Ratings ????? Outstanding ???? Very Good ??? Good ?? Fair ? Poor
OPENING
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria, SilverCity) In a dystopian East Coast megalopolis, a futuristic cop and his rookie trainee take on a ruthless drug lord and her clan. With Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey. 18A
End Of Watch
(Empire Capitol 6, Empire University 4, SilverCity) Two ambitious young LAPD officers patrol a gang-ridden slice of South Los Angeles, become the cartel's most wanted and are marked for death. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena and Ana Kendrick. (NR)
Farewell, My Queen
(French with English subtitles) (Cineplex Odeon Victoria) The film, which focuses on the relationship between Marie Antoinette and the loyal Sidonie while chaos erupts in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution, is based on the best-selling novel by Chantal Thomas. Stars Diane Kruger and Léa Seydoux. PG
House At the End Of the Street
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity) A recent divorcee and her daughter move into a dream house in an upscale town, only to find that their new home hides dark secrets. With Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue. (NR)
Trouble With the Curve
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, Empire University 4, SilverCity) An aging baseball scout enlists his daughter, an ambitious young lawyer, to accompany him on an important recruiting mission. With Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake. PG
CONTINUING
The Amazing Spider-Man 3D ???1/2
(Imax) A reboot of the superhero franchise with Andrew Garfield as a leaner, more intense Spider-Man and Emma Stone as his love interest. It's a more intimate telling of a familiar story, including the part about a giant lizard that threatens New York. - Jay Stone. PG
The Bourne Legacy ???1/2
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Cineplex Odeon Westshore, SilverCity) Jeremy Renner steps into the Bourne series as Aaron Cross, a government agent who has been genetically altered to be smarter and stronger. Naturally, the government wants to kill him, and the film is a long chase - by computer, and then by motorcycle - told with wordy complexity and watchable excitement. - Jay Stone. PG
The Campaign ???
(Caprice, SilverCity) When it's not slo-mo slugging babies, The Campaign is actually quite a sharp satire. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis indulge in their share of cheap laughs, but the line between reality and raunchy is precariously thin. Perfectly timed for the looming U.S. presidential election. (Jesse Kinos-Goodin). 14A
Celeste and Jesse Forever ??1/2
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria) Director Lee Toland Krieger and writer-actors Rashida Jones and Will McCormack take us on a sometimes funny, often tired, but perpetually bewildering ride through a supposedly amicable divorce.
- Katherine Monk. 14A
The Dark Knight Rises ????1/2
(Caprice) Christopher Nolan delivers everything his third Bat-movie required as he pits Bruce Wayne against his own alter ego, and the world against a raving madman in a mask. While it follows genre formula to a T, this epic reel also picks up on the bloody threads of the French Revolution as Nolan gives form to the Occupy movement, and the public desire to hang corporate bankers from the highest tree. Smart, cinematic and skilfully executed at every level, The Dark Knight Rises proves you can make a socially provocative and politically subversive statement and sell it as top-notch escapism. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Joseph GordonLevitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman star. - Katherine Monk. PG
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days ? 1/2
(Caprice) An adolescent boy tries to survive summer misadventures in such fraught situations as swimming at the public pool and going camping. The stories by Greg Heffley have appealed to millions of readers, yet the same stories don't work in a live-action setting. With Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. - Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune. G
The Expendables 2 ?? 1/2
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, SilverCity) After a seemingly routine mission goes awry, a band of mercenaries seeks revenge against an adversary and stumbles onto a global threat. The result is a showcase of muscles, an impressive load of firepower and not much else. With Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li. 14A
Finding Nemo 3D ?????
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, Empire University 4, SilverCity) There is probably no better film for conversion to 3D than Disney/Pixar's animated oceanic kids' adventure, Finding Nemo. With its beautifully crafted story of the bond between parent and child, and the watery sea-green milieu, Nemo is a treasure trove of unexpected humour heightened by a sublime score. It's a captivating fish tale, from either either side of the tank. - Chris Knight. G
Hope Springs ???
