Reel to reel | Week of June 7, 2012

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6 MONTH RULE

A realistic, funny and, at times, heartbreaking look at dating, love and friendship told from the point of view of Tyler, a perpetual bachelor. Tyler follows a set of rules specifically designed to help him avoid emotional attachment. His most important rule is that he can get over anyone in less than six months. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

BATTLESHIP

The classic naval combat game brought to life with plenty of visual effects and slowmotion action sequences. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

THE AVENGERS 3D

A team of superheroes including Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Thor unite to save the world. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — Los Angeles Times/MCT

BERNIE

Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset) returns to his Texas roots for this delightfully poker-faced black comedy — based on a true story — about East Texas assistant funeral home director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black). Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Driven by her cruelty to put four bullets in her, Bernie goes to great lengths to keep up the illusion that she’s still alive. At Century and Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

A group of British retirees (Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith) decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find the place a shell of its former self. At Century and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW

Panos Cosmatos’ moody sci-fi head trip is set within the confines of a stark and sterile laboratory circa 1983, where Dr. Barry Nyle is conducting tests on a young subject, a quiet and stunned girl named Elena. This human guinea pig is becoming aware of a power hidden deep inside of her. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

CHERNOBYL DIARIES

From Oren Peli, creator of Paranormal Activity, comes another spine-tingler about ignored warnings and unwelcome companions. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

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 domestic-violence survivors to reopen their cases was passed. Enter a pair of rookie land-use attorneys convinced that with the incontrovertible evidence that existed, they could free Deborah in a manner of months. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax — Denver Film Society

DARK SHADOWS

A vampire is freed from his tomb after two centuries and set loose in the world of 1972. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

DETACHMENT

Back by popular demand. Oscar-winner Adrian Brody plays a substitute teacher who conveniently avoids emotional connections by drifting from classroom to classroom. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

THE DICTATOR

Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a character that sports a funny accent and antagonizes others. Shock! But unlike Borat, Admiral General Aladeen is neither revealing nor inherently hilarious. In what could have been a powerful and insightful statement in the wake of the Arab Spring is mostly a tired retread of moderately funny vulgar jokes. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

UNDER FIRE – JOURNALISTS IN COMBAT

Journalism in times of war has become an increasingly lethal and traumatic endeavor for the men and women who face constant threats to their lives and psyches.

With the death toll skyrocketing from only two reporters killed in World War I to almost a journalist a week being killed in the last two decades, Under Fire weaves together portraits, battlefield accounts and combat footage to reveal what the reporters see, think and feel. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

THE FAIRY

Starting with the premise of an everydaylooking fairy and three wishes, these talented writers-directors-actors show circus-performer virtuosity in the magic balance between the deceptively simple and delightfully complex. At Boedecker Theater and Mayan. — Boedecker Theater

FIRST POSITION

Every year, thousands of aspiring dancers enter one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where lifelong dreams are at stake. Bess Kargman’s award-winning documentary and feature film debut, First Position, follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Frank (Joel Murray) has had enough of the downward spiral of American culture, which he sees as overrun with cruelty, stupidity and intolerance. Divorced, recently fired, and possibly terminally ill, Frank truly has nothing left to live for. But instead of taking his own life, he buys a gun and decides to take out his frustration on the cruelest, stupidest, most intolerant people he can imagine. Franks finds an unusual accomplice in a high school student named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), and together they embark on a nationwide assault on our country’s dumbest, most irritating celebrities. Playing at Denver FilmCenter/Colfax — Denver Film Society

HEADHUNTERS

Headhunters is an intense action thriller, as well as a provocative investigation into questions of betrayal, revenge and deadly ambition. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

HUNGER GAMES

In the post-apocalyptic ruins of North America, a teenage girl competes in a nationally televised battle to the death against 23 of her peers. Rated PG-13. At Colony Square. — Los Angeles Times/ MCT

THE INTOUCHABLES

The Intouchables, by French writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is the inspiring true story of two men who should never have met — a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects. After Driss (Omar Sy, César Award winner for Best Actor) is hired as caretaker for Philippe (François Cluzet, Tell No One), they learn that sometimes you have to reach into someone else’s world to find what’s missing in your own. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANT- ED 3D

The quest continues for Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe as they struggle to return to New York. This time, the path from Africa to America swings through Europe and tags along with a traveling circus. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

MARLEY

Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Director Kevin Macdonald’s (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) documentary Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Landmark Theatres

MEN IN BLACK III

Seeing Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as Agent J and Agent K, two representatives from a clandestine organization that protects us from aliens, is nothing new. But the addition of Josh Brolin as a younger version of Agent K and a surprisingly fun screenplay is something entirely different for the franchise.

Let’s not call it good, but it’s light years from bad. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

OPERA: PETER GRIMES

British composer Benjamin Britten described his opera Peter Grimes as “the struggle of the individual against the masses. The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual.” At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

PAYBACK

A glance at the headlines from Europe, the news from Washington or this month’s bills will confirm that we live in an age of debt, a concept at once straightforward and almost metaphysically complex. Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s book by the same title. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS 3-D

In this Claymation extravaganza based on a series of books, The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) leads his group of hapless miscreants through an adventure that involves Charles Darwin (David Tennant). While jokes about evolution are found a plenty, laughs are not had by all in this shockingly boring endeavor. Rated PG. At Colony Square. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

POPCORN

A band of film students decides to scare up some cash by holding a film festival celebrating horror films from the ’50s. It’s all great fun until they discover that the projectionist is a homicidal maniac. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

PROMETHEUS 3D

See full review page 39. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

RESTLESS CITY

Restless City tells the story of an African immigrant surviving on the fringes of New York City, where music is his passion, life is a hustle, and falling in love is his greatest risk. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax. — Denver Film Society

REVEAL THE PATH

The creators of Ride the Divide take you on a visually stunning, global-yet-personal adventure by bike. From Alaska’s rugged coast to Morocco’s high desert, from Scotland’s lush valleys to Europe’s snowcapped mountains, the film will leave you with a desire to chart your own course to faraway lands, or simply to discover with eyes wide open what’s right around the bend. At Boedecker Theater and Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Boedecker Theater

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS

The dysfunctional Tenenbaums are a New York family of former child prodigies who are now neurotic adults. At Esquire Theater — Landmark Theaters

SHADOWS IN PARADISE: HITLER’S EXILES IN HOLLYWOOD

By 1939, 30,000 Jewish intellectuals and radicals were exiled from Europe by the Third Reich. Scores of émigrés fled to Los

Angeles and Hollywood, briefly transforming Southern California into one of the capitals of world culture, altering the horizons of American music, literature and the arts. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

When Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes imprisonment by the wicked queen (Charlize Theron), she is chased down by the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), which turns out to be a pretty good thing. Featuring most of the same characters and general plot points as the beloved classic story, this retelling slaps a coat of gritty seriousness on the whole affair, resulting in a visually thrilling if overly simple experience. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

WE HAVE A POPE

Nanni Moretti (The Son’s Room, Caro Diario) joins forces with the great French actor Michel Piccoli (Contempt, Belle de Jour) to tell the story of Melville, a cardinal who suddenly finds himself elected as the next Pope. Never the front runner and completely caught off guard, he panics as he’s presented to the faithful in St.

Peter’s Sqare. To prevent a worldwide crisis, the Vatican’s spokesman calls in an unlikely psychiatrist. Playing at Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

WHALEDREAMERS

Julian Lennon co-produced this chronicle of tribal elders from around the world gathering in Australia to celebrate their spiritual relationships with nature, especially the Mirning people’s relationship with whales. At Boedecker Theater. — Boedecker Theater

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING

The book What to Expect When You’re Expecting is approaching 30 — about time to start bearing its own offspring, though the disjointed high drama of this film may not exactly make a parent proud. The ensemble cast that includes every available face from Jennifer Lopez to Chris Rock leads to heavy-handed dramatics panning in an overall sitcommy film. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

WHERE DO WE GO NOW?

Set in a remote village where a Christian church and Muslim mosque stand side by side, director/co-writer/actress Nadine Labaki’s (Caramel) ironically humorous drama follows the antics of the town’s women to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

WHERE THE YELLOWSTONE GOES

Experience a soul searching and inspirational drift boat journey down the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States. Connect with colorful characters, get lost in the hypnotic cast of a fly rod, and savor silhouetted moments of fireside stories on this heartfelt river adventure. Playing at Denver FilmCenter/Colfax — Denver Film Society