Posted | Comments Off

At the Movies: ‘Anna Karenina,’ ‘Killing Them Softly,’ more

OPENS TODAY

‘Anna Karenina’ 1/2
Tolstoy’s beloved novel is re-imagined by director Joe Wright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, and largely set in a theater. Keira Knightley is Anna Karenina, a Russian woman who enters into an affair with a soldier (Aaron Johnson), violating the trust of her religious husband (Jude Law), and suffers for her actions. At Kahala (R, 84 minutes)

‘Bon Jovi: Inside Out’
NCM Fathom Events and AEG Live collaborated to film highlights from Bon Jovi’s concerts in London, New Jersey and Madison Square Garden. At Regal Dole Cannery, Friday only (PG-13, 110 minutes)

‘Killing Them Softly’
Brad Pitt plays a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game. (R, 97 minutes)

‘The Collection’ 1/2
A wealthy man’s daughter (Emma Fitzpatrick) is kidnapped by the sadistic Collector. Arkin (Josh Stewart), the only man to have escaped the madman, is convinced to re-enter the house of torture to save her. (R, 82 minutes)

LIMITED RELEASE

‘Citadel’
An agoraphobic Irishman teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children who committed an act of violence against his family years earlier. At Consolidated Kapolei (R, 84 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. (Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer) At Kahala (R, 95 minutes)

‘The Thieves’
Recently featured at the Hawaii International Film Festival and South Korea’s second-highest grossing box office hit in history, the movie is about a gang of criminals who team up with a Hong Kong crew to steal a diamond necklace from a casino in Macau. At Consolidated Pearlridge and Ward (NR, 135 minutes)

’24/7 in Love’
An anthology of romantic stories from the Philippines featuring characters performing crazy antics for love’s sake. At Pearlridge (NR, 130 minutes)

‘Dragon’
Kung fu star Donnie Yen stars in the story of a reluctant martial arts expert. At Kapolei. (114 minutes) See review in the Today section.

NOW PLAYING

‘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)

‘Dangerous Liaisons’
This new Chinese adaptation of the 18th-century classic about cruel sexual gamesmanship is a guilty pleasure — a gorgeous, big-scale film set in 1938 Shanghai, providing juicy roles for China’s Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong’s Cecilia Cheung. (G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle) (NR, 110 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)

‘Here Comes the Boom’
Kevin James plays a high school biology teacher who tries to become a successful mixed martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extracurricular activities from being axed at his financially strapped school. The movie’s attempt to balance silliness and seriousness is undermined by the flat-out absurdity of the premise. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) (PG, 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. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor, a 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 as he 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). (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)

‘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. (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)

‘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 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 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)

‘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. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (PG, 108 minutes)

ARTHOUSE

DORIS DUKE THEATRE

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

The Bard on the Big Screen: ‘The Tempest’
1 and 7:30 p.m. today
The last film in this series is Julie Taymor’s reimagined version of “The Tempest,” filmed on Lanai and Hawaii island, starring Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming and Djimon Hounsou. Executive producers John Ching and Jason Lau will introduce the film and lead a post-screening Q&A. (2010, 110 minutes)

‘Middle of Nowhere’
1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday
Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival directing award for writer/producer director Ava DuVernay, the first African-American woman to be so recognized. A bright medical student (Emayatzy Corinealdi) suspends her career when her husband is incarcerated. Driven by love, loyalty and hope, she struggles between two worlds and two men (Omari Hardwick and David Oyelowo). (97 minutes)

MOVIE MUSEUM

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

‘The Perfect Circle’
12:30 and 8:30 p.m. today, and 4 and 6 p.m. Monday
Two orphaned brothers, having escaped a massacre in their own Bosnian village and in search of a long-lost aunt in Sarajevo, are befriended by an alcoholic poet. (1997, 98 minutes)

‘One Evening After the War’
2:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. today; and noon, 2 and 8 p.m. Monday
In this drama set in 1992 Phnom Penh in Cambodia, a bar girl recalls her romance with an impoverished Khmer Rouge soldier. (1998, 110 minutes)

‘Cure’
Noon Saturday
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s masterful horror film about a wave of gruesome murders sweeping Tokyo, distinguished by a bloody “X” carved into the neck of each of the victims. (1997, 111 minutes)

‘Lawless’
2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday
Set in Depression-era Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits. Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain star. (116 minutes)

‘The Classic’
12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday
This Korean romance tells the parallel love stories of a mother and daughter. (2003, 133 minutes)

‘Love is All’
2, 4, and 6 p.m. Thursday
With the arrival of a mysterious Santa Claus, the amorous ups and downs of four Dutch couples reach a climax. (Netherlands, 2007, 110 minutes)

‘Like Dandelion Dust’
8 p.m. Thursday
The lives of a working-class family and a wealthy family collide in this drama, with Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper. (2009, 100 minutes)

MONDAY MOVIE CAFE

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

‘Why in the World are They Spraying?’
7 p.m. Monday
This film by Peter Wiedensmith theorizes that chemtrails and geoengineering are being used to control weather patterns, in service of corporate-dominated agriculture. (2011, 94 minutes)