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 Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Meridian
“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 Meridian and 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.” 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, Mountlake, Harvard Exit and Metro.
“Feel the Noise”: The pulsating beat of reggaeton music drives this drama about three Puerto Rican youths dreaming of love and success in New York City. With Omarion Grandberry, Zulay Henao and James McCaffrey. Written by Albert Leon. Directed by Alejandro Chomski. PG-13 for sensuality and innuendoes, violence, some drug use and language. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett Stadium and Meridian.
“The Heartbreak Kid”: Like the 1972 Elaine May classic that inspired it, the Farrelly Brothers’ remake of “The Heartbreak Kid” is the story of a guy who gets married, regrets it and falls in love with another woman while on his honeymoon. That, more or less, is where the similarities end. But why get bogged down in comparisons, when the new “Heartbreak Kid” stands entirely on its own merits as a grim, shrill, deluded and incredibly depressing movie, so bewilderingly mean-spirited that the trademark Farrelly Brothers gross-out scenes feel like the sweetest. (1:56) R for strong sexual content, crude humor and language. Now playing at Alderwood Mall, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Mountlake, Stanwood Cinemas, Metro, Oak Tree, Pacific Place, Woodinville and 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 Metro and Uptown.
“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, Meridian and Varsity.
Los Angeles Times
“Michael Clayton”: Tony Gilroy, best known for writing credits on all three “Bourne” films, has poured the energy pent-up during a decade and a half in Hollywood into this strong and confident directorial debut about desperate men searching for redemption in a cold and ruthless world of high stakes corporate and legal shenanigans. Gilroy starts with his impressively heightened and dramatic dialogue, his ability to get people to talk articulately while they’re at a fever pitch of anxiety and concern. Added to this is an unlooked for gift for creating intensity on screen. As a director, Gilroy has an unmistakable instinct for the emotional jugular and a breakneck storytelling style that pulls you through his story, no stragglers allowed. (2:07) R for language, including some sexual dialogue.
“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.
“Resident Evil: Extinction”: Milla Jovovich returns to her signature role as the zombie-butt-kicking genetic hybrid, Alice, once again separated from her clothing as often as narratively possible and wielding guns, knives and kicks with aplomb. The third installment of the “Resident Evil” franchise picks up several years after the T-virus from the earlier films has spread around the world, turning those infected into the walking dead, and even zombie dogs and a sky full of zombie crows dot the landscape. (1:33) R for strong horror violence throughout and some nudity.
“The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising”: In this dreary, spectacle-driven adaptation of “The Dark Is Rising,” the second novel in Susan Cooper’s award-winning fantasy series for young adults, the stentorian-voiced English actor (Ian McShane), late of “Deadwood” fame, plays Merriman Lyon. As one of the Old Ones, a quartet of immortal warriors, Merriman tutors young Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) in the ways of the Light and the Dark and lays out the tremendously important task that is his destiny. (1:39) PG for fantasy action and some scary images.
“Sydney White”: Amanda Bynes stars as the daughter of a plumber and a debutante who rejects sorority life in favor of a band of nerdy outcasts. With Sara Paxton and Matt Long. Directed by Joe Nussbaum. Written by Chad Gomez Creasey. PG for thematic elements, brief sensuality and incidental smoking. PG-13 for some language, sexual humor and partying.
“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.
Los Angeles Times
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
