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Congratulations, you made it to the weekend!
For those planning on catching a movie, here is a quick look at what is playing now at Hollis Cinema 4, including Lee Daniels’ The Butler, which just came out yesterday.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Rated PG-13
Showing Through 8/22
Synopsis: “LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER tells the story of a White House butler who served seven American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family.”
What Critics Are Saying: Critics gave Lee Daniels’ The Butler a 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Slate calls it “a curious mélange of politically conscious kitchen-sink drama and sweeping historical epic, Killer of Sheep meets Roots.” Rolling Stone calls it a movie that “holds you, provokes you and ultimately moves you,” while the NY Times says it is “a brilliantly truthful movie on a subject that is usually shrouded in wishful thinking, mythmongering and outright denial.”
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Rated PG
Showing Through 8/20
Synopsis: “Based on the publishing phenomenon, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continues the young demigod’s epic journey to fulfill his destiny. To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece. Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters (known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle), they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimate Evil.”
What Critics Are Saying: Critics gave Percy Jackson a 38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The Chicago-Sun Times says, “insanely dangerous barely translates to even mild excitement in this tepid second adaptation from the best-selling, mythology-raiding young-adult novel series.” On the other end of the spectrum, NPR calls it “a fetching mix of whizz-bang CGI and full-blooded classical storytelling.” Christopher Orr at the Atlantic uses a lifeline to let his two kids have the final say – it was one of their favorites of the summer.
Elysium, Rated R
Showing through 8/22
Synopsis: “In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.”
What the critics are saying: Critics gave Elysium a 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The Atlantic says Blomkamp got it right visually but the plot is lacking. Salon.com says at least half of the film is “an exciting, witty and vividly realized science-fiction allegory.” NY Mag’s David Edelstein says nothing about Jodie Foster’s performance, including her accent, made sense.
We’re the Millers, Rated R
Showing through 8/22
Synopsis: “David Burke (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids-after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms).
In order to wipe the slate clean-and maintain a clean bill of health-David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad’s latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose (Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the “Millers” are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.”
What Critics Are Saying: Critics gave We’re the Millers a 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. SF Chronicle says the movie is “sometimes crude to be crude, sometimes finding humor in the crude world we live in. Sometimes it’s labored, sometimes it’s funny.” The Star Tribune calls it “a decently amusing R-rated comedy” that is incredibly predictable. Betsey Sharkey at the LA Times says the directors got the casting all wrong.
Jenn Walker began writing for Globe Miami Times in 2012 and has been a contributor ever since. Her work has also appeared in Submerge Magazine, Sacramento Press, Sacramento News & Review and California Health Report. She currently teaches Honors English at High Desert Middle School and mentors Globe School District’s robotics team.
