At the movies
Capsule reviews of films opening this week
Friday, October 10, 2008
"Body of Lies"
"Rendition." "Redacted." "The Kingdom." "In the Valley of Elah." "Lions for Lambs." They're all movies about the war on terror that nobody has wanted to see, either because the topic is too daunting or too much of a downer, or it's simply too soon after 9/11. Soon, you'll be able to add "Body of Lies" to that list, even though it's probably the most worthwhile and least preachy of the bunch. The pieces would all seem to be in place for a compelling take on this complex topic: strong work from acting heavyweights Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; an intricate script from William Monahan, an Academy Award winner for "The Departed"; and the virtuoso visual styling of director Ridley Scott. Of course, it looks great as it bounces breathlessly between Iraq and Jordan, Qatar and the Netherlands, Dubai and the Virginia suburbs. And yet the result, with its many explosions and shootouts, too often feels like a generic action picture, albeit one with weightier stuff on its mind. Based on the novel of the same name by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, whose knowledge of the subject matter would seem to be unimpeachable, "Body of Lies" follows undercover CIA operative Roger Ferris (DiCaprio), who's trying to ferret out the mastermind behind a series of anonymous bombings around the world. At the same time, Ferris' boss, Ed Hoffman (Crowe), is running surveillance and plotting strategy from home with the help of his ever-present cell-phone headset and laptop. But despite their shared goals and mutual dependence, Ferris and Hoffman often end up miscommunicating and undermining each other. This becomes especially true when Ferris tries to chat up the smooth Jordanian intelligence chief (Mark Strong, who nearly steals the whole movie). R for strong violence, including some torture, and for language throughout. 128 min. Two and a half stars out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
"Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"
Someday, Michael Cera will show us what else he can do. He surely must have someone else inside him besides the poignantly verbal but sweetly awkward nerd we've come to know and love in such movies as "Superbad" and "Juno," and the late, great TV series "Arrested Development." For now, though, Cera is that guy again, but he also shows some potential as a viable romantic lead - albeit an unconventional one. He and Kat Dennings have a lively, easy chemistry with each other as a couple of high school seniors prowling the streets of New York on an all-night quest to find their favorite underground band. Cera's Nick is an average middle-class New Jersey kid who is obsessed with Tris (Alexis Dziena), the unfaithful ex-girlfriend who dumped him, and the CD mixes he makes for her of his favorite indie rock tunes aren't winning her back. But they do win the heart of Dennings' Norah, a classmate of Tris' who thinks Nick must be the coolest guy in the world, based solely on his musical taste. One night, through a convoluted confluence of events, Nick and Norah find themselves thrown together. The comedy from Peter Sollett ("Raising Victor Vargas"), based on the book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, is aimed squarely at 20-something hipsters, but it's a worthy successor to those 1980s John Hughes movies that were sweetly romantic without trying hard to be. PG-13 for mature thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior. 89 min. Three stars out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
"Burn After Reading"
It's a total goof, of course. A lark, a one-off. The latest offering in the eclectic filmography of Joel and Ethan Coen is not to be taken seriously - one look at Brad Pitt's blond-streaked pouf of hair tells you that - and it's certainly not to be compared to their starkly violent Academy Award-winner from last year, "No Country for Old Men." Having said that, this is by no means a letdown as a follow-up. With its rat-a-tat dialogue and delusional characters, "Burn After Reading" falls more like the brothers' cult-favorite comedies like "Raising Arizona" and "The Big Lebowski." We are no longer in "No Country" but we are assuredly in Coen country. This time, they take their eye for regional detail to Washington for what looks like an espionage thriller, except that the spying uncovers no significant information, everyone is clueless and no one's ever truly in danger. But rather than treating their characters with condescension, the writing-directing brothers seem to have genuine affection for the idiots they've concocted - and the A-list actors are clearly having a blast playing them. John Malkovich, as a fired CIA analyst whose memoirs fall into the wrong hands, is a hilarious marvel of precise, percolating rage. The Coens' old pal, George Clooney, is almost as much of a buffoon here as he was in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Naturally, Frances McDormand is uniquely tuned into the Coens' rhythms, being one of their frequent stars (not to mention, Joel's wife). But Pitt steals every scene he's in - and nearly walks away with the whole movie - as an overgrown child of a gym trainer whose bungled schemes get him in way over his head. R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence. 96 min. Three stars out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
Comments
OnTheBusGus 5 years, 9 months ago
Can anyone tell me why the cost of seeing a movie in town is the same at Wildhorse as it is at the Chieftan? There is no comparison to the two theatres! Stadium seating vs. a 1980 theater style, come on! Heck, the seats in the Cheiftan are not even bolted to the floor! The Cheiftan should become the $2 theatre or something else.
corduroy 5 years, 9 months ago
I agree that it is very overpriced, however since the theaters have different movies, it sort of makes sense. The Chieftan would go out of business selling only $2.00 tickets to a movie they paid the same amount to show as the Wildhorse theater.
Unless they turned it into a cheap theater having older movies once they are done playing at Wildhorse it financially doesn't make sense
katrinkakelly 5 years, 8 months ago
Latte and a less expensive movie works well in the very old downtown Colorado Springs theatre.
paddlefisher 5 years, 8 months ago
Amen ..Jazzslave
sportzmama 5 years, 8 months ago
$2.00 theatre works very well in Fort Collins as well. They usually play movies that have been out for about 3 months or so, but the theatres are always full as no one wants to pay the $7-$8 price for a new release.
I think it would be a great idea.
JazzSlave 5 years, 8 months ago
I'm a diehard wait-for-the-dvd moviegoer. No parking, crowds, lines, patrons who won't shut up, parents who couldn't find a sitter... and I can crack open a Sam Adams & pop some corn for a fraction of the asinine prices at the theater concession.
Brian Watterson 5 years, 7 months ago
I last went to the Chief to see Bourne Ultimatum in August, and was annoyed at having to sit through at least a dozen commercials (and I'm not talking about upcoming attractions).
Has anyone else noticed this pattern of increasing commercials at the Chief ? I don't notice this problem at the Wildhorse.
dimwitiguess 5 years, 7 months ago
Must be a slow day for whiners. dimwitiguess
blahblahblah 5 years, 7 months ago
I hear the song you're singin', knowitall. The Cheif would make an AWESOME music venue. I can smell the patchouli already...
inla 5 years, 6 months ago
And in LA, NY and Chicago it costs $12 to see a movie in stadium seating theater.
dimwitiguess 5 years, 6 months ago
Has anyone seen Mike Forney? MIIKKEE FOORRNNEEYY where are you?
dimwitiguess
blahblahblah 5 years, 4 months ago
I spelled CHIEF wrong.
thecondoguy1 5 years, 4 months ago
I am with jazz, still watching the old John Wayne movies, How about Stagecoach to Denver, robert blake was 5 years old, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, now those are good movies, how about the Fast and the Dead, Gene Hackman, yeh...........
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 4 months ago
I only go to the movie theater if the movie has big special effects that I'd like to see on something bigger than my 42" LCD HDTV.
Hell, I'll probably skip the whole VHS vs. BetaMax Pt. 2 (Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD) format war since downloads are more prevalent than ever. Comcast just needs more HD channels...soon!!
jmemcse 5 years, 2 months ago
I like The West theatre in Craig. And if you like old movies - http://www.publicdomainflicks.com/
The new movie complex in Junction behind Home Depot is cool too.....
Sam Chovan 5 years ago
The chieftain is starting to look better again. The seats still suck, but the lobby has been cleaned up a lot and they now are running brand new Digital Laser Projectors. If you havent seen a movie on the new projectors yet its worth it, the quality will blow you away. its uncomparable to film
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
Nah! I've actually found in a Brookstone catalog a nice piece of equipment that will digitize VHS into a computer for about $200. They also have a cassette tape version to digitize those to MP3 format for about $150. With all my plays on VHS and a bunch of old cassette tapes that I can't "easily" find any longer to upgrade to CD, it may be well worth the money. They even had one for vinyl records to burn to CD-R's!
424now 5 years ago
You can nah!, now but you will have a media center. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
424now 5 years ago
Condoguy1,
Its "The Quick and the Dead", second versions good with a gorgeous gunslinger but the first is the best.
Matt,
Blue ray won two months ago when toshiba handed in the towel.
All hail Blu-Ray!
We could use a low cost alternative to the first run movies out there. To point to the obvious we all would more to do a movie if the price were even half of the current rate.
424now 5 years ago
Wow
TGIF,
Corection; To point out the obvious we would (all more be more likely) to do a ...
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
424- Yep, but I'm still not buying a Blu-Ray player at this time. I have HD movie channels on Comcast and boy, did "Transformers" look amazing, even at only 1080i on my 42" LCD!! Too old to get into the 80's toys/cartoons, but this movie was fun to watch!
Microsoft is already letting it leak that the next XBox may be completely digital downloads for games instead of discs. Fill that disc tray area with an even larger HDD.
As it is now, I may need to buy a new DVD Recorder/VCR since the current one doesn't seem to allow any other DVD player play the discs I burn. I have to transfer all my plays from VHS to DVD!!!! ARrrrrrrrggggghhhh!!
424now 5 years ago
Matt,
It is time to prep/rebuild an old computer and press it into service as your media center. Get the video card and a couple of 500gig drives with at least a dual core processor and you have the archtechture for a decent box.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
My computer is only 1.5 yrs old and already has the Windows Media Center w/160Gig drive, 1Gig of RAM, and Dual Core. (Still not looking for Vista upgrade yet) I don't do a lot of PC gaming; I prefer the console gaming and if the newer XBox ends up being purely digital downloads, I'd love to see it with an HDD up to 1 Terabyte. All I'd currently really need is a larger, external HDD for the computer for storage.
