Saving Mr. Banks ***

A fascinating and surprisingly emotional behind-the-scenes story about the making of "Mary Poppins," "Saving Mr. Banks" tells the story of the conflict between English author P.L. Travers and the Disney organization, and Walt himself, in the development of the movie. At the time of the movie Miss Travers had been wooed by Walt Disney for 20 years, but had never given him the rights. She feared a treacly, sentimental (even animated!) version of her beloved book. She even insisted that the sessions be tape recorded, to memorialize her preferences.

Emma Thompson captures the hard defenses and fear of Travers, while letting us see glimpses of the hurt and the circumstances that made her that way, all of which is depicted in many flashbacks to her childhood in Australia. In these sequences Colin Farrell as the charismatic, imaginative, and alcoholic father, and the young actress Annie Rose Buckley as the young Travers are standouts.

Tom Hanks does a fine job as a sturdy, affable, persistent Walt Disney, who finally wins the trust of the author. Director John Lee Hancock ("Snow White and the Huntsman," "Blindside") plays up the emotions, especially in the Australian scenes. Supporting roles are all good, especially Paul Giamatti as Travers' driver. Stick around for the credits to see photos of Disney and Travers et al, and hear some of the taped session where she bosses the writers around like a school marm.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ***

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" starts off well. The exposition of Walter's rather boring existence keeping track of the photos for Life magazine, tellingly entitled "negative assets," and the daring and imaginative reveries that he is prone to, are well presented and engaging. Suddenly Walter is swept up into a real life adventure and interesting, exciting things start to happen. Then the movie hits a wall and deflates. It manages to pick itself up somewhat, but there's so much scurrying around tying up loose ends that it really drags. The ending is fine and pretty much what you knew would happen all along, but the promise of the first third is unfulfilled.

The fault I think has more to do with the script than with Ben Stiller's direction. Stiller is fine in the title role, and I liked seeing Christine Wiig in a warm straight love interest part. The minor characters are a colorful lot, and often quite funny. Special effects and photography are outstanding, especially the far-flung location sequences.

The Wolf of Wall Street ****

Does a movie about excess have to be three hours long? That was my worry facing the prospect of sitting through a 17-minute string of previews and a Scorsese-directed work that I knew would have a flow and a rhythm I wouldn't want to interrupt. As it turned out, by skipping the last preview and employing a judicious use of movie house liquids, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, with good content in every frame.

The world of "The Wolf of Wall Street" is full of excess and built on greed, not trust. This was colorfully explained to the rookie Jordan Belfort, who wrote the book about his career that this film depicts, by his first boss Mark Hanna (an intense, cynical, and loopy Mathew McConaughey). Belfort "smiles and dials" until he's paid his dues and passed the exam, ready to be officially a broker.

Then, on his first day as a broker, October 19, he's greeted by the crash of '87. By the end of the month stock markets worldwide had lost more than 20% of their value and he was out of job. Desperate to be the millionaire he promised his wife he would be, he stumbles into a penny stock boiler room in a strip mall. When he learns that commissions are 50%, not 3% for blue chips, he dives in. His sales skills are quickly legendary and he's making great money. With encouragement from an admirer, he forms his own firm.

That's the beginning, and through it all Leonardo DiCaprio, who narrates as well as enacts the whole wild, sordid story, pulls us along, seduces with his charm, swagger, daring, and the honesty of post-conviction hindsight. DiCaprio's skills as an actor make him the perfect choice for this role: a salesman who can play the role while not believing it, but who is so convincing that he can get caught up in his own narrative, as Belfort does in a key scene speaking to his employees.

The excess - drugs, hookers, extravagant parties, expensive suits, the jewelry, baronial houses, luxury yachts - is all on display. But so is the personal side, the good and the bad, the first marriage, the second marriage, the loyalty to the friends and associates, the shocking hurting behavior. It's all on view, in the typically seamless and immersive style I expect from director Martin Scorsese. It's fascinating, funny, and repulsive all at once, and a great portrait of a master salesman and the seamiest side of Wall Street.

Inside Llewyn Davis ****

In the winter of 1961, mired in the time before Dylan, aspiring folk singer Llewyn Davis deals with the times, the scene, and the fraying strands of his life in New York. It's a a fascinating, involving, if not uplifting look at a slice of popular American culture and a man caught up in it. Oscar Isaac provides an amazing performance as Davis. And the writer/directors Coen brothers have given us another intricate and well-crafted work that is well worth your time.

Philomena ****

This is the true story of Philomena Lee (Judy Dench) and her search for her son, who she gave up fifty years earlier when she was an young unwed mother taken in by a convent in Ireland. Well-known television reporter Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), casting about for an assignment, becomes interested in her "human interest" story. And so begins the search for lost Anthony, a search that will take them to the United States, into the secrets of Washington, D.C. and the highest levels of government, with an outcome neither thought possible.

Dench is so grounded and true to her character that you feel you've known her for years. She richly deserves the recognition that will come from this role. Coogan, who has a producing and writing credit as well as the prime mover role, is at the top of his game. He has seldom looked better or been more convincing as the jaded journalist who becomes determined, sometimes despite himself, to ferret out what really happened and bring Philomena some closure. It's a very satisfying and emotional motion picture.

American Hustle *****

David O. Russell's take on the Abscam scandal of the '70s, when the FBI hired a con man to catch public officials taking bribes, including members of Congress, captures the times and the hustles in a character-driven, often hilarious, romp. This is the movie that "12 Years a Slave" has to beat for the best picture Oscar.

The cast is amazing and never strikes a wrong chord. Bradley Cooper is the preening, ambitious FBI agent who keeps pushing the boundaries and looking for bigger fish to catch in his net. The con couple are played by an overweight Christian Bale and a steamyAmy Adams, smart swindlers who get caught and have to help the FBI to get reduced charges. Jennifer Lawrence is Bale's less than smart solipsistic suburban wife, a manipulative wild card in her husband's schemes. Jeremy Renner turns in an earnest performance as a good-hearted mayor who gets caught up in the scandal.  All of these performances are award caliber, and writer/director Russell, who you know for "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Fighter," constructs the best framework and dialogue to make it all happen. "American Hustle" is a great big fun movie for adults that sheds some light on history and people.

Frozen ****

"Frozen" is a lovely, lively, and tuneful animated movie from Disney based on elements from Han Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen." In this version one royal sister, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), heir to the throne, turns all she touches into ice. Her younger sister Anna (Kristen Bell) does all she can think of to lift the curse, and enlists the aid of Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and an animated snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad).

Young princess viewers especially will enjoy the stories of love, flirtations, and family, while young princes will like the adventure. All will like Olaf's slapstick antics, and adults will find a lot to appreciate, from catchy if not timeless songs to a charming and inventive visual style.  "Frozen" seems destined to be a new classic in the Disney library, with the potential to delight young viewers over and over again. Looks like a shoo-in for the best animated feature come award time.

Nebraska ****

A headstrong old man's determination to collect the million dollars promised in a magazine subscription offer sets this story of family, choices, and the taciturn inhabitants of the plains in motion. It's another take on fathers and cousins from the writer/director of "The Descendants," Alexander Payne, who returns to where he grew up in this movie.

Bruce Dern is Woody Grant, an aging and often confused resident of Montana with a history of drinking too much. One of his two sons, David (Will Forte) agrees to drive him to Nebraska to collect his "winnings." The road trip turns into a family reunion in the town where the boys grew up. Woody's wife and other son arrive, and David begins to discover things about his father's past he didn't know, or understood differently.

