Captain America: The Winter Soldier IMAX 3D ****

This year's first comic-book super-hero blockbuster has landed, and it's a big, expensive, gorgeous, entertaining hit. Paired with the Black Widow (a take charge Scarlett Johansson), Steve Rogers (a rugged but sensitive Chris Evans) faces an internal threat and a loss of trust of the most basic and pervasive sort. Stripped of faith in his supporting structure, Captain America must battle with the help of a few trusted warriors against overwhelming forces to save millions of lives.

Themes of agency over-reach and secret kill programs gives "The Winter Soldier" topicality, and the intrigue and mistrust adds urgency and interest, but it's the action sequences that are the real stars. Brother directors Anthony and Joe Russo ("You, Me and Dupree," "Arrested Development") have staged each sequence with clarity and care. But it's the editing team of Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt, the guys who also edited "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," who make it possible for us to believe that a guy with nothing more than a vibranium shield can take down a sophisticated flying fortress single handedly. And there's a car chase that's faster and more furious than any in recent memory.

Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, both supernaturally attractive, keep us interested throughout, and uniformly outstanding supporting roles leave no chinks in this armor-plated juggernaut of a movie. Samuel L. Jackson returns as boss Nick Fury, and for once is totally engaged. Sebastian Stan, as Steve Rogers' old friend Bucky Barnes, returns in a surprising role. Newcomer Anthony Mackie as Falcon proves he can fly with the best of them as the operator of some incredible man-made wings. But the best is Robert Redford who lends heft and instant credibility as a top leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., the super-CIA agency the heroes all think they work for.

With this film Captain America is now firmly established in the blockbuster pantheon, and I'm happy to know that this team is already working on the next installment, planned for 2016. Other mega-budget super-heroes are coming of course. Most major studios are placing big bets (each $200 million plus) on their franchises, and the field is getting crowded. Warner has the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. Fox has a lock on the X-Men. Sony is backing Spider-Man with spin-offs. Disