reel to reel | Week of August 18, 2011

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30 Minutes Or Less

See full review on Page 53. Rated R. At Flatiron, Century, Colony and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

9500 Liberty

Prince William County, Va., becomes ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy when elected officials adopt a law requiring police officers to question anyone they have “probable cause” to suspect is an undocumented immigrant. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Another Earth

On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes, and the lives of two strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Rated PG-13. At Chez Artiste and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest is a documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

Blow Out

B-movie soundman Jack Terri (John Travolta) has heard it all in his line of work — until he accidentally records a murder. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Buck

Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback, travels the country for nine months a year helping horses with people problems. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Captain America: The First Avenger

Steve Rogers is a scrawny guy who is transformed into a World War II super-soldier in Captain America: The First Avenger, the latest comic book adaptation to invade theaters. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Detroit Free Press/MCT

Cars 2

Anthropomorphic automobiles head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix in this sequel to the 2006 animated film Cars. Rated G. At Flatiron. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Change-Up

Two friends — a married lawyer and a freewheeling slacker — somehow switch bodies and try to avoid ruining each other’s lives. Rated R. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Company

Neil Patrick Harris leads an all-star cast including Patti Lupone, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer and Martha Plimpton. Stephen Sondheim’s Company was nominated for 14 Tonys, winning Best Musical, Best Score and Best Lyrics. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Conan the Barbarian

Take away much of the myth, most of the sorcery and all of the humor of the 1982 John Milius- Arnold Schwarzenegger version of the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian, and you’ve got an idea of what the new Conan is like. Rated R. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Roger Moore/MCT

Cowboys & Aliens

Jon Favreau directs this Western about an amnesiac (Daniel Craig) in 1873 who stumbles into an Arizona town ruled by a ruthless rancher (Harrison Ford) who doesn’t take kindly to strangers. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Think Eat Pray Love for guys. This comedy centers on a happily married Cal (Steve Carell), whose world unravels when he finds out his high-schoolsweetheart wife (Julianne Moore) is cheating on him and wants a divorce. Suddenly Cal must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of the dating pool. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Crime After Crime

In 1983, Deborah Peagler, a woman brutally abused by her boyfriend, was sentenced to 25 years to life for her connection to his murder. Twenty years later, as she languished in prison, a California law allowing incarcerated domesticviolence survivors to reopen their cases was passed. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

The Devil’s Double

Summoned from the front line to Saddam Hussein’s palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper, An Education) is thrust into the highest echelons of the “royal family” when he’s ordered to become the fiday — or body double — to Saddam’s son, Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper). At Mayan. — Landmark Theatre

Final Destination 5

See full review on Page 53. Rated R. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

Fright Night

In this remake of the 1985 film, a popular student trying to enjoy his senior year in high school discovers that his new neighbor is a vampire and must find a way to vanquish him. Rated R. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Friends with Benefits

“No relationship. No emotions. Just sex!” So says the website art director played by Justin Timberlake to the executive headhunter played by Mila Kunis. Rated R. At Flatiron. — Michael Phillips

The Future

When 30-something couple Sophie (writer/director Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) decide to adopt a stray cat, their perspective on life changes radically, literally altering the course of time and space and testing their faith in each other and themselves. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie

Haters, head for the door. But Gleeks? Get your Glee on. Glee: The 3D Concert Movie may be as spontaneous as a Pringles commercial, with cast members of the hit TV series re-creating — on stage — their biggest musical moments. Rated PG. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Roger Moore/MCT

The Guard

Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang — one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straitlaced FBI agent. At Mayan and Century. — Landmark Theatres

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

In the new film, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is still hunting Horcruxes, which contain amounts of Voldemort’s (played by Ralph Fiennes) soul. The so-called Elder Wand, stolen from the crypt of Harry’s mentor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), must be put into the right hands. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips

The Help

Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer star in this adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel as women in 1960s Mississippi who form an unlikely bond that shatters societal mores of the era. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century and Colony Square. — Rene Rodriguez