It's a bleak landscape, emphasized by black and white photography, and punctuated with sharply drawn characters who step out of the bounds of caricature just enough to give them a lifelike dimension in this comedy/drama. The humor, and there is plenty, grows organically from the characters and situations. Dern and Forte both deliver strong performances, especially Dern, who is sure to be recognized in award season.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ****

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is better than first installment of this trilogy (or quartet, since I'm told the last volume will be made into two movies, a trick Hollywood now employs as often as prequels it seems). And thank goodness it is, because even the amazing Jennifer Lawrence and Katniss Everdeen could not have held our interest if all we had here was more of the same. Just about everything is better: the acting, the costumes, the special effects, even the fighting.

In "Catching Fire" Katniss and Peeta begin to enjoy the spoils of their victory in the brutal spectacle of children killing children of the first volume, when they learn what a charade they are meant to play. They have won a life of ease but must play their part in keeping the districts quiet and the capitol and its one percent in luxury. Then, with signs of rebellion surfacing, a new games is called, one that pits past winners against each other. This at least removes the most squirmy aspect of the first movie, with adults now hunting adults, and opens the possibilities of alliances.

I very much enjoyed this chapter, and its ineluctable movement toward revolution. Jennifer Lawrence continues her string of magnetic performances, with fine turns from Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Stanley Tucci. But I suppose the highest marks should go to the new director, Francis Lawrence.

Kill Your Darlings ***

"Kill Your Darlings" offers an intriguing blend of biopic, coming of age/sexual awakening story, literary history, obsession, and murder mystery, all based on actual events when those who were to be the leading lights of the beat generation, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs, were in New York in the forties.

The story follow Allen Ginsberg, son of a minor poet himself, as he matriculates at Columbia and meets the charismatic and seductive Lucien Carr. Carr introduces Ginsberg to a world of literary rebels, jazz, drugs, and dark secrets. Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) finds yet another role to inhabit and stretch into as the young Ginsberg. The evocation of the forties and the excitement and iconoclasm of the group are palpable, and the importance of words in life, love, and death are searingly portrayed. Dane DeHaan as Carr is fantastic, and Michael C. Hall as his friend and admirer is an inspired bit of casting.

"Kill Your Darlings" had a short run, but it's well worth hunting down to get a flavor of Ginsberg's milieu and the people and forces that shaped him, as well as to enjoy a fine movie.

Thor: The Dark World **

"Thor: The Dark World" is better than the first, but that's faint praise, I know. In this one I liked Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the special effects. The attack on Greenwich was inspired location casting. The framing story was silly, but hey, it's a comic book.

Dallas Buyers Club ****

In 1985, Dallas electrician, hustler, and straight homophobe Ron Woodroof learned that he had AIDS. This movie tells the story of his schemes and fights to get drugs and treatment first for himself, and then for others, as the epidemic spread and all drugs were experimental. Matthew McConaughey tackles the role head on and gives us the unvarnished Woodroof, ever the hustler if not the homophobe.

McConaughey, who lost a prodigious amount of weight for the role, is utterly convincing, matched by an arresting performance by Jared Leto as the transgendered Rayon. He also dropped many pounds to play the role believably. I understand Rayon is a synthetic character created to provide a dramatic foil, business partner, sounding board and, I suppose, repository of audience sympathy when Woodroof is too off-putting. Jennifer Garner plays Dr. Eve Saks, physician, researcher, and friend. She is fantastic in a role that demands a wide range of interactions with the mercurial Woodroof.

"Dallas Buyers Club" recreates a time and a culture that should be remembered. Those of us who lived through it will relive many painful moments, but the fighting spirit on display is heartening and some solace. And those who were too young at the time to understand what the AIDS epidemic was doing to so many should see it to get a view and appreciation of the fear and desperation and the halting steps of the government's support for research. See it if you can find it in a theater, because the DVD will likely be delayed until after award season.

12 Years a Slave *****

It's hard to exaggerate how good this film is. Told cinematically without the glossy remove of many historical dramas, "12 Years a Slave" depicts the brutal enslavement of a free black man, Solomon Northup, kidnapped in Washington D.C. who survived to regain his freedom and publish his story in 1853. John Ridley's screenplay plunges us into Northup's desperate and humiliating situation, then takes us back to the beginning of the story, all told cleanly and in the locutions of the period and the original author himself from a perspective inside the peculiar institution.

Much happens in the 12 years, and the movie takes the time to depict each highlight. Even though it's 2 and a quarter hours, there's nothing extraneous or superfluous, and the viewer's attention does not flag. Steve McQueen's direction is often close-up as he draws outstanding performances from an incredible cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor leaps to the highest level of his profession with his portrayal of Northup. Michael Fassbender, a mainstay of McQueen's oeuvre, delivers an electric performance as the sadistic plantation owner Edwin Epps. Lupita Nyong'o and Adepero Oduye are also in award nomination territory, inhabiting their slave characters' suffering fearlessly.

The movie is searing and touching. In Denver it's available only at The Mayan for now, but with strong word of mouth, and near-universal critical acclaim, I'm sure Fox Searchlight will be expanding the limited release run soon. And as we head into award season I expect multiple nominations for for this outstanding motion picture.

All Is Lost ****

A one-man, virtually wordless film, "All Is Lost" depicts an un-named protagonist whose sailboat, somewhere south of India, is punctured by a stray shipping container. What follows is our man's struggle to repair his vessel, stay afloat, survive its sinking, salvage what he can, and reach out for help. It's a heroic effort, and in the telling becomes something larger than just a detailed, very well acted and directed chronicle.

While never dull, there is time in this movie for reflection and questions. Who is this man? How did he get here? Why is he alone? To whom is the apology, virtually the only words spoken, that opens the movie directed? Who gave him the unopened gift that he salvages? What's the story behind the wedding ring on his hand? Does the shipping container say something about commerce and materialism? How could he afford to be on a sailboat south of India in the first place? Where did he learn to sail? Wasn't he a part of the getting and spending world that has both put him here and torpedoed his precarious perch? Or does he stand for those heroes who must do what they do alone? Is he a man faced with a life and death situation that requires thinking, planning, and doing? Is he like us in our struggles to survive our own sea, to overcome, to make something big happen in our lives?

The Counselor ****

Set in the high stakes world of Southwestern drug traffickers, "The Counselor" is a present day almost classic tragedy.  The counselor (Michael Fassbender), a hip, stylish El Paso lawyer with a knockout girlfriend (Penelope Cruz) gets greedy and through his nightclub owning, dealer friend and client (Javier Bardem) gets involved in a deal that has far-reaching consequences.

Director Ridley Scott here teams up with writer Cormac McCarthy in a dark tale populated with well-drawn, well-played characters, including Cameron Diaz as a real femme fatale, and Brad Pitt as a smart, careful, rich drug cowboy. The counselor is warned repeatedly and graphically about the world he is stepping into. He says he'll be careful, but his love of money and the trappings of success, including that incredible diamond he flies to Amsterdam to purchase for his fiancee, outweigh caution.

With two of the more remarkable scenes of sex and murder in movies, and punctuated with poetic arias from the pen of McCarthy,"The Counselor" makes an indelible impression.

Captain Phillips ****

Many in the audience may feel they know the story of "Captain Phillips" already: how a brave and unarmed captain kept his head and his crew safe in the first highjacking of an American cargo ship in two hundred years. But when we see the Maersk Alabama boarded by Somali pirates in 2009, as with "Argo," it's a tribute to the filmmaker's art when we feel suspense even when we know the outcome.

The direction by Paul Greenglass is quite clear as he lays out the two worlds that intersect here. The poor fishing village living in fear of its local war lord could not be more different from the tightly organized world of modern cargo shipping, ultimately backed up by an awesome show of force, technology, and skill from the U.S. Navy. The depiction of these worlds shows the wisdom of choosing Greenglass ("Bourne Supremacy," "Bourne Ultimatum") for this assignment.

And as with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," it's a rare treat to see raw, touching, and totally believable performances by first-time actors. The pirates, chosen from a general casting call in the Somali community of Minneapolis, deliver a feeling of authenticity to the improvisational and desperation-driven attack. Barkhad Abdi as the leader Muse is a standout.

But the movie belongs to Tom Hanks. On screen for most of the time, Hanks delivers a portrait of a grounded professional in extraordinary circumstances who uses his wits and guile to keep going when the practiced procedures run aground. From the coolest calculator to the halting, blubbering shamble in shock at the end, Hanks' Captain Phillips is a man we can understand and feel with.

Don Jon ***

Don Jon is a young Italian guy who really loves: his ride, his pad, his church, his one-night stands, and his porn. With a cocky bounce in his stride, he's the master of his domain. That is, until he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson). For once Don Jon strikes out with the most beautiful woman in the club. He pursues her until she catches him and they go steady - but no sex. Finally she gives in on the sex and proceeds to mold him to her own idea of the perfect mate, and he does his best to give up his porn.

Then one evening at night school (Barbara's idea), Jon meets an older woman, Esther (Julianne Moore). Something clicks, if you know what I mean, and they start to talk to each other like adults. For Jon it's a new world, and his discovery of intimacy versus lust is life changing.

Star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the kid from "Third Rock," veteran of so many outstanding performances in indie movies ("The Lookout," "Brick," "(500) Days of Summer") and recently in the big-budget arena ("Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Looper") here writes and directs for the first time. Gordon-Levitt allows his co-stars to shine, and there's a lively role for Tony Danza as Don Sr. It's a fine effort, funny and warm and wise, and imbued with its own style.

Gravity *****

See it on the biggest screen available. One of the very best films I've seen this year, "Gravity" immediately arrests the viewer with immense views of planet earth floating below space-walking astronauts. In 3D it's absolutely vertiginous. Beautifully composed, the opening sequence grabs the viewer and the film never lets go. Writer/director/producer Alfonso Cuarón has fully realized his vision in this incredible movie.

The story follows medical engineer Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and they attempt repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.  Suddenly there's a warning: space debris from a blown up satellite could be heading their way. The astronauts scramble but another of their team becomes a casualty. Then Stone loses her grip and she drifts off into space.

The movie becomes one harrowing effort to survive after another as Stone is faced with challenges, dangers, and the unknown. She must use her training, her intelligence, and her courage to stay alive and figure out how she can get to safety. The wise-cracking Kowalski never loses his cool, and provides much-needed advice. (And it's amazing how much Clooney, with his crinkly eyes and button nose, looks like Buzz Lightyear here.) But it is Stone's story, and Bullock deserves all of the recognition that will come her way for this superb performance.

Inequality for All ****

Former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration and current Berkeley professor Robert Reich makes a clear and convincing case for growing income inequality in the U.S. and calls for action to return to the greater equality and general prosperity that we had in the fifties. Rather than reiterate his arguments, I will just illustrate with some telling charts, which show how American wealth is distributed, and how we are experiencing a concentration of income at the top which has not been seen in this country since 1928.

Reich brings these facts to life with interviews and stories, and excerpts from his overflow lectures at Berkeley. It's a valuable lesson.

Closed Circuit **

It's a promising premise: two defense attorneys in London, former lovers, get assigned to a high-profile terrorism case that requires one of them to review top secret information in order to argue for its admission at trial. This information must not be divulged to the other attorney, and the two attorneys must not have anything beyond a purely professional relationship. The two attorneys, played by Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, decide to lie about their former affair, and find themselves in the thick of a conspiracy that implicates an agency of the government itself, an agency willing to kill to keep its secrets.

There are hidden agendas, double dealing, murderous officials, chases and attacks, and mysterious deaths. It should be exciting stuff, right? Unfortunately the movie is dull and flat, despite the good work of Bana, Hall, and Ciarán Hinds as Bana's friend, also a lawyer. Maybe it's the stuffy bewigged intricacies of English law. Maybe it's the pervasive pessimism of the story, the futility of bucking a powerful and ruthless foe. Maybe it's the lack of a hero, or the lack of a love story. Everything in the movie seems to be told at a level removed from real emotion. In any case, I found it hard to sympathize, and ultimately, to care about these characters.

We're the Millers ***

A small time drug dealer (Jason Sukeikis) must repay a big debt to his supplier, so he recruits a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a runaway (Emma Roberts) and a virgin high-school student (Will Poulter) to impersonate a typical American family so he can drive an RV loaded with marijuana across the border from Mexico. It's a road picture premise fraught with possibilities, and the writers and producers of "We're the Millers" shamelessly cash in on all of them. And it's hilarious.

Despite the occasional passing thought along the lines of "I can't believe they actually went there," the situations and jokes keep coming. So of course the drug run turns into something far bigger than they imagined, of course there's mortal danger and the threat of incarceration. Of course the runaway will meet a boyfriend. Of course the virgin will gain some experience. Of course the stripper will fit easily (maybe a bit too easily, Jennifer) into the suburban mom role. And of course the "dad" will do what it takes to keep this show organized and on the road.

It's not a great movie, but it's an entirely enjoyable if predictable bit of fluff, and will do very well at the box office.

Blue Jasmine *****

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) is blue because her financier husband (Alec Baldwin in flashbacks) has turned out to be a swindler and her money and position as a New York socialite is gone. She arrives in San Francisco to stay with the sister she never had time for, looking and sounding grand and with a vague idea of starting over somehow. Clearly disgusted with her sister's apartment and boyfriend, she tries to find a connection to the taste and class she once had mastered. And master it she did, as we know from many key scenes from her past life.

The portrait of the troubled woman that emerges is I think the most textured, the most complete of Woody Allen's recent films, and his best since "Match Point" (2005). Jasmine's struggles with her station, her denial, her torment, her charm and ease at the highest levels of society, are all on view in Blanchett's incredible performance. I dare say Allen has crafted yet another Academy level part, the latest in a long line.

As usual in a Woody Allen movie, the minor parts roles true, and the actors lucky enough to get the call are uniformly very, very good. I was particularly impressed with Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard as the new suitor, Sally Hawkins as the imposed-upon sister, Bobby Cannavale as the sister's boyfriend, and pleasantly surprised by Andrew Dice Clay as the sister's ex-husband. But clearly Blancette is the one to watch for in award season.

The Butler ****

He was a butler to eight presidents and a witness to history. Cecil Gaines' time at the White House spanned the time from Brown vs The Board of Education to the eve of the election of the first black president. Composed from the lives of several real men in the position, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" rides on one amazing performance by Forest Whitaker.

Starting in the fifties, Cecil's wife (a randy Oprah Winfrey) and children reflect the many styles, fads, and deeper cultural changes in American life. At the White House, a succession of well-known actors portray the First Occupants in good times and bad. James Marsden as John Kennedy, and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan are particularly memorable. With so much time to cover, and so many actors, you might think it all a blur, but Daniels holds it all together and the movie succeeds through its focus on Cecil Gaines and his personal journey.

"The Butler" is a fine movie, a reminder of milestones in race relations in the U.S. from a unique perspective, and a celebration of a life present and attending to the men in its highest office.

The World's End ****

Five friends from school days reunite to relive a night twenty years earlier, when they vowed to have a pint at every pub in town, and to finish this time at The World's End, a destination they failed to reach the first time. Organized and led by their chief ne'er do well and boozing brawler Gary King (co-writer Simon Pegg), the gang assembles from their workaday lives elsewhere and gets started.

Their trek begins well enough, if somewhat slowly, since Andy (Nick Frost) doesn't drink any more, and the first place is quite dead. But there's something different, something strange going on in the town, and the boys find themselves, in a bizarre coincidence, as the champions and defenders of the human race. It's an unexpected and very funny turn of events, and full of the surprises and violence you might expect from the creator of "Sean of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz."

"The World's End" is a wry look at middle age and how people don't change, wrapped up in a fine apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic adventure straight from any number of recent movies. It's great fun.

