Currently in theaters
“The Bourne Ultimatum”: It says something about Paul Greengrass’ directing style that he’s able to make a movie as fresh and frank as “The Bourne Ultimatum” from a genre as moldy and bombastic as the spy thriller. And yet the profusion of frantic shots never feels like showboating, and the closeness never feels claustrophobic. His camera may scurry and dart like a rabbit trapped in a mall, but he keeps the tone grounded, the effects in-camera and the acting low-key and real. Greengrass brings a degree of honesty to a completely implausible fantasy that’s remarkable. Of course, Matt Damon helps too. (1:55) PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Meridian, Cascade Mall.
“The Brave One”: Starring Jodie Foster as a woman who kills, this is less a brave movie than a foolhardy one. Trapped in a no man’s land between seriousness and pulp trash, it plays like a combination of “Death Wish” and “The Hours.” If that sounds like an awkward fit, it is. (1:59) R for strong violence, language and some sexuality. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Mountlake, Meridian, Woodinville, Cascade Mall.
“Eastern Promises”: Expertly realized and gun-metal slick, if hollow, this film is in many ways a B movie companion piece to “A History of Violence.” Here, again, the mutating virus walks, talks and waves a gun around, infecting the body politic. And the good guy is the guy who can be very bad when he needs to be. Set in the shadowy underbelly of the new criminal London, “Eastern Promises” right away throws various lambs — a newborn, some teenage sex slaves, a Western European liberal with pure intentions — to the Russian wolves. Viggo Mortensen plays Nikolai, a chauffeur and “undertaker” for a ruthless Russian crime boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Naomi Watts is the London midwife who rescues a child that has some mysterious connection to him. (1:40) R for strong, brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, language and nudity. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett, Mountlake, Meridian, Metro.
“The Game Plan”: A superstar pro quarterback’s (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson) dreams of football glory and living the bachelor high life come to a crashing halt when he discovers he is the father of a 7-year-old girl. With Roselyn Sanchez and Kyra Sedgwick. Directed by Andy Fickman. PG for some mild thematic elements. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Mountlake, Olympic, Oak Tree, Pacific Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor.
“Good Luck Chuck”: A serial womanizer (Dane Cook) tries to break a decades-old curse and win the heart of his dream girl (Jessica Alba) in this romantic comedy. With Dan Fogler and Lonny Ross. Directed by Mark Helfrich. Screenplay by Josh Stolberg. R for sequences of strong sexual content including crude dialogue, nudity, language and some drug use. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Mountlake, Pacific Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall.
“In the Valley of Elah”: Everyone in this somber film, starring Tommy Lee Jones as a father looking for his Iraq veteran AWOL son and Charlize Theron as the cop who helps him, has the glum look of individuals bringing a Very Important Message to the world. And although “Elah,” directed by Paul Haggis in his first film since “Crash,” in fact does have something crucial to convey about what war does to soldiers, this is not the way to go about it. (2:00) R, for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality/nudity. Now playing at Alderwood, Guild 45th, Meridian, Woodinville.
“The Kingdom”: This Peter Berg-directed film has some power but not enough sense. A ripped-from-today’s-headlines thriller starring Jamie Foxx and set in a terrorist-threatened Saudi Arabia, it wants us to feel as if we’re watching something relevant when what’s really going on is a slick excuse for efficient mayhem that’s not half as smart as it would like to be. (1:50) R for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence, and for language. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Edmonds, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Mountlake, Stanwood, Meridian, Metro, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor.
“Mr. Bean’s Holiday”: Rowan Atkinson takes his pratfalling, nearly mute character Mr. Bean on vacation to Cannes, where he’s mistaken for a kidnapper and a world-famous filmmaker. There is a guilty pleasure quality to watching Atkinson at work, even when Mr. Bean has overstayed his welcome. Many of the sequences are labored and feel drawn out to justify a feature-length running time. There are maybe 20 minutes worth of smiles here and only a couple of big laughs. The film’s lightness makes you wish you were the one headed to the beach. It’s a live-action cartoon in every sense with warm, bright colors and punchy music that at the very least keep your feet from falling asleep. (1:27) G. Now playing at Galaxy Monroe.
“Mr. Woodcock”: When a man (Seann William Scott) discovers that his mother (Susan Sarandon) is being romanced by the gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) who made his childhood years misery, he will do anything to stop the relationship from developing. PG-13 for crude and sexual content, thematic material, language and a mild drug reference. Now playing at Alderwood, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Meridian, Cascade Mall.
“Superbad”: This is not a teen movie — it’s a movie about young people. Wide-eyed and sincere as it is hilariously, unrepentantly profane, the movie aims to express what it’s like to stare down the barrel of your first lone foray into adulthood, and it’s not afraid to be honest about it. High-strung, impulsive Seth (Jonah Hill) and shy, gentle Evan (the gifted Michael Cera) are days away from graduating from high school. Embarking on a late-night odyssey, an epic journey that takes them through all manner of perilous encounters with thugs and weirdos, drunks and cokeheads, and women who are way more uninhibited than they can handle, the lifelong best friends confront their fears, confessing their feelings and growing up. (1:54) R for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image — all involving teens. Now playing at Alderwood, Metro, Pacific Place.
“3:10 to Yuma”: What’s most impressive about this new version of the 1957 classic starring Russell Crowe as a charismatic outlaw and Christian Bale as the downtrodden rancher who crosses his path is that James Mangold directs it with such energy and passion it’s as if he didn’t know it’s all been done before. Approaching this material with the enthusiasm of a famished man confronting his first square meal in days, Mangold has brought welcome intensity to the project, giving “3:10 to Yuma” a visceral, immediate quality that makes it realistic and mythic all at the same time. (1:57) R for violence and some language. Now playing at Alderwood, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Mountlake, Stanwood, Meridian, Metro, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall.
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