Opening 10/3/14

For Wichita show times select a theatre at the end of each synopsis. For most other cities, select any theatre below a synopsis or review and enter other town/state below "Change Location", press enter. Next times, just press change. Friday times appear Wednesdays.

Annabelle [R] 1 hr. 35 min. Supernatural thriller Watch Preview Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton. Plot: a couple's home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple and leave behind an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle. Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Gone Girl [R] 2 hr. 25 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Carrie Coon, David Clennon. Plot: based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing and his lies, deceits and strange behavior soon have everyone asking the same question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife? Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

The Good Lie [PG-13] 1 hr. 42 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Corey Stoll. Plot: the story of the survival and triumph of Sudanese refugees who arrive in Kansas. Showing at: Warren East, Warren West.

Left Behind [PG-13] 1 hr. 45 min. Action thriller Watch Preview Cast: Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, Cassi Thomson, Nicky Whelan, Lea Thompson, Jordan Sparks, Quinton Aaron, Martin Klebba. Plot: based on the New York Times bestselling book series of the same name, co-authored by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye about the Rapture, when millions of people simply disappear. Showing at: Warren East, Warren West.

Love Is Strange [R] 1 hr. 33 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson. Plot: two gay partners are challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements after they are forced to sell their apartment. Showing at: Warren East.

Leaving 10/2/14

Movie Machine - Dolphin Tale 2, TMNT
Palace West - Earth To Echo, Tammy, Transformers 4
Starlite Drive-In - open Fri-Sat
Warren East 13th - Tusk, Let's Be Cops, If I Stay, The November Man, The Giver
Warren Old Town - Guardians Of The Galaxy
Warren West 21st - TMNT, Let's Be Cops, The Giver, As Above, So Below, The Drop

The Equalizer ***

Antoine Fuqua directed this Thriller. Watch Preview. Cast: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo. Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references. Running time is two hours and eleven minutes.

A man (Washington) who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him meets a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, and has to help her.

Fans of the old TV show will be familiar with the basic premise of this film. But this version features a lot more action, blood and violence than any network TV program could. It starts slowly as we learn a little about the character but picks up speed as it moves toward the conclusion. Personally, I found this a little longer than it needed to be but I seem to feel that way a lot lately. The cast is good, although Pullman and Leo have virtually no screen time and Moretz is missing during all but the opening and closing portions of the film. In other words, this is Washington's film all the way although Csokas makes a perfectly reprehensible villain. Production values are good. This film ends with sequels clearly in mind and I imagine the only thing that will prevent them is low attendance for this premiere film. I saw this on a regular 2D screen as I couldn't imagine IMAX was going to add anything substantive. I doubt most women will care for this at all but male action fans will find a lot to like.

There are no additional scenes once the final credits begin. Screen size is relatively unimportant. Theatres/Times. IMAX 2D Times.

Worthwhile (or not) 9/26/14

MetaCritic indicates The Skeleton Twins (75) is the top ranking film this week, followed by The Boxtrolls (63), and The Equalizer (56). I watched one of these and found it entertaining but brutal. For national reviews take the link to the MetaCritic website for each film by clicking on the titles above.

Check out Monday's Opening section below to see the previews and synopses.

Opening 9/26/14

For Wichita show times select a theatre at the end of each synopsis. For most other cities, select any theatre below a synopsis or review and enter other town/state below "Change Location", press enter. Next times, just press change. Friday times appear Wednesdays.

The Boxtrolls 2D/3D [PG] 1 hr. 37 min. Animated fantasy Watch Preview Voices: Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Dee Bradley Baker, Steve Blum, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Simon Pegg. Plot: a community of quirky, mischievous creatures lovingly raise an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they've built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge.  Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren West.

The Equalizer 2D/IMAX 2D [R] 2 hrs. 12 min. Thriller Watch Preview Cast: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo. Plot: a man (Washington) who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him meets  a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, and has to help her. Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

The Skeleton Twins [R] 1 hr. 32 min. Comedy/Drama Watch Preview Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell. Plot: as estranged twins (Hader, Wiig) reconnect, they realize the key to fixing their lives may lie in repairing their relationship. Showing at: Warren East.

Leaving 9/25/14

Movie Machine - No Good Deeds, Guardians Of The Galaxy
Palace West - Sex Tape
Starlite Drive-In - open Fri-Sat
Warren East 13th - TMNT, Atlas Shrugged 3, Lucy
Warren Old Town - Let's Be Cops
Warren West 21st - Lucy, The November Man, The Maze Runner IMAX

A Walk Among The Tombstones **½

Scott Frank directed this Thriller. Watch Preview. Cast: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook. Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity. Running time is one hour and fifty-three minutes.

An ex-NYPD cop (Neeson) who works as an unlicensed private investigator reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife.

This film has good production values and a basically unknown cast with the exception of the lead, Neeson. He portrays a more laconic individual in this film than in his usual fare. It moved slowly for me, accentuated by an excessive length and compounded by an unremittingly gloomy feeling. Too much time is spent in AA meetings and in stringing out the reason behind that, and no time is spent explaining the motivation of the murderers. It's about as far from being a 'feel-good' movie as you can get. Author Lawrence Block has written about this character in several novels but based on this experience, I don't see any more being made in the near future. Still, if you're in the mood for a detective story with more violence than you'll see on TV, this may well suit you.

There are no additional scenes once the final credits begin. Screen size is relatively unimportant. Theatres/Times.

The Maze Runner **½

Wes Ball directed this Action/Thriller. Watch Preview. Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, including some disturbing images. Running time is one hour and fifty-three minutes.

When a boy (O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D.

I've been looking forward to this picture for some time since I had heard good things about the book (which I have not read) it's based on. But, it turned out to be a disappointment, and frustratingly, it had the potential to be very good. Production values are good and the cast, although basically unknown, is competent. It's the storyline that has the problem, with the basic one being the film has no satisfying conclusion. It's almost as if they ran out out money and did a couple of plot jumps (a character appears without explanation) and said "that's it". If there is a sequel coming that resolves the plot, fine. Otherwise, this is more frustrating than entertaining. I saw the IMAX presentation and it was fine although this was not filmed in Imax.

There are  no additional scenes once the final credits begin. A large screen will emphasize elements of the film. Theatre/Times. IMAX 2D Times.

Worthwhile (or not) 9/19/14

MetaCritic indicates The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby (58) is the top ranking film this week, followed by The Maze Runner (56), A Walk Among The Tombstones (54), Tusk (53), and This Is Where I Leave You (45). I watched two of these and was mildly disappointed in both. My wife watched another and enjoyed it but found it very predictable. For national reviews take the link to the MetaCritic website for each film by clicking on the titles above.

Check out Monday's Opening section below to see the previews and synopses.

Opening 9/19/14

For Wichita show times select a theatre at the end of each synopsis. For most other cities, select any theatre below a synopsis or review and enter other town/state below "Change Location", press enter. Next times, just press change. Friday times appear Wednesdays.

The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Them [PG-13] 2 hrs. 2 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain. Plot: a married couple (McAvoy, Chastain) find themselves as strangers longing to understand each other in the wake of tragedy. Showing at:  Warren East.

The Maze Runner 2D/IMAX 2D [PG-13] 1 hr. 53 min. Action/Thriller Watch Preview Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter. Plot: when a boy (O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

This Is Where I Leave You [R] 1 hr. 43 min. Comedy/drama Watch Preview Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Abigail Spencer, Dax Shepard, Jane Fonda. Plot: when their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. Showing at: Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Tusk [R] 1 hr. 42 min. Horror/Thriller Watch Preview Cast: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez. Plot: a journalist (Long) finds the story of a lifetime in a worldwide adventurer with amazing tales and a curious penchant for walruses. Showing at:  Warren East.

A Walk Among The Tombstones [R] 1 hr. 54 min. Thriller Watch Preview Cast: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook. Plot: an ex-NYPD cop (Neeson) who works as an unlicensed private investigator reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife. Showing at: Starlite Drive-In, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving 9/18/14

Movie Machine - When The Game Stands Tall
Palace West - Step Up All In
Starlite Drive-In - open Fri-Sat
Warren East 13th - As Above, So Below, Cantinflas, Magic In The Moonlight, Hundred Foot Journey, Into The Storm, Boyhood, The Identical
Warren Old Town - As Above, So Below, The November Man, TMNT
Warren West 21st - TMNT IMAX 3D, Transformers IMAX 3D, The Identical, Expendables 3, Hundred Foot Journey, Into The Storm

Worthwhile (or not) 9/12/14

MetaCritic indicates The Drop (68) is the top ranking film this week, followed by Dolphin Tale 2 (57) with No Good Deed and Atlas Shrugged 3 each with no score. No score normally indicates the film wasn't made available for review, which is never a good sign. The first two Atlas Shrugged films got a score of 29, which is probably why they chose not to have this one reviewed. Once again I didn't see anything I really wanted to watch, so no reviews again this week. For national reviews take the link to the MetaCritic website for each film by clicking on the titles above.

