Movie guide | 5-2-14
Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted.
Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted.
Opening in Hollywood this week
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” — The wall-crawling superhero Spider-Man tries to balance his ordinary life as Peter Parker with his extraordinary responsibilities, while confronting powerful new enemies. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan. Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner. Directed by Marc Webb. In 3-D and Imax. (2:22) PG-13.
“Bad Johnson” — An inveterate womanizer gets his comeuppance when his penis mysteriously leaves his body and takes human form. With Cam Gigandet, Nick Thune and Jamie Chung. Written by Jeff Tetreault. Directed by Huck Botko. (1:28) NR.
“Belle” — A biographical drama about Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral, as she navigates 18th century British high society. With Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Sarah Gadon. Written by Misan Sagay. Directed by Amma Asante. (1:45) PG-13.
“Bicycling With Moliere” — A French soap opera star embarrassed by his fame approaches his friend, a curmudgeonly fellow actor, to stage a production of Moliere’s “The Misanthrope.” With Fabrice Luchini and Lambert Wilson. Written and directed by Philippe Le Guay. In French and Italian, with English subtitles. Strand Releasing (1:44) NR.
“Decoding Annie Parker” — Two women — a geneticist and a cancer patient who lost her mother and sister to the disease — devote their lives to proving a link between heredity and cancer. With Helen Hunt, Samantha Morton and Aaron Paul. Written by Adam Bernstein, Steven Bernstein and Michael Moss. Directed by Steven Bernstein. (1:31) R.
“Farmland” — A documentary following the lives of six young ranchers and farmers. Directed by James Moll. (1:17) NR.
“For No Good Reason” — A documentary portrait of the British artist Ralph Steadman, best known for his work with the author Hunter S. Thompson. Directed by Charlie Paul. (1:29) R.
“Friended to Death” — After being fired from his dream job and ditched by his best friend, a social-media junkie fakes his death online to see who will show up at his funeral, and his scheme begins snowballing out of control. With Ryan Hansen, Zach McGowan and James Immekus. Written and directed by Sarah Smick. (1:34) R.
“Ida” — In 1962 Poland, an 18-year-old orphan preparing to become a nun at the convent where she has lived since being orphaned as a child learns that she has a living aunt she must visit before taking her vows, and their meeting leads to startling revelations. With Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska and Dawid Ogrodnik. Written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Directed by Pawlikowski. In Polish with English subtitles. (1:20) PG-13.
“Journey of a Female Comic” — A documentary about the Latina actress, writer, producer and TV personality Kiki Melendez. Directed by Melendez and Erick M. Crespo. (1:28) PG.
“Mr. Jones” — An artist couple who have just moved to a remote cabin to focus on their work become curious about their new neighbor, a famously reclusive artist who is best left alone. With Sarah Jones, Jon Foster and Mark Steger. Written and directed by Karl Mueller. (1:24) PG-13.
“The M Word” — At a struggling Los Angeles TV station, a children’s show actress leads her female colleagues as new management arrives from New York on a cost-cutting mission. With Tanna Frederick, Michael Imperioli and Gregory Harrison. Written and directed by Henry Jaglom. (1:51) R.
“Tanzania: A Journey Within” — A documentary following two friends, a privileged young American woman and a Tanzanian scientist-philosopher, who embark on a life-changing journey across the East African nation. Directed by Sylvia Caminer. (1:42) NR.
“Unclaimed” — A documentary following a Vietnam veteran on a quest to uncover the true identity of a man claiming to be a Special Forces soldier living in a remote village in present-day Vietnam, decades after being listed MIA. Directed by Michael Jorgensen. (1:17) NR.
“Walk of Shame” — A resourceful reporter’s one-night stand with a handsome stranger leaves her stranded the next morning without a phone, car, ID or money, and only eight hours before an important job interview. With Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden and Gillian Jacobs. Written and directed by Steven Brill. (1:32) R.
“Where We Started” — Two married strangers meet at a roadside motel one night, and as their initial attraction develops, they’re forced to confront their reasons for crossing a line they know they shouldn’t. With Matthew Brumlow and Cora Vander Broek. Written and directed by Chris Hansen. (1:33) NR.
