Be Kind Rewind (New Line/Partizan)
Zany, warmhearted comedy about a New Jersey video store worker (Mos Def) who comes up with a scheme to create amateur video versions of classic films when his bungling friend (Jack Black) accidentally erases all the tapes after the manager (Danny Glover) leaves town to investigate saving the building from demolition. Despite its intentionally rough-hewn, indie ambience, a wildly improbable plotline, and too much low-comedy shtick, writer-director Michel Gondry's valentine to filmmaking ultimately delivers a touching story of friendship, with a strong affirmation of community and good fellowship, as the townspeople rally to the aid of the threatened business. Some vulgar humor, brief sexual references and mild comic violence. (A-II, PG-13)
Charlie Bartlett (Sidney Kimmel/MGM)
Off-beat comic study of a troubled but charismatic teen (Anton Yelchin) who partners with a reformed bully (Tyler Hilton) to set up an informal psychiatric practice and prescription drug dispensary in the boys' room of his high school, thus becoming its most popular student, much to the amazement of his weak-willed mother (Hope Davis) and the chagrin of the inept principal (Robert Downey Jr.) whose daughter (Kat Dennings) he's dating. Director John Poll's often droll feature debut highlights the value of open communication, the dignity of the marginalized and the dangers of narcotics, but its worthy intentions are undercut by a barrage of swear words and some crude humor. Nongraphic premarital sexual activity, brief upper female nudity, frequent coarse language, two profanities, a suicide theme and a gay reference. (L, R)
The Counterfeiters (Die Falscher) (Sony Classics)
Absorbing true story about the largest counterfeiting operation in history, as inmates of a German concentration camp are ordered to forge vast amounts of Allied currency to undermine England's and America's war effort, but courageously delay the production of American dollars that might have adversely altered World War II's outcome. Writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky's frequent use of hand-held camera technique and Marius Ruhland's score add contemporary touches to a suspenseful tale bolstered by good performances including Karl Markovics as the expert criminal forger who's put in charge of the team, and August Diehl as the inmate who repeatedly sabotages the operation with the former's grudging allowance. In German. Subtitles. Some violence including brutal shootings, brief upper female and rear nudity, further brief shower nudity, brief nongraphic sexual encounters, a crass scene of urination, an irreverent joke, a few expletives including the f-word, and racial epithets. (A-III, R)
Vantage Point (Columbia)
Propulsive thriller about an attempted assassination of the U.S. president (William Hurt) as he delivers an anti-terrorist speech in Spain, as seen from eight different perspectives including his Secret Service men (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), an American tourist (Forest Whitaker), an American TV producer (Sigourney Weaver), a Spanish security officer (Eduardo Noriega), and myriad other characters on the scene during the shooting and the deadly bombings that immediately follow. Director Pete Travis demonstrates a great affinity for this kind of material, while the cast delivers committed performances. Plot improbabilities aside, the script is clever, while culminating in a heart-pounding car chase. Much action violence which, though intense, is not gruesome, frequent uses of the s-word uttered under duress and some mild profanity. Acceptable for older teens. (A-III, PG-13) |