I'm hooked up to a nice home theater system with my XBox. I just need to upgrade the A/V receiver soon so I can plug HDMI's into it. Component is nice, but half the cords to hook everything up is better! And since the XBox 360 also has Windows Media Center and is networked to my computer online, anything I store on the computer (photos, music, movies, etc.) can stream thru the network and I can watch it all on the 42" LCD!
Once I upgrade all my VHS and cassettes, I just sell the equipment on EBay to make money back. The need for them is only short term until all my VHS and cassettes are transferred.
424now 5 years ago
Ok,
For the Receiver Amplifier I reccomend the Denon AVR-2308. This unit Has two HDMI inputs and one out. It also incorporates some of the best performing upscaling from all the other inputs for an improved display via the single HDMI output. It also supports a second assignable zone if you opt to run 5.1 instead of 7.1, (you know, for her to watch a show in surround while your working outside listening to music.)
In a previous life I installed home theaters.
424now 5 years ago
And Matt keep that 360 cool, beware the red ring of death and get the microsoft service centers phone #, just in case.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
LOL! Got my 360 at launch and never a problem so far. I'll be GTA4ing tonight in a big way online!! Same thing when the PS2 came out- bought it at launch, never had any of the Disc Read Errors that a lot of people had. Only time was on a Beta Test disc and almost everyone on the beta had bad discs. Had to tilt the console 45 degrees to get it to read.
My current Sony receiver is only 5.1 but has A/B speakers for 2 extra stereo speakers on B setting. I keep thinking about hooking those up to speakers for the garage, but Jenn and I usually tend to listen to our MP3 players for outdoor work. Next home, I'll make sure we're wired for everything possible! Having 2 HDMI inputs would be perfect- one for the DVR and one for the 360.
424now 5 years ago
My STR-D965 was pressed into service as the guestroom unit when when I got the AVR-3807 I like to BB-Q with tune's so I opted for the 2 X zone amp. I highly reccomend it.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
Nice! Since our deck is right outside the family room, where the home theater is, that makes it easy when sitting out on the deck without outdoor speakers. I'll have to check out that Denon online, though! Thanks 424!
424now 5 years ago
Matt,
Your welcome,
Hey, be greatful I only hit two talking points when it comes to quality electronics I can get long winded.
armchairqb 5 years ago
Does anyone know what they are talking about? Sounds greek to me. what ever happened to just push power. Now they say standby no on/off
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
Armchairqb- LOL! That went the way with rabbit ear antennas!
thecondoguy1 5 years ago
No worries all, the Chieftan will be retail and lofts before it's a $2.00 theater, ala Mr. Cook and friends....
Yes, "The quick and the dead" it was, Hackman said when there is a fox in the hen house there is no doubt somebody, is going to have dinner........
424now 5 years ago
I'll just back out the garage and close the garage door, use the inverter and the audio in the truck with my NEC LCD projector for my wife and I to have a regular ol' Drive in experience right here in the Boat.
raver 5 years ago
Downtown theater has digital projecters as oppose to 35mm that are scratched and are constantly flickering. seats are worse but picture quality blows it away. no annoying cigar burns, better sound, and no white flashes. watch and compare.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years ago
I don't bother with the Chief Plaza Cinema any longer. I found out Incredible Hulk is playing there instead of Wildhorse. Looks like I'll be waiting for it to come onto one of the cable movie channels in HD. The Dark Knight better not be at the Chief; Wildhorse has spoiled me for their comfort level while sitting ther for 2+ hours. Has Chief fixed the leaky ceiling yet?
raver 5 years ago
The chief plaza theater has way better popcorn theater quality and employees. All the wild horse has better is the stadium seating. both theaters are required by law to have the same amount of commercials. The chief plaza for everyone that is wondering will still be around for many years to come and is still making much more of a profit then people would expect. The chief made more money then the wild horse on many weekends it just depends on the movie. oh and yes the roof and everything is fixed... no more water on the head.
Brian Watterson 4 years, 11 months ago
raver:
If both theatres are susposed to have the same number of commerials (which sounds odd), then someone's been breaking the law.
Have a good one.
Matthew Stoddard 4 years, 11 months ago
I thought commercials were up to the theater since I believe they help defer costs to put movies in. The previews I thought were up to whomever distributes a specific movie. I'm not sure, though.
Can't wait to see "Hancock" and "The Dark Knight!"
Random_Observations 4 years, 11 months ago
saw dark knight tonight...its awesome
about the chief taking in more profits recently....yes, that wouldnt surprise me. wildhorse and chief plaza dont take the same movies. so for the past few months, wildhorse has been giving the big releases (sex and the city, sweeney todd, the hulk) to chief so then they had pull to get indiana jones and the dark knight ("we gave you those big ones, we get these" kind of thing)
but matthew is right...there is a list of movie trailers sent with each film.
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