reel to reel | Week of Feb 16, 2012

0

ALBERT NOBBS

Glenn Close stars in this tale of a woman forced to live as a man, Albert Nobbs, in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland. After 30 years of keeping up the charade, a new love threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to build. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

THE ARTIST

Hollywood 1927. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin is enjoying the good life. He meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller, a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. With the advent of the talkies George’s career nosedives, while Peppy’s takes off. At Century, Colony Square and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

A three-dimensional version of the classic animated tale about a princess taken captive by a monster who may be more than meets the eye. Rated G. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

BIG MIRACLE

Amid the Cold War, a small-town reporter and his environmentalist ex-girlfriend lead an unlikely international coalition to save a family of gray whales trapped in the Arctic circle.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

CHRONICLE

After making a surprising discovery, three high school students develop uncanny powers and begin to lose control. Rated PG-13.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

A DANGEROUS METHOD

Drawn from true-life events, A Dangerous Method takes a glimpse into the turbulent relationships among fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them. At Esqure. — Landmark Theatres

THE DESCENDANTS

From Alexander Payne, creator of Sideways, comes The Descendants, a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney), a distracted husband and back-up parent to two girls who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a life-threatening boating accident off of Waikiki. At Century, Colony Square and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

EVERY LITTLE STEP

Traveling behind the scenes of auditions for the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line, the film establishes a neat corollary between the events of the play itself and the offstage experiences of the aspiring tryouts. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Stephen Daldry (The Hours) directs this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel about a young boy (Thomas Horn) trying to make sense of the world after his father (Tom Hanks) is killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Rated

PG-13. At Century, Colony Square. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE

Still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter, the supernatural antihero Ghost Rider risks everything to team with a rebel monk to save a young boy and himself. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Mikael Blomkvist and his heavily pierced colleague, Lisbeth, go about nailing a killer of women. All roads lead to a rich family led by Henrik Vanger, whose relatives have a lot to hide. Rated R. At Century. — Michael Phillips/ TMS

THE GREY

When their plane crashes in the remote Alaskan wilderness, a group of roughneck oil rig workers struggle to survive injuries, the elements and a vicious pack of wolves. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

HAPPY

This feature documentary takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

THE HELP

Based on one of the most talked-about books in years, Best Picture nominee The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Academy Award nominee Viola Davis (Doubt) as Aibileen and Academy Award nominee Octavia Spencer as Minny — three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

HUGO

In 1930s Paris, an orphan living in a train station tries to unlock a mystery left behind by his late father. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE INNKEEPERS

Set in the venerable Yankee Pedlar Inn, which is about to shut its doors for good after more than a century of service. Believed by many to be one of New England’s “most haunted hotels,” the last remaining employees — Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) — are determined to uncover proof before it shuts down for good. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE IRON LADY

This biopic presents a portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the only woman to be prime minister of the United Kingdom. Rated PG-13. At Mayan. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

JACKIE BROWN

Highly regarded as Tarantino’s masterpiece, this groovy crime-thriller of lowlife gallantry features brilliant on-screen chemistry by stars Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Rated R. At International Film Series. — IFS

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 3D

A family embarks on an adventure to a mysterious island in this sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

KILL BILL (VOL 1 & 2)

Kill Bill finds Tarantino reinvigorating cinema a second time over with a single-plot-trajectory revenge movie that utilizes samurai sword action with a shifting Morricone score. At International Film Series. — IFS

LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD

At a lavish European hotel, a handsome stranger tries to convince a lovely young woman that they had a passionate affair a year ago. When she claims not to remember him, he keeps trying to convince her, weaving a story that mixes memory and fantasy. Or is it all fantasy? At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

LEONARDO LIVE

A tour of the sold-out show Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan at the National Gallery in London. At Century

LOOSIES

The feature film screenwriting debut from Peter Facinelli (Twilight, Nurse Jackie), Loosies stars Facinelli as Bobby, a New York City pickpocket who roams the city disguised as a stockbroker. Bobby tempts fate with the law by lifting the badge of a NYC detective (Michael Madsen). At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY REINCARNATION