(Caprice, Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Empire University 4) After 30 years of marriage, a middle-age couple attends an intense, week-long counselling session to work on their relationship. The therapy scenes are exquisitely acted and paced. Without a single special effect, it's a summer movie with punch. Starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. - Christy Lemire, Associated Press. PG
Ice Age: Continental Drift 3D ???
(Caprice) A group of Paleolithic animal pals tries to survive a continental cataclysm in the fourth instalment of the Ice Age series. The script has a cheap habit of copying other cartoon material, but the results are both entertaining and life affirming. With the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah. G
Lawless
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Cineplex Odeon Westshore, SilverCity, Star) Set in the Depressionera Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits. Stars Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain and Tom Hardy. 14A
Moonrise Kingdom ??1/2
(Caprice) Wes Anderson tells the story of two outsider kids who fall in love during the summer of 1965 and attempt to realize the happyever-after ending. While the movie looks good, and the performances from an ensemble cast that includes Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis and Ed Norton are solid, the movie feels like a work in miniature where everything is drawn to scale, but carries little emotional heft. - Katherine Monk. PG
ParaNorman ???1/2
(SilverCity) An expertly designed stop-motion animated film about a boy who sees the dead, particularly the witches who were hanged 300 years earlier. - Jay Stone. PG
Premium Rush ?? 1/2
(Empire Capitol 6) For an intrepid New York City bike messenger, a routine delivery turns into a life-or-death chase. With Joseph GordonLevitt and Michael Shannon. Thanks to Shannon, stunt cyclists and Google Maps, we have something interesting to look at for 90 minutes. The plot, however, keeps slipping out of gear. - Katherine Monk. 14A
The Queen of Versailles ???1/2
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria) An enlightened, open and entirely unbiased view of obscene indulgence, The Queen of Versailles isn't just a great piece of skin-crawling entertainment, it's a thoughtful and somewhat humane post mortem of the American dream. - Katherine Monk. G
Resident Evil: Retribution 3D ?
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity Imax) The videogame franchise about a woman infected with a zombie virus scrapes the bottom of the petri dish in this low-budget and altogether boring exercise in formula. Milla Jovovich tries to bring some substance to a vacuum, but it's sucked out faster than an eyeball in a zombie's rotting maw. - Katherine Monk. 14A
Robot and Frank
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Star) In the near future, an aging former cat burglar's two adult children buy him a humanoid robot helper, with whom he forms an unexpected partnership. With Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden and Liv Tyler. PG
Ruby Sparks
(Star) A young novelist who was successful early in his career finds himself struggling until he invents an inspiring new character - who shocks him by appearing in the flesh shortly thereafter. With Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Antonio Banderas and Annette Bening. PG
The Words ??1/2
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria) Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana play the central couple in this drama with endless ambitions, but only limited abilities. Cooper plays Rory, a novelist who has yet to publish his work. When he finds an anonymous manuscript, he submits the work as his own, only to reap every reward he ever dreamt of - except the knowledge he succeeded on his own merit. A self-conscious and frequently cheesy piece of author cliché, The Words wanted to be a proof of transcendence, but like so many failed novels and screenplays, it's really just horny shlock with a nice cover.
- Katherine Monk. PG
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Mrs. Doubtfire (Saturday, Cineplex Odeon Westshore)
The Tempest (Thursday, SilverCity)
CINECENTA
Latin American and Spanish Film Week:
Operaci N Diablo (The Devil Operation) - (Fri., 7 and 9 p.m.)
Juan de Los Meurtos (Juan Of the Dead) - (Sat., 7 and 9 p.m.)
Un Cuento Chino (A Chinese Tale) - (Sun., 7 and 9 p.m.)
Cosmopolis - 14A (Mon. and Tue., 7 and 9: 10 p.m.)
The Lady - (Wed. and Thur., 7 p.m.)
IMAX FILMS
Go to imaxvictoria.com for showtimes.
Air Racers
The Amazing Spider-Man: The Imax Experience
To the Arctic
Rocky Mountain Express
Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia