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At the Movies: ‘The Call,’ ‘Burt Wonderstone,’ more

OPENS TODAY

‘The Call’
When a veteran emergency operator receives a call from a girl who has just been abducted, she soon realizes that she must confront a killer from her own past in order to save the girl. Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin star. (R, 96 minutes)

‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ 1/2
When a hot street magician’s stunt begins to make their show look stale, a couple of veteran stage magicians look to salvage both their act and friendship by staging their own daring stunt. Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin and Olivia Wilde star. (PG-13, 100 minutes)

LIMITED RELEASE

‘Like Someone in Love’
Internationally acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami makes his latest film in Japan in a story about a young prostitute who develops an unexpected connection with a widower over a period of two days. At Kahala 8 (NR, 109 minutes)

NOW PLAYING

’21 and Over’
In this college party comedy from the writers of “The Hangover,” a promising student celebrates his 21st birthday with his two best friends on the night before his big medical school interview. This treads heavily through “Harold and Kumar” territory, but it does strike a nice balance between the over-the-top hijinks and an emotional core, which unexpectedly crystalizes relatively late in the movie. (Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle) (R, 93 minutes)

‘Amour’
An elderly French couple’s bond of love is severely tested when the wife suffers a series of debilitating strokes. Michael Haneke’s winner of the best foreign-language film Oscar is a moving love story, the resulting interplay of ruthless restraint and unavoidable passion. Its refusal to shrink from depicting the inevitable horrors of physical deterioration is devastating. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13, 127 minutes)

‘Argo’
Ben Affleck directs and stars in the best-picture Oscar winner that is a seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense, as a CIA “exfiltration” specialist 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)

‘Dark Skies’
A family’s peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, and they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them. The biggest problem with this movie is that the director can’t quite decide just what story he is telling, a slow-burn horror parable or paranoid invasion flick, although it does hit a freak-out groove in its final third, gaining a steady momentum. (Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13, 98 minutes)

‘Dead Man Down’ 1/2
Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as two damaged souls in Danish director Niels Arden Oplev’s American debut (he and Rapace worked together on the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). Set in New York’s hard-boiled criminal underworld, this is a moody twist of hyper-violent vengeance and heartache where death is hand-delivered, mercy is hard to come by and love is never easy. (R, 110 minutes)

‘Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey’
A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from relative obscurity in the Philippines to become the new singer for the classic rock band Journey. For all the drama that comes with Pineda’s own personal story, the film also works as an exhibit of life on the road for a veteran group like Journey. (Sjarif Goldstein, Star-Advertiser) (NR, 113 minutes)

‘Emperor’
Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones star in this historical drama about an American brigadier who must decide whether Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Fox gives a smart, thought-through performance as brigadier Bonner Fellers, while Jones gives one of the more curious if effective portrayals of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) (PG-13, 98 minutes)

‘Escape from Planet Earth’ 1/2
In this animated feature, an astronaut finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to a distress signal from a notoriously dangerous alien planet. Feel-good but not cloying, zippy but not frenetic, and refreshingly free of snark, the default setting for a lot of kids’ fare these days, the feature takes a pleasingly retro-futuristic stace on matters of decor and attitude. (Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times) (PG, 95 minutes)

‘A Good Day to Die Hard’
Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, who this time-travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son and finds out instead he’s a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist. This off-the-shelf blend of car chases, fireballs and the rat-a-tat, thunk-a-thunk of automatic weapons fire is not likely to go out of style, but the handful of extended set pieces, linked by a simple-minded plot and a handful of half-clever lines, is definitely old news. (A.O. Scott, New York Times) (R, 97 minutes)

‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’ 1/2
Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in this unique spin on the fairy tale that is more Gatling guns and grenades than the Brothers Grimm. They play bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. High-concept pitch or no, the movie doesn’t really work. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (R, 88 minutes)

‘Identity Thief’
A mild-mannered businessman travels from Denver to Miami to confront the deceptively harmless-looking woman who has been living it up after stealing his identity. Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy star in this unsalvageable wreck of a comedy, regardless of the moments of McCarthy’s hilarious bits of violent slapstick. (Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald) (R, 111 minutes)

‘Jack the Giant Slayer’
The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when a young farmhand, fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds. Shot in 3-D, “The Usual Suspects” team of director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie have made a smart and thrilling movie with a sense of both briskness and substance. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) (PG-13, 114 minutes)

‘The Last Exorcism Part II’
As Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) tries to build a new life after the events of the first movie, the evil force that once possessed her returns with an even more horrific plan. This is an effectively unnerving, slow-burn supernatural horror tale. The film is smartly different enough from the original to survive on its own, though it lacks some of the first movie’s sense of surprise. (Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13, 88 minutes)

‘Life of Pi’ 1/2
Ang Lee’s multiple Oscar-winning 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)

‘A Moment in Time’
A Filipino romance partly shot in Europe starring Coco Martin and Julia Montes, about a struggling artist who finds his muse in a woman, who as an only child lived a sheltered life with her rich parents. (NR, no running time listed)

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ 1/2
While director Sam Raimi’s prequel conceit and reinterpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” is loud and eye-poppingly colorful, it still doesn’t make for a very good Disney film, which is only mildly diverting and clever in spots. James Franco’s smirking performance as the magician and carnival charlatan doesn’t help much, either. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (PG, 130 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. The bursts of energy that accompany practices and performances woven throughout give the film much of its vigor. Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Billy Connolly star in the genteel comedy directed by Dustin Hoffman. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13, 98 minutes)

