Friday, April 8, 2011

[Reel Pizza] SCHEDULE April 15 - May 5

At long last, here is the schedule that runs April 15th through May 5th.  We managed to get a family friendly movie for vacation; hope it suits you all, and if not, there is always the other side!  This schedule moves us right into May, and we expect to notice the usual departure of many winter friends, but the beginning emergence of many summer friends in the weeks ahead.  We appreciate you all supremely, and look forward to seeing you soon, or in the fall, whichever side of the coin you fall on.  Happy Spring!

-Lisa and Chris and the whole crew!

Fri April 15 - Thurs April 28 (two weeks)
RIO  (G)  96min  5:30 and 7:45
Combining thrills, comedy and romance, this brand new animated adventure from the director of ICE AGE (Carlos Saldanha) and the screenwriter of SURF'S UP (Don Rhymer) has a spirited South American vibe, vibrant colors and inventive voicework (from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan and more).  The story involves a domesticated blue Macaw who lives comfortably in Minnesota with his beloved owner.  When they discover that there is another like him (they think Blu is the last of his kind) they head to Brazil to meet Jewel.  When Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by animal smugglers, he has to try to escape, but he's never learned to fly.  With the help of his new friend, he must learn a new skill to thwart his captors, and return to his favorite person.  This is sure to be a fun adventure for the whole family.

Fri April 15 - Mon April 18
UNKNOWN (PG-13)  109min  6:00 and 8:15
Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson, Taken) has just arrived in Berlin with his wife to attend a conference, and realizes he left his bag at the airport.  An accident during the return taxi ride puts him in a coma for four days, and when he awakens, he discovers neither his wife (January Jones) nor his colleagues know who he is, and another man (Aiden Quinn) seems to have taken his identity.  The only person who believes him is the illegal Bosnian taxi-driver who took him to the airport (Diane Kruger). He also enlists the help of a quirky private detective who formerly was in the secret police (Bruno Ganz) to help him recover his life.  This twisty, clever and engaging thriller with terrific acting, amazing car chases and propulsive action is loads of popcorn fun.

Tues April 19 - Thurs April 21
HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE  (R)  98min   6:00 and 8:15
Josh Raynor (TV's How I Met Your Mother) wrote, directed and stars in this sharp, observant comedy centered on a group of young adults (pushing 30) struggling to figure out themselves, their lives and their loves.  He plays aspiring novelist Sam who, while on his way to a meeting, finds a young boy lost from his family on the subway and impulsively invites him to stay at his place for a couple of days.  Dropped into a chaotic bachelor lifestyle, the boy is introduced to Sam's circle of friends, all on the cusp of adulthood.  This appealing debut, featuring a delightful young cast in an interlocking ensemble deftly captures the uncertainty and angst of what it is to be young, vulnerable and desperate to find out who you are, or more importantly, who you want to be.

Fri April 22 - Thurs April 25
LIMITLESS (PG-13)  105min   6:00 and 8:15
The life of slacker and chronic writer's block-inflicted author Eddie (Bradley Cooper, The Hangover) changes dramatically and instantly when he comes into possession of a supply of the not exactly legal NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical that allows him to access the 80% of his brain that as humans we supposedly don't use.  Suddenly he can tap into his full potential, with perfect recall and the ability to comprehend even the most complex concepts.  He becomes a financially successful stockbroker, and all is well as long as he takes his daily dose.  But corporate mogul Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) wants him to go in on a big deal, the side effects of the drug are taxing, and others will do anything to get in on his stash. This latest film from director Neil Burger (2006's The Illusionist) from a script by Leslie Dixon (Mrs. Doubtfire, Pay it Forward) based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn, is sharp and thrilling fun.

Tues April 26 - Thurs April 28
CERTIFIED COPY (NR)  106min  [partly in Italian and French with subtitles]   6:00 and 8:15
In his first film not made in his homeland, esteemed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami (The Wind Will Carry Us) directs Juliette Binoche (who won the actress award at Cannes for her performance) and opera star William Shimell in a playful and provocative romantic drama that is also a contemplation on reality versus pretense.  He is a British author in Italy to promote his controversial treatise on authentic opposed to copied works of art.  Does it really matter if a masterpiece is the original or a reproduction?  A French gallery owner, she attends his talk, and invites him to spend the afternoon in the Tuscan countryside.  They discuss love, life and art, and carry on like a married couple, and at one point are mistaken for one.  Are they play acting or is there more to their relationship than meets the eye?  It's a mesmerizing mystery.

