Local & Repertory
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American Comedy Classics “Don’t be a sucker”—that’s the spirit of Frank Capra’s classic 1934 American comedy It Happened One Night, which earned five Oscars for its road movie romance between a wise-cracking newspaperman and an arch runaway heiress (Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, pictured). The class-divided, bickering pair sets out together from Miami Beach to NYC, arguing all the way. She’s a “brat” and he’s “prejudiced,” depending on who you believe, but both gradually succumb to a palpable sexual attraction only kept chaste by the famous Walls of Jericho (a sheet on a line between separate beds). Colbert’s intelligence shines, while Gable redeems the somewhat overaggressive populism of his character. (G) BRIAN MILLER Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., 654-3100, seattleartmuseum.org, $42–$45 series, $8 individual, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Through Aug. 15.
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ByDesign Titles in this annual showcase of films about architecture and design include a profile of NYC graphic designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli and the legendary designer Pablo Ferro, along with studies on the works of architects Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas. See the NWFF website for full schedule and details. (NR)
Northwest Film Forum, $6-$10 ($40-$60 series pass), July 20-24.
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Dazed & Confused It’s 1976 all over again in Richard Linklater’s 1993 pot-hazed high-school confidential. Yet beneath the cannabis clouds there’s surprising insight into the inner lives of slackers, stoners, and jocks. Throughout, Linklater’s laid-back observational style reveals all the longing, languor, and half-understood notions of self that define what it means to be 18. And you can’t beat Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.” Keep your (red) eyes peeled for Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, and Matthew McConaughey, whose muscle-car Romeo memorably declares, “That’s what I like about these high school girls: I keep getting older; they stay the same age.” Somehow Linklater almost makes that seem poignant. (R) BRIAN MILLER Central Cinema, $6-$8, July 19-22, 7 p.m.; Wed., July 24, 7 p.m.
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Fremont Outdoor Movies A 2007 comic meteorite from the galaxy of producer Judd Apatow, Superbad is about a couple of chronically unpopular best friends (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) who, after four years stuck on the lowest rung of the high-school social ladder, find themselves invited to a legitimately cool party. Goodbye, Friday nights chugging Old Milwaukees in their parents’ basements; hello, getting shitfaced in the company of a few dozen of their not-particularly-close friends. Written by Knocked Up star Seth Rogen and co-writer Evan Goldberg, Superbad turns into something like the Lord of the Rings of adolescent nookie movies—a hazard-filled journey towards the fiery gates of Mount Poon. It’s achingly funny, but what sets it apart from other high school comedies is its sweet, soulful vulnerability. Outdoor movie screens at dusk. (R) SCOTT FOUNDAS 3501 Phinney Ave. N., 781-4230, fremontoutdoormovies.com, $5, Sat., July 20, 7:30 p.m.
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Hairspray SEE THE WIRE, PAGE 17.
The Heroic Fight Film scholar Matt Lynch will introduce this 1986 chopsocky favorite, full of martial-arts action and stunts, and starring Cheung-Yan Yuen (among other favorites of Hong Kong cinema). Note that the in-store VHSpresso now serves beer and wine. Screenings continue on most Thursday nights. (NR)
Scarecrow Video, 5030 Roosevelt Way N.E., 524-8554, scarecrow.com, Sat., July 20, 8 p.m.
Moonlight Cinema Last year’s teen-oriented debauch-com Project X follows three high school seniors on their epic quest to party. Things soon get out of hand. 21 and over. Movie screens at dusk. (R)
Redhook Ale Brewery, 14300 N.E. 145th St. (Woodinville), 425-483-3232, redhook.com, Thursdays, 6 p.m. Continues through Aug. 29.
Movie Mondays David Grohl’s recent documentary is a loving study of the titular recording studio in Van Nuys, where he, Fleetwood Mack, and other music luminaries have cut their hits. Ticket price is your drink price. (NR)
The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net, $3, Mondays, 8 p.m. Through Aug. 19.
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Movies at Magnuson Park There are many reasons to love the classic 1952 Hollywood musical comedy Singin’ in the Rain, and those reasons change with the generations. It all depends what you’re looking for and when you first saw it. Co-directed by Stanley Donen and star Gene Kelly, the film is a late musical that looks back to the end of the silent era; it’s also a jukebox musical that raided the MGM vaults for some of their greatest songs, with a supremely witty plot stitched together by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Many who saw the Technicolor film upon its debut would have recalled—in living memory—silent films and the prior Broadway shows and movie musicals that had introduced those timeless Tin Pan Alley songs (most composed by Nacio Herb Brown, with lyrics by Arthur Freed). A half-century later, newbies may first experience Singin’ in the Rain on TV, DVD, or here, outdoors. Movie screens at dusk. (G) BRIAN MILLER Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E., moviesatmagnuson.com, $5, Thursdays, 7 p.m. Through Aug. 29.
Movies at Marymoor
Pitch Perfect proved a hit with the Glee crowd last year. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson are among a group of misfit collegiate singers. Outdoor movie screens at dusk. (PG-13)
Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E. (Redmond), moviesatmarymoor.com, $5, Through Aug. 28, 7 p.m.
Under African Skies This recent documentary follows Paul Simon on his reunion concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of Graceland. (NR)
Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N., 632-6021, keystoneseattle.org, Free, Fri., July 19, 7 p.m.
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Zoolander Ben Stiller extends his VH-1 Fashion Awards sketches to feature length successfully, despite a few unflattering bulges and wrinkles (i.e. character development) in the telling of this tale about a male supermodel turned political assassin. Dimwitted Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and his peyote-munching sidekick, Hansel (Owen Wilson), actually achieve the unthinkable—admittedly, Zoolander’s forte—as they battle the nefarious forces of Mugler/Gaultier knock-off Mugatu (Will Ferrell): They elicit consistent laughs. The 2001 movie is presented as a quote-along screening. (PG-13) KURT B. REIGHLEY Central Cinema, $6-$8, July 19-22, 9:30 p.m.; Wed., July 24, 9:30 p.m.
Ongoing
The Attack A Tel Aviv surgeon is confounded by the torso of a bombing victim in the morgue (one of 18). She’s female. She’s Christian. She’s the suspect, say the police. And she’s his wife. Compounding matters even further, Dr. Jaafari (Ali Suliman) is a Palestinian-born Israeli citizen, a secular scotch drinker, and someone who wants desperately to believe in peaceful assimilation. In flashbacks and ghostly visitations, his wife Sihem (Reymoud Amsalem) doesn’t wear a veil, doesn’t talk politics, so Jaafari is stunned by the cops’ allegations. After a brutal police interrogation, Jaafari decides to launch his own forensic investigation, going back to visit his family in Nablus, where fiery imams spew hatred, his wife is featured in celebratory martyrdom posters, and no one will give him a direct answer. Directed by Ziad Doueiri, The Attack ends on a frustratingly indecisive note, where notions of blame and balance fall away. It speaks to Jaafari’s awkward position. Sihem stepped through the looking-glass, but he’s forever caught on the threshold. (R) BRIAN MILLER Sundance Cinemas
Despicable Me 2 Again given a Slavic villain’s voice by Steve Carell, the bald, twig-legged Gru is now a single suburban dad raising the three orphan girls he appropriated in 2010’s Despicable Me. The bespectacled eldest daughter is a texting tween just discovering boys; the other two bounce and squeal without being too annoying; none of their names matter. New to the series—though voiced by Kristen Wiig, who played a different character in the first installment (surely there will be three)—is Lucy, a karate-chopping bundle of goofy adrenaline with a sharp, perky nose. Forcibly recruited by the Anti-Villain League (Lucy’s employer) to recover a stolen potion, Gru and his babbling yellow minions set up shop in a local mall, where the evil perpetrator is supposedly hiding. The thief will catch a thief, and Gru is newly energized by the investigation, setting his sights on Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt), the burly proprietor of the mall’s Mexican eatery. To justify the 3-D, Gru and company smash through windows, battle a fierce guard-chicken (!), leap out of planes, and are pursued by a swarm of monstrous little purple demons. All that expensive CG rendering is fun as far as it goes, but kids at the press screening laughed just as hard at the fart guns. (PG) BRIAN MILLER Alderwood 16, Pacific Place, Ark Lodge, Kirkland Parkplace, Lincoln Square, Majestic Bay, Thornton Place, Bainbridge, others
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More Than Honey Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying that if bees were to disappear from the Earth, humankind would die off after four years—and while the attribution might be apocryphal, the observation points out how the agricultural grid is dependent on those tiny, buzzing ministers of fertility. You may have heard about some of this already, since docs Colony and Queen of the Sun have recently played Seattle. Colony collapse disorder (or CCD) is a widespread phenomenon in the world of beekeeping, and the millions of bees that prop up annual harvests are disappearing in vast numbers. Markus Imhoof is besotted with bees, and he makes them the captivating heroes of his movie. In his extreme close-ups of bees, they take on the grandeur they deserve. After surveying various apiary experts, Imhoof tracks a group of scientists creating hybrid bee colonies and testing them on an island. The place is so remote that the bees can’t escape to dominate the world. But maybe they should. (NR) ROBERT HORTON Varsity
