Santa Cruz Good Times

Films This Week
Check out the movies playing around town.
With reviews and trailers.

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New This Week


ARTHUR The old Dudley Moore comedy gets a reboot for Russell Brand in the role of the lovably boozy rich boy.  (PG-13) 105 minutes. Starts Friday. Watch film trailer >>>

HANNA Saoirse Ronan (Atonement; The Lovely Bones) stars in this action thriller as a 16-year-old girl raised in the wilds of Finland by her ex-CIA op father (Eric Bana) and dispatched on a deadly mission across Europe, pursued by agents dispatched by a sinister spymaster (Cate Blanchett). Olivia Williams and Tom Hollander co-star for director Joe eright (Atonement). (PG-13) 111 minutes. Starts Friday. Watch film trailer >>>

MIRAL Artist-turned-filmmaker Julian Schnabel (Basquiat; Before Night Falls; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) directs this drama set in war-torn East Jerusalem.. (PG-13) 114 minutes. Starts Friday. Watch film trailer >>>

YOUR HIGHNESS. Franco is a dashing prince on a quest to resccue his kidnapped beloved (Zooey Deschanel), who drags his weed-smoking, slacker brother (McBride) along for back-up. Natalie Portman pops up in a bustier, wielding a bow and arrows, a la Keira Knightley in King Arthur. Toby Jones and Charles Dance co-star. (R) 102 minutes. Starts Friday. Watch film trailer >>>

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4/8–4/14

DEL MAR THEATRE    469-3220
Win Win  2:45, 5, 7:15, 9:30  + Fri – Sun 12:30
Miral  2:20, 4:40, 7, 9:20 + Fri, Sat noon
Insidious  3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40  + Fri – Sun 1pm
Star Trek (2009)  Friday & Saturday night Midnight Showings
The 6th Annual Secret Film Festival  Saturday Midnight till Sun noon  

Nickelodeon    426-7500
Jane Eyre  2, 3:40, 4:30, 6, 7, 8:30, 9:30  + Fri – Sun 11:30am
The King’s Speech  1:20
Certified Copy  4:20, 6:30 
I Am  2, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9  + Sat, Sun 12:15
Cracks  2:10, 8:40  + Sat, Sun noon
Aptos Cinema    426-7500
Source Code  2:45, 4:45, 6:45, 8:45
Hanna  2, 4:15, 6:30, 8:45 + Sat, Sun 11:45
King Kong  Saturday + Sunday Weekend Matinee  11am

GREEN VALLEY CINEMA 8    761-8200
Limitless in Dolby Digital  1:05, 3:10, 5:15, 7:20, 9:30  + Sat, Sun 11am
Arthur  1:30, 4:30, 7, 9:30 + Sat, Sun 11:05am
Soul Surfer  1:30, 4:25, 7, 9:20 + Sat, Sun 11:15
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules  1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 + Sat, Sun 11:05am
Your Highness  1:05, 3:15, 5:20, 7:30, 9:30  + Sat, Sun 11am
Hanna   1:25, 4:30, 7, 9:25  +Sat, Sun 11:05am
Hop in Dolby Digital  1:10, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:10 + Sat – Sun 11am
Source Code  1:05, 3:10, 5:15, 7:15, 9:25 + Sat – Sun 11am 

Cinelux Scotts Valley Cinema    438-3260
Hop  11:55am, 2:20, 4:40, 7, 9:20  + Sun - Thurs no 9:20   
Arthur  11:30am, 2, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45  + Sun - Thurs no 9:45

Cinelux 41st Avenue Cinema    479-3504
Your Highness  11:55am, 2:30, 4:55, 7:30, 10
Arthur  11:30am, 2, 4:40, 7:15, 9:45
Hop  11:45am, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9

Santa Cruz Cinema 9    (800) 326-3264 #1700
Armageddon  Flashback Feature  Thur 4/14  8
Le Comte Ory  Met Opera  Sat 4/09  10AM
Scream 4  Thur 4/14  12:01AM
Hanna  11:30am, 2:30, 5:10, 7:45, 10:25  + Mon-Thur no 11:30am    
Your Highness  1, 4, 7:50, 10:15 
Arthur  11:45am, 2:15, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05 + Mon-Thur no 11:45am
Source Code  noon, 2:20, 4:45, 7:30, 10 + Mon-Thur no noon
Limitless  1:25, 4:15, 6:45, 9:25
Sucker Punch  1:30, 4:25, 7:05, 9:45                 
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2  11:15am, 1:45, 4:10, 6:50, 9:15  + Mon-Thur no 11:15am    
Paul  12:10, 2:35, 7:35, 10:20  + Mon-Thur no 12:10            
Lincoln Lawyer  11:20am, 2, 4:40, 7:20, 10 Sat no 11:20am,  or 2
+ Mon - Wed no 11:20am
Rango  5:05

Riverfront    (800) 326-3264 #1701
Soul Surfer  1, 4, 7, 9:35  + Mon – Wed no 1
HOP  12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9  + Mon – Thurs no 12:45

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Film Events

SPECIAL EVENT THIS WEEK: WINTER ITALIAN FILM SERIES The Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz is back with a new monthly series of Italian films (one Sunday a month) to promote Italian culture and language. The theme this time is “Italian Directors of the ‘60s.” Each monthly film is introduced by Dr. William Park, Faculty Emeritus, Sarah Lawrence College. This Week: MAFIOSO Alberto Latttuada directs this 1962 crime drama starring Alberto Sordi as a factory supervisor drawn into the absurdity of generations-old mafia obligations when he and his Northern Italian wife return to his family home in Sicily. (Not rated) 105 minutes. In Italian with English sub titles. At Cabrillo College, VAPA Art History Forum Room 1001, Sunday only (April 10), 7 pm. Free.

CONTINUING SERIES: MIDNIGHTS @ THE DEL MAR Eclecticmovies for wild & crazy tastes plus great prizes and buckets of fun for only $6.50. This week: STAR TREK Director J. J. Abrams dares to boldly go where not even Gene Roddenberry went before in this 2009 origin-story prequel to the venerable sci-fi franchise. (PG-13) 127 minutes. (HHH)—Lisa Jensen. Fri midnight only.

THE 6th ANNUAL SECRET FILM FESTIVAL Get out your blankeys and bunny slippers and prepare to settle in for the duration for the fourth installment of this annual cult event. The concession stand is open all night as five fabulous films never before seen in Santa Cruz, hand picked by the crackerjack Del Mar selection committee, unspool for your eyes only before their official release dates. Actual film titles cannot be named (that’s why they’re secret!), but previous SFF premieres have included MirrorMask, Lars And The Real Girl, and Let The Right One In. Don’t be the last kid on the block to see the coolest new movies of the season. Get in line now. Admission is $13, this week only. Saturday midnight to Sunday, noon. At the Del Mar.

CONTINUING SERIES: WEEKEND MATINEE CLASSICS AT APTOS CINEMA If you’ve only ever seen them on TV, don’t miss this series of classic movie matinees unspooling each weekend at Aptos Cinema. This week: KING KONG (1933). (Not rated) 104 minutes. (★★★★)—Lisa Jensen. Sat-Sun matinee only, 11 a.m. Admission $6. At Aptos Cinema.

CONTINUING SERIES: FLASHBACK FEATURES Oldies and goodies on Thursday nights at the Cinema 9, presented by your genial host, Joe Ferrara. $5 gets you in. This week: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS Tonight (Thursday) only, 8 p.m., at the Cinema 9.

CONTINUING SERIES THIS WEEK: THE MET: LIVE IN HD AT THE CINEMA 9 Digital broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera projected live, onscreen, Saturday mornings throughout the season (with repeat encore re-broadcasts, as noted). Tickets: $24 general, $22 senior for the live broadcasts; $18 for everyone for the encores. This week: LE COMTE ORY Bel canto sensation Juan Diego Florez stars in the title role in this new production of Rossini’s vocally witty romantic comedy from director Bartlett Sher. Diana Damrau and Joyce DiDonato co-star. Maurizio Benini conducts. LIVE: Saturday, April 9th, 10:00 a.m.

CONTINUING EVENT: LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MOVIES. Discussion begins at 7 pm and admission is free. For more information visit www.ltatm.org.