‘Safe Haven’
Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough star in Nicholas Sparks’ latest treacly romance. A mysterious woman arrives in a small town and falls in love with a widower, forcing both to confront her dark past. It’s a story that involves no heavy lifting for its actors and few surprises, so safe that there’s nothing anybody would consider edgy. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG-13, 115 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 woman with problems of her own. This exuberant movie from director David O. Russell does almost everything right. An intensely focused Bradley Cooper gives a surprisingly effective performance, and Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence gives her character an aching, tender and lovely quality. (Manohla Dargis, New York Times) (R, 122 minutes)

‘Snitch’ 1/2
Dwayne Johnson plays a father who goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal. The pacing in this straight-no-chaser thriller is off; too many scenes lack dramatic punch. But Johnson is pretty good at being a guy in over his head, sharing scenes with flinty pros like Susan Sarandon, Benjamin Bratt and Barry Pepper (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG-13, 112 minutes)

‘Warm Bodies’
A paranormal romantic comedy starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer about the relationship between a teenage girl and a zombie boy that may transform the entire lifeless world. The movie is a sweetly funny and touching riff on “Beauty and the Beast” and “Romeo & Juliet” — if the Beast feasted on flesh or Romeo came back from the dead. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (PG-13, 97 minutes)

‘Zero Dark Thirty’
The drama of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, 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 Met Live in HD: ‘Francesca da Rimini’
Noon Saturday, Dole Cannery Stadium 18; $24 general, $22 seniors, $18 children
Zandonai’s compelling opera, inspired by an episode from Dante’s “Inferno,” returns in the Met’s ravishing production, last seen in 1986. Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and tenor Marcello Giordani are the doomed lovers. (NR, 240 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)

Hakim Belabbes: ‘A Nest in the Heat’ with short ‘Whispers’
1 and 7:30 p.m. today
Belabbes will be in attendance to introduce and lead a post-screening discussion of his reflective portraits about his hometown of Boujad, Morocco. (1992, 45 minutes/1999, 15 minutes)

‘Love, Marilyn’
1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
A documentary about Marilyn Monroe’s guarded inner life as reflected in her correspondence, diary and letters. (2012, 105 minutes)

Family Film Sunday: Best of the Fest! Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2013
11:10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday ($3 general, $1 children 12 and under)
The best of kids flicks. (67 minutes)

‘The Seven Year Itch’
4 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
The classic Billy Wilder comedy starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell about a husband who is tempted by a neighbor. (1955, 105 minutes)

‘To Catch a Thief’
1 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Alfred Hitchcock’s lavishly costumed mystery about a cat burglar prowling the French Riviera. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly star. (1955, 106 minutes)

MOVIE MUSEUM

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

‘Le Magnifique’
Noon, 1:45 and 7:30 p.m. today
Screening in advance celebration of French icon Jean Paul Belmondo’s 80th birthday in April, this audience favorite is a slapstick spoof of espionage films and novels. Jacqueline Bisset co-stars. (1973, 95 minutes)

‘Amal’
3:30 and 5:30 p.m. today; and 2:15, 4 and 5:45 p.m. Monday
An Indian autorickshaw driver’s sense of duty is tested by an eccentric billionaire who, moved by the man’s humility, bequeaths him his entire estate. (2007, 101 minutes)

‘Life of Pi’
Noon, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45 and 9 p.m. Saturday
See review in regular film listings. (2012, 127 minutes)

‘Mickybo and Me’
Noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Set in Belfast in 1970, two boys who share an obsession with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid wind up running away to Australia. (2004, 95 minutes)

‘The Italian Key’
1:45, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Sunday
A romantic fairy tale about a 19-year-old orphan who inherits an antique key that unlocks both an old Italian villa and the secrets of her family. (2011, 92 minutes)

‘Le Casse (The Burglars)’
Noon and 7:45 p.m. Monday
Belmondo, Omar Sharif and Dyan Cannon star in this extravagant crime caper. (1971, 120 minutes)

‘Stavisky’
Noon, 4 and 8 p.m. Thursday
Belmondo plays a charming swindler who nearly ruined the French economy. (1974, 120 minutes)

‘Monsieur Gangster’
2 and 6 p.m. Thursday
A classic French comedy about a retired gangster who runs into some trouble with a longtime mobster heavy when he heeds the wish of a dying friend to handle some mob business. (1963, 105 minutes)

BODY & SPIRIT DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES

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

‘Kumare’
6:30 p.m. Sunday
A documentary by Vikram Gandhi, who impersonates an Indian guru in Arizona. (2011, 84 minutes)

MONDAY MOVIE CAFE

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

‘Secrets & Lies’
7 p.m. Monday
British director Mike Leigh’s breakout debut stars Marianne Jean Baptiste as a successful black woman who traces her birth mother to a lower-class white woman, played by Brenda Blethyn. (1996, 136 minutes)

SPECIAL SCREENING

Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Ave. (949-2220); free

’5 Broken Cameras’
6:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Oscar-nominated documentary about a Palestinian farmer’s chronicle of his nonviolent resistance. (2011, 94 minutes)