Reel to reel | Week of September 6, 2012

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2016: OBAMA’S AMERICA

A film by Dinesh D’Souza, author of Obama’s America: Unmaking the American Dream, speculates on how another four years of Obama as president would allow his sordid past to ruin America’s future. Rated PG. At Century.

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

See full review. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE APPARITION

A presence unleashed during a university parapsychology experiment haunts a young couple. Rated PG-13. At Century.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

Forget concerns about star power and familiarity. Fight to see this movie and to let it be seen. We have never needed a coming-of-age fable set against environmental and poverty concerns as much as we need this. And it is more than up to the challenge. Rated PG-13. At Century and Mayan. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

BELOVED

Catherine Deneuve and her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni star in this sexy yet exquisitely romantic musical drama that spans over three decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s misadventures in love. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE BOURNE LEGACY

As the Bourne series continues minus its star we find out about another super-secret spy program that produced super-secret super spies. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square, Landmark Theatre and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

BRAVE

A Disney princess who defies Disney princess stereotypes tries to save her kingdom. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square.

THE CAMPAIGN

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis play dueling politicians who are only slightly more addled and alarming than our real ones. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER

Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school and are a young married couple who are growing apart. Now 30, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, while Jesse is once again unemployed and in no particular rush to do anything with his life. At Esquire and Century. — Landmark Theatres

CHICAGO FARMER

Chicago Farmer is a documentary chronicling the life of modern folk musician Cody Diekhoff, also known as Chicago Farmer. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

COAST MODERN

A journey from Los Angeles to Vancouver, from 1922 up to the present, exploring modernist architecture on the West Coast. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

COMPLIANCE

Based on true events, Compliance tells the chilling story of just how far one might go to obey a figure of authority. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

COSMOPOLIS

Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson), a 28-year-old finance golden boy, watches a dark shadow cast over Wall Street. As he is chauffeured across midtown Manhattan to get a haircut at his father’s old barber, his anxious eyes are glued to the yuan’s exchange rate: It is mounting against all expectations, destroying Eric’s bet against it. At Century and Denver Film Center. — Denver Film Society

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Director
Christopher Nolan’s D.C. superhero legacy comes to an end as unwelcome
and reluctant hero Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) dons his cape and
deepens his voice once more. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and
Twin Peaks.

THE GRUEN EFFECT: VICTOR GRUEN AND THE SHOPPING MALL

The
Viennese architect Victor Gruen is considered the father of the
shopping mall. His urban planning ideas have led to cities that serve
the new gods of consumption. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film
Society

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS

The
latest installment in this series based on the popular books sends the
wimpy kid off on appropriately wimpy summer misadventures. Rated PG.
At Colony Square.

DOCTORED

Because
of the bravery of five chiropractors on trial, the medical industrial
complex is no longer blocking access to safe natural alternatives, pill
popping is giving way to smarter preventative care. At Denver
FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

DRIVERS WANTED/THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

Drivers Wanted reveals the impossibly eclectic community inhabiting NYC’s most famous taxi garage. In Academy Award nominated The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild their communities. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE EXPENDABLES 2

The Expendables reunite for a bloody film bulked up with a cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke. Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks.

FOR A GOOD TIME CALL

Two women with little in common team up to keep up with rent on a pretty New York apartment by launching a phone sex business. It’ll be like the girl version of a bro-movie, but instead of being vulgar, they’ll be smutty. Rated R. At Century.

THE HIGHEST PASS

Adam learns that his yogi guru, Anand, has discovered a prophecy that was printed on his birth chart ­— he would die in an accident at the age of 27. When Anand invites Adam to join him on a motorcycle journey through India’s Himalayas, he faces the question: Is truly living worth dying for? At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

HIT AND RUN

The story about a former getaway driver in the witness protection program collides into too many genres. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

HOPE SPRINGS

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play a married couple seeking to rekindle a big romance in the hands of a couples counselor (Steve Carell) in a small town. Tommy Lee at his most endearingly gruff and Meryl at her most blushingly flustered. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

THE IMPOSTER

A 13-year-old boy disappears without a trace from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive, thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. At Boedecker. — Landmark Theatres

INOCENTE/JAKE SHIMABUKURO: LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS

Inocente is a coming-of-age story of a 15-yearold girl in California. Though homeless and undocumented, she refuses to give up on her dream of being an artist. Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings is a portrait of an inventive musician whose virtuoso skills on the ukulele transform previous notions of the instrument. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE INTOUCHABLES

The Intouchables, by French writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is the inspiring true story of two men who should never have met — a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects. At Century and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

LAWLESS

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

LOVE FREE OR DIE

Gene Robinson is the first openly gay person to become a bishop in the historic traditions of Christendom. His consecration in 2003, to which he wore a bullet-proof vest, caused an international stir, and he has lived with death threats every day since. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

Superheroes team up to combat a threat to our planet. Rated PG-13. At Colony Sqaure.

