reel to reel | Week of Jan. 19, 2012

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16 Love

Sixteen-year-old Ally “Smash” Mash lives between the carefully painted white lines of Junior Tennis. Unbeaten and about to go pro, she has no time for lazy newcomer Farrell Gambles. But when fate and a twisted ankle intervene, she teaches Farrell what it takes to win on the court, and he shows her how to live off of it. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

The Adventures of Tintin

When an intrepid young reporter purchases a model ship that holds the key to a mystery, he and his dog embark on a globe-trotting adventure. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

A group of talking chipmunks and their human companions get shipwrecked on a remote island. Rated G. At Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Artist

Hollywood 1927. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin is enjoying the good life, although he seems fonder of his faithful dog than of his trophy wife. 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 and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Balibo

As Indonesia prepares to invade the tiny nation of East Timor, five Australian-based journalists go missing. Four weeks later, a veteran foreign correspondent is determined to uncover the truth as the threat of invasion intensifies, and an unlikely friendship develops between the last foreign correspondent in East Timor and the man who will become president. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

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

Carnage

The bitterly amusing story of two families in a showdown after their children are involved in a playground squabble, Carnage shines a spotlight on the risible contradictions and grotesque prejudices of four well-heeled American parents. At Carnage and Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

Contraband

See full review Page 39. Rated R. 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 Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

The Descendants

From Alexander Payne, creator of the Oscar-winning 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 and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

The Devil Inside

Twenty years after her mother confessed to three brutal murders, a woman travels to Italy and recruits two young exorcists to find out what really happened and set things right. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

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. Sandra Bullock plays his mother and Max Von Sydow is the mysterious neighbor who lives across the street. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, a new feature-length adventure into the world of an international anime sensation. A fugitive alchemist with mysterious abilities leads the Elric brothers to a distant valley of slums inhabited by the Milos, a proud people struggling against bureaucratic exploitation. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Mikael Blomkvist and his colleague, the heavily pierced bisexual fantasy pin-up 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. Director David Fincher is a true talent working with an exceptional cast in this version of Stieg Larsson’s combo of prurience and payoff. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips/TMS

Haywire

Mixed martial arts star and model Gina Carano holds her own in this sauntering, multi-city film that’s slyly funny at times as various men in the spy game underestimate agent Mallory Kane (Carano). Or don’t underestimate her. Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Roger Moore/MCT

How to Start a Revolution

Few people outside the world of academia have ever heard his name, but Gene Sharp’s writings on nonviolent revolution, translated into 40 languages, have inspired and informed protesters around the world in toppling authoritarian regimes. This unassuming, orchid-growing octogenarian is considered a major threat to dictators and was unfairly accused of being a CIA puppet. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

Hugo

To write off this dreamy, overwhelmingly beautiful movie as mere kids’ stuff would be an injustice. This adaptation of Brian Selznick’s illustrated children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret (John Logan wrote the screenplay) is as much of a personal Martin Scorsese picture as Raging Bull or Taxi Driver. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

The Ides of March

The Ides of March is an intense tale of sex, ambition, loyalty, betrayal and revenge. The film takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary falls prey to backroom politics, the treacherous manipulations of veteran operatives and seduction by a young intern. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, In the Land of Blood and Honey is the story of Danijel and Ajla, two people from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, and Ajla, a Bosnian captive in the camp he oversees, knew each other before the war, and could have found love. 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 Century, Colony Square, Mayan and Twin Peaks — Los Angeles Times/MCT

Joyful Noise

See full review Page 39. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The Last Wild Race/Farther Than the Eye Can See

The Last Wild Race is a multi-award-winning film that follows 56 adventurers from across the globe as they converge on Chilean Patagonia for the last wild race on the planet. Farther Than the Eye Can See follows Erik Weihenmayer’s successful climb of Mount Everest. With emotion, humor and drama, it proves what people working together can accomplish. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

Margin Call

A thriller that revolves around the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis. — Boedecker Theater