Namkhai Norbu’s rise to greatness as a Buddhist teacher in the West, while his son, Yeshi, recognized at birth as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master, breaks away from his father’s tradition to embrace the modern world. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

In the early summer of 1956, 23-year-old Colin Clark worked as a lowly assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl. His diary account The Prince, the Showgirl and Me was published, but one week was missing and this was published some years later as My Week with Marilyn. This is the story of that week. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

ONE FOR THE MONEY

A newly divorced, recently laid-off woman lands a job with a shady bail-bond business and gets swept up in a world of murder and deception. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: ANIMATED

This year’s Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: LIVE ACTION

This year’s Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short. At Chez Artiste and International Film Series. — Landmark Theatres

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2012: DOCUMENTARY

A program of the year’s Academy Awards nominees for best documentary films. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

PINA

When Roger Ebert said that 3-D is “unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness,” he probably didn’t reckon with the mind of German director Wim Wenders, who chose the new technology to film his documentary on the late German choreographer Pina Bausch. The film that Wenders, the mind behind the breathtaking cinematography of the 1987 film Wings of Desire, has made uses 3-D to film Bausch’s work, and the results are gorgeous. Wender’s use of 3-D for art, as opposed to spectacle, is nothing short of groundbreaking. At Century.

PULP FICTION

Roger Avery and Quentin Tarantino earned an Oscar for this devilishly lurid blast of great entertainment, ultra-violence and wicked humor. Rated R. At International Film Series. — IFS

RED TAILS

This World War II historical drama tells the story of the black fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

SAFE HOUSE

A rogue CIA operative who has been on the run for a decade forms an unlikely partnership with a frustrated rookie agent. Rated R.

At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

A 14-year-old girl, part of a secret race of tiny people who live in a world hidden from humans, strikes up a friendship with a human boy, unwittingly putting her family in danger. Rated G. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

A SEPARATION

Simin wants to leave Iran to provide better opportunities for her daughter. When her husband refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father, Simin sues for divorce. But her request fails, so she returns to her parents’ home — without her daughter. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

THE SKIN I LIVE IN

Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE

A 3-D version of the spacefaring adventure about Jedi knights and interplanetary intrigue. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

SUNSHINE

The sun is dying and Earth’s days are numbered in this sci-fi thriller helmed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). With permanent darkness looming, scientists devise a plan to reignite the sun before the lights go out forever. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THIS MEANS WAR

Two deadly CIA partners and best friends fall for the same woman and employ their skills and arsenals against each other to win her over. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the feature film version of John le Carré’s classic bestselling thriller. The Cold War of the mid-20th century continues to threaten international relations. Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is striving to keep pace with other countries’ espionage efforts. At Century and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

TOMBOY

Filmmaker Céline Sciamma brings a light and charming touch to this drama of childhood and gender identity, highlighting the relationship between one’s body and one’s heart. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

THE TREE OF LIFE

The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

WEEKEND

Jean-Luc Godard’s scathing late-’60s satire is one of cinema’s great anarchic works. Determined to collect an inheritance from a dying relative, a petit-bourgeois couple travels across the French countryside while civilization crashes around them. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

WEST SIDE STORIES

As early as the late 1800s, Jews from around the world found their way to the “wild, wild West” of Denver because of the gold rush, the tuberculosis epidemic and an ingenious scam. The community was unique in that it replicated exactly an eastern European shtetl in nearly every way. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE WHALE

Back by popular demand. When Luna, a baby orca, gets separated from his pod and unexpectedly starts making contact with people along a scenic fjord in British Columbia, no one can quite believe it. As word spreads about Luna, people become torn between their love for the lonely young whale and fears that human contact might harm him. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

When a widowed lawyer is sent to a remote village to settle the affairs of a deceased eccentric, he discovers the place holds a deadly secret. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

THE VOW

After waking from a coma caused by a car accident, a newlywed wife copes with severe memory loss while her husband tries to win her heart again. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE

Romanticism was a push-back against rationalism and industrialism. In this climate, Goethe wrote a largely autobiographical novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, which ignited the youth in Germany with “Werther- Fieber” (Werther Fever) At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater