These are Maui Scene's mini-reviews, excerpts of wire service reviews and previews provided by studios and other sources.
Opens Friday
"Arbitrage," R, 1:40, Kaahumanu 6.
Article Photos
Karl Urban is Judge Dredd, the most well known and feared law enforcer in “Dredd 3D.”
Lionsgate photo
A troubled hedge-fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help. Richard Gere plays money mogul Robert Miller. He is married to well-heeled Ellen (Susan Sarandon). Amid an extra-marital affair and missing millions, the collective moral compass of "Arbitrage" begins to spin wildly in this well-written, high-tension drama. Nicholas Jarecki directs.
"Trouble with the Curve," PG-13, 1:51, Kukui Mall, Maui Mall Megaplex, Lahaina Wharf Cinema Center.
Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a baseball scout with eye problems. He can't see the baseball go over home plate. His daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) wants to help and so she leaves her job to go on a recruiting trip, which might be his last if Gus can't make the right call. This is Eastwood's first film as an actor for a director other than himself since "In the Line of Fire" in 1993. The father/daughter reconciliation story is set mostly in the minor league baseball world of the South. Robert Lorenz directs.
"Dredd 3D," R, 1:35, Lahaina Wharf Cinema Center, Maui Mall Megaplex.
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate judge. During a routine day on the job, he is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey star. Pete Travis directs.
"End of Watch," R, 1:49, Front Street Theaters, Maui Mall Megaplex.
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel, during a routine traffic stop. There are some adrenaline-producing encounters in this cops versus cartel drama. Screen writer David Ayer (who also directs)?captures the tension of walking into deadly situations. He has experience with police-work scripts, having also penned "Training Day" and "Dark Blue." Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena and Anna Kendrick star.
"The Master," R, 2:17, Kaahumanu 6.
After returning from the Second World War, having witnessed many horrors, a charismatic intellectual creates a faith-based organization in an attempt to provide meaning to his life. He becomes known as "The Master." His right-hand man, a former drifter, begins to question both the belief system and The Master as the organization grows and gains a fervent following. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams star. Paul Thomas Anderson directs.
"House at the End of the Street," PG-13, 1:41, Lahaina Wharf Cinema Center, Maui Mall Megaplex.
Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared -leaving only a brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan - and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined. Mark Tonderai directs.
*****
Still Playing
"Finding Nemo 3D," G, 1:40, Kaahumanu 6.
After his son (Nemo) is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish, named Marlin, sets out on a journey to bring him home. Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures. In the meantime, Nemo and the other sea animals in a dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives free again. Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Alexander Gould star. Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich direct.
"Resident Evil: Retribution," R, 1:30, Kukui Mall, Front Street Theater, Maui Mall Megaplex.
The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Stars Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory and Michelle Rodriguez. Paul W.S. Anderson directs.
"Last Ounce of Courage," PG, 1:41, Maui Mall Megaplex.
This heartwarming movie tells the story of a local war hero whose son goes off to battle. His new wife brings Christian, his first son, into the world while the young hero is away earning medals for valor. However, tragedy changes everyone's life forever in this story of love and forgiveness. Marshall R. Teague, Jennifer O'Neill and Fred Williamson star. Darrel Campbell and Kevin McAfee direct.
"The Cold Light of Day," PG-13, 1:33, Kaahumanu 6.
After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase. Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver star. Mabrouk El Mechri directs.
"Beasts of the Southern Wild," PG-13, 1:33, Kukui Mall.
Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love. Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry and Levy Easterly star. Benh Zeitlin directs.
"The Words," PG-13, 1:36, Kaahumanu 6, ends tonight at Front St. Theaters,
"The Words" follows young writer Rory Jansen who finally achieves long sought after literary success after publishing the next great American novel. There's only one catch - he didn't write it. As the past comes back to haunt him and his literary star continues to rise, Jansen is forced to confront the steep price that must be paid for stealing another man's work. Stars Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde. Brian Klugman and Lee Strenthal codirect.
"Lawless," R, 1:55, Kukui Mall, Maui Mall Megaplex.
Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Va., a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits. Rooted in Prohibition-era outlaw legend, "Lawless" contains exciting character portraits from a robust cast, including Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Guy Pierce. The potent atmosphere of the film ignites into visceral bursts of violence. It is an entertaining tale told with style. The film's merits are not lacking for viewers who like blood-soaked, Depression-era crime sagas. John Hillcoat directs.
"The Avengers," PG-13, 2:23, ends tonight at Maui Mall Megaplex.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who's who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When global security is threatened by Loki and his cohorts, Nick Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson star. Joss Whedon directs.
"The Intouchables," R, 1:52, Kukui Mall.
A rich quadriplegic, living in a mansion in Paris, requires live-in care. A young offender turns up for an interview, but he is not really looking to get the job. However, to his surprise, he is hired. The two men then develop a close friendship. Omar Sy plays Driss, the ex-con hired to care for Philippe (Francois Cluzet). Co- written and directed by Eric Tolendano and Olivier Nakache, the film is based on a true story.
"The Possession," PG-13, 1:32, Maui Mall Megaplex, Front St. Theaters.
A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child. The "true" backstory for this tale has become an urban legend. Several people who have come into possession of the "real" antique box claim to have had terrible fortune. Los Angeles Times writer Leslie Bornstein chronicled the tale in the article, "A Jinx in a Box." The movie stars Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick. Ole Bornedal directs.
"Premium Rush," PG-13, 1:31, Maui Mall Megaplex.
In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city. Realistic stunt action through the streets of New York translate to convincingly thrilling urban bike-chase sequences. Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his first action lead role as the best of the Big Apple's speedster bicycle messengers. Last seen in "The Dark Knight Rises," Gordon-Levitt injured his forearm during filming when he crashed into the back window of a taxi. He later admitted it was his fault, for going "too fast." David Koepp directs the nail-biting action. Co-stars Michael Shannon and Dania Ramirez.
"The Odd Life of Timothy Green," PG, 1:41, Maui Mall Megaplex.
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears. The movie, from novelist and filmmaker Peter Hedges, author of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and creator of Katie Holmes' lovely independent feature "Pieces of April," attempts to Disney-ize the family dysfunction territory he explored so well in those works.
"The Expendables 2," R, 1:44, Maui Mall Megaplex, ends tonight at Wharf Cinema Center
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat. The movie is full of '80s and '90s action movie stars. Simon West directs the loud and explosive action.
"ParaNorman," PG, 1:33, Maui Mall Megaplex, ends tonight at Wharf Cinema Center.
A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse. Directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell spin an imaginative patchwork tale. Few movies so taken with death feel so rudely alive as this stop-motion animation. "ParaNorman" is a classic adolescent-misfit adventure. Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick and Christopher Mintz-Plasse star.
"Hope Springs," PG-13, 1:40, closes tonight at Maui Mall Mall Megaplex.
After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship. The couple, Kay and Arnold Soames, are played by Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Thanks to the expert guidance of Comic moments help to lighten the uncomfortable subject of naked adult intimacy and its discontents. David Frankel directs.
"The Bourne Legacy," PG-13, 2:15, Kaahumanu 6, Kukui Mall, ends tonight at Wharf Cinema Center,
Tony Gilroy takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," PG, 1:34, ends tonight at Maui Mall Megaplex.
The formulaic but family-friendly series, based on the popular book, is back and it's business as usual. School is out and "Wimpy Kid" Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) is ready for the days of summer. Greg hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club - which fails to keep him away from the season's dog days, including embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong. Robert Capron and Devon Bostick costar. David Bowers directs.
* Movie listings are subject to last-minute changes. Visit www.mauigateway.com/~rw/movie/ for updates.