Opening 9/12/14

For Wichita show times select a theatre at the end of each synopsis. For most other cities, select any theatre below a synopsis or review and enter other town/state below "Change Location", press enter. Next times, just press change. Friday times appear Wednesdays.

Atlas Shrugged Part 3 [PG-13] 1 hr. 50 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: Kristoffer Polaha, Eric Allan Kramer, Rob Morrow, Stephen Tobolowsky, Mark Moses, Joaquim de Almeida, Laura Regan, Greg Germann, Lew Temple, Tony Denison, Louis Herthum, Ned Vaughn. Plot: as crime and fear take over the countryside, the government continues to exert its brutal force against the nation's most productive who are mysteriously vanishing - leaving behind a wake of despair. Showing at: Warren East.

Dolphin Tale 2 [PG] 1 hr. 47 min. Family adventure film Watch Preview Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Bethany Hamilton. Plot: another true story inspired by the life of Winter, and also involving a new baby dolphin named Hope. Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren West.

The Drop [R] 1 hr. 46 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz, Ann Dowd, James Frecheville. Plot: a bartender (Tom Hardy) funneling cash to local gangsters – "money drops" – in the underworld of Brooklyn bars, finds himself at the center of a robbery gone wrong. Showing at: Warren East.

No Good Deed [PG-13] 1 hr. 24 min. Thriller Watch Preview Cast: Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Leslie Bibb, Kate del Castillo, Henry Simmons. Plot:  a wife and mother's (Taraji P. Henson) home and children are threatened by a charming stranger (Idris Elba) who smooth-talks his way into her house, claiming car trouble. Showing at: Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving 9/11/14

Movie Machine - Expendables 3,The Giver
Palace West - Jersey Boys, Purge: Anarchy, Blended, X-Men
Starlite Drive-In - open Fri-Sat
Warren East 13th - Dawn Of The Planet Of Apes, Expendables 3, Ghostbusters, Land Ho!
Warren Old Town - The Giver, Sin City
Warren West 21st - Forrest Gump IMAX, Dawn Of The Planet Of Apes, Ghostbusters,

Worthwhile (or not) 9/5/14

MetaCritic indicates Forrest Gump (82) is the top ranking film this week, followed by Land Ho! (68) with The Identical (21) coming in a dismal third . None of these piqued my interest so there will be no reviews this week. For all the national reviews take the link to the MetaCritic website for each film by clicking on the titles above.

Opening 9/5/14

For Wichita show times select a theatre at the end of each synopsis. For most other cities, select any theatre below a synopsis or review and enter other town/state below "Change Location", press enter. Next times, just press change. Friday times appear Wednesdays.

The Identical [PG] 1 hr. 47 min. Musical drama Watch Preview Cast: Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green, Brian Geraghty, Joe Pantoliano, Blake Rayne, Erin Cottrell, Amanda Crew. Plot: spanning from the 1930’s through the 1970’s, a captivating journey about the restoration and reconciliation of a family broken apart by culture, devotion, creed and tradition. Showing at: Warren East, Warren West.

Forrest Gump IMAX 2D [PG-13] 2 hrs. 22 min. Drama Watch Preview Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise. Plot: re-release of the 1994 film about a simple man with a low I.Q. but good intentions, who positively effects the lives of many. Showing at: Warren West.

Land Ho! [R] 1 hr. 35 min. Comedy Watch Preview Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson. Plot: two former brothers-in-law take a holiday trip to Iceland. Showing at:  Warren East.

Leaving 9/4/14

Movie Machine - nothing
Palace West - Deliver Us From Evil, And So It Goes, Chef
Starlite Drive-In - open Fri-Sat
Warren East 13th - Island Of Lemurs, Guardians Of The Galaxy IMAX 3D, Sin City 2
Warren Old Town - nothing
Warren West 21st - A  Most  Wanted Man, Calvary, Sin City 2