IN THEATERS:
Titanic 3D (PG-13)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart
Written and directed by James Cameron
Never my favorite movie, Titanic represents mass hysteria at the multiplex. Before there were women lining up to see Twilight, there was this blockbuster romance chock-full of grand gesture B.S. Certainly, there’s a higher level of filmmaking going on here, but that doesn’t change the fact that I never felt the magic so many claimed to experience here. There’s also a higher level of chicanery, too. Before Avatar, this was the highest grossing movie of all time. Now it’s back in theaters almost 15 years later so you can pay twice as much for a ticket as you might have in 1997, to see the same movie, now with an added dimension. That’s pretty shameless, Cameron.
American Reunion (R)
Starring Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein
Written and directed by Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Everyone from the first film returns for ’90s nostalgia and ’60s misogyny. Read my review for Pegasus News here.
Also opening:
The Magnolia: Apart (NR)
Angelika Dallas: The Kid with a Bike (NR)
The Magnolia, Angelika Plano: Jiro Dreams of Sushi (PG)
Texas Theatre:
• Four Lovers (NR)
• The Oyster Princess – with live score by Bee vs Moth (NR)
AT HOME:
Top Pick:
Chinatown
Roman Polanski’s essential film noir gets the high-def treatment. Of the film’s 11 Oscar nominations, it only managed one win: a well-deserved Best Original Screenplay for Robert Towne. It probably deserved more, but no such luck competing against the likes of The Godfather, Part II. Jack Nicholson gives one of his many outstanding performances from the ’70s, but it’s John Huston’s dastardly performance that sticks with you the most.
To rent (click the link to watch on Netflix):
• Angels Crest (23%)
• Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (92%)
• Chasing Madoff (48%)
• Cook County (38%)
• London River (90%)
• Tyrannosaur (82%)
• War Horse (77%)
• We Bought a Zoo (66%)
To buy:
Music: Elvis Costello and the Imposters: The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Wheel
Comedy: J.B. Smoove: That’s How I Dooz It
TV: Designing Women (Season 6), Eagleheart (Season 1), Torchwood: Miracle Day (Season 1)
Blu-ray: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Madonna: Truth or Dare