Reel to reel | Week of December 27, 2012

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Helena Bonham Carter in a role that requires an accent? Shocking.

ANNA KARENINA

Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel of love and infidelity comes to life thanks to director Joe Wright. A unique narrative device illuminates the theatrical behavior of the randy Russian nobles who can’t seem to help trying to sleep with each other’s spouses. In the end, it’s a costume drama, with a Masterpiece Theatre feel, but fans of the novel and the genre will enjoy this version. Rated R. At Century and Esquire. — The Reader of Omaha Neb.

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, but 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.

BROOKLYN CASTLE

The remarkable and improbable story of I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, where 65 percent of the students live below the poverty level, yet it has the highest-ranked junior high chess team in the nation. The film’s heart lies in the journey of each of the students on the team. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were arrested and charged for brutally attacking and raping a white female jogger in Central Park. News media swarmed the case, calling it “the crime of the century.” But the truth about what really happened didn’t become clear until after the five had spent years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

DJANGO UNCHAINED

A slave in the 1850s South is set free by a bounty hunter, but the two stick together, searching for wanted criminals — and the wife that the slave lost years earlier. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

THE GUILT TRIP

Before setting off on one of the biggest trips of his life, Andy Brewster makes a quick stop at his mom’s house and unexpectedly picks her up to join on his personal adventure. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square 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. With blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer and a team of Everest summiters as their guides, they set out on an emotional and gripping climb to reach the top in an attempt to heal the emotional and physical wounds of the longest war in U.S. history. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

HITCHCOCK

Lurking behind Alfred Hitchcock — cinema’s “master of suspense” and the extraordinary film icon known for orchestrating some of the most intense experiences of menace and intrigue audiences have ever seen — was a hidden side: his creatively explosive romance with his steadfast wife and filmmaking collaborator, Alma Reville. At Mayan. –– Landmark Theatres

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY 3D

Peter Jackson goes back for an Unexpected Journey that produces expected results, as this adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original endeavor into hobbits and wizards is every bit as good as the fantastically successful Lord of the Rings series (and is, in some ways, even better). Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

HOLY MOTORS

Over the course of a day, Monsieur Oscar travels by limousine around Paris to a series of nine “appointments,” transforming into new characters or incarnations at each stop. At SIE FilmCenter. — Landmark Theatres

JACK REACHER

The tough-as-nails main character of 17 Lee Child crime thriller novels is brought to the screen in this film, an adaptation of the book One Shot. The 6-foot-5 protagonist, portrayed by the 5-foot-7 Tom Cruise, uncovers a plot to frame an Army veteran. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

A LATE QUARTET

Set in iconic New York City and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener as members of a world-renowned string quartet who, despite their passion for music, struggle to stay together when their patriarch is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The repercussions hit the group deeper than they could imagine, with power struggles and illicit affairs. Rated R. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

LES MISERABLES

The classic tale about the survival of the human spirit featuring an all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Sacha Baron Cohen. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

LIFE OF PI 3D

A storm ravages a boat carrying a zookeeper’s family and menagerie, and the only survivors are the family’s son, Pi, and a Bengal tiger, coyly named Richard Parker. The film follows the odd couple’s lifeboat as Pi devises ways to stay alive and tame his beastly companion. Shot in 3-D, the film is a visual feast and is an almost certain to receive a Best Picture nomination. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

LINCOLN

This is all about the creation of the penny. OK, kidding. This is Daniel Day-Lewis proving he’s the best there is (maybe ever) embodying the emancipatory president as he works to get the 13th Amendment through a divided Congress in the midst of war. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

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. Multi-national 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

MONSTERS, INC. 3D

This Pixar feature returns to the silver screen in 3D. Sully and Mike have to figure out what to do with a little girl named Boo who has followed them back into the world of monsters. Rated G. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS

In May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario, to downtown Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall, where he intimately performed the last two nights of his solo world tour. Along the drive, Young recounted insightful and introspective stories from his youth to filmmaker Jonathan Demme. At Boedecker — Boedecker Theater

NORTH SEA TEXAS

Pim lives with his ex-beauty-queen single mother in a small town on the Belgian coast. Introverted, he spends his childhood drawing and dreaming up fantasy lives while keeping his emerging desires a secret. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

A grandfather and his wife face new challenges when they baby-sit their three grandchildren while the parents are away, and they find they must adjust their methods when faced with the problems of a younger generation. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS 3D

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

RUST AND BONE

Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard gives a tour-de-force performance in Rust and Bone that rivals anything she has done before. She plays Stéphanie, a whale trainer at a marineland on the French Riviera who suffers a devastating injury. Rated R. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

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). At Boedecker and SIE FilmCenter. — Landmark Theatres

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

The incredible and true story of Rodriguez, the greatest ’70s rock icon who never was. Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late ’60s, he went on to record an album that was supposed to secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. The album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of gruesome on-stage suicide, but a bootleg recording found its way to apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon. 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 Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Bradley Cooper plays a man who loses everything and has move in with his parents while he puts the pieces back together — including reuniting with his wife, aided by a mysterious girl he meets. At Century.

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 spy-hero. 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. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

TALES OF THE NIGHT

A hit at the Berlin Film Festival, Tales of the Night blends history with fairytale as viewers are whisked off to enchanted lands full of dragons, werewolves, captive princesses, sorcerers and enormous talking bees, all bursting with color and kaleidoscopic backgrounds. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THIS IS 40

Judd Apatow’s latest writing and directing effort takes us back to Knocked Up, kind of, as it depicts the marriage of two of the characters from the earlier film. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, Apatow’s real-life spouse, play a couple struggling through marriage in this emotional comedy. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET SING-ALONG

In Trapped in the Closet, R. Kelly’s classic hip-hopera, Kelly takes on the role of Sylvester, who has a simple one-night stand with a preacher’s wife and then ends up in a web of preposterous lies and a series of outlandish plot twists ranging from used rubbers on his bed to an asthmatic midget male stripper who likes to hang out with a white chick named Bridget. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

TRIPLE FISHER: THE LETHAL LOLITAS OF LONG ISLAND

Back in 1992, a suburban New York teenager named Amy Fisher captured the national media’s attention when she shot her lover’s wife in the face. This sordid tale of underage sex, aggravated assault and Joey Buttafuoco managed to spawn not one, not two, but three separate made-for-TV movies — a television first. At SIE FilmCenter. — Denver Film Society

WILD HORSE WILD RIDE

The Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge is an annual contest that dares 100 people to each tame a totally wild mustang in 100 days in order to get it adopted into a better life. We get to follow a handful of diverse and unforgettable characters as horse and trainer push each other to the limit, risking injury and more, showing poignantly how much can come from these intense relationships between person and animal. At Boedecker — Boedecker Theater