Horrible Bosses We’ve all had them. We’ve all had to suffer their indignities — or else just quit our jobs. But three friends come up with an alternative to dealing with their monstrous bosses with the help of an ex-con. Rated R. At Flatiron and Century. — Rene Rodriguez

House

A hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home, only to come face to face with evil spirits, bloodthirsty pianos and a demonic housecat. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

I AM

I AM is an utterly engaging and entertaining nonfiction film that poses two practical and provocative questions: what’s wrong with our world, and what can we do to make it better? Featuring Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and Coleman Barks. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

Life, Above All

Just after the death of her newly born sister, 12-year-old Chanda learns of a rumor that has spread like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. The rumor destroys her family and forces her mother (Lerato Mvelase) to flee. Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. At Chez Artiste and Boedecker. — Landmark Theatres

Midnight in Paris

A lark, a souffle, a delightful shaggy-dog story with Owen Wilson as its shaggy hero. What’s he doing in a Woody Allen movie about a B-list screenwriter who time-travels from the present to the Jazz Age? Disarming the audience with his wistful joie de vivre, that’s what. Rated PG-13. At Century and Mayan. — Carrie Rickey

The Myth of the American Sleepover

In the tradition of free-wheeling tributes to adolescence, the film follows four young people (a cast of brilliant newcomers in their feature film debuts) on the last night of summer — their final night of freedom before the new school year starts. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Nine Nation Animation

The World According to Shorts presents a selection of recent award-winning animated short films from the world’s most renowned festivals. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

One Day

This movie follows a man and woman’s relationship over 20 years, revisiting them each year on the exact day that they first entered each other’s lives. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

Page One: Inside The New York Times

With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, Page One chronicles the transformation of the media industry. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax­. — Landmark Theatres

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Genetic experiments on primates lead to them developing intelligence and eventually battling humans for supremacy. Rated PG-13. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Salvation Boulevard

Salvation Boulevard is a modern comedy based on the book of the same title by Larry Beinhart (Wag The Dog) about Pastor Dan Day, a charismatic evangelical preacher (Pierce Brosnan) who has captivated a small Western American town with his charm — and the promise of a sweet real estate development. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Sarah’s Key

Sarah, a 10-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families. To protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard — their secret hiding place — and promises to come back for him when they are released. At Century and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Shoot the Piano Player

The film is loosely based on the novel Down There by David Goodis. It shares the novel’s bleak plot about a man hiding from his shattered life by doing the only thing he knows how to do, while remaining unable to escape the past. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

The Sleeping Beauty

French provocateur Catherine Breillat continues her deconstruction of classic fairytales. While in slumber, this sleeping beauty comes of age through a series of vivid dreams. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

The Smurfs

A Smurfs movie was probably inevitable. But doesn’t this feel as if it’s arriving a decade late? Rated PG. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

In 19th-century China, 7-year-old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong — or “old sames” — bound together for eternity. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

Spork

Junior high isn’t easy for anyone — especially if you’re a frizzy-haired, pink-cheeked hermaphrodite like Spork. Neither a spoon nor a fork, but rocking elements of both utensils, Spork could use some magic to make life sparkle. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

A retired secret agent who has her hands full with a new baby and twin step-kids is called back into action to battle a supervillain and gets help from her family. Rated PG. At Flatiron, Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Director Tobe Hooper’s horror classic is a gruesome reminder that a movie need not be complicated to scare the daylights out of viewers. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax­. — Landmark Theatres

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the family’s eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

True Stories

Talking Heads frontman David Byrne co-wrote, composed, directed and stars in this quirky musical journey into the odder side of small-town America. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

The Whistleblower

Kathy (Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz) is an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

The Woodmans

A fascinating, unflinching portrait of the late photographer Francesca Woodman, told through the young artist’s work and remarkably candid interviews with her artist parents Betty and George. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater