OPENING THIS WEEK: 8/23/2013

It's a light week at the multiplex and an even lighter week at the art house (as Woody and The Butler continue to dominate). Blue Jasmine moves over to more screens and neighborhoods across the metroplex in Allen's largest screen count of his career (it's already made $10 million in limited release). Still, a few new contenders are on our radar - including our old pal Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - along with two teen romances (Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is already screening) and  an indie horror flick. Not a bad way to end summer.....

@ the Art House

The Spectacular Now - Sadly Dipson Theaters is opening this one away from the kids that might be interested (in town, near colleges) over at Eastern Hills. Director James Ponsoldt's chilling (and very relevant - especially in this town) Smashed came and went within a week at the North Park last fall - this one looks like its got better prospects. Miles Teller plays a frat kind of guy stuck in neutral who calls for Shailene Woodley in a teen romance adapted by the writers of (500) Days of Summer. It was a hit at Sundance.

Screening: Dipson Eastern Hills

@ the Multiplex

The World's End - it's been a few years since Hot Fuzz but it's great to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunited with Edgar Wright for the conclusion of his "Cornetto Trillogy" (named for the ice cream that comes in three flavors). Four pals reunited for a pub crawl from hell. Unfortunately AMC and Regal didn't feel Buffalo was cool enough to screen the whole the trilogy, as they are in other markets (Rochester and Syracuse are?!?) ... I guess Regal needed room for Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla tonight instead.

Screening: Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit, AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Hollywood.

You're Next - an indie horror flick that premiered two years ago at the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Adam Wingard with a cast that features indie filmmakers Joe Swanberg and T.I. West along with Sharni Vinson, AJ Bowen and Nicolas Tucci. Reviews conclude its better than average so we've got two cult-ish flicks to see this weekend!

Screening: Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit, AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Hollywood, Transit Drive-In

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - NOW PLAYING......this looks too much like Twilight for our comforts. Staring Lilly Collins and Lena Hadley. Our contributors told us they were going to sit this one out*....

Screening: Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit, AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Hollywood, Transit Drive in, Dipson Market Arcade

*if someone out there wants to shoot us a review - we'll post it! Send it over to buffalomovieblog@gmail.com! We're always looking for more voices :)

Reparatory Screenings

Niagara - A classic 1954 noir returns, digitally remastered to The Screening Room. Staring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, and Jean Peters.

in the Cheap Seats

I'm So Excited (7/10)

Red 2 (7/10)

Monsters University (7/10)

The Heat (4/10)

White House Down (7/10)

Continuing

Lee Daniel's The Butler (8/10)

Blue Jasmine (8/10)

Despicable Me 2 (7/10)

The Conjuring (7/10)

Elysium (7/10)

Fruitvale Station (7/10)

Paranoia (6/10)

We're The Millers (6/10)

Kick-Ass 2 (4/10)

[REVIEW: In Theaters] THE CONJURING (7/10)

All right, this is what a horror movie should be – The Conjuring is a genuinely scary psychological thriller from James Wan (who proves he’s got skill and even, dare I say, restraint). Legend (or marketing hype) has it that The Conjuring (which in terms of violence is tame) was originally targeting a PG-13 rating, when the MPAA slapped it with an R, when the studio asked what they could cut to secure the teen friendly rating the MPAA said, “It’s too scary”. And the studio ran with it.

A rare summer horror film that’s smart, it chronicles two families – the Connecticut based paranormal investigators The Warrens (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) and the Perrons, a family that moves into a Rhode Island farmhouse they recently got a deal on (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston). The Perrons notice things that go bump in the night, including a mysterious basement they didn’t know they had (and of course explore late one night). The house is just as bad as one you’d find on the East Side of Buffalo – poorly insolated and reeking out foul meat the family is at wits end when they seek out Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Warrens often investigate things for which there are logical conclusions (pipes over heating causing creeks and noises in the middle of the night for example) but are challenged by what they find at the Perrons. They bring in external help to document the situation with the hope of convincing the Catholic Church to provide an exorcism that is until things become life or death.

The Conjuring is so skillful at what it does (and what it doesn’t do) – there’s never a boring moment in the film. I think why it is so successful is that it takes itself seriously and puts drama above those jump scenes (don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of those too). Simply put there are many smart directing choices made here including how the action is framed (often in longer restrained takes). The film puts psychological fear above all with a first rate cast that nails this material – this is an effective, engaging, and fun movie.

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Transit, Transit Drive-In

[In Theaters: REVIEW] Despicable Me 2 (7/10)

Who doesn’t love Despicable Me? Certainly not I – the previous film was one of biggest delights of the summer of 2010 and Gru is back for 2013: no objections here. As with all sequels a little of the magic is lost, but in a classic Hollywood move Despicable Me 2 (and the upcoming feature spin off Minions) gives us more of what we liked, here we get more minions: and what weird and wonderful little worker bees they are. They do it all from tending to household matters around Gru’s house (including tending to Gru’s adopted daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes) to running his new legit business – jams. They also later surface in a complete act of subversion performing as The Village People.

Despicable Me 2, like the first one is a rare animated film that’s worth seeing in 3D (now if only that roller coaster ride from the first one was in DBox as well as 3D….although I have some issues with DBox, but those stem from the fact we at the Buffalo Movie Blog see lots of movies) – opening with a heist at the Arctic Circle, Gru (Steve Carell) is called upon by Agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) of the Anti-Villain League (and her boss – Agent Ramsbottom – a perfect Steve Coogan) to investigate a secret chemical that’s gone missing and has been located at a megamall. Gru is sent undercover as the owner of a sweets shop, Bake My Day.

The story progresses pretty much as you may imagine with some nice visual gags, but those damn minions are were the action is at. I almost wish kids movies would just continue with silly gags and forgo the plot (then again that’s all kinds of dangerous – ever see that TV show Family Guy?). Also delightful is Gru’s domestic life – including his stint as Gru-ella, a ferry princess at little Agnes’ birthday. Some of the best gags you’ve seen in the trailers, but there’s more where that came from: director’s Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, along with screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio keep the energy level up for the film’s whole running time right to the closing credits (which contain another great 3D gag like the first one did).

Despicable Me 2 works, even it takes a break from the fun for the plot- and even those moments have some nice visual gags and minions. Those little guys could do anything and I’d have a smile on my face.

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit, Regal Hollywood, Transit Drive In, Palace Hamburg