Movies

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This article was published 18/09/2014 (4371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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THE DROP

Grant Park, Polo Park. 14A. 106 minutes.

Tom Hardy and the late, great James Gandolfini, in his last screen role, play a couple of Brooklyn barkeeps who get in up to their necks in trouble when their establishment — a drop bar for mob money — becomes a target for thieves on a potentially lucrative Super Bowl Sunday. Belgian director Micha´l R. Roskam delivers a unique noir package with Hardy’s soulful but somehow dangerous presence and Noomi Rapace’s troubled, jittery damsel. The most compelling reason of all to see it is Gandolfini’s funny-sad crime-caper swan song. Requiescat in pace, Tony Soprano. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö 1/2

STARTING FRIDAY

DR. CABBIE

Grant Park, Polo Park. PG. 104 minutes.

A doctor emigre from India (Vinay Virmani) discovers he is without a licence to practise in Canada, and finds himself driving a cab. But with the encouragement of his fellow hack (Kunal Nayaar), he resorts to carrying out his practice from his cab while romancing a single mom (Adrianne Palicki) in this Canadian comedy.

THE MAZE RUNNER

Grant Park, Kildonan Place, McGillivray, McGillivray VIP, Polo Park, Polo Park Imax, St. Vital, Towne. PG. 114 minutes.

A young man (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up without his memory to find himself in a mysterious, monster-plagued place called the Glade at the centre of a giant maze with a gang of other similarly amnesiac youths.

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU

Grant Park, McGillivray, McGillivray VIP, Polo Park, St. Vital. 14A. 103 minutes.

Jason Bateman plays a radio producer on the verge of divorce. When his father dies, he must reunite for a week-long mourning period with his wacky family, including his pop-psychologist mom (Jane Fonda), his sardonic sis (Tina Fey) and his youngest brother (Adam Driver), who arrives in the company of a woman (Connie Britton) old enough to be his mother. Based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper.

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

Grant Park, McGillivray, Polo Park, St. Vital. 14A. 114 minutes.

A former NYPD cop-turned-unlicenced private eye, alcoholic gumshoe Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) takes a case finding the kidnapped wife of a drug kingpin in this adaptation of a Lawrence Block novel by writer-director Scott Frank (The Lookout).

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

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

Polo Park, Towne. 14A. 93 minutes.

A research mission in the creepy catacombs beneath Paris transforms into a non-stop supernatural nightmare in this hopeless mishmash-up blending the claustrophobic scares of The Descent and the found-footage contrivances of [Rec]. ‘Ö’Ö (Reviewed by Jordan Mintzer)

BOYHOOD

Grant Park. 14A. 166 minutes.

This unique Richard Linklater film was 12 years in the making, delineating the growth of boy (Ellar Coltrane) from age six to 18, coming to terms with his parents’ marital breakup, enduring a new alcoholic stepdad and flirting with drugs, alcohol and girls. Given an opportunity to engage in real-world nostalgia, Linklater doesn’t take that bait. The emphasis is on an organic coming-of-age tale where the audience is spared the typically jarring transition in which a child actor is suddenly replaced by a different teen actor. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö’Ö

CALVARY

Towne. 14A. 101 minutes.

Brendan Gleeson plays a much-loved Irish priest threatened with murder by an enraged anonymous parishioner abused years earlier by a different cleric. As in director John Michael McDonagh’s last collaboration with Gleeson, the unsung comedy The Guard, the writing here is wonderfully sharp and the performances uniformly excellent. Gleeson is especially magnificent as a decent man visited upon by the sins of other Fathers. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö’Ö’Ö

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

St. Vital. 14A. 101 minutes.

The genetically enhanced apes introduced in the franchise reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) are back and beginning to take control of the world. This action-packed epic is a moving sci-fi allegory rendered in broad, lush strokes by the latest state of the computer animator’s art. It’s all in service of an utterly conventional story, however; one you’ll be three steps ahead of even if you have no memories of the ’70s Apes movie this is largely based on. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

DOLPHIN TALE 2

Grant Park, Kildonan Place, McGillivray, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. G.

In this sequel, the dolphin Winter, with his prosthetic tail, loses his surrogate mother but gains an orphaned baby dolphin named Hope. The gentle pacing of the film is too laid-back at times, particularly in a few overlong underwater swimming scenes that start out lovely but conclude as apparent filler material. But that’s a small quibble with a movie that’s this sweet and cheesy. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö (Reviewed by Sandie Angulo Chen)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Grant Park, Kildonan Place, McGillivray, McGillivray VIP, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. PG. 121 minutes.

