RATINGS
5 OUTSTANDING
4 VERY GOOD
3 GOOD
2 FAIR
1 POOR
OPENING
Finding Nemo 3D
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, Empire University 4, SilverCity) A 3-D version of the animated tale about an overprotective clownfish on a journey to rescue his young son. With the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould and Willem Dafoe. G
The Queen of Versailles
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria) A documentary following David and Jackie Siegel, owners of the largest house in America, as they are forced to sell the house and downsize their livestyle after the real estate bubble burst in September 2008. G
Resident Evil: Retribution 3D
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity IMAX) In a world devastated by a zombie virus, one woman scours the globe to save humanity and stop an evil corporation.
With Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez and Sienna Guillory. 14A
CONTINUING
The Amazing Spider-Man 3D Rating 3 1/2 (out of five)
(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 Rating 3 1/2 (out of five)
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire University 4, 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 Rating 3 (out of five)
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, 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 Rating 2 1/2 (out of five)
(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 Rating 4 1/2 (out of five)
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity) 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 Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman star. - Katherine Monk. PG
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Rating 1 1/2 (out of five)
(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 Rating 2 1/2 (out of five)
(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
Hope Springs Rating 3 (out of five)
(Caprice, Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Empire University 4) After 30 years of marriage, a middle-age couple attends an intense, weeklong 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 Rating 3 (out of five)
(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) Set in the Depression-era 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
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Rating 4 (out of five)
(Caprice) An animated film that's vertiginous, explosive, ridiculous, frantic and antiCanadian (they joke about our "work ethic"). Inspired 3-D and non-stop silliness make this the most fun you can have at the movies so far this summer. - Jay Stone. G
Magic Mike Rating 3 1/2 (out of five)
(Caprice) Channing Tatum shows off his many talents as a male stripper in this entertaining, if somewhat predictable, romantic drama based on his own life. Mike thought he had it all until he introduced a struggling buddy (Alex Pettyfer) to the world of buff dancing and watched it change him for the worse. Director Steven Soderbergh maps every clich脙漏, and elegantly avoids most, as he offers an entertaining piece of escapism that gently pokes at gender-based hypocrisy. - Katherine Monk. 14A
Moonrise Kingdom Rating 2 1/2 (out of five)
(Caprice) Wes Anderson tells the story of two outsider kids who fall in love during the summer of 1965 and attempt to realize the happy-ever-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
Odd Life of Timothy Green
(Star) A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears. G
The Possession
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity) The divorced parents of a 10-yearold girl are troubled by her increasingly erratic behaviour, which seems to be linked to an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. With Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick. 14A
ParaNorman Rating 3 1/2 (out of five)
(Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Empire Capitol 6, SilverCity, Star) An expertly designed stopmotion animated film about a boy who sees the dead, particularly the witches who were hanged 300 years earlier. - Jay Stone. PG
Premium Rush Rating 2 1/2 (out of five)
(Empire Capitol 6) For an intrepid New York City bike messenger, a routine delivery turns into a life-or-death chase. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt 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
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
Ted Rating 3 (out of five)
(Caprice) A crude comedy with Mark Wahlberg as a 35-year-old slacker who is being held back by his best friend and roommate, a talking teddy bear (voiced by director Seth MacFarlane). The vulgar jokes push envelopes you didn't know existed, but there's a sweetness to the film, and it's often very funny. - Jay Stone. 14A
Total Recall
(Caprice) In the future, a factory worker's roleplaying mental vacation as a super-spy goes awry, leaving him a hunted man and blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. PG
The Words Rating 2 1/2 (out of five)
(Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Empire University 4, SilverCity) 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 clich脙漏, 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
Thomas And the Magic Railroad (Saturday, Cineplex Odeon Westshore)
Sunset Boulevard (Sunday and Wednesday, SilverCity)
Queen - Hungarian Rhapsody: Live in Budapest '86 (Thursday, SilverCity)
CINECENTA
Magic Mike - 14A (Fri. and Sat., 3, 7 and 9: 15 p.m.)
Al Weiwei Never Sorry - 14A (Sun., 3, 7 and 9 p.m.; Mon., 7 and 9 p.m.)
Latin American and Spanish Film Week:
O Palha莽 (The Clown) - (Portuguese with English subtitles) (Tue., 7 and 9 p.m.)
Gatos viejos (Old Cats) - (Spanish with English subtitles) (Wed., 7 and 9 p.m.)
La maleta mexicana (The Mexican Suitcase) - (Spanish with English subtitles) (Thur., 7 and 9 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
