dialogue with action out of Smokey and the Bandit so it should not be a surprise the movie, while occasionally amusing, never really gels. 'Ö'Ö1/2

HOPE SPRINGS

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. 14A

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are a 31-years-married couple whose relationship is in need of a shakeup. You don't have to be married for 31 years to feel inspired by the film's message about the importance of keeping your relationship alive. Without a single special effect or explosion, this is an unexpected summer movie with real punch. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Christy Lemire)

ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Polo Park, St. Vital. G

Manny (Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary) and Sid (John Leguizamo) are back for another round of extinction-themed hijinks. The script is the weakest in the franchise, but there's something darkly compelling about watching evolutionary Armageddon dressed as family fluff. 'Ö'Ö'Ö (Reviewed by Katherine Monk)

IRON SKY

Towne. 14A

Iron Sky reimagines the history of Nazi Germany with a lunar twist. In a delectably demented plot, a group of renegade Nazis eludes capture and sets up camp on the dark side of the moon, until a visitor from Earth convinces them the time is right to return to their native planet and launch an attack. It's as silly as string but an entertaining ride, nonetheless. 'Ö'Ö'Ö (Reviewed by T'Cha Dunlevy)

LAWLESS

Grant Park, Polo Park, Towne. 14A

This tale of a moonshine war in Virginia between crafty hicks and vicious city-slickers is partly undone by its mismatched cast, including Shia Labeouf as the youngest brother of a moonshining family, Tom Hardy as the clan's taciturn leader, and Guy Pearce offering an unwelcome revival the '70s staple character, the homosexual psycho villain. 'Ö'Ö

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

St. Vital, Towne. G

An achingly sweet but oddly emotion-free tearjerker about a small-town couple (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) who long to have a child of their own. It strains to find the magic, joy and heartbreak in a story manufactured with those traits in mind. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

PARANORMAN

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. PG

A lavish stop-motion adventure about an outcast young boy who sees dead people, and comes to the realization he may be the only one who can save his town from marauding Puritan zombies and a vengeful witch. It's darker than the usual kiddie fare, but also more rewarding in its elegant dissection of how fear is the most destructive monster of all. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

THE POSSESSION

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, Towne. 14A

A divorced couple (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) are alarmed when their younger daughter (Natasha Calis) starts to behave strangely after acquiring a mysterious box. One of the film's more disturbing visual effects is how the demon pushes a victim's eyeballs around during possession. That aside, this movie's box of tricks is mostly filled with genre clichés and the only rolling eyes you'll encounter are your own. 'Ö'Ö

PREMIUM RUSH

Polo Park, St. Vital. 14A

A reckless bicycle courier (Joseph Gordon Levitt) finds his life on the line when he is given a special delivery envelope for which some shady individuals are willing to kill to acquire. It's silly yet satisfying B-movie entertainment that moves with the swiftness of a Schwinn. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Jake Coyle)

THE WORDS

Globe, Grant Park, Kildonan Place, Polo Park. PG

Writer Rory Jannsen (Bradley Cooper) achieves literary success after publishing a novel he didn't write, forcing him into a reckoning for stealing another man's work. It's bad enough the writer-directors shoot their movie like a lifestyle commercial sustained over 96 minutes, the film is utterly devoid of humour and employs a too-clever narrative device that subverts its own momentum. 'Ö1/2

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 13, 2012 E19