Also in theaters
“Bears” — A nature documentary following a year in the life of a bear family in Alaska with two impressionable young cubs. Narrated by John C. Reilly. Directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey. (1:17) G.
“Brick Mansions” — An undercover cop in dystopian Detroit teams with a local hood on a mission to stop a gang with access to a weapon of mass destruction. With Paul Walker, David Belle and Rza. Written by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri. Directed by Camille Delamarre. (1:29) PG-13.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” — While still adjusting to the modern world, the superhero Captain America returns to action alongside the Black Widow and a new ally, the Falcon, to thwart a conspiracy orchestrated by a formidable new enemy, the Winter Soldier. With Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. (2:16) PG-13.
“Draft Day” — On the day of the NFL draft, the general manager of the Cleveland Browns trades for the No. 1 pick and has the onerous task of saving football in his city. With Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner and Denis Leary. Written by Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman. Directed by Ivan Reitman. (1:49) PG-13.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” — At a European hotel between the wars, a concierge and a lobby boy get mixed up in the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune. With Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Edward Norton and Saoirse Ronan. Written and directed by Wes Anderson. (1:40) R.
“A Haunted House 2” — After moving on from his demonically possessed ex-girlfriend and starting over with a new love and her two kids, a man is once again plagued by bizarre paranormal events. With Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly and Gabriel Iglesias. Written by Wayans and Rick Alvarez. Directed by Michael Tiddes. (1:27) R.
“Heaven Is for Real” — When their young son awakens after a near-death experience, a small-town couple are stunned by his claims that he visited heaven and encountered biblical figures and deceased relatives. With Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly and Connor Corum. Written by Randall Wallace and Christopher Parker. Directed by Wallace. (1:40) PG.
“The Lego Movie” — In this animated film, an ordinary Lego figure is mistaken for the person meant to save the world and drafted into a quest to stop an evil tyrant. With the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett. Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. In 3-D. (1:41) PG.
“Mr. Peabody and Sherman” — In this animated film, a genius dog and his mischievous boy set out to undo the damage caused when the latter takes their time machine for a joy ride to impress a girl. With the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter and Allison Janney. Written by Craig Wright. Directed by Rob Minkoff. In 3-D. (1:22) PG.
“Muppets Most Wanted” — While performing on an international tour, the Muppets gang find themselves unwittingly embroiled in an international crime caper. With Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey. Written by James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller. Directed by Bobin. (1:52) PG.
“Noah” — A man is chosen by God for a great task before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world. With Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone and Emma Watson. Written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel. Directed by Aronofsky. (2:17) PG-13.
“Oculus” — A woman tries to exonerate her brother, recently released from a juvenile mental institution, for the murder of their parents by proving that they were killed by an antique mirror. With Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites and Rory Cochrane. Written by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard. Directed by Flanagan. (1:44) R.
“The Other Woman” — After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman strikes up an unlikely friendship with the man’s wife, and the two plot their revenge — with help from yet another of his mistresses. With Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kate Upton. Written by Melissa Stack. Directed by Nick Cassavetes. (1:50) R.
“The Quiet Ones” — Following the theory that paranormal activity is caused by negative energy, an unorthodox professor leads his students in an experiment to create a poltergeist, with terrifying consequences. With Jared Harris, Sam Claflin and Erin Richards. Written by Craig Rosenberg, Oren Moverman and John Pogue. Directed by Pogue. (1:38) PG-13.
“Rio 2” — Traveling from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon rainforest, a family of birds get acquainted with the wild in this sequel to the 2011 animated film “Rio.” With the voices of Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement and Tracy Morgan. Written by Don Rhymer, Carlos Kotkin, Jenny Bicks and Yoni Brenner. Directed by Carlos Saldanha. (1:41) G.
“Transcendence” — When a scientist researching artificial intelligence is mortally wounded by anti-technology extremists, his wife and best friend upload his consciousness online, but his thirst for knowledge evolves into a relentless quest for power. With Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall and Kate Mara. Written by Jack Paglen. Directed by Wally Pfister. (1:59) PG-13.
