Movies

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

THE AMERICAN

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

This too-cool-for-school crime thriller stars George Clooney as a morally haunted black-market gunsmith for hire at the service of international assassins, signing up for one last assignment in Italy. There, he is befriended by a priest and a prostitute. Assuming you buy into the assumption that a guy who looks like George Clooney may be forgiven any sin, not matter how egregious, you may still be turned off by the movie's sheer pretentiousness. 'Ö'Ö1/2

AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION 3D

Grant Park. PG

James Cameron's otherworldly epic set on the planet of Pandora is rereleased with nine extra minutes of footage. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

BEGINNINGS 1976-1983: THE EARLY YEARS

Cinematheque.

The early short film output of the Winnipeg Film Group, including the 1976 chestnut Rabbit Pie and John Paizs's 1980 landmark The Obsession of Billy Botski, is featured in this something-for-everyone collection curated by WFG mainstay Patrick Lowe. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

DESPICABLE ME

Polo Park, St. Vital. PG

A super-villain (voiced by Steve Carell) intent on stealing the moon recruits a trio of cute orphans to steal a purloined shrink ray from his even more villainous competitor. Set in the same bailiwick as the superior The Incredibles, it lacks that movie's epic scope and boundless imagination, but it compensates with its penchant for elaborate sight gags and appealingly misshapen (morally and otherwise) characters. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS

St. Vital. 14A

This remake of the French comedy The Dinner Game stars Paul Rudd as an ambitious investment broker who is tempted to invite a well-intended dolt (Steve Carell) to participate in a cruel dinner party/freak show hosted by his supercilious boss. The comic heavy hitters are there and the premise is fruitful, but somehow the comedy never gels. 'Ö'Ö1/2

EAT PRAY LOVE

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

Julia Roberts stars in this glib, glossy and centreless adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert about a woman who embarks on a year-long trip around the world, including India, Italy and Bali, on a voyage of self-discovery. It's best, perhaps, to enjoy it as a travelogue. The rustic, crumbling ruins of Rome and the lush loveliness of Bali are so lovingly shot, you imagine hoteliers in Indonesia and pension owners in Italy rubbing their hands with glee. 'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Jill Wilson)

THE EXPENDABLES

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. 18A

Sylvester Stallone can no longer move his eyebrows. The rest of the cast looks like it's having problems moving its bowels. It's not pretty, but it fits as visual motif, because everything about The Expendables feels either overstretched or all too bloated ---- from the lame story about a South American dictator who gets into bed with the CIA, to the parade of aging action stars strutting their arthritic limbs across the frame. 'Ö (Reviewed by Katherine Monk)

GET LOW

Globe. PG.

An old backwoods coot (Robert Duvall) plans his own funeral -- while he's still alive -- as a means to clearing up some misunderstandings in his Tennessee community and Bill Murray co-stars as the cash-strapped mortician who agrees to handle the arrangements. The two actors have been known to fall back on actorly shtik, but this satisfying, leisurely paced drama allows them each to work in subtler shadings. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

GOING THE DISTANCE

Grant Park, Kildonan Place, Polo Park, Towne. 14A

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play a couple who live in different cities and try to carry on a long-distance romance. The characters are effectless and the plot never really boils. The movie gets by on the pleasantness of the lead actors and on Barrymore's unmatchable way with a bad-girl laugh. 'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Jay Stone)

INCEPTION

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital. PG

Writer-director Christopher Nolan believes a big summer movie doesn't have to be stupid, and follows through on that premise with this big, challenging blockbuster about a gang of thieves (led by Leonardo DiCaprio) who invade the minds of their targets via their dreams. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

THE LAST EXORCISM

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

The Exorcist meets The Blair Witch Project in this faux-documentary about a minister who, in the midst of revealing the secrets of the exorcism racket to a film crew, encounters actual demonic evil in a remote farm in Louisiana. The performances here are fine and the dramatic conflict is captivating, but the movie peters out instead of drawing to the potent conclusion it deserved. 'Ö'Ö1/2

MACHETE

Grant Park, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. 18A

Robert Rodriguez cobbles together an entire feature film from the revenge melodrama movie trailer he submitted for Grindhouse back in 2007. Danny Trejo plays the titular Mexican-American avenger. It's both a gory goof and a cutting-edge spoof of '70s B-movies -- a Hispanic-American version of a blaxploitation film of the Super Fly school, with bloody action, titillating nudity and a catchphrase-riddled script. 'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, Towne. G

The magical Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), as she barely copes with running the family farm -- and keeping control of five unruly kids -- while her husband is away at war. As with the good nanny herself, a sequel was evidently wanted but not needed, and the results are only moderately charming. 'Ö'Ö'Ö

THE OTHER GUYS

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

The cop-buddy movie takes a turn for the surreal as Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg attempt to break into the crime-fighting big leagues. Ferrell's comedy stylings are often an acquired taste, but teamed onscreen with Wahlberg as an ambitious hothead and offscreen with director-writing partner Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), this one has a decent yield of yuks. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

PIRANHA 3D

Polo Park. 18A

A Florida beach community during spring break provides a feast of toothsome flesh when an underwater earthquake releases a plague of killer piranhas upon the revellers. French director Alexandre Aja (High Tension) wholeheartedly embraces good old American exploitation filmmaking in this over-the-top sexy/gory indulgence. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Polo Park. PG

The beloved Toronto-set graphic novel series comes to life courtesy of director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) starring Michael Cera as Scott, a lowly bass player whose courtship of the lovely Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) necessitates he duel with her seven evil exes. Stylish, funny, and by the way, this is also a Hollywood studio film that captures Canadian culture more astutely than most Canadian movies. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

STEP UP 3D

Polo Park, St. Vital. PG

Step Up 3D is, in one significant respect, a step up. In contrast to the recent spate of post-production 3-D conversions, this one actually looks good with dancers spinning and bobbing, popping and locking, and jumping off of the screen. Unfortunately, this second sequel also boasts a tidal wave of clichés: follow your dream, believe in yourself, it's the journey not the destination, how could you do that to us? 'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Steven Rea)

THE SWITCH

Kildonan Place, Polo Park. PG

Jason Bateman is a man who risks losing his best friend (Jennifer Aniston) after he drunkenly destroys her artificial insemination supply and replaces it with his own, um, product. Bateman proves himself a formidable comic force by prevailing over this somewhat horrifying premise with grumpy grace. 'Ö'Ö'Ö

TAKERS

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

Five slick thieves (including Idris Elba, Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen) who dress like GQ models are targeted by a couple of dogged cops (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) in this crackling crime drama seemingly assembled from a scrap heap of hoary clichés. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Rene Rodriguez)

TOY STORY 3

Polo Park. G

Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys face the inevitable when Andy packs up for college, but it turns out being accidentally donated to a daycare centre lands them in serious peril. This third and reportedly final entry in the franchise stays firmly in the tradition of the first two, which is to say, it's darn near perfect. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö

VAMPIRES SUCK

St. Vital, Towne. 14A

A parody of Twilight by the talentless duo who gave us Meet the Spartans and Epic Movie. Their lack of effort should be evident from the title alone. 'Ö

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 9, 2010 A50