MAX KENNEDY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

This film tells the tale of Max Kennedy, a Minuteman, modern day outlaw and anti-establishment dissident, over a period of one year. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

MODERN TIDE: MIDCENTURY ARCHITECTURE ON LONG ISLAND

This film explores the work of the best postwar architects and designers. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Once more, writer/director Wes Anderson dips his stylish pen into murky, melancholy tales of whimsy. This time out, the Royal Tenenbaums auteur follows a young “Khaki Scout” who flees from his troop and troop leader (Edward Norton) while camping on an island to unite with his prepubescent and troubled gal pal. At Mayan. ­— The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

MY KID COULD PAINT THAT

This documentary tracks the overnight celebrity of Marla Olmstead, a toddler who creates gallery-worthy paintings on the dining room table of her family home. When a 2005 profile by 60 Minutes suggests that Marla had help making her paintings, the finger is pointed at her father, an amateur artist and night manager at Frito Lay. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

A young couple learns to expect the unexpected when it comes to children in this frolicky romp of a story with too much shine to be taken seriously. Rated PG. At Century, Twin Peaks and Colony Square.

OPERA: LA BOHEME

The most romantic opera ever. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

PARANORMAN 3D

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) sees dead people. This comes in handy when a witch that haunts his hometown is on the verge of creating mass hysteria and destruction. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

THE POSSESSION

A little girl buys a box full of trouble at a yard sale. The spirit inside is determined to inhabit and then eat her. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

PREMIUM RUSH

A film that glorifies hipsters and their fixies and the promising career of bike messengers. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square, Landmark Theatre and Twin Peaks.

RICHARD BEGGS: SOPHIA COPPOLA’S SOMEWHERE

Richard Beggs is probably the world’s top sound designer. His films include Apocalypse Now (for which he received an Academy Award), Walker, Lost in Translation, and Children of Men. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

ROBOT & FRANK

Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: He buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. At Chez Artiste and Century. — Landmark Theatres

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

An unusual classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle Magazine employees to look for the story behind it. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

SAMSARA

“Samsara” is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and it is the point of departure for filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson (Baraka, Chronos) as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives. At Mayan. —Landmark Theatres

SCARLET ROAD

Scarlet Road follows the work of Australian sex worker Rachel Wotton. Impassioned about freedom of sexual expression and the rights of sex workers, she specializes in a long-overlooked clientele — people with disabilities. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE SEARCHERS

If John Ford is the greatest Western director, The Searchers is arguably his greatest film. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

A bootleg recording of a failed record produced in the U.S. found its way into apartheid South Africa and became a phenomenon. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

SÉRAPHINE

The true story of Séraphine Louis, aka Séraphine de Senlis, a profoundly devout housekeeper who in 1905 at age 41 — self-taught and with the instigation of her guardian angel — began painting brilliantly colorful canvases. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

SHORTS PACKAGE 1: THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

These shorts tell the stories of Scottish prisoners who get a second chance as hairdressers, Mexican immigrants who risk their lives rappeling down Chicago’s skyscrapers to wash windows and two journalists who were slain in New Baghdad by U.S. attack helicopters. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

SHORTS PACKAGE 2: IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY

The story of a man found without clothes, identification or memories who hasn’t been identified in seven years, miniature robots made for a stop-motion animated robot sex movie and a portrait of the band TV on the Radio. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

SHORTS PACKAGE: INTERSPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS

This series explores the relationships of former heroin addicts, Tansanian tribes, Czech immigrants, railroad crews to their work, and a 4-year-old girl to her food. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

TOTAL RECALL

Because the premise of implanted memories doesn’t sound problematic enough, this remake of the Schwarzenegger classic trips over its own action sequences in ways likely to make it totally forgettable. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square.

THE WELL-DIGGER’S DAUGHTER

A sun-soaked melodrama about a hard-working well-digger who is raising six girls on his own after the death of his wife. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE WORDS

Those lessons about plagiarism just didn’t stick, but now the guilt has a firm hold on a writer who made his fame with someone else’s novel in The Words. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.