Movie guide | 4-25-14
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.
Opening in Hollywood this week
“Alphaville” — A new digital restoration of the 1965 sci-fi noir about a dystopian future controlled by a cloud-like computer known as Alpha 60. With Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina and Akim Tamiroff. Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. In French with English subtitles. (1:39) NR.
“Bible Quiz” — A documentary following a 17-year-old girl as she memorizes books of the Bible on a quest to win the National Bible Quiz Championship and the heart of her quiz team captain. Directed by Nicole Teeny. (1:15) NR.
“Blue Ruin” — After learning the man who murdered his parents is being released from prison, a Virginia drifter sets out for vengeance but gets in over his head. With Macon Blair, Devin Ratray and Amy Hargreaves. Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. (1:32) R.
“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.
“Cesar’s Last Fast” — A documentary about the late labor leader Cesar Chavez and his 36-day hunger strike in 1988 to draw attention to the effects of pesticide use on farm workers. Directed by Richard Ray Perez. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles. (1:40) NR.
“The Final Member” — A documentary about the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Husavik, which is dedicated to preserved male genitalia of all manner of mammals but lacks a human specimen. Directed by Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math. (1:12) R.
“The German Doctor” — An Argentinean family starting over in a small town in Patagonia in 1960 welcome a German doctor into their home, unaware that they are harboring one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. With Alex Brendemuhl, Natalia Oreiro and Diego Peretti. Written and directed by Lucia Puenzo. (1:33) PG- 13.
“Last Passenger” — An overworked doctor and his young son heading home on the last train from London find themselves and their fellow passengers at the mercy of a sociopath who has taken control of the train. With Dougray Scott and Kara Tointon. Written by Omid Nooshin and Andy Love. Directed by Nooshin. (1:37) R.
“Locker 13” — Over the course of an evening, a construction manager juggles major personal and professional challenges from the front seat of his car. With Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson and Olivia Colman. Written and directed by Steven Knight. (1:25) R.
“The Machine” — Two computer programmers fall in love while creating the world’s first self-aware artificial intelligence, but things take a disastrous turn when the British government commandeers their creation and weaponizes it. With Toby Stephens, Caity Lotz and Denis Lawson. Written and directed by Caradog W. James. (1:31) R.
“Next Goal Wins” — A documentary following the efforts of the American Samoa national soccer team — for 17 years the winless, lowest-ranked team in FIFA — to qualify for the 2014 World Cup with the help of a renowned Dutch coach. Directed by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. (1:30) NR.
“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.
“Walking With the Enemy” — During World War II, a Hungarian Jew impersonates a Nazi officer and initiates a series of daring rescues while so disguised. With Jonas Armstrong, Hannah Tointon and Ben Kingsley. Written by Kenny Golde. Directed by Mark Schmidt. (2:06) PG-13.
“We Could Be King” — A documentary about the merger of two rival Philadelphia high schools because of budget cuts and how the school’s young football coach and a new principal try to persevere. Directed by Judd Ehrlich. (1:20) 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.
“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.
“Divergent” — In a future world where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities, a young woman who doesn’t fit into a single group discovers a conspiracy to destroy those like her. With Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Jai Courtney. Written by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. Directed by Neil Burger. (2:20) 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.
“Hateship Loveship” — A shy housekeeper falls victim to a mean-spirited prank when the teenage girl she is hired to look after initiates a fake correspondence between the woman and the girl’s father, a recovering drug addict. With Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce and Hailee Steinfeld. Written by Alice Munro and Mark Poirier. Directed by Liza Johnson. (1:42) 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.
“Non-Stop” — During a flight from New York City to London, a U.S. air marshal receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding a $150 million ransom, or a passenger on the flight will be killed every 20 minutes. With Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. Written by John W. Richardson, Chris Roach and Ryan Engle. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. (1:45) 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.
“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.