Marvel Studios dares to give us a one-off about an obscure band of heroes familiar to few but the most committed comics geeks, consisting of a thief (Chris Pratt), a glamourous assassin (Zoe Saldana), a muscle-bound “maniac” (Dave Bautista), a super-intelligent, genetically enhanced raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and a tree creature (Vin Diesel). Employing a wise-ass sensibility, a penchant for sardonic dialogue, and a soundtrack of all-’70s hits, director James Gunn makes it work very well by locating a heart in all the lovingly rendered comic-book mayhem. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö’Ö

THE HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY

Grant Park, McGillivray. G. 123 minutes.

Helen Mirren plays the persnickety owner of a snooty French restaurant who goes on the attack when an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai, opens within 100 feet of her establishment, a problem that amplifies when her sous-chef (Charlotte Le Bon) falls in love with the Maison’s gifted chef Hassan (Manish Dayal). It’s a nice concoction, but director Lasse Hallstrom makes it all relentlessly pretty, whether in its depiction of racism or kitchen procedure. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö

IF I STAY

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. PG. 107 minutes.

Chlo´ Moretz plays a 17-year-old cellist who finds herself trapped between life and death following a car accident and is forced to decide for herself if she wants to die or live The filmmakers evidently all they needed to do was cast the most appealing couple they could find and stay faithful to the story, so the kids should be happy. If only the dialogue worked as well. Shauna Cross’s script lapses into syrupy platitudes far too often. Just as a scene is building, you may suddenly feel as if you’ve walked into a life-size Hallmark card. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö 1/2 (Reviewed by Jocelyn Noveck)

LET’S BE COPS

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. 14A. 105 minutes.

Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. play two Ohio losers in L.A. who experience an upswing in popularity and excitement when they dress up as cops, only to find themselves in conflict with the Russian mob. The laughs are loud, lewd and infrequent in a comedy that is pretty much the definition of an August comedy release: a month designated as a dumping ground for titles for which the studios don’t have high hopes. ‘Ö’Ö (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

LIFE ITSELF

Cinematheque. PG. 121 minutes.

This biographical documentary examines the life and career of film critic Roger Ebert, encompassing enough material to inspire a dozen movies. Unlike Ebert himself, the film is a bit long-winded. But in this digital media world, it’s a grand testament to a life lived loving movies. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö 1/2 (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

LUCY

Polo Park. 14A. 90 minutes.

Scarlett Johansson stars in this Luc Besson action movie as a reluctant drug mule who accidentally ingests an overdose of a new chemical concoction that allows her to use her brain to superhuman effect. It comes off as the kind of science fiction created by someone who never actually read a book on science. Besson’s intellectual energy went into making this a calculatedly international hit, designed as a three-prong attack on Asian, European and American audiences, with Johansson at the calm centre, going from panicky tourist to ass-kicking demi-goddess with aplomb. ‘Ö’Ö 1/2

NO GOOD DEED

McGillivray. Polo Park. 14A. 84 minutes.

A woman (Taraji P. Henson) finds herself fending off a home invasion by a charming psychopath (Idris Elba) in this thriller. Not reviewed.

THE NOVEMBER MAN

McGillivray. 14A. 108 minutes.

As Pierce Brosnan never got to say his goodbye to the James Bond franchise, his role as professional assassin Peter Devereaux may be the next best thing. Alas, the story here is pure boilerplate spy thriller, with Brosnan’s retiring spy brought unwillingly back into the game when he is betrayed by the CIA and the people he loves are threatened by the political ascent of an evil Russian war criminal. Pity. The sheer unoriginality of it all undercuts the nostalgic pleasure of seeing Brosnan back in the spy game. ‘Ö’Ö

OBVIOUS CHILD

Cinematheque. 14A. 84 minutes.

Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreation) plays an aspiring standup comedian in her late 20s who finds herself pregnant after a fling. She knows she’s just as unprepared to be a mother as he is inappropriate to be her partner, so she chooses to have an abortion. It’s rare to find a film like this that discusses such a divisive issue with such maturity, but it’s even more rare these days to find a romantic comedy that is both romantic and a comedy. ‘Ö’Ö’Ö’Ö 1/2 (Reviewed by Jill Wilson)

PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE

St. Vital. G. 84 minutes.

This sequel to last year’s unexpected hit Planes offers up the return of racer Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook) facing a forced retirement from competition and entering the world of aerial firefighting. A couple of flight sequences take us over majestic deserts and amber waves of grain — beautiful animated scenery. Other than that, there’s not much to this. But its predecessor was so story- and laugh-starved, there was nowhere to go but up. ‘Ö’Ö1/2 (Reviewed by Roger Moore)

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Kildonan Place, Polo Park, St. Vital, Towne. PG. 101 minutes.

This reboot from producer Michael Bay combines martial arts action with turtle power, starring Bay’s formerly exiled Transformers leading lady Megan Fox as reporter April O’Neil. It captures some of the thrills of the much-loved comic book franchise, but is hampered by miscasting and some baffling action sequences bearing Bay’s stamp. ‘Ö’Ö