Fri April 29 - Mon May 2
PAUL (R)  100min 
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost follow up their hilarious spoofs of zombies and buddy-cops (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) with an equally zany sci-fi alien comedy adventure.  They play two British geeks attending Comic-Con who embark on a roadtrip across southwestern America to visit extraterrestrial shrines and UFO hotspots.  They are travelling in their RV when they are unexpectedly joined by an alien (Paul, voiced by Seth Rogan) who has been held captive for the past 60 years at a nearby military installation.  Paul now wants to go home, but the federal agents have decided it is time to dissect him for more information.  His new friends decide to make it their goal to get him to the mothership.  Complications with the inadvertent kidnapping of a young Christian fundamentalist (Kristen Wiig) don't help.  Directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland), this is a silly, distinctly funny and quite sweet film.

Tues May 3 - Thurs May 5
CARANCHO  (NR)  107min  [in Spanish with subtitles]
This is an edgy and involving dark thriller from Argentinean director Pablo Trapero.  Lujan (Martina Gusman) is a young, idealistic doctor who has just moved from the countryside and is now working in Buenos Aires as an emergency room and ambulance medic.  She works long hours to establish herself in her new town, and the work is seemingly endless.  On her rounds she meets Sosa (Ricardo Darín, Nine Queens, Secret in Their Eyes) a temporarily disbarred lawyer who now is employed as a personal injury ambulance chaser scamming victims out of their insurance money by having them sign over power of attorney (the film's title means "vulture").  It isn't his choice of work, and occasionally his morals get in the way of his job, but he continues.  Their paths cross frequently and despite her distaste for his current work, a romance develops between them.  But both have secrets that threaten their relationship.

COMING SOON ON OUR SECOND SCREEN?

JANE EYRE (PG-13)  121 min 
Charlotte Brontë's timeless, classic romantic drama receives a bold new interpretation in this refreshing, wonderful adaptation.  The confident second film from Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) as the iconic leads of the young heroine and her older employer Edward Rochester.  After an unhappy childhood with a cruel aunt (Sally Hawkins) then at an abusive boarding school, Jane is sent to Rochester's sprawling estate to tutor his young ward, and is treated kindly by his housekeeper (Judi Dench).  But the discovery of a terrible secret sends her fleeing.  She finds a home with the family of preacher St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell), but when he makes a surprising proposal, she must make a difficult choice.

WIN WIN (R)  106min
Tom McCarthy scores again with his third film that explores the depths and nuances of human relationships (after The Station Agent and The Visitor).  Here his protagonist is a cash-strapped attorney and high school wrestling coach Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) who takes a risky, questionably ethical action, taking financial advantage of an aging, wealthy client by becoming his legal guardian without looking for relatives, as it comes with a useful monthly stipend.  First the man's grandson arrives unannounced, but is taken in by the Flaherty family, and, bonus, he is also a star student wrestler who gives a needed boost to the school team.  Then the man's addict daughter shows up looking for a handout, and the whole plan appears to be on the verge of implosion.  This delightful film deftly balances heartfelt drama and off-beat comedy.

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (PG-13)  115min
Rob Pattinson (Twilight), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) star in this brand new adaptation of the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen, directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend).  The story follows a young veterinary student who, after the deaths of his parents, takes a job caring for the animals in a travelling circus full of freaks and misfits, and falls in love with the star performer of the show through their compassion for a particular elephant, even though she is married to the charismatic but dangerous animal trainer. 
 
CEDAR RAPIDS (R)   87min
Insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms, The Hangover) is beyond naïve.  Though he does have a girlfriend, his former 7th grade teacher (Sigourney Weaver), he has never been out of his sleepy Wisconsin hometown.  Yet now he's been chosen to represent his company at the regional convention in the big city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  New experiences, like a plane ride, car rental, a hotel stay, and meeting a black person, are only part of his future.  His initiation by three convention veterans (Isaiah Whitlock Jr., John C. Reilley, and Anna Heche) finds him in an urban jungle he's only ever seen on DVD.  This consistently funny, sweet and charming film with an excellent ensemble cast is from director Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl).

COMING NEXT SCHEDULE?
Source Code
The Conspirator
Of Gods and Men
The Last Lions
In a Better World
Miral
Thor
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

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