At the Movies: ‘The Heat,’ ‘White House Down’ and more
Sandra Bullock, left, and Melissa McCarthy join forces in the buddy-cop flick ‘The Heat.’ –20th Century Fox
OPENS TODAY
‘The Heat’
An uptight FBI special agent teams up with a testy Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy star. (R, 117 minutes)
‘White House Down’
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders. Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx star. (PG-13, 137 minutes)
LIMITED RELEASE
‘The East’
An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is assigned to infiltrate an anarchist group known for covert attacks on major corporations. Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page star. (PG-13, 116 minutes)
OPENS TUESDAY
‘Despicable Me 2′
Steve Carell returns to voice the dastardly mastermind Gru, who is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new supercriminal. (PG, 98 minutes)
‘Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain’
Filmed at a sold-out performance by the popular stand-up comedian at New York’s Madison Square Garden. (R, 75 minutes)
‘The Lone Ranger’
A Native American warrior recounts the untold tales that transformed a man of the law into a legend of justice. This contemporary reboot of a popular 1950s TV Western stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in a movie from Gore Verbinski, director of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” (PG-13, 149 minutes)
Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig lend their voices to ‘Despicable Me 2.’ –Universal Pictures
NOW PLAYING
‘Before Midnight’
The third in a series of films by Richard Linklater starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. They play Jesse and Celine, who first met one romantic evening in Vienna, then again years later on the French leg of Jesse’s book tour. Now, nine years later (in real time), their characters are a married couple spending a vacation in Greece. The romantic ideal has given way to the routine as the conversation is sometimes strained and the love is more confined. The film’s more disgruntled edge reflects what creeps up on couples as years pass, regrets stack up, kids factor in, and real life intervenes. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) (R, 108 minutes)
‘The Bling Ring’
Sofia Coppola’s new movie was inspired by real-life events as a group of fame-obsessed Los Angeles teenagers use the Internet to track celebrities’ whereabouts in order to rob their homes. There is a whiff of tabloid incredulity in Coppola’s version of the story, and an occasional crackle of appalled satire. The film occupies a vertiginous middle ground between banality and transcendence, and its refusal to commit to one or the other is both a mark of integrity and a source of frustration. (A.O. Scott, New York Times) (R, 90 minutes)
‘Fast & Furious 6′ 1/2
The latest sequel of this high-energy action franchise finds Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) enlisting Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team to bring down former special ops soldier Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), leader of a unit specializing in vehicular warfare. In terms of sheer action adrenaline, this may be the best movie of the franchise. It’s almost enough to distract from the fact that hardly anyone breaks a sweat, let alone bones, after being involved in multiple car wrecks, falls from great heights onto speeding metal and glass, and fights too numerous to mention. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (PG-13, 130 minutes)
‘The Internship’ 1/2
The stars of “Wedding Crashers,” Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, reunite in this comedy about two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age, but find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment. This is an amiable, occasionally laugh-out-loud fish-out-of-water tale that gently mocks our modern technological age while simultaneously embracing it, while giving Google a big, sloppy kiss. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (PG-13, 119 minutes)
Henry Cavill, center, plays Superman in ‘Man of Steel,’ which retells the origin of the iconic comic book superhero. –Warner Bros. Pictures
‘Kon-Tiki’ 1/2
The story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s epic crossing of the Pacific Ocean on a balsa-wood raft in 1945, in an effort to prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. Inflating it a bit for added drama, the film becomes a bit like “Life of Pi” without the tiger as the crew faces the usual big storms, bigger whales, menacing sharks and men overboard. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13 118 minutes)
‘Man of Steel’
Yet another retelling of the Superman story, this time by director Zack Snyder with a cast starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon. A young samaritan is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. The latest attempt to put the iconic superhero back into flight falls flat, as Snyder’s joyless film has nothing soaring about it. (Jake Coyle, Associated Press) (PG-13, 143 minutes)
‘Monsters University’ 1/2
Mike and Sulley return in this prequel to “Monsters, Inc.,” looking back on their college days when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends. This Pixar feature is far more conventional, and not nearly as witty or clever as the original. The 3-D animation takes the art form to a new level, a few sentimental moments connect and the climax is a humdinger. But with the bar set so high by the first film, this can’t help but feel like a letdown. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (G, 110 minutes)
‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Directed by Joss Whedon between “Avengers” duties, this slimmed-down version of the Shakespeare classic is a modern, engaging, black-and-white affair that was filmed at Whedon’s Santa Monica, Calif., home, literally a backyard version of the Bard’s endearing romantic comedy. It’s good-humored and unpretentious in equal measure. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) (PG-13, 107 minutes)
‘Mud’
Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love. One of the best films of the year, it has the feel of a novel that’s rooted deep in American soil. McConaughey brings depth to a character who at first seems merely brashly macho, and Reese Witherspoon is nearly unrecognizable as the fugitive’s troubled girlfriend who has made many bad decisions in her life. (Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) (PG-13, 130 minutes)
‘Now You See Me’ 1/2
This is a slick and kind of smirky entertainment in which a quartet of street charlatans-turned-Las Vegas stars pull off an epic heist using the tricks of the magic trade. The movie wants to be “Ocean’s Eleven,” but the rapport between the principals — Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco — doesn’t come close to that earlier film’s cool. (Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer) (PG-13, 116 minutes)