Melancholia

Justine and Michael are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister Claire, and brother-in-law John. Despite Claire’s best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco, with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly toward Earth. At Mayan, Denver FilmCenter/Colfax and International Film Series. — Landmark Theatres

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The latest in the “M:I” franchise begins with a Moscow prison break, proceeds to a terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, skedaddles off to Dubai and the world’s tallest building, and then heads to Mumbai, chasing nuclear madmen, goons and Mrs. Patton’s cleavage. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips/TMS

The Muppets

The oddest, sweetest movie you’re likely to see this season is The Muppets, a quirky little musical fantasy about plush frogs, diva pigs, friendship and dreams. Rated PG. At Century. — Moira Macdonald/MCT

Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today

Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today shows how international prosecutors built their case against the top Nazi war criminals using the Nazis’ own films and records. The trial established the “Nuremberg principles,” laying the foundation for all subsequent trials for crimes against the peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Opera: Cendrillon

For the first time ever, The Royal Opera presents the story of Cinderella as told in Massenet’s opera Cendrillon. Joyce DiDonato takes the title role, with her Prince Charming played by Alice Coote. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

Rare Imports: Every Man For Himself

The film presents a few days in the lives of three people: Paul Godard, a television producer; Denise Rimbaud, his co-worker and ex-girlfriend; and Isabelle Riviera, a prostitute whom Paul has used. Denise wants to break up with Paul and move to the country. Isabelle wants to work for herself instead of her pimp. Paul just wants to survive. Their stories intersect when Paul brings Denise to the country cottage he is trying to rent and Isabelle comes to see it without knowing that the landlord has been her client. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married explores family dysfunction in the style of a home movie with amazing cast performances. Bonnie Gangelhoff, who will be leading the talkback for the 7 p.m. Jan. 22 showing, is a former award-winning columnist and reporter at the Houston Post. She is currently the senior editor of Southwest Art magazine. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

Red Tails

Producer George Lucas labored for years to make this film about the crew of African- American pilots (including Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard and Method Man) in the Tuskegee training program who were called into action in World War II. Rated

PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

Shame

Brandon shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

If you enjoyed the first Guy Ritchie retelling of Sherlock, then you’ll likely leave the sequel feeling satiated. If you hated the first one, you’ll probably find so little pleasure in this that, sometime around the seventh gamerstyle action sequence, you may ponder: Is this doing permanent damage to the medium? At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips/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

Troop Beverly Hills

Shelly Long stars as a spoiled Beverly Hills housewife who decides — in an effort to disprove her husband’s characterization that she’s a selfish trophy wife — to become the leader of her daughter’s wilderness group. Failing miserably at first — she takes them on outings at the mall rather than in the woods — she later must prove her worth as a legitimate troop leader by instilling lessons of teamwork and selflessness in her young charges. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

Underworld: Awakening

After skipping the previous film, Kate Beckinsale returns to the werewolf-versusvampire franchise she helped make famous, this time joining forces with her lycanthrope pals to bag the most dangerous game of all: humans. Rated R. At Century and Twin Peaks. — Rene Rodriguez/MCT

War Horse

Steven Spielberg’s enthusiasm and excitement glows in every single frame of War Horse. There isn’t a moment in the movie where you don’t feel Spielberg’s passion for this simple story, and this time, the film is worthy of his enthusiasm. The story is based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 children’s novel about the bond between a boy and his horse during World War I. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

We Bought a Zoo

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a widower with two children who quits his job and, searching for a fresh start for his preteen daughter, played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones, along with his grieving son, played by Colin Ford, finds exactly what he wasn’t looking for: a zoo on the skids. Scarlett Johansson plays the head zookeeper, conveniently single. Damon deftly stays true and above the corn. Parts of this are enjoyable, but it’s pretty weak overall. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips/TMS

For a list of local movie times, visit boulderweekly.com/movie-times.html