Reel to reel | Week of November 22, 2012

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Chris Hemsworth is Australian. As if this whole film wasn\'t absurd.

ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina is acclaimed director Joe Wright’s bold, theatrical new vision of the epic story of love, stirringly adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s great novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). Rated R. At Esquire. –– Landmark Theatres

ARGO

Ben Affleck’s latest directing project (in which he also stars) is based on true events from the Iranian revolution in 1979. Militants storm the U.S. embassy and take 52 Americans hostage, and six Americans escape to the home of a Canadian ambassador. A CIA agent comes forward to get them out of the country before they’re found. Rated R. At Colony Square.

THE APARTMENT

Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon sparkle in this multiple Oscar-winning dark comedy of corporate ambition and infidelity centered around the use of an apartment. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

BELOVED

Starring Catherine Deneuve and (her real-life daughter) Chiara Mastroianni, this sly and exquisitely romantic musical drama spans more than three decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s misadventures in love. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

BON JOVI: INSIDE OUT

This tour documentary pulls together performances by the New Jersey rockers from shows in London, the New Meadowlands Stadium in northern New Jersey and Madison Square Garden. Not rated. At Century.

CASABLANCA

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman rekindle their past and stir up wartime intrigue in the most popular screen romance of all time. Rated PG. At Esquire. –– Landmark Theatres

CHASING ICE

Acclaimed National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

CLOUD ATLAS

This overly ambitious tale covers six stories written and directed by three people and multiple actors in multiple roles. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess and Hugo Weaving attempt to share intersecting tales of humanity and spirituality, some of which involve intergalactic travel and a cloned Asian woman who becomes a deity. The best art is unafraid to fail. This movie is definitely art. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb. Rated R. At Century.

THE FLAT

In his award-winning, emotionally riveting documentary, writer/director Arnon Goldfinger follows the hints his Israeli grandparents left behind to investigate long-buried family secrets and unravel the mystery of their painful past. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

FLIGHT

Denzel Washington stars in this action-packed mystery thriller as a seasoned pilot who saves his plane after a mid-air disaster, rescuing almost all his passengers. He’s dubbed a hero, but the plane’s malfunctions reveal something different. Rated R. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

HIGH GROUND

Eleven veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join an expedition to climb the 20,000-foot Himalayan giant Mount Lobuche. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

IN THE FAMILY

A 6-year-old has two dads until one dies suddenly in a car accident. He is taken from his remaining father when the dead man’s will names a sister as guardian. Years of acceptance into the family unravel as the survivor searches for a path to peace with the grieving family and ways to be closer to his son. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Cult animator and Academy Award nominee filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt has combined his recent “Bill” trilogy of short films into one seamless, beautiful, darkly comedic feature, blending traditional animation, experimental optical effects, trick photography and new digital hybrids printed out one frame at a time. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

KNUCKLEBALL!

Knuckleball! is the story of a few good men, a handful of pitchers in the entire history of baseball forced to resort to the lowest rung on the credibility ladder in their sport: throwing a ball so slow and unpredictable that no one wants anything to do with it. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

A LATE QUARTET

When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet receives a life-changing diagnosis, the group’s future suddenly hangs in the balance: suppressed emotions, competing egos and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. Rated R. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

LIFE OF PI 3D

See full review. Rated PG. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

LINCOLN

See full review. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

THE LOVED ONES

Lola Stone asked Brent Mitchell to the prom, but Brent said no, and now he’s screwed. What happens when Lola doesn’t get what she wants? She enlists Daddy’s help to throw a prom of her own, a prom where she is queen and Brent is king, whether he likes it or not. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: THE TEMPEST ENCORE

The Tempest is the rarest of rarities, an English-language opera. Based on the Shakespeare play, this staging is the premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Not rated. At Century.

MIAMI CONNECTION

The year is 1987. Motorcycle ninjas tighten their grip on Florida’s narcotics trade, viciously annihilating anyone who dares move in on their turf. Multinational martial arts synth rock band Dragon Sound has had enough, and embarks on a roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Four years earlier, Ruby was a vibrant medical student married to the love of her life, Derek. Now, she makes her way to the maximum security prison on the outskirts of town, where her love now resides. At Sie FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

The 1947 holiday classic, featuring Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood and lots of mentions of Macy’s. Not rated. At Century.

NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER’S AN EVENING WITH KYLIAN/INGER/WALERSKI

Jirí Kylián has been the artistic director and in-house choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater, an elite group of dancers who are considered “the most balletic modern dancers in the world.” (The Times) At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

NOBODY WALKS

Martine, a 23-year-old artist from New York, arrives in Los Angeles to stay in the pool house of a family living in the hip and hilly community of Silver Lake. Peter, the father, has agreed to help Martine complete sound design on her art film as a favor to his wife. At Sie FilmCenter –– Denver Film Society

THE OTHER SON

The Other Son is the moving and provocative tale of two young men — one Israeli, the other Palestinian — who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions for themselves and their respective families. Rated PG-13. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

A funny and touching coming-of-age story, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Rated PG-13. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

A Sundance award-winner, this is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

RED DAWN

In this remake of the 1984 movie, a group of teenagers seeks refuge in the woods and forms a guerilla group of fighters when their city is attacked by foreign forces. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS 3D

Childhood legends such as Santa Claus, Sandman and the Easter Bunny along with Jack Frost team up to protect the imagination and beliefs of children. Rated PG. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

SAMSARA

In Samsara, Sanskrit for “the ever-turning wheel of life,” filmmakers search for the elusive current of interconnection. Filmed over nearly five years in 25 countries, it dispenses with dialogue and descriptive text, and our own interpretations are inspired by sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites and natural wonders. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater

THE SESSIONS

Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California-based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, The Sessions tells the triumphant story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined — at age 38 — to lose his virginity. At Mayan and Century. –– Landmark Theatres.

SIMON AND THE OAKS

An epic drama spanning 1939 to 1952, Simon and the Oaks is the gripping story of Simon (played as an adult by Bill Skarsgård, son of Stellan), who grows up in a loving working class family on the outskirts of Gothenburg but always feels out of place. At Chez Artiste. –– Landmark Theatres

SKYFALL

While Daniel Craig has provided some entertaining moments as the world’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond purists have grumbled that Craig’s two films departed too greatly from the 22-film tradition of the womanizing spyhero. Skyfall is a return to form for 007. Action, beautiful dames, interesting gadgets and snappy one-liners abound in this thriller. No surprises there. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN

Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four teenaged girls. They live in different parts of the U.S., in different kinds of families and are united by one thing: All four were adopted from China because all four had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China’s “One Child Policy.” At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

TRANS

Trans is an extraordinary documentary feature about men and women, and all the variations in between. It is about the Transgender Community, perhaps the most misunderstood and mistreated minority in the world. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

This Must Be the Place is a visually striking, unpredictable dramatic comedy starring Sean Penn in one of his most unusual and acclaimed roles. Rated R. At Mayan. –– Landmark Theatres

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 2

In the ending to this romantic epic, the Cullens seek the help of other vampire clans to the newly born Renesmee and the family from the Volturi. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.

WAKE IN FRIGHT

The film tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of drunken, deranged derelicts while stranded in a small town in outback Australia. Rated R. At Sie FilmCenter. –– Denver Film Society

WRECK-IT RALPH (3D)

When a video game bad guy (John C. Reilly) grows tired of having to be mean, he abandons his game in search of more, winding up in a first-person shooter with a no-nonsense soldier (Jane Lynch) and a kart-racing game with a child (Sarah Silverman). Sweet, fluffy and loads of fun, beware that this isn’t a game changer even if it features lots of game characters. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb. Rated PG. At Century and Twin Peaks.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

A fresh and radical take on Emily Bronte’s classic, this adaptation forgoes period frills and strips Bronte’s story to its root of youthful passion, restoring its stark power for a modern audience. At Boedecker. –– Boedecker Theater