Posted | Comments Off

At the Movies: ‘The Hobbit,’ ‘Guilt Trip,’ more

For reviews of movies opening this weekend in theaters, see Friday’s Today section.

OPENS TODAY

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ 1/2
A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. Peter Jackson continues his work on “The Lord of the Rings” with this, the first of a trilogy that precedes the “LOTR” story line. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage and Andy Serkis star. (PG-13, 169 minutes)

LIMITED RELEASE

‘Hitchcock’
Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Scarlett Johansson star in the love story about influential filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and wife Alma Reville during the filming of “Psycho” in 1959. (PG-13, 98 minutes)

OPENS WEDNESDAY

‘The Guilt Trip’
Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen star in this comedy about an inventor who is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime, but a quick stop at his mom’s house turns into an unexpected cross-country journey with her along for the ride. (PG-13, 95 minutes)

‘Monsters, Inc. 3D’
The beloved Disney/Pixar animated movie from 2001 comes back to theaters in 3-D form. Billy Crystal and John Goodman play the odd couple of Mike Wazowski and Sulley who discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs after a 2-year-old girl accidentally sneaks into Monstropolis. (G, 92 minutes)

NOW PLAYING

’24/7 in Love’
An anthology of romantic stories from the Philippines tied together through a woman trying to win concert tickets. (NR, 130 minutes)

‘Anna Karenina’ 1/2
Tolstoy’s classic novel re-imagined by director Joe Wright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, and largely set in a 19th-century Russian playhouse. Theatrics are at the heart of this adaptation. Keira Knightley’s Anna makes a very good case for the female fashion of the day and suggests a society woman both pampered and suffocated. Jude Law, as her steely but heartbroken cuckold of a husband, provides the film with its strongest emotional connection to the audience. (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune) (R, 84 minutes)

‘Argo’
As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador. Ben Affleck directs and stars in this seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense, with just the right amount of dry humor to provide context and levity. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 120 minutes)

‘Cloud Atlas’ 1/2
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives affect one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry star in this bloated, pseudo-intellectual, self-indulgent slog through some notions that are really facile. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 172 minutes)

‘The Collection’
A man who escapes from the vicious grips of a serial killer is blackmailed to rescue a female hostage from the killer’s booby-trapped warehouse. The movie is as confounding as it is grisly, amounting to a pointless exercise in sadism. (Nicole Herrington, New York Times) (R, 82 minutes)

‘Dragon’
Kung fu star Donnie Yen plays a sinful martial arts expert who wants to start a new tranquil life, only to be hunted by a determined detective and his former master. Yen stages and battles through a trio of great brawls, resulting in one of the best movies of the genre of recent years. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (R, 114 minutes)

‘End of Watch’
Two police officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop. (R, 109 minutes)

‘Flight’
Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot who saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling. This is a thrilling, engrossing and even darkly funny movie, anchored by a tremendous performance by Washington. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 138 minutes)

‘Killing Them Softly’
Brad Pitt plays a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game. This is an incredibly stylish genre exercise set in the world of mobsters, junkies and lowlifes, but it’s also trying incredibly hard to be socially relevant by trying to prove that organized crime functions as its own capitalism. The heavy-handed message leads to the film’s downfall. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 97 minutes)

‘A Late Quartet’ 1/2
Members of a world-renowned string quartet struggle to stay together in the face of death, competing egos and insuppressible lust. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken and Mark Ivanir star in this minimalist and melancholy mood piece that has some beautiful moments but, unlike the complex Beethoven piece that is at its center, ultimately feels unfinished. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) (R, 105 minutes)

‘Life of Pi’ 1/2
Ang Lee’s latest film is about a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor, a fearsome Bengal tiger. This is gorgeous, ruminative, soulful, provocatively entertaining and the most artful use of digital 3-D technology to date. (David Germain, Associated Press) (PG, 127 minutes)

‘Lincoln’
As the Civil War continues to rage, America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and fights with many inside his own Cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. Steven Spielberg’s splendid film stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role and is less a biopic than a political thriller, a civics lesson that is energetically staged and alive with moral energy. (A.O. Scott, New York Times) (PG-13, 149 minutes)

‘The Man with the Iron Fists‘ 1/2
Wu-Tang Clan rap leader RZA makes his debut as a director-leading man in this epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in 19th-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all. It’s a goofily entertaining movie, if also lunatic, slipshod, absurdly violent, horribly acted (despite the presence of Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu) and borderline incomprehensible. (Ty Burr, Boston Globe) (R, 96 minutes)

‘Pitch Perfect’ 1/2
A college freshman is cajoled into joining her school’s all-girl singing group, where the Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition. This is a frothy, funny, dizzy and derivative farce stuffed with comic caricatures, hilarious one-liners and blessed with a cast that’s up to a little song and dance. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG-13, 112 minutes)

‘Playing for Keeps’ Zero stars

A former sports star (Gerard Butler) who’s fallen on hard times starts coaching his son’s soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms who pursue him at every turn. With the additional presence of Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid, it is truly baffling that this talented cast got involved in what turns out to be an incredibly bad and formulaic movie that veers awkwardly between supposedly wacky hijinks and facile sentimentality. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (PG-13, 106 minutes)

‘Red Dawn’
A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers. Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas and Josh Hutcherson star in this unnecessary remake of the 1984 original, a vigorous but pointless exercise. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) (PG-13, 114 minutes)

‘Rise of the Guardians’
The latest project from DreamWorks Animation is about a group of immortal beings who team up to protect the innocence of children around the world when an evil spirit launches an assault on Earth. It’s an attractively designed but overly busy and derivative mishmash of kid-friendly elements. (Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter) (PG, 97 minutes)