The Spectacular Now ****

When Sutter wakes up on a lawn and doesn't know where he is or remember how he got there, it's not exactly a surprise for this hard-partying high school senior. Sutter loves to have a good time and doesn't worry about tomorrow. He lives for moment. Others may worry about tomorrow, like the girlfriend who just dumped him, but Sutter is happy where he is. Then, on that lawn, he meets Aimee, a nice girl he's never noticed, a girl who reads for fun and doesn't have a boyfriend. Slowly, surely, Sutter gets to know Aimee and starts to get a new perspective on life.

It's a familiar story, but this comedy/romance/drama has a freshness and unfiltered perspective, almost innocence, about it that is captivating. The principals, Miles Teller as Sutter and Shailene Woodley as Aimee, are strikingly good, charming, and natural. The supporting roles are strong, with Jennifer Jason Leigh as his protective, concerned mom, and Kyle Chandler as the charming, hard-partying father he never really knew. It's a lovely, ultra low budget effort and well worth a view. We'll be seeing lot more from these two young stars, I expect, as well as director James Ponsoldt.

Elysium IMAX ***

If "District 9" was about apartheid, "Elysium" is about the 99%. Director/writer Neill Blomkamp has given us another metaphor for our society, a science fiction lens to take a look at where we're heading.

The Elysium of the title is the luxurious and highly advanced abode of the rulers, spinning in space above Earth, where want and disease are unknown. The planet below is a fetid wasteland, a jumble of factories organized by brutal bosses with order enforced by the very robot police that hapless workers, like Max (Matt Damon) construct in very dangerous conditions.

When a factory accident leaves him with days to live unless he can get to the technology of Elysium, Max connects with the techno underworld who smuggle immigrants and are involved in an Elysian plot who can use his help. Along the way in his dangerous quest he connects with a beautiful childhood friend (Alice Braga) who has a dying daughter who also needs the magic machines of Elysium.

Blomkamp succeeds in creating the disparate worlds for his story: the beautiful almost sterile land of Elysium, and the gritty, second-hand technology of Earth. In this regard Max's exoskeleton that keeps him going, and the unexplained lack of airlocks and shields up above, are inspired. The cold calculation of the powerful in Elysium, led by an icy, amalgam-accented Jody Foster as Secretary of Defense, and the power politics there are also convincing.

Ultimately the movie stays true to its action genre, and veers off into a chase/fight between Max and the henchman Kruger (a relentless Sharlto Copley). The ultimate resolution is welcome, but seems too facile, even for a movie.

I'm So Excited ***

A rare miss by Pedro Almodóvar, "I'm So Excited" doesn't get its story off the ground. It looks promising enough at the beginning: the aircraft is in trouble and must return to Madrid, so the flight attendants put most of the passengers to sleep and party with the pilots and the first class passengers, where pills, liquor, and secrets abound.

I liked the three main attendants, an energetic gay trio given to lip-synching drag style and bitchy put-downs. And the passengers headed to Mexico City are an interesting collection of entertainers, businessmen, and mysterious entrepreneurs. Surely there's a funny, sad, and true movie in there somewhere.

Alas, the magic of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,""Talk to Her," and "Volver" never appears. There are interesting characters, incredible coincidences, and true confessions, but it's finally just a jumble of stories and over the top choreography by the enchanted fly boys that never comes together as a coherent movie.

20 Feet from Stardom ****

A fascinating look behinds the scenes at the singers who back up the stars in our favorite songs, including iconic voices you never put a name to, "20 Feet from Stardom" sketches the lives of some of the great backup talents, plus interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Bette Midler, Luther Vandross and more. It's a massive undertaking and masterfully done.

By focusing on three singers, Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, and Lisa Fischer, director Morgan Neville shows us the lives behind the voices, the dreams and aspirations, or just contentment in a role that represent so many voices we all enjoy but may never have appreciated. And there are several aha moments. For me it was the story behind the soaring descant in "Gimme Shelter." You'll have one, too.