Much Ado About Nothing Summer is the time for Shakespeare in the park, and Joss Whedon’s enjoyably playful comedy is staged in the yard and interiors of his Hollywood home. It’s a very nice house, paid for with all that Buffy and Avengers money, and it’s a plausible Italian castle in this modern-dress, black-and-white adaptation. Much Ado isn’t a vanity project, since Whedon’s cast members are all pros from television. Still, it has the feel of a weekend-home amateur theatrical, with everyone straining to put on a jolly good show and prove their appreciation for the Bard in his original language. Among the large ensemble cast are Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, and Reed Diamond. As quarrelsome lovers Beatrice and Benedick, Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker have a better grasp of the language, but their careful syllables don’t always match the sense of the words. Back in ’93, the Americans stood out for the same unfortunate reason among Kenneth Branagh’s mostly British Much Ado cast—poor command of the text. Absent that, there’s a lot of clowning and eye-rolling here that matches the contemporary mood. Prone to mugging and bluster, Denisof struggles with Benedick’s soliloquies, which Whedon ought to have cut to match his movie’s breezy modern tailoring. Besides the cell phones and Prada suits, more liberties should’ve been taken. (PG-13) BRIAN MILLER Harvard Exit, Lynwood (Bainbridge)
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Mud Matthew McConaughey’s character, known only as Mud, is a ne’er-do-well Arkansas native, a fugitive and teller of tall tales, hiding on a sandbar island. His improbable refuge—a boat lifted into the trees by a recent flood—is discovered by two young teens who naturally idolize this tattooed, charismatic outcast. Mud has a neat treehouse; Mud has a hot girlfriend (Reese Witherspoon) and a gun; Mud is every 14-year-old’s idea of cool, like some dude from a cigarette ad come to life. Back home, reality is more complicated for Ellis (Tye Sheridan, one of Brad Pitt’s boys in The Tree of Life). Mud is his story, not Mud’s, as Ellis watches his parents’ marriage dissolve, has his first kiss, and begins to question the story Mud is feeding him. Though a little too long and leisurely—shall we just say Southern?—for my taste, Mud is very well crafted and acted. (Look for Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, and Joe Don Baker in significant supporting roles.) It’s a big step up from indie-dom for writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), but it’s also a step back to the classical. There are traces of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird—not because Nichols is borrowing, but because he’s plainly plowing that vein of Americana. (PG-13) BRIAN MILLER Admiral, Majestic Bay
Pacific Rim Giant robots fighting huge monsters, but no guys in rubber suits stomping on cheap models! Guillermo del Toro does for kaiju and mecha flicks what Lucas and Spielberg did for old serials. The result is well done, fun, and exhausting. Near-future Earth is several years into a war against kaiju (like roided-up Godzillas) invading through a dimensional rift on the ocean floor. Celebrity pilots from major nations pair up in psych-linked teams to take ‘em out in 250-foot robots called “Jaegers.” Washed out after a kaiju tears his pilot brother out of their mangled mecha, unpredictable young Becket (Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy) gets called back to duty as increasing kaiju-frequency starts to spell big, loud doom. Idris Elba (The Wire) intimidates as commander of the threatened Jaeger force—and he does not like to be touched. Rinko Kikuchi fills at least two stereotypes as the enigmatic Japanese wannabe pilot who may not be ready. Comic relief Charlie Day is half a bickering egghead pair (with Burn Gorman). And del Toro regular Ron Perlman is a sight to behold as a black-market kaiju-parts dealer with the coolest boots in either dimension. The movie’s cliche-heavy and character-light, but not even close to Michael Bay dumb. In fact, even if you didn’t grow up with a kaiju-mecha soft spot, it’s pretty cool. Skip the 3-D, though. (PG-13) MARK RAHNER Alderwood 16, Pacific Place, Southcenter, Cinebarre, Cinerama, Bainbridge, Thornton Place, Sundance, others
