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At the Movies: ‘Hansel & Gretel,’ ‘Movie 43,’ more

OPENS TODAY

‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’ 1/2
Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in this unique spin on the fairy tale, playing bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. As the fabled Blood Moon approaches, the siblings encounter a new form of evil that might hold a secret to their past. (R, 88 minutes)

‘Movie 43′
A series of interconnected short films follows three kids as they search the Internet to find the most banned movie in the world. (R, 90 minutes)

‘Parker’ 1/2
Jason Statham plays a thief with a unique code of professional ethics who is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman (Jennifer Lopez) on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew’s latest heist. (R, 118 minutes)

LIMITED RELEASE

‘One More Try’
In this Filipino melodrama, a woman seeks help from her ex-husband when their son becomes critically ill. But does their reconnection hurt the newer relationships in their own lives? At Consolidated Pearlridge. (NR, 100 minutes)

‘Quartet’ 1/2
At a home for retired opera singers, the annual concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday is disrupted by the arrival of a diva and the former wife of one of the residents. Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Billy Connolly star in the film directed by Dustin Hoffman. At Consolidated Kahala. (PG-13, 98 minutes)

NOW PLAYING

‘Argo’
The Golden Globe winner and multiple Oscar nominee returns to theaters. Ben Affleck directs and stars in this seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense as a CIA “exfiltration” specialist who concocts a risky plan to get six Americans out of Iran as the revolution reaches a boiling point. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 120 minutes)

‘Broken City’ 1/2
In a city rife with injustice, an ex-cop seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by the mayor. Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in this slyly entertaining drama that leans more heavily on acting and dialogue than gunplay and chases. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (R, 109 minutes)

‘Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away’ 1/2
In this 3-D presentation, two young people journey through the dreamlike worlds of the extraordinary circus to find each other. While the world-famous and stylized circus is wonderful in a live setting, the spectacle is a little less spectacular on film. It’s all quite lovely, mesmerizing and right on the edge of sleep-inducing. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG, 91 minutes)

‘Django Unchained’
With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. There’s something gleefully satisfying in watching evil people get what they have coming, but this Oscar-nominated film is Quentin Tarantino at his most puerile and least inventive. He always gets good actors who deliver, though, and performances by Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar nominee Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson make it all intermittently entertaining. (David Germain, Associated Press) (R, 165 minutes)

‘Gangster Squad’ 1/2
This pulpy, violent tale of cops and mobsters in 1949 Los Angeles wallows in period detail — it’s mostly flashy, empty and cacophonous, and woefully wastes a strong cast led by Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in barely developed, one-note roles. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 113 minutes)

‘A Haunted House’
Horror only has a ghostly presence in this ramshackle, found-footage spoof from Marlon Wayans (“Scary Movie”). A man turns to a priest, a psychic and a team of ghost-busters to help get a demon out of his possessed wife. (R, 86 minutes)

‘The Hobbit: An Unfinished 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. It’s both visually dazzling and utterly distracting, and at more than three hours, the movie is overstuffed with prologues, a sidestepping back story and boring, drawn-out scenes. The first of a trilogy, this may pay off by the time the finale arrives in the summer of 2014, but right now, it looks like something that would’ve been better told in one movie. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (PG-13, 169 minutes)

‘The Impossible’ 1/2
Oscar nominee Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star in the true-life story of vacationers caught in the deadly tsunami that hit southern Thailand in 2004. The dramatic emphasis is on the anguish of a mother and her son (Watts and Tom Holland), who survive the waves and are separated from the rest of their family. Both actors are terrific in their roles, but the film is unfortunately less an examination of mass Asian destruction than the tale of a spoiled holiday for wealthy, entitled Western travelers. (A.O. Scott, New York Times) (PG-13, 114 minutes)

‘Jack Reacher’
This features one of those effortless badass performances from Tom Cruise that remind us that he is indeed a movie star, first and foremost. He plays the titular homicide investigator digging deep into a case involving a military sniper who shoots random victims. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie’s film moves so fluidly and with such confidence, it’ll suck you in from the start. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (PG-13, 130 minutes)

‘The Last Stand’
Action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger gets his first leading role in a decade in this story about a sheriff and his inexperienced staff who go after a drug cartel boss who escaped from prison. Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s American filmmaking debut is full of big, violent set pieces and broad comedy, and Schwarzenegger proves he’s still game for the mayhem, surrounded by a strong supporting cast led by Johnny Knoxville. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (R, 107 minutes)

‘Les Miserables’ 1/2
Director Tom Hooper’s sweeping Oscar-nominated adaptation of the hit Broadway musical is given an operetta treatment that can be soaring and glorious — or, when the lyrics slip into anachronistic vernacular, wincingly lame. This big-budget movie summons the mighty forces of CGI to create vast tableaux of castles and monasteries, shipyards and slums, found in France in the tumultuous first half of the 19th century. It stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and a scene-stealing Anne Hathaway. (Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer) (PG-13, 157 minutes)

‘Life of Pi’ 1/2
Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film is an adaptation of the novel 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. 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, multi-Oscar nominated 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)

