The Act of Killing
A documentary that challenges former Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their real-life mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. NR treat as R. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
All is Lost
Robert Redford is brilliant in his role as a nameless man who must survive after his sailboat sinks, leaving him lost at sea. Rated PG-13. At Boedecker and SIE Film Center.
Almost in Love
This movie represents the pinnacle of the new trend in indie cinema of actors improvising around a structured storyline. Shot in two continuous 40-minute takes set 18 months apart — the first over a sunset in Staten Island, the second over a sunrise in East Hampton — it pushes the limits with surprising results. See full review on page 39. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
American Hustle
When the FBI decides to recruit con artists to infiltrate the Jersey mob and crooked powerbrokers, things get interesting in a hurry in this well-acted film starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) has traded his old anchor job in for a modern cable news position. He is joined by his original team: Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), street reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner). If you laughed at the original, you’ll laugh at this one as well. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.
Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle)
Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. At 15, she is approaching adulthood and dreams of experiencing her first love. A handsome male classmate falls hard for her, but an unsettling erotic reverie upsets the romance before it begins. Adèle imagines that the mysterious, blue-haired girl she encountered in the street slips into her bed and possesses her with overwhelming pleasure. That bluehaired girl is a confident older art student named Emma (Léa Seydoux), who will soon enter Adèle’s life for real, making way for an intense and complicated love story. Rated NC-17. At SIE Film Center.
The Book Thief
This film tells the story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a new family in World War II Germany. Young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) embarks upon a journey marked by discovery, courage, friendship — and the power to triumph over the most daunting obstacles. Rated PG-13. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres
The Broken Circle Breakdown
An intensely moving portrait of a relationship from beginning to end, propelled by a soundtrack of footstomping bluegrass, The Broken Circle Breakdown is a romantic melodrama of the highest order. When an unexpected tragedy hits a new family, everything they know and love is tested. At Boedecker.
Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey stars in Dallas Buyers Club as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose freewheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. Rated R. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres
47 Ronin 3D
Kai (Keanu Reeves) joins forces with 47 samurai who have been outcast by the evil dude who killed their former master. They face big obstacles and trials that would do in most fighters as they attempt to restore order to their world. And it’s in 3-D. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square, Century and Twin Peaks.
Frozen
When the snow queen traps a tiny kingdom in eternal winter, Anna and Kristoff, accompanied by Sven the reindeer and a comical snowman that has trouble keeping his head, set out to end the spell. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.
Good Ol’ Freda
Freda Kelly was just a shy Liverpudlian teenager when she was asked to work for a local band hoping to make it big. Though she had no concept of how far they would go, Freda had faith in The Beatles from the beginning, and The Beatles had faith in her. History notes that The Beatles were together for 10 years, but Freda worked for them for 11. In this film, Freda tells her stories for the first time in 50 years. One of few films with the support of the living Beatles and featuring original Beatles music, the film offers an insider perspective on the beloved band that changed the music industry. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
The Great Beauty
Gorgeously photographed in Rome and Tuscany, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) is a dazzling, lyrical and at times surreal dramatic comedy, like a modernday La Dolce Vita. The magnetic Toni Servillo plays dapper journalist Jep Gambardella, slick and soulful, who has been a permanent fixture in Rome’s literary and social circles since the legendary success of his one and only novel. When his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself taking stock of his life. At SIE Film Center
Grudge Match
You’re never too old to make fun of yourselves, and that’s what this film is really about. Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro play two retired boxers who are talked into getting back in the ring to settle an old score. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Another entertaining installment in the Lord of the Rings series. This one has a giant dragon guarding treasure. Rated PG-13. At Century, Twin Peaks and Colony Square.
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Jennifer Lawrence dazzles in this adventure sequel. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Coen brothers craft this story of a homeless young folk singer trying to create a name for himself in the Greenwich Village of the 1960s. Rated R. At Mayan and Century.
Labyrinth (1986)
When a young girl makes a wish about her little brother, it unexpectedly sends him to the mysterious land of the fairies. Rated PG. At Esquire.
Le Joli Mai
Filmed just after the March ceasefire between France and Algeria, Le Joli Mai documents Paris during a turning point in French history: the first time since 1939 that France was not involved in any war. It is a film with several thousand actors, including a poet, a student, an owl, a housewife, a stockbroker, a competitive dancer, two lovers, General de Gaulle and several cats. The film ends with sweeping views of Paris, the façades of its prisons, and the faces of its people as they struggle to make sense of their moment in history. SIE Film Center. —Denver film Society
Nebraska
After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Rated R. At Colony Square and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
When a young man starts behaving oddly, as in possessed with evil demons, family and friends step in to help and things get scary. Rated R. At Century.
The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology
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The makers of The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema return with The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology. Philosopher Slavoj Zizek and filmmaker Sophie Fiennes use their interpretation of moving pictures to present a compelling cinematic journey into the heart of ideology — the dreams that shape our collective beliefs and practices. At SIE Film Center.
Philomena
The unparalleled Dame Judi Dench brings to life the story of a woman who gave away the child she conceived out of wedlock for adoption in the United States and her search, decades later, to find that son with the help of a BBC reporter. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square, Esquire and Chez Artiste.
The Punk Singer
Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill and dance-punk trio Le Tigre, rose to national attention as the reluctant but never shy voice of the riot grrrl movement. She became one of the most famously outspoken feminist icons, a cultural lightning rod. Her critics wished she would just shut up, and her fans hoped she never would. So in 2005, when Hanna stopped shouting, many wondered why. Through 20 years of archival footage and intimate interviews with Hanna, The Punk Singer takes viewers on a fascinating tour of contemporary music and offers a never-before-seen view into the life of this fearless leader. At SIE Film Center. — Denver Film Society
Saving Mr. Banks
Inspired by a true story, this film tells the tale of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) was finally able to convince the very difficult writer P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to allow him to bring her book Mary Poppins to the big screen. Rated PG-13. At Twin Peaks, Colony Square and Century.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Ben Stiller stars in the second film version of author James Thurber’s classic. It’s a tale of a man who escapes his ordinary life by day-dreaming his way into fantasy worlds filled with adventure. But when his real world gets threatened, he and his co-worker, played by Kristen Wiig, get caught up in a wilder adventure than Mitty ever could have imagined. Rated PG. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.
12 Years a Slave
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man, is abducted and sold into slavery. Rated R. At Colony Square and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres
Walking with Dinosaurs 3D
In this prehistoric adventure, Patchi, a little dinosaur in a world of big, mean dinosaurs, still manages to triumph and become the hero. Fun story, but the real delight of this film is the amazing portrayal of dinosaurs in their natural habitat looking more realistic than ever before. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Jean Dujardin in this adaptation of 1990s banker gone bad Jordan Belfort’s memoir. Rated R. At Twin Peaks, Century and Colony Square.
