Recent Stories
Darling Companion ** (PG-13)
This near-miss drama is especially disappointing, since its stellar cast includes Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Diane Wiest, Richard Jenkins and Sam Shepard, under the previously masterful guidance of Lawrence Kasdan.
Headhunters ***½ (R)
Norway is not high on anyone’s list of sources for our domestic theater consumption, but it’s picking up some momentum. Troll Hunters was a pretty cool contemporary horror flick, adroitly mixing legend with sci-fi. This one does a nice job of serving up a twisty, gory crime thriller. The title refers to the corporate-recruiting definition of the term, not ancient tribal rites.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting ** (PG-13)
The popular advice book for impending parenthood loosely forms the underpinnings for this sentimental ensemble comedy, featuring several couples in various stages of adding children to their lives. Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez Elizabeth Banks and Anna Kendrick are among the moms-to-be - each with a significantly different set of circumstances.
Bernie **** (PG-13)
Zany slapstick actors usually have a shelf life. After a certain age, they need to move on or move aside. For Jim Carrey, after making a mint from his Ace Ventura-type roles, the shift to maturity began superbly with The Truman Show, leading to a fine career extension.
Dictator, The ***½ (R)
Subtlety, thy name ne’er has been, nor ne’er shall be, Sacha Baron Cohen. Ever since the British comic flummoxed politicos, academics and experts of all fields with the outrageous questions posed by his Ali G persona in a mock TV interview format, he’s been a cult icon.
Dark Shadows **½ (PG-13)
If anyone has mastered the delicate balance between the comic and the macabre, it’s Tim Burton. From Beetlejuice, through Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow and Corpse Bride, he’s mixed them in different ratios...and quite successfully, with or without Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter in front of his cameras.
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The **** (PG-13)
Since we’re outsourcing so many jobs, why not do the same for the medical and residential care of our seniors? That’s the premise of this British dramedy, based on a novel.
Marvel’s The Avengers **** (PG-13)
For many, summer begins when temperatures rise, the school year ends, the calendar says so, or certain plants blossom. For moviegoers, it’s the arrival of the first big-budget, big f/x action flick. Let the summer begin, as a slew of Marvel’s superheroes unite to save Earth from alien invaders.
Damsels in Distress **** (PG-13)
This high rating is for the originality of this eccentric low-key comedy, rather than for any likely universal appeal. The titular characters are coeds at a small Christian college in a gauzy time warp that could range from the late 1950s to the present.
Fairy, The **** (NR)
Films don’t come more whimsical, charming and off-kilter than this French comedy. Dom is a lonely daydreaming night clerk in a seedy little Le Havre hotel who could be the poster boy for nerds, in the most sympathetic sense of the term. He meets Fiona, who may or may not be a wish-granting Fairy.