‘The Sessions’
A man stricken with polio, who wishes to lose his virginity, contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest. John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy star in this life-affirming story about the goodness in people’s hearts, and the humor and compassion and love we are capable of. (Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer) (R, 95 minutes)

‘Skyfall’
In the latest James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, Bond’s loyalty to his boss M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, Agent 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. This movie is a mixed bag. Some of it is terrific and some of it is spectacular. It succeeds in restoring the Bond saga to life, delivering all the kinetic satisfaction of a taut action thriller with a mature sophistication rare in blockbuster films. (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune) (PG-13, 143 minutes)

‘The Thieves’
The Korean box office smash tells the story of experienced criminals, each with an agenda, who band together to steal a prized diamond from a Macau casino vault. Comparisons to such ensemble capers as “Ocean’s Eleven” are inevitable, but this movie carves its own niche with moments of romance and stylish mayhem mixed with a more emotionally conflicted, winner-take-all sensibility than its American counterpart. (Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times) (NR, 135 minutes)

‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2′
It’s the final chapter of the Gothic tween fantasy/romance story, and the franchise finally embraces its own innate absurdity with a gleefully over-the-top conclusion. After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi. This movie is entertaining in a totally nutso way. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (PG-13, 115 minutes)

‘A Werewolf Boy’
A chaste Korean fantasy about a teenage girl who befriends and attempts to civilize a feral boy she discovers on the grounds of a country house. Director Jo Sung-hee makes this potentially unwieldy mix of supernatural melodrama, science fiction and political conspiracy theories work as well as it can. (Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times) (NR, 122 minutes)

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ 1/2
The latest Disney animated feature is about a video game villain who wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives. The studio takes a page out of Pixar’s well-worn playbook and ends up with a screwball farce with a novel setting and more edge than your average Disney ‘toon. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG, 108 minutes)

SPECIAL

The Met Live in HD: ‘Aida’
12:55 p.m. Saturday, Regal Dole Cannery; $30
The Metropolitan Opera’s unforgettable production of Verdi’s ancient Egyptian drama stars Liudmyla Monastyrska as the enslaved Ethiopian princess caught in a love triangle with the heroic Radames (Roberto Alagna) and the proud Egyptian princess Amneris (Olga Borodina). (NR, 240 minutes)

ARTHOUSE

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St., entry on Kinau Street (532-87680); $10 general, $8 museum members (tickets also available online at www.honolulumuseum.org)

‘Samsara’
1 and 7:30 p.m. today
Fricke’s long-awaited followup to 1992′s “Baraka,” it’s another nonverbal documentary shot on 70 mm and filmed in numerous global locations, focusing on sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites and natural wonders. (2011, 102 minutes)

Family Film Sunday: ‘Fire and Ice: New Animation from Russia’
11:10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday ($3 adults, $1 children 13 and under)
Embrace the winter spirit with 10 shorts that display a dazzling array of animation techniques. Recommended for ages 6 and up. (55 minutes)

Opera in Cinema: ‘Cendrillon’ from the Royal Opera House, London
4 p.m. Sunday ($25 general, $20 museum members)
The story of Cinderella is told in Massenet’s opera, starring Joyce DiDonato in the title role and Alice Coote as Prince Charming. (170 minutes, including one intermission)

Happy Birthday, Gene Kelly!: ‘On the Town’
1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday
A tribute series to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s greatest dancer kicks off with this Stanley Donen classic. Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Mushin play three sailors on leave in search for love and adventure on the streets of Manhattan. (1949, 98 minutes)

‘An American in Paris’
1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Vincente Minnelli’s multiple Oscar winner stars Kelly as a struggling artist and features the famous extended dance sequence with Leslie Caron, set to the music of George Gershwin. (1951, 91 minutes)

MOVIE MUSEUM

3566 Harding Ave. (735-8771); $5 general, $4 members; reservations recommended

‘Storm Boy’
Noon, 1:45, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m. today
An Australian family film about a boy who must choose between his outdoor life on the deserted south coast and the demands of society. (1976, 87 minutes)

‘Ted’
7 and 9 p.m. today; and noon, 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday
“Family Guy’s” Seth MacFarlane’s directorial debut about a man who shares his life with his “grown-up” teddy bear. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis star, with MacFarlane providing the profane voice of Ted. (R, 106 minutes)

‘School Days with a Pig’
Noon, 2 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Based on a true story, this Japanese classroom comedy-drama is about a rookie teacher who has his sixth-grade class raise a piglet. (2008, 109 minutes)

‘Lost for Words’
4, 5:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday; and noon, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday
A couple tries to come to terms with the husband’s free-spirited and eccentric mother, including her declining health. Pete Postlethwaite, Dame Thora Hird and Penny Downie star in this U.K. drama. (1999, 75 minutes)

‘I, the Other’
3 and 6 p.m. Monday
A news report about a terrorist attack changes what was a friendly relationship between two fishermen, one Sicilian and the other a Tunisian immigrant. (2006, 78 minutes)

‘Nabbie’s Love’
Noon, 1:45, 3:30, 5:15 and 7 p.m. Thursday
A woman quits her job in Tokyo and returns to her home on a small Okinawan island, only to find out that her grandmother is involved in a torrid affair. (1999, 92 minutes)

‘To Be or Not to Be’
8:45 p.m. Thursday
Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star in the classic Ernst Lubitsch comedy about the efforts of a Polish theatrical company in 1939 to aid the resistance. (1942, 99 minutes)

MONDAY MOVIE CAFE

TheVenue, 1146 Bethel St. (436-4326); $10, $5 students

‘Humanity Ascending’
7 p.m. Monday
Futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard’s documentary series as she views human history through what she terms as “evolutionary eyes” that will give birth to a new universal humanity. (120 minutes)