There’s a certain pleasure in seeing a familiar job done well with a slightly new mix of tools, and that’s just what “Safe House” is. There’s not much new about this CIA double-cross story, but the setting, actors, cinematography, and story details are a new combination, and it’s enjoyable watching familiar gears mesh and turn in the new setup.
Hammer Productions was synonymous with horror movies once upon a time. The brought us “The Horror of Dracula,” “Twins of Terror,” “The Devil Rides Out,” and scores of others. They’ve made a comeback in recent years, bringing us “Let Me In,” “Wake Wood,” and “The Resident.” Now, with “The Woman in Black,” they bring us a classic ghost tale sure to please fans of films like “The Others” and “The Orphanage.”
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
Rated: R for sexual content and brief language
The birth of psychoanalysis was as painful and difficult as most births seem to be — but it involved several people rather than one surrounded by midwives and caretakers. The fraught relationships between Sigmund Freud, C. G. Jung, and Sabina Spielrein pushed and pulled the science into the complex, widely-differing field we know today. Based on the nonfiction book by John Kerr, “A Dangerous Method” is a dramatization of the early years of psychoanalysis.
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangelie Lilly, Kevin Durand
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language
Disney has many strengths, and “Real Steel” plays to two of them: telling heartwarming tales about underdogs and offering sweet stories about kids and parents bonding. The latter sometimes spills over into laughably twee territory, but “Real Steel” manages to avoid that. No, this is not a groundbreaking art film. This is a movie to see if you want to watch giant robots fight and maybe get a little sniffly watching an underdog father-son team learn to care about each other while beating the odds.
Co-written and Directed by: Zack Snyder Starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn Rated: PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language.
Directed by: Scott Stewart Starring: Paul Bettany, Adrianne Palicki, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton Rated: R for strong bloody violence, and language
Written and Directed by: Nancy Meyers Starring: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin Rated: R for some drug content and sexuality.
Directed by: Michael Mann Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Stephen Dorff, Jason Clarke, Billy Crudup Rated: R for gangster violence and some language. Parental Notes: Between the violence (which is graphic) and the rambling plotline, this is not a kid-friendly film.
Written and Directed by: Tony Gilroy Starring: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Denis O’Hare Rated: PG-13 for language and some sexual content. Parental Notes: This is a fairly tame film with mild sexual content and nudity. Young children may find the intricate plot dull, but teens will probably enjoy it.
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor Starring: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich Rated: R for strong violence, pervasive language and brief drug content. Parental Notes: This film deserves its rating. The violence is nasty and dark, and while it’s not always graphic on screen, we’re given enough to have vivid images in our minds.