Reel to reel | Week of July 11, 2013

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20 Feet From Stardom

Director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Becoming Traviata

The reinvention of Verdi’s masterpiece, La Traviata, as sung by world-famous French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay, is the subject of this documentary. For more than two months, in rehearsal rooms and behind the scenes we see director Jean-Francois Sivadier strip away the grandiosity normally associated with opera and follow a minimalist post-punk approach, retaining the ageless passion. With music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Before Midnight

Jesse and Celine first met in their 20s in Before Sunrise, reunited in their 30s in Before Sunset and now, in director/co-writer Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight, they face the past, present and future. Rated R. At Century, Mayan and Esquire.

Between Us

In this darkly comedic drama, two couples reunite over two incendiary evenings where anything can happen. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

The Bling Ring

The Bling Ring tells the story of a group of teenagers who burglarize celebrities’ homes in Los Angeles. Rated R. At Chez Artiste — Landmark Theatres

Byzantium

Byzantium is director Neil Jordan’s sexy and stylish fantasy thriller about mother and daughter vampires dealing with the pitfalls of eternal life. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Despicable Me

Super-villain Gru adopts three girls as part of an evil plan to steal a shrink ray from his nemesis but doesn’t plan on the girls becoming family. At Boulder Outdoor Cinema.

Despicable Me 2

It’s time for more Minion madness as this animated sequel starring the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand and others is sure to be a family favorite. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Elemental

An Indian water official campaigns to clean the polluted Ganges river; an indigenous Canadian activist crusades against the development of the Alberta tar sands; and an Australian inventor struggles to find funding for his nature-inspired solutions. Focusing more on the environmentalists than the issues they’re facing, this documentary reveals three fascinating portraits of the people behind movements. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story

One man’s wild, lifelong adventure of testing society’s boundaries through his subversive art, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough combines traditional documentary storytelling with original animation culled from seven decades worth of art from Tomi Ungerer, the renegade children’s book author and illustrator. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Fill the Void

Eighteen-year-old Shira (Hadas Yaron), the youngest daughter in an Orthodox Hasidic family from Tel Aviv, is about to be married off to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true, and Shira feels prepared and excited. But on Purim, her 28-year-old sister, Esther (Renana Raz), dies while giving birth to her first child, and the pain and grief that overwhelm the family postpone Shira’s promised match. At Chez Artiste.

Grown Ups 2

This sequel to Grown Ups features Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade learning lessons from their kids on the last day of school. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

Hannah Arendt

The sublime Barbara Sukowa re-teams with director Margarethe von Trotta for her brilliant new biopic of Hannah Arendt. At Boedecker and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

The Heat

A foul-mouthed, dirty methods cop (played by Melissa McCarthy) is forced to team up with a suit-wearing, micro-managing FBI agent (Sandra Bullock) to go after a drug lord. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

The History of Future Folk

The History of Future Folk tells the hilarious (and possibly exaggerated) origin story of the real-life alien bluegrass band Future Folk, which has been charming NYC audiences with its live act for the better part of a decade. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society.

The Hot Flashes

The Hot Flashes is about a basketball team of under-appreciated middle-aged Texas women, all former high school champs, who challenge the current high school girls’ state champs to raise money for breast cancer prevention. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

How to Make Money Selling Drugs

A shockingly candid examination of how a street dealer can rise to cartel lord with relative ease. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society.

The Lone Ranger

There is much action and killing as the Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) and Tonto (Johnny Depp) take to the western landscape in this TV-to-cinema redo. Rated PG- 13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.

Maniac

Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society.

Man of Steel

The reboot of the Superman series focuses on Clark Kent’s childhood and transformation into a superhero after being transported to Earth from Krypton. Rated PG- 13. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

Monsters University

This prequel to Monsters, Inc. follows Mike and Sulley through their scare training and their attempts to join the best fraternity. Rated G. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

More Than Honey

Markus Imhoof, whose family has kept honeybees for three generations, travels the globe investigating the mystery of bees dying off in large numbers. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Much Ado About Nothing

A series of comic and tragic events conspire to keep two couples from truly finding happiness — but then again, perhaps love will prevail. Rated PG-13. At Esquire and Century. — Landmark Theatres

Mud

When two boys discover a mysterious stranger hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River, their lives and those of everyone in their small town are changed forever. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square.

Now You See Me

The world’s greatest illusionists take to robbing corporate bad guys and giving the spoils to their fans, all the while avoiding capture by the feds. Think magic Robin Hoods. Rated PG-13. At Century.

One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das

One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das follows young musician Jeffrey Kagel’s journey to India and back, his struggles with depression and drug abuse and his eventual emergence as Krishna Das — the world-renowned spiritual teacher, chant master and Grammy-nominated recording artist. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society.

Pacific Rim

When giant monsters rise from the Pacific Ocean, mankind turns to massive robots piloted by soldiers to defeat them. The robots aren’t enough, however, and an unlikely team must find a way to save mankind. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

An introvert freshman is taken under the wings of two seniors who welcome him to the real world. At Boulder Library. — Boulder Public Library

Primer

By day, a small group of engineers work for a large corporation. By night, they conduct extracurricular experiments in their garage. While tweaking their latest project, they accidentally discover it has highly unexpected capabilities — ones that may enable them to do and gain anything they conceive. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

The Rabbi’s Cat

Based on the best-selling graphic novel of Algeria in the 1930s, an intersection of Jewish, Arab and French culture, this animation tells the story of a rabbi and his cat — a sharp-tongued feline philosopher brimming with scathing humor and a less than pure love for the rabbi’s voluptuous teenage daughter. Not rated. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Globe-trotting archaeologist Indiana Jones races the Nazis for possession of the long-lost Ark of the Covenant in this breathtakingly exciting adventure. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

The Room

The Room is an electrifying American black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies, starring writer/director Tommy Wiseau as a successful banker with a great respect for — and dedication to — the people in his life, especially his future wife Lisa. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

The Sapphires

Inspired by a true story, the dramatic comedy The Sapphires follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all-girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

Shadow Dancer

This conspiracy thriller set around an act of betrayal within a tight-knit family stars Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson. A woman is arrested for her part in an aborted IRA bomb plot in London and offered a choice: lose everything and go to prison or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Star Trek Into Darkness

When the crew of the Enterprise returns to earth it finds the whole place in chaos. Captain Kirk takes his merry band of space pals to a forbidding prison planet to restore order and exact revenge. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square.

Streets of Fire

Romance and violence collide in this rock n’ roll fantasy set against a background of highly stylized urban decay. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

This is the End

When the apocalypse hits, six friends — fictional versions of James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson — find out what true friendship really means. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

Unfinished Song

Unfinished Song is a funny and inspiring comedic drama about curmudgeonly pensioner Arthur, who is reluctantly inspired by his beloved wife Marion to join a highly unconventional local seniors choir. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

The Way, Way Back

A lonely and awkward yet intelligent teenage boy, Duncan, begins his transition into adulthood over the course of one transformative summer. At Century and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

White House Down

A reluctant hero steps in to save the president when the White House comes under attack. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

World War Z

As the zombie apocalypse hits, a retired UN worker must find a way to stop the pandemic and save the world. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.

Also at the SIE FilmCenter

A Band Called Death, V/H/S 2, The Human Scale, Rock The Casbah, and SOMM.