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
The anticipated sequel finds the crew of the Enterprise finding an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, with Captain Kirk leading a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. Director J.J. Abrams has sacrificed a lot of Trek’s idiosyncrasy and, worse, the large-spirited humanism that sustained the original, to put this movie squarely in the conventional revenge-driven action genre. (A.O. Scott, New York Times) (PG-13, 132 minutes)
‘Tai Chi Hero’
The sequel to Stephen Fung’s “Tai Chi Zero,” our hero is still trying to find his place in a village filled with martial arts masters, even though he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine. The production quality is top-notch and there’s undeniably an entertainment value to it, albeit an empty one. (G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle) (NR, 144 minutes)
‘This Is the End’
Six actor friends find themselves trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastates Los Angeles. James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson star in this often hilarious and generally irreverent comedy about the biblical apocalypse as seen through the windows of a movie star’s mansion. (Roger Moore, McClatchy Newspapers) (R, 107 minutes)
Brad Pitt stars in the movie adaptation of the zombie novel ‘World War Z.’ –Paramount Pictures
‘World War Z’
A United Nations employee traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to destroy humanity itself. Brad Pitt stars in this big summer movie directed by Marc Forster that is not just scary, but also relentless, because the zombies are strong and they run, determined in their attack. Structured as a succession of civic disasters, the movie is almost punishing to watch. It’s nerve-wracking and just keeps coming. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) (PG-13, 116 minutes)
‘The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii’
Ryan Kawamoto’s documentary about the story of the Hawaii internees and the confinement sites in the islands. (R, 100 minutes)
FOR THE KIDS
Keiki Film Hui: ‘The Smurfs’
10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; Kapolei 16, Koko Marina 8, Koolau Stadium 8, Mililani Stadium 14, Pearlridge West 16, and Ward Stadium 16, $1
Summer Movie Express: ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ and ‘Big Miracle’
10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Dole Cannery Stadium 18 and Windward Stadium 10, $1
Johnny Depp stars as Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger.’ –Walt Disney Studio Pictures
ARTHOUSE
DORIS DUKE THEATRE
Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St., entry on Kinau Street (532-8768): $10, $8 museum members (tickets also available online at www.honolulumuseum.org)
Ballet in Cinema: An Evening with Ekman/Eyal & Behar/Leon & Lightfoot/Inger from the Nederlands Dans Theater
1 and 6 p.m. Sunday ($25, $20 museum members)
The members of the main company’s breeding ground for new dance and choreography talent are featured. (136 minutes including one intermission)
The Sword and the Screen: A Summer Samurai Series: ‘Yojimbo’
1 p.m. Tuesday
Clint Eastwood’s iconic role of the “Man with No Name” was based on Mifune’s portrayal of an amoral swordsman who turns a village feud between two merchants to his own advantage. (1961, 110 minutes)
‘The Hidden Fortress’
7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Kurosawa’s film that inspired George Lucas to make “Star Wars,” as a general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides. (1958, 139 minutes)
The Honolulu Museum of Art’s ‘The Sword and the Screen’ summer samurai film series includes the classic period drama ‘Harakiri.’ –Courtesy Honolulu Museum of Art
‘Harakiri’
1 p.m. Wednesday
An elder ronin samurai arrives at a feudal lord’s home and requests an honorable place to commit suicide. When he inquires about a younger samurai who arrived before him, things take an unexpected turn. (1962, 133 minutes)
‘Sword of Doom’
7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Kihachi Okamoto’s brutal masterwork about a gifted swordsman who embarks on a series of vendettas that ultimately leads to his madness. (1966, 119 minutes)
MOVIE MUSEUM
3566 Harding Ave. (735-8771): $5, $4 members; reservations recommended
‘Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World’
Noon, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. today
While searching for his fiancee, a man rediscovers through flashbacks the void deep within him caused by the events from his high school days. (2004, Japan, 138 minutes)
‘Into the White’
2:30 and 6:45 p.m. today; noon, 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday
An unlikely and lifelong friendship blossoms between shot-down German and British World War II pilots when they must share the same cabin to survive the harsh Norwegian winter. (2012, Norway/Sweden, 100 minutes)
‘Borsalino’
Noon, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1:45 and 6 p.m. Monday
Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo star in an overlooked gangster film about small-time crooks who work their way up to the top of the 1930s Marseilles underworld. (1970, France/Italy, 125 minutes)
‘Anthony Zimmer’
2:30 and 6:45 p.m. Saturday
A romantic thriller about a highly intelligent criminal, pursued by international police and the Russian mafia, whose extensive plastic surgery makes him unrecognizable, even to his girlfriend, who sets up a stranger as a decoy to his pursuers. (2005, France, 89 minutes)
‘As Luck Would Have It’
2 and 6 p.m. Sunday; noon, 4:15 and 8:30 p.m. Monday
An out-of-work publicist suffers an accident and looks to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder in an attempt to provide for his family. Jose Mota and Salma Hayek star. (2011, Spain, 98 minutes)
‘Welcome to the Rileys’
Noon and 4:45 p.m. Thursday
A businessman in a dreary marriage takes a paternal interest in a young stripper/prostitute. Winner of Milan International Film Festival. The late James Gandolfini stars. Rated R.
‘Zero Dark Thirty’
2 and 6:45 p.m. Thursday
Jessica Chastain stars as a CIA agent on a decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. Though we all know how it ends, it’s riveting. Multiple Academy Award nominations and one Oscar.
Salma Hayek, right, is the wife of a man seeking to sell interview rights to his story in the Spanish drama ‘As Luck Would Have It.’ Fernando Tejero, left, portrays a media man willing to buy in. –IFC Films
KIDS FIRST! FILM FESTIVAL
University of Hawaii-Manoa Art Auditorium, free
Never Give Up
3 p.m. Sunday
A project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, a showcase of short films appropriate for children ages 8 and up: “Left,” “Cores e Botas/Colors & Boots,” “Squeaky Business,” “The Knightswood,” “Knights of the Playground,” “How to Get to Candybar,” “Recipe for Love,” “Falling Up” and “King Tigermore in Strawberry Fields.” (84 minutes)