Animas City Theatre
(128 E. College Drive, 799-2281, www.animascitytheatre.com)
One Small Hitch. On a flight home to Chicago for a family wedding, childhood friends Josh and Molly innocently agree to fake a wedding engagement to make Josh’s dying father happy. Things quickly get out of hand with their two boisterous families, and a series of events causes them to pretend to be a couple and start planning a phony wedding. Not rated.
Gaslight Cinema
(102 Fifth St. Next to the railroad depot, 247-8133, www.allentheatresinc.com)
See reviews below.
Durango Stadium 9
(Next to Durango Mall, 247-9799, www.allentheatresinc.com)
All is Lost. (Wednesday only) Robert Redford stars in an open-water thriller about one man’s battle for survival against the elements after his sailboat is destroyed at sea. Rated PG-13.
300: Rise of an Empire. (In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge) A bloody affair in which Themistokles takes on the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemisia, the vengeful commander of the Persian navy. Rated R.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman. (In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge) Mr. Peabody, the most accomplished dog in the world, and his mischievous boy Sherman use their time machine, The WABAC, to go on the most outrageous adventures known to man or dog. But when Sherman takes The WABAC out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, they accidently rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in world history. Rated PG.
Non-Stop. Liam Neeson stars in a suspense thriller played out at 40,000 feet in the air. During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the airline to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Son of God. The New Testament gets a larger-than life treatment. Told with the scope and scale of an action epic, the film features exotic locales, dazzling visual effects and a rich orchestral score from Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer. Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado portrays Jesus as the film spans from his birth through his teachings, crucifixion and ultimate resurrection. It marks the first motion picture about Jesus’ life since “Passion of the Christ,” released 10 years ago. Rated PG-13.
The Lego Movie. (In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge.) An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together. With the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett and Morgan Freeman. Rated PG.
The Monuments Men. George Clooney and Matt Damon star in what passes for a true story in Hollywood about a special unit on the hunt for Nazi art plunder during World War II. Rated PG-13.
Ted Holteen and Associated Press
Need for Speed
(Playing at Durango Stadium 9. In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge.)
It takes a lot for a film based on a video game to impress a crowd these days, given the dazzling advancements in gaming technology. But “Need for Speed,” based on the hit EA Entertainment racing game that’s sold 150 million units, could now drive some of that success toward the box office.
Despite its clichéd elements, this adrenaline-fueled stunt fest is an unequivocal thrill that deserves to be seen on the big screen. Starring “Breaking Bad’s” Aaron Paul, “Need for Speed” is fiercely entertaining, loaded with beautiful cars, winding roads and racers in leather coats.
Since “Breaking Bad” ended last year, Paul has been making an impressive transition to film, starting with the indie drama “Hellion,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. In “Need for Speed,” he flexes his machismo as a street racer on a vendetta.
Following a two-year prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, mechanic and race driver Tobey Marshall (Paul) is determined to get revenge on Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), the man who framed him. To do so, Tobey drives from New York to California to battle Dino in a high-stakes race dubbed the De Leon.
Along for the ride are British car buff Julia (Imogen Poots) and Benny (Scott Mescudi, also known as recording artist Kid Cudi), the jovial airborne lookout of Tobey’s crew.
Written by first-timer George Gatins, who produced “She’s Out of My League,” the plot is heavy with questionable logic and monotonous dialogue. Modeled after classic 1960s and 1970s action films, where the cars were key, “Need for Speed” often attempts to be a dramatic thriller. But it’s best when consciously comical. Trite conventions, like Tobey’s brooding demeanor, punctuated by his deep monotone and acute stare, are effective, although overdone at times.
But Tobey isn’t always serious. When riding cross-country, the eccentric Julia gets him to loosen up. Their banter offers cute comedic relief and sets the stage for romance. Long gone are thoughts of his ex, Anita, played by upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” star Dakota Johnson, who tests out her siren potential – and achieves it. But it’s the sexy, witty and accessible Poots who really shines. Michael Keaton, as the ridiculously animated mystery man behind the De Leon race, is another highlight.
Compared to the “Fast & Furious” franchise by way of fast cars, harrowing races and a band of brothers connected mostly by loyalty, not blood, “Need for Speed” is more like an underdeveloped sibling. It lacks the brutal and brawny gentleman quotient, perhaps the most delicious feature of “Furious.” Still, the boyish good looks of Paul and Cooper are appealing. But could they really save us in a pinch? Vin Diesel’s Dom in “Furious” seems more reliable.
Easily the best parts of this ride are the thrilling stunts and races. Stuntman-turned-director Scott Waugh puts us right in the driver’s seat as cars exceed 120 mph and spin through the air. First-person camera angles keep the action immediate and personal, just like the video game. Additionally, overhead views offer a sweeping scope of the races as the drivers speed past vineyards in California’s Mendocino County, where the De Leon race scenes were filmed.
Though the pace remains mostly high-octane throughout, it drags in the beginning and during the final face-off. But overall, this flashy underworld of super-charged machinery and intense action is a blast.
“Need for Speed,” a DreamWorks release, is rated PG-13 for “sequences of reckless street racing, disturbing crash scenes, nudity and crude language.” Running time: 130 minutes. HHH out of four.
Jessica Herndon, AP Film Writer
Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club
(Playing at Durango Stadium 9)
(Not reviewed) When five struggling single moms put aside their differences to form a support group, they find inspiration and laughter in their new sisterhood, and help each other overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. Rated PG-13.
Repentance
(Playing at the Gaslight Cinema)
(Not reviewed) Years after a drunken car crash that almost took his life, Thomas Carter (Anthony Mackie) has reinvented himself as a therapist/spiritual advisor who advocates a synthesis of world religions and positivity. He’s parlayed this vocation into a successful book release that one day draws the attention of Angel Sanchez (Forest Whitaker), a profoundly troubled man fixated on the ‘untimely’ death of his mother. When Carter takes on Sanchez as a personal client in an effort to raise funds for his indebted brother Ben (Mike Epps), things quickly take a turn for the worse. Angel needs much more than a simple life coach. Rated R.
Stalingrad
(Playing at the Gaslight Cinema)
Big screen. Big effects. Big budget. Big box office.
It’s clear that Russian director Fedor Bondarchuk was going for something, well, big, with “Stalingrad,” the first-ever Russian film in IMAX 3D.
And in a sense, that’s perfectly apt, because it would be hard to overstate how large the Battle of Stalingrad looms in the Russian psyche. The crucial Soviet victory over the Nazis in the battle, which lasted six months and was one of the bloodiest in modern warfare, was a key turning point of World War II – or what the Russians call the Great Patriotic War.
And the rewards for Bondarchuk have been, yes, big, so far. “Stalingrad,” with a reported $30 million budget, is a giant hit in Russia – the studio calls it the highest-grossing Russian movie of all time – and also has done huge box office in China. Now, it’s coming to IMAX 3D screens in the United States for a week, during which the filmmakers hope to spark further interest.
The only problem is that the film, while certainly impressive in its effects and a few rock-’em sock-’em battle scenes, is sorely lacking in crucial areas, namely characterization and narrative. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter, if the film didn’t attempt to be not only a blockbuster but a heart-tugging, intimate story about bravery, endurance, sacrifice and love. To accomplish that, you need a compelling script and complex characters.
The movie begins in a peculiar way. Why, you might ask, are we in Japan? Turns out we’re at the scene of the Fukushima earthquake in 2011. Among the international rescuers is a Russian doctor, working to save young German tourists trapped in the rubble.
Flash back some 70 years to the autumn of 1942, and the raging battle for Stalingrad, the industrial city (now called Volgograd) that lies on the Volga River. In a spectacular scene, the Germans ignite their fuel supply and pour it down onto Red Army soldiers advancing from the river banks. But the Soviet men fight on, though they’re being burned alive.
From macro to micro: the focus shifts to an apartment building devastated by Nazi air strikes. There, a ragtag band of Soviet soldiers has established an outpost. Keeping the strategically located building in Soviet hands is crucial to stopping the Germans. There are five men, and one young woman: 18-year-old Katya (Mariya Smolnikova), who lives there and defiantly refuses to leave.
In this building – based loosely on a real one that became known as the Pavlov House – relationships form. The men first want Katya to leave, but a few wind up falling in love with her.
Meanwhile, the Nazis are trying to finish off the battle. An evil commander is bedeviled by head lice even as he murders women and children. The only vaguely sympathetic character is the officer Kahn (Thomas Kretschmann), who is handsome and apparently conflicted about what he is doing. He takes up with a local beauty named Masha (Yanina Studlina). He’ll fall in love with her, but the way he treats her before that will frankly make viewer sympathy rather implausible.
With the two women serving to humanize the narrative, the war proceeds. At times, you’ll be reminded the film is in 3D, as when a bullet comes flying through space.
We end up back in Japan, where the Russian doctor has been telling his story to the young Germans – he’s connected in a key way to that house in Stalingrad – and now we realize why we’re there. War is behind us. Nations are connected now in different ways.
It’s rather heavy-handed, as is the movie. But if Bondarchuk’s impressive visuals will lure some young people in to learn about an episode of history they know little about, maybe that’s not the worst crime.
“Stalingrad,” a Columbia Pictures release, is rated R for “sequences of war violence.” Running time: 135 minutes. HH out of four.
JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer
