Johnny Depp swaps pirates for mobsters in Public Enemies

Weekly Film Listings - July 2-8

OPENING

Public Enemies -(Odeon/SilverCity/Uni 4) Johnny Depp does John Dillinger, in what is sure to be a stylish gangster film by arty director Michael Mann (Heat, Ali). Starts Wed., July 1.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) That trio of animated misfits is back to once again show us what happens when the prehistorical gets hysterical. Featurng the vocal talents of Denis Leary and John Leguizamo. Starts Wed., July 1.

Whatever Works -(Odeon) Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) stars in a new comedy written and directed by Woody Allen. Starts Fri.

★★ Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian -(Roxy, 7:15) Ben Stiller reprises his role as a hapless yet brave security guard, in a noisy and less-than-charming comedy sequel co-starring Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Amy Adams and Eugene Levy. Starts Fri.

CONTINUING

★★½ Adoration -(Odeon) The latest from Atom Egoyan (Ararat) is a complicated, typically cerebral drama involving a high school student who presents a provocative—but fictional—family history to his fellow students, an act with wide-reaching consequences.

★★★½ Away We Go -(Odeon) Sam Mendes (American Beauty) directs a wry dramedy about an immature but likable couple (The Office’s John Krasinsky and SNL’s Maya Rudolph) who start to grow up when the impending birth of their first child prompts a quirky road trip that’s also an opportunity for writer Dave Egger to stick his satirist’s knife into a host of unlikable characters.

★★★½ Drag Me to Hell -(Odeon) Before Spider-Man, writer-director Sam Raimi was an auteur of horror flicks and he returns to his roots with this ghastly—and hilarious—riff on the old “gypsy curse” trope. This is a marvelously well-made B movie that loves wallowing in its own icky love of schlocky splatter.

★★★ Easy Virtue -(Odeon) It’s English propriety versus American brashness in this appealing if slightly stilted comedy of manners set in 1920s England (and based on a play by Cole Porter). Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Jessica Biel and Colin Firth. See review.

★★ The Hangover -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4) Las Vegas provides the setting for this wild, energetically vulgar (but rather flat-footed) comedy about four friends on a bachelor bender—unfortunately, when they wake up the next morning there is lots of chaos but no groom. Ooops!

My Life in Ruins -(Odeon) Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) actually heads to Greece for this comedy about a female travel agent who discovers the bittersweet wonder of romance while on tour.

my Sister’s Keeper -(Capitol/SilverCity) Nick Cassavetes directs this weepy drama about a time bomb of a family where one daughter was conceived in order to provide “spare parts” to an older sister suffering from leukemia. Starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Bring your hankies!

★★★ The Proposal -(Capitol/SilverCity) Sandra Bullock is the bossy boss of office assistant Ryan Reynolds. The fact that they kind of hate each other makes it perfect when they have to get married in order to solve her visa problems—and also keep him employed. This is as flimsy as formulaic romantic comedies get, but the chemistry between Bullock and Reynonlds kinda sizzles (and they’re both good comics).

★★★★ Star Trek -(Odeon/SilverCity) Another “origins” flick, this one showing us younger versions of James Kirk, Spock, and all the other inter-galactic icons who call the USS Enterprise home. Directed by J.J. Abrams (Lost) with humour, pace and a rollicking sense of style: it’s the Magic Flute of space operas!

★★¼ The Taking of Pelham 123 -(Odeon/SilverCity) It’s boring remake time, as Denzel Washington plays a NYC subway manager dragged into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a very bad guy (John Travolta) who will start killing off subway hostages unless his ransom demands are met.

★★½ Terminator: Salvation - (SilverCity/Roxy, 9:00) It might be time terminate this reboot of the increasingly tired series about killer cyborgs and an imminent global apocalypse. Note: opens here Fri.

★½ Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -(Capitol/SilverCity/Uni 4/Caprice) Those inter-galactic killing machines are back, and the action is just as noisy, repetitive and incoherent as ever. All hail director Michael Bay, the overlord of overkill. See review.

★★★½ Up -(SilverCity) The latest Pixar triumph is this animated feature about a crusty old geezer who, when faced with the prospect of being forced into a care home, literally floats off into a series of wacky adventures in South America. Not Pixar’s best, but still an admirably original combination of hilarity and heart.

Year One -(Odeon/SilverCity) Harold Ramis directs Jack Black and Michael Cera in a goofy (and widely reviled) comedy about neolithic slackers who have some crazy adventures.

SCREENINGS

Movie Monday - screens chris and don: a love story. This mix of photos, archival footage and other mementoes is used to celebrate the 30-year relationship of famed British writer Christopher Isherwood and his lover, Don Bachardy. Plus local filmmaker Maureen Bradley‘s short film, The Chosen Family. Showtimes are 6:30 pm MONDAYS. 2326 Trent. By donation. 595-FLIC. moviemonday.ca

LEAVING THURSDAY

★★★ XMen Origins: Wolverine -(Roxy, 9:00)

IMAX

Grand Canyon -(noon, 4:00) Take a remarkable journey to one of the earth’s most profound physical locations.

★★★★ Africa: The Serengeti - (11am, 2:00, 6:00) Out of the vault comes this classic IMAX film celebrating the largest animal migration on earth, 1.5 million wildebeests thundering across 500 miles of the Serengeti in an annual search for water and the promise of new life. Animal loves have got to see this stunner.

★★½ Journey to Mecca -(10am, 5:00) Muslims undertaking the Hajj, an annual pilgrimmage to Mecca, are depicted in a film that, while interesting, suffers from a clunky historical reenactment that occupies much of the running time.

★★★½ Ocean Oasis - (3:00, 8:00) This film takes you swimming with dolphins and manta rays in Mexico’s Sea of Cortes, then goes soaring above the nearby tropical desert of the Baja. This is a lyrical immersion into a special part of the natural world.

Whales -(1:00, 7:00) This classic about those massive beasties of the oceans is back to awe more audiences.

CINECENTA

Cinecenta at UVic screens its films in the Student Union Building. Tickets are available 40 minutes prior to showtime. Info: 250-721-8365. cinecenta.com

★★★ One Week -(Wed., July 1: 7:00, 9:00) This bittersweet Canadian film stars Joshua Jackson as a man who discovers he has a terminal illness and takes off on his motorbike to discover the life he’d been avoiding for too many years.

★★★ Welcome to the Sticks -(Thurs., July 2: 7:00, 9:10) Welcome to the most popular film in French history, a genial comedy about class prejudice.

★★★¼ Adventureland -(Fri.-Sat., July 3-4: 7:10, 9:15) This quirky and nostalgic coming-of-age film is set in 1987 and features a dorky brainiac who gets a cheesy job in an amusement park—and then is surprised to discover that he’s learning lots about life that eluded him in college.

★★★½ Gomorrah -(Sun.-Mon., July 5-6: 7:00 only) Fictional yet highly realistic, this is a gritty portrait of the Mafia’s pervasive—and truly sordid—criminality in southern Italy.

★★★ The Pool -(Tues.-Thurs., July 7-9: 7:00, 9:00) This gentle, meandering film takes an American short story and transplants it to India, where it becomes a wryly humanistic tale of extreme class difference. M