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Now Playing

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Something needs adjustment in this promising film starring Matt Damon, who plays a politico who discovers learns the “truth” of fate in an action thriller that doesn’t always hit the mark. Damon’s up-and-rising politician falls in love with the “wrong” woman and finds himself on the run from the “bureau”—angels in suits, more or less. That they’re all men is a bit dated, but hey, for a reboot of a Philip K.Dick short story, there’s enough to savor here—then ponder afterward. (PG-13) (★★1/2) Greg Archer

BARNEY'S VERSION Paul Giamatti so wonderfully inhabits his character here and deserves the Golden Globe he nabbed for it. Based on Mordecail Richler's winning novel, Giamatti morphs into a self-involved TV producer here whose penchant for drinking (too much) and womanizing doesn’t quite make him an ideal catch. But fate is kind to this anti-hero and delivers to him the woman of his dreams—Rosamund Pike in a stunning, graceful performance that so beautifully illuminates what “loving” somebody actually looks like. Barney doesn’t realize it, but he’s been given a gift from the Gods with his new love in that it presents him with the possibility to leap—let’s make that crawl—out of his narcissistic way of being and actually care about something, and somebody, other than himself? Can he do it? One of the smartest, well written films to come along in quite a while. Minnie Driver, and Rachel Lefevre star as ex-wives here; Dustin Hoffman co-stars as Barney’s father. Richard J. Lewis directs. (R) 132 minutes. Stats Friday. (★★★1/2) Greg Archer

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES When alien forces attack earth, and the worlds great cities begin to fall, the last bastion of human civilization (erm, L. A.?) becomes the site of the final showdown between Marine Sergeant Aaron Eckhart, his new platoon, and the alien invaders. Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan co-star for director Jonathan Liebesman. (PG-13) 117 minutes. Starts Friday.

CEDAR RAPIDS A fantastic surprise. Newcomer Ed Helms shines in an indie comedy you can’t help but enjoy—it turned heads at Sundance. Helms plays a naive small-town insurance agent sent by his company to a big convention in Iowa. Like a fish out of water, he’s bedazzled–and bemused—by all the “glitter” of such a “big city” lilke ... Cedar Rapids. The convention is full of jaded old pros, played by John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr. Sigourney Weaver also stars. Miguel Arteta directs. (R) 86 minutes. (★★★) Greg Archer

CERTIFIED COPY Juliette Binoche and the sun-dappled landscape of Tuscany star in this drama of relationships and illusion from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. (Not rated) 106 minutes. In French and Italian with English subtitles.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES The original cast is back in place for this second installment of the series based on the illustrated novels of Jeff Kinney. Zachary Gordon returns as the adolescent hero, back in middle school and coping with all the usual suspects—including an older brother (Devon Bostwick) who’s blackmailing him to do his bidding. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, and Steve Zahn co-star for incoming director David Bowers. (PG)
HOP The suddenly-ubiquitous Russell Brand lends his voice to this live-action/animation comedy as E.B., teenage son and heir apparent to the Easter Bunny, who runs away to Hollywood to become a drummer. (PG)

INSIDIOUS Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne star in this supernatural thriller as parents battling to stop an evil force from dragging their comatose child permanently into an alternate realm. Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, and Barbara Hershey co-star for director James Wan. (PG-13) 102 minutes.

JANE EYRE Mia Wasikowska is a poised, yet fiercely self-directed Jane to Michael Fassbender’s wry, stormy Rochester in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s fresh take on the evergreen, Victorian-era Gothic romance. It’s a deeply felt, beautifully wrought little gem of mood and sensibility.  Moira Buffini’s smart script mines every nuance of feeling out of Charlotte Bronte’s story, spoken and otherwise; together, the filmmakers resist every temptation to resort to overheated melodrama, weaving instead a compelling narrative of urgent emotional suspense. (PG-13) 120 minutes. (★★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

THE KING'S SPEECH And the Oscar goes to this juicy and rewarding true story about an accidental monarch struggling to conquer a private affliction that makes public life a nightmare. Director Tom Hooper also won gold, along with the formidable Colin Firth as the prince who will be George VI, cursed with a crippling stammer just when the nation needs a strong, confident leader. Geoffrey Rush is great as his eccentric speech therapist; the marvelous Helena Bonham Carter leads a Who's Who of splendid British thesps in supporting roles. (R) 118 minutes. (★★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

LIMITLESS Bradley Cooper stars in this thriller about a lowly copywriter and wannabee novelist who’s slipped a radical, secret “smart drug” that enables him to use 100% of his brain power—but also brings him to the attention of a powerful mogul (Robert De Niro), and sinister forces out to obtain his supply of the drug.  Adapted from the Alan Glynn novel. Abbie Cornish and Anna Friel co-star for director Neil Burger. (PG-13) 97 minutes.