‘Mama’
Guillermo del Toro is the producer behind this horror story about a couple faced with the challenge of raising the husband’s young nieces who were supposedly left alone in the forest for five years. Del Toro and collaborator Andres Muschietti make this chilling ghost story work thanks to great performances by Jessica Chastain as the reluctant mother replacement and, as the feral girls, Isabelle Nelisse and Megan Charpentier. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG-13, 100 minutes)

‘Parental Guidance’
It’s the collision of the generations as an old-school couple agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town to work. Billy Crystal plays it like “revenge of the geezer,” and the movie would be the worse for it if not for the counterbalancing performances of Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei. (Manohla Dargis, New York Times) (PG, 104 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)

‘Rust and Bone’
A struggling single father helps a whale trainer recover her will to live following a terrible accident that leaves her confined to a wheelchair. Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts put in a pair of beautiful tragicomic performances in this French drama, an effective and moving piece that illustrates the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive. (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune) (R, 120 minutes)

‘Silver Linings Playbook’
After a stint in a mental institution, a former teacher moves back in with his parents and, during his attempts to reconcile with his ex-wife, meets a mysterious girl with problems of her own. This exuberant Oscar-nominated movie from director David O. Russell does almost everything right. An intensely focused Bradley Cooper gives a surprisingly effective performance and Jennifer Lawrence gives her character an aching, tender and lovely quality. (Manohla Dargis, New York Times) (R, 122 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)

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ 1/2
The latest Disney Oscar-nominated 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)

‘Zero Dark Thirty’
The Oscar-nominated drama of the decadelong hunt for al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in May 2011. This is a cool, outwardly nonpartisan intelligence procedural that seamlessly weaves truth and drama, and Kathryn Bigelow’s direction here is unexpectedly stunning, at once bold and intimate. (Manohla Dargis, New York Times) (R, 157 minutes)

SPECIAL

‘The Room’
Midnight Friday, Consolidated Kahala
Tommy Wiseau’s low-budget cult favorite from 2003, in which Wiseau plays a happy-go-lucky banker who sees his world fall apart as his friends begin to betray him one by one. (R, 99 minutes)

ARTHOUSE

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St., entry on Kinau Street (532-8768); $10 general, $8 museum members (tickets also available online at www.honolulumuseum.org)

Opera in Cinema: ‘La Boheme’ from the Royal Opera House, London
1 and 6 p.m. Sunday ($25 general, $20 museum members)
Rolando Villazon stars in John Copley’s definitive production of the famous Puccini opera that is a minutely observed panorama of 1830s Parisian life. (165 minutes, including two intermissions)

‘The Raw and the Cooked’
1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday
A sumptuous exploration of Taiwan’s rich culinary traditions and unique mix of cultures. (2012, 83 minutes)

MOVIE MUSEUM

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

‘The Other Final’
Noon and 1:30 p.m. today
A documentary about a soccer match between Bhutan and Montserrat, the then-lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA world rankings, a game that was played on the same day as the World Cup final in Japan. (2003, 77 minutes)

‘End of Watch’
3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. today; noon and 8 p.m. Saturday
Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena play Los Angeles police partners who discover a secret that makes them the target of the country’s most dangerous drug cartel. (2012, 109 minutes)

‘Blessed’
2, 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday
Seven lost children wander through the streets of Melbourne, Australia, for a day and a night while their mothers await their return home. (2009, 113 minutes)

‘Voyageurs de la Korrigane’ and ‘Lunch with Madame Murat’
Noon and 2 p.m. Sunday, and 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Monday
Two French documentaries, the first retracing the route of a ship’s ethnological expedition in the 1930s to Papua New Guinea, and the other the 100th-anniversary celebration of a traditional eatery in rural southwestern France. (2005, 52 minutes/2007, 52 minutes)

‘A Quiet Life’
4, 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday
Juzo Itami’s adaptation of a novel about a mentally challenged boy and his younger sister who cares for him in their parents’ absence. (1995, 99 minutes)

‘Ageman (Tales of a Golden Geisha’
Noon, 2:15 and 8:30 p.m. Monday
The Juzo Itami satire on corruption and the influence of money in Japanese politics, as a geisha brings luck to the men she sleeps with. (1990, 118 minutes)

‘Romuald et Juliette’
Noon, 4 and 8 p.m. Thursday
A company president gets framed with a food-poisoning scandal, and the only person who can help him is the West Indian evening cleaning woman, who always seems to be at the right place at the right time. (1989, 108 minutes)

‘Stork Day’
2 and 6 p.m. Thursday
An Italian adaptation of “Groundhog Day,” where an arrogant nature program host is forced to relive the same day over and over again on a remote site in the Canary Islands. (2004, 90 minutes)

BODY & SPIRIT DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES

Still & Moving Center, 1024 Queen St. (397-7678); $5

‘Never Stand Still’
6:30 p.m. Sunday
Filmed at the iconic Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, legendary dancers and choreographers appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline and daring of their art. (2012, 78 minutes)

MONDAY MOVIE CAFE

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

‘Kanyini’
7 p.m. Monday
The first in a series of Australian films, this documentary explores the life and philosophy of an Aboriginal elder from the central part of the vast country. (2006, 63 minutes)