This Is the End In a film where the cast members are all playing showbiz caricatures of themselves, some more exaggerated than others, Jay Baruchel is the first to guess what’s happening when he and Seth Rogen sneak out of James Franco’s house party to get some smokes at a convenience store. There, all hell breaks loose in what appears to be a combined earthquake/firestorm/looting spree. The two terrified Canadian actors run back to Franco’s house where, in the movie’s best gag, all the revelers keep on partying like nothing’s happened outside. (The cast also includes a glad-handing Jonah Hill, an obnoxious Danny McBride, and a sweetly loyal Craig Robinson. ) This apocalypse comedy riffs back through two favorite film genres (one being the all-star disaster movie); it’s part spoof, partly serious. The laughs are rooted in contempt—if not quite self-contempt—for Hollywood phoniness and disloyalty. In that venal town, says Robinson of their dwindling little circle of friends, “Those assholes are all we’ve got.” (R) BRIAN MILLER Alderwood 16, Oak Tree, Cinebarre, Varsity, Meridian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, Big Picture
20 Feet From Stardom Who dreams of being a backup singer? This mostly delightful music doc is tinged with an air of disappointment. Meeting the full-throated likes of Merry Clayton, Claudia Lennear, and Lisa Fischer, we understand these are masters of their craft. But the question nags: If they are masters, why aren’t they stars? The film includes some who made the leap, including Darlene Love and Sheryl Crow, but the focus is mostly on the folks who’ve made a career out of being in the background. (Also interviewed are figures like Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Sting.) Like the 2002 doc Standing in the Shadows of Motown, it’s got a built-in hook: all that great music, served with annotations from musicians. Director Morgan Neville doesn’t organize his material in a way that feels entirely intuitive. Despite the choppiness, the prime footage from George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh or Jonathan Demme’s 1984 Talking Heads concert doc Stop Making Sense is exciting. (PG-13) ROBERT HORTON Guild 45th, SIFF Cinema Uptown
The Way, Way Back Fourteen-year-old Duncan (Liam James) and his divorced mother Pam (Toni Colette) are dragged to a Massachusetts beach rental by her overbearing new bf Trent (Steve Carell). Trent. There is no way we are going to like a guy named that (and a car salesman, of course), and Duncan emphatically dislikes the bullying Trent. In this awfully broad and familiar tale, unhappy Duncan finds a sympathetic mentor in Owen (Sam Rockwell), the flippant king of the local water park where Duncan lands a summer job. Owen is the anti-Trent: goofy and fun-loving, spitting out nicknames and bald lies, treating his staff with affectionate sarcasm, and harboring a not-so-secret thing for his boss (Maya Rudolph). While the drunken adults enjoy “spring break for adults” (per Duncan’s glum crush object, played by AnnaSophia Robb), Duncan finds new pals and self-confidence. We’ve seen this story a thousand times. But what are its incidental pleasures? Rockwell, Rockwell, and Rockwell. His long, nonsensical dialogues that feel ad-libbed and loose. He’s got happy feet and a motormouth. “I know about 46 ways to kill a clown,” he boasts. (Unfortunately, this is not Seven Psychopaths, so there’s no way to test his prowess.) (PG-13) BRIAN MILLER Alderwood 16, Guild 45th, Meridian
Theaters:
Admiral, 2343 California Ave. SW, 938-3456; Ark Lodge Cinemas, 4816 Rainier Ave. S, 721-3156; Big Picture, 2505 First Ave., 256-0566; Big
Picture
Redmond, 7411 166th Ave. NE, 425-556-0566; Central
Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 686-6684; Cinebarre, 6009 SW 244th St. (Mountlake Terrace)., 425-672-7501; Cinerama, 2100 Fourth Ave., 448-6680; Crest, 16505 Fifth Ave. NE, 781-5755; Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St., 523-3935; Guild 45, 2115 N. 45th St., 781-5755; Harvard Exit, 807 E. Roy St., 781-5755; iPic Theaters, 16451 N.E. 74th St. (Redmond), 425-636-5601; Kirkland Parkplace, 404 Park Place, 425-827-9000; Lincoln Square, 700 Bellevue Way N, 425-454-7400; Majestic Bay, 2044 NW Market St., 781-2229; Meridian, 1501 Seventh Ave., 223-9600; Metro, 4500 Ninth Ave. NE, 781-5755; Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 267-5380; Oak Tree, 10006 Aurora Ave. N, 527-1748; Pacific Place, 600 Pine St., 888-262-4386; Seven Gables, 911 NE 50th St., 781-5755; SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., 324-9996; SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St. (Seattle Center), 324-9996; Sundance Cinemas, 4500 Ninth Ave NE, 633-0059; Thornton Place, 301 NE 103rd St., 517-9953; Varsity, 4329 University Way NE, 781-5755.