THE LINCOLN LAWYER Slick, invigorating and, most of all, interesting, The Lincoln Lawyer packs a punch. Matthew McConaughey plays a criminal defense lawyer-for-hire in L. A.(he does a great deal of business from the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car) who must defend a rich boy accused of assault. This is McConaughey’s best role in years and the supporting cast—Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, and William Macy—shines. From the bestselling Michael Connelly legal thriller, here’s hoping that should a series of films be launched, the filmmakers create just the right amount of edge and intrigue as they do here.. (R) 119 minutes.  (★★★1/2) Greg Archer

THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED The non-fiction book, “The Last Hippie” by Dr. Oliver Sacks, M. D. (“Awakenings”) is the basis for this family drama about a father and son trying to reach each other through music. (PG) 105 minutes.

OF GODS AND MEN Anyone curious about the monastic life need seek no further than this fact-based French drama about a small household of French Christian monks embedded within a largely Islamic mountain community in North Africa. Director Xavier Beauvois lingers over their cloistered life of prayer, work and study behind the monastery walls, but the film gradually expands into a larger story of courage, commitment, and community as the peaceful brothers are drawn into a brutal civil war between a corrupt government and its terrorist opponents. Beauvois can pack a lot of tension into a scene, but the film gains its emotional power from the accumulation of small, vivid moments. (PG-13)  122 minutes. In French with English subtitles. (★★★) Lisa Jensen

PAUL Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as a couple of nerdy Brit comic fanboys on the road in the States who find a stowaway in their RV outside of Area 51—a wisecracking alien who’s tired of Earth and wants to go home. Seth Rogen provides the voice of the runaway alien. Greg Mottola (Superbad; Adventureland) directs. (R) 104 minutes.

RANGO Johnny Depp unleashes his inner clown, providing voice, rollicking movement, and heart to the lizard protagonist of this abundantly silly and entertaining animated family comedy. Directed by Gore Verbinski, from a very funny script by John Logan, it both spoofs and celebrates the traditional Western set-up about a lone stranger in a hard-luck pioneer town, but it's also a freewheeling pastiche of movie references (all genres, all eras) that will keep trivia fans on their toes, while amusing the young'uns with its slapstick verve. (PG) 107 minutes. (★★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

RED RIDING HOOD Amanda Seyfried waffles between good-boy Max Irons and bad-boy Shiloh Fernandez in this re-imagined Riding Hood tale.. (PG-13) 98 minutes. (HH1/2) Lisa Jensen

SOURCE CODE It’s sort of like Groundhog Day on a speeding train. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this techno-thriller as a government agent transported again and again into the mind of a passenger on a commuter train just before it blows up, in hopes of figuring out the identity of the bomber before he strikes again. Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, and Jeffrey Wright co-star; Duncan Jones (Moon) directs. (PG-13) 93 minutes. Starts Friday.

SUCKER PUNCH Expect anything and everything (giants, dragons, samurai swordsmen, girls in chains) in this pastiche of fantasy/noir/graphic novel-ist themes from monochromatic pulp director Zack Snyder (300; The Watchmen). Emily Browning stars as a nubile young woman locked in a mental institution by her evil stepfather who rallies a posse of like-minded, kick-ass gals to mentally alter their reality, perform epic quests, and free themselves. Or something. (PG-13) 120 minutes.

WIN WIN Paul Giamatti stars as a lawyer and volunteer high school wrestling coach whose plans to groom a displaced teen (newcomer Alex Shaffer) into a star athlete go awry when the boy’s mother returns from rehab. Written and directed by quirk-meister Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent; The Visitor). Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale, and Melanie Lynskey co-star. (R) 106 minutes.

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