Scroll down the page for Movie Reviews
Through September 9
THE AMERICAN, R, Canton American, starts Wed. 9/1 replaces Eat Pray Love, 7:05, 9:25 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3:05 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, starts Wed. 9/1 replaces Eat Pray Love, 7, 9:20 nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:30, 3 p.m.
MACHETE, R, Potsdam Roxy, special midnight showing 12:01 a.m. Friday, 7, 9:20 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 7, 9:20 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:40, 3:10 p.m.
GOING THE DISTANCE, Potsdam Roxy, 7, 9:20 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Canton American, 7, 9 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 7, 9:20 nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:30, 3:10 p.m.
THE EXPENDABLES, R, Potsdam Roxy, 7, 9:20 p.m. & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Canton American, 9 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 7, 9:20 p.m. & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:40, 3:10 p.m.; Ogdensburg Cinemas, Fri. 7, 9 p.m., Sat. 1:30, 7, 9 p.m., Sun. 1:30, 7 p.m., Mon.-Thurs. 7 p.m. MONDAY MOVIE MANIA: watch double feature for the price of one, starting at noon, Theater 1: The Expendables followed by Dinner with Schmucks.
THE OTHER GUYS, PG-13, Potsdam Roxy, 7, 9:20 p.m. nightly, & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 9 p.m. nightly; Ogdensburg Cinemas, Fri. 7, 9 p.m., Sat. 1:30, 7, 9 p.m., Sun. 1:30, 7 p.m., Mon.-Thurs. 7 p.m. MONDAY MOVIE MANIA: watch double feature for the price of one, starting at noon, Theater 2: The Other Guys followed by Vampires Suck.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, PG-13, Potsdam Roxy, 7, 9:20 p.m. & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:40, 3 p.m.
THE LAST EXORCISM, PG-13, Canton American, 7, 9:15 nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 7:10, 9:25 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:45, 3 p.m.
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, PG, Canton American, 6:50, 9 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:30, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 6:50 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:30, 3 p.m.
VAMPIRES SUCK, PG-13, Canton American, 6:50, 9 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:30, 3 p.m.; Massena Movieplex, 9:10 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 1 p.m.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, R, Massena Movieplex, 7 p.m. nightly and matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 3 p.m.
DESPICABLE ME, PG, Massena Movieplex, 7:10 p.m. nightly & matinees Sat., Sun., Mon. 12:50, 3:15 p.m.
PIRAHNA, R, Massena Movieplex, in 3D, 9:20 p.m. nightly.
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, PG, & THE SWITCH, PG-13, 56 Auto Drive-In Theater, Rt. 56, Massena: shows Friday, Saturday, Sunday only, start at dusk, approx. 8 p.m.
Movie Reviews
Going the Distance
Two 30-ish people have a fling, but find themselves falling in love and trying to maintain a long-distance relationship in "Going the Distance." Alas, this tiresome, crudely written rom-com suffers from -- among many things -- a lack of chemistry between stars Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. (She needs someone stronger to balance her screen-filling persona.) Barrymore plays Erin, a wannabe newspaper reporter who waits tables while finishing her degree and trying to get hired in a shrinking industry. She meets Garrett (Long), a music industry drone, at a New York bar. They play trivia and arcade games and fall into bed, but when it's time for her to return to California, they realize they're smitten and they vow to keep the romance alive. With Erin's protective sister (Christina Applegate) and Garrett's nutty pals (Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) clouding the lovers' minds, this is not easy -- nor easy to watch. R
The American
George Clooney brings subtle intensity to the strong-and-silent type he plays in this gorgeous thriller, which looks like an art-house film. The story (based on Martin Booth's novel "A Very Private Gentleman") is actually a cliche -- a hardened assassin decides he wants out and tries to complete his last "job" without becoming a target himself. But what makes "The American" different is the spectacularly rugged Italian locations in the non-touristy region of Abruzzo and the stunning beauty of the hillside villages where the hit man Jack (Clooney) awaits orders and hides from mysterious gunmen who are hunting him. He becomes a wary friend of the village priest, but doesn't live like a monk. He visits a brothel and falls for a prostitute, Clara (Violante Placido), who makes him long for a simple life. R
Machete
Longtime movie tough guy Danny Trejo, usually relegated to playing secondary thugs, takes the lead in Robert Rodriguez's blood-blade-and-gun fest. Trejo plays the title character, who earns his mythic nickname, Machete, as a take-no-prisoners Mexican Federale. After a drug lord (Steven Seagal) kills his family, Machete sneaks into Texas and works as a day laborer. He's drawn into an assassination plot against a vicious anti-immigration state senator (Robert De Niro) by the senator's own corrupt aide (Jeff Fahey). Machete takes the money, but doesn't quite follow orders. He connects with a taco-stand owner, Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), who runs an underground railroad for illegal immigrants, helping them to get across and get settled. An U.S. immigration agent, Sartana (Jessica Alba), is on Luz's trail but finds herself sympathetic to Machete and Luz and La Revolucion against the corrupt power structure. Rodriguez's film is a sort of revenge fantasy against today's anti-immigrant mood. It's also, while amazingly bloody, full of energy and wit -- for adults. R
The Last Exorcism
Shot in documentary ‘verite’ style, this rather fresh variation-on-a-theme thriller relies more on giving you the creeps than on actual blood and guts horror, though there is a bit of that, too. "The Last Exorcism" runs primarily on foreboding and fear. A Southern preacher, Rev. Marcus (Patrick Fabian), allows a documentary crew to follow him to a farm where a widowed father (Louis Herthum) -- a religious fanatic -- believes his teenage daughter is possessed. The preacher, as a confessional act, wants to show the film crew that everything he does when he preaches or "performs" exorcisms is just fakery. Then, of course, the young woman (Ashley Bell) on whom he's been asked to do an exorcism starts behaving in ways Marcus can't explain. He and the crew wonder whether she really is possessed. PG-13
Vampires Suck
This broad sendup of the "Twilight Saga" films (all PG-13s) and books makes its point and runs out of steam long before it ends. Even so, teens who are into those films and books will likely appreciate the spoofery and get even the subtlest jabs, though subtlety is not what "Vampires Suck" is mostly about. Moody 18-year-old Becca Crane (Jenn Proske) moves back to the Pacific Northwest to live with her sheriff dad (Diedrich Bader). She falls for the oddly pale and sparkly Edward Sullen (Matt Lanter) and his clan of high-class vampires, while the furry, werewolf-ish Jacob (Chris Riggi) falls for her. There are bad vampires eager for Becca's blood, and it all plays out at the prom. PG-13
The Kids are All Right
Discriminating college-age film fans will find this character-driven dramatic comedy impressive. They'll acknowledge the magic that can happen when the "special effects" on-screen are just words and gestures -- fine writing and acting. The R is for very adult sex scenes. Teen siblings Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) have two mommies -- doctor Nic (Annette Bening) and would-be landscaper Jules (Julianne Moore). They are a reasonably happy family, but Laser is obsessed with meeting the sperm donor who fathered him and his sister. So Joni finds out. Their biological father is Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a good-time guy whose introduction into their nuclear family causes major fall-out. R
Nanny McPhee Returns
This enjoyable, if occasionally over-produced sequel to "Nanny McPhee" (PG, 2005) offers many pleasures, from pigs that do synchronized swimming to a cast of some of the best actors around. There are mature themes about the possibility of losing a father in war, and magical Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson), with her facial warts, bad teeth, black garb, thudding cane and burping crow companion, could scare some kids 6 and under. Isabel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a harried World War II-era British mother, is at her wits' end. She's trying to keep the farm afloat, work a day job, and care for her three unruly offspring -- Norman (Asa Butterfield), Vincent (Oscar Steer) and Megsie (Lil Woods). Her husband (Ewan McGregor) is a soldier and hasn't been heard from. Her brother-in-law Phil (Rhys Ifans) has gambling debts, and hit women are threatening to take his kidneys. He wants Isabel to sell the farm so he can get some cash. The children's spoiled London cousins Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and Celia (Rosie Taylor-Ritson) show up and the five kids declare war on one another, which is when Nanny McPhee appears. Her five lessons -- to stop fighting, to share, to help one another, to be brave, and to have faith -- are gently taught and offer adventures, too. PG
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Teens who already love Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels about the romantic, rock ‘n’ roll and video-game adventures of Scott Pilgrim will likely flock to this movie. And whether or not it’s fully loyal to the books, it stands as a uniquely fun and fizzy experience, incorporating elements of video-game fantasy into the live-action story of Scott Pilgrim’s (Michael Cera) wacky life. The premise gets a little tired by the third act, but not enough to spoil the experience. The movie opens as a sort of glib, offbeat tale about a directionless 20-something guy who’s out of work, dates a high-school-age girl (Ellen Wong), and plays bass with a garage band called Sex Bob-Omb. Suddenly, the movie flies off the screen into the video-game stratosphere (without being in 3-D!) after Scott falls for Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), whose hair is a new, unnatural color every day. Scott learns he must fight all of her ex-boyfriends in a surreal form of video-game-inspired combat in order to win her. It goes well until Gideon (Jason Schwartzman) turns up. He’s not only one of Ramona’s exes, but a recording executive who could help Sex Bob-Omb. Uh-oh. Scott must make a moral choice. And what about that other girl he abandoned? PG-13
The Expendables
A passel of long-in-the-tooth action stars get together to raise Cain in this ultraviolent saga directed and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars. Teens 17 and older who love action flicks may get a kick out of seeing the slightly grizzled, botoxed cast (not counting relative youngster Jason Statham) tear things up. The movie is bad, but fun -- one of those guilty pleasures -- and awfully bloody. Stallone plays Barney Ross, leader of a team of mercenaries that does dirty work for various governments. Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Terry Crews play some of the others. Mickey Rourke plays one who has opted out of the game to run a tattoo parlor. They’re all former Special Forces types. Their latest assignment comes from a CIA man (Bruce Willis in a cameo, joined by Arnold Schwarzenegger as an old rival of Barney’s) to assassinate an island dictator (David Zayas). But Barney and his second-in-command Lee Christmas (Statham) realize the dictator is under the thumb of an American drug lord (Eric Roberts), and that the dictator’s daughter (Giselle Itie) is trying to help the resistance. So Barney decides to do something idealistic. R
The Other Guys
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play ill-matched NYPD detective partners in "The Other Guys," an outrageous, often-inspired spoof of cop comedies that celebrates the oddities of human nature in a refreshing way that high-schoolers could find riotous. It isn't great fare for middle-schoolers, because of the sexual content in the dialogue, which is really strong for a PG-13, as is the frequent profanity. Allen Gamble (Ferrell) is a nerdy police accountant/detective. Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) is a disgraced cop who accidentally shot and injured baseball great Derek Jeter. Now Hoitz, who's eager to restore his credibility, must work with the action-shy Gamble. When the mayhem-causing hotdogs of their department (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are sidelined, Hoitz and Gamble enter the fray and become obsessed with catching a crooked Wall Street trader (Steve Coogan). The movie also takes aim at recent financial scandals, but it's the oil-and-water aspect of Hoitz and Gamble's relationship that's the real fun. PG-13
Links to Local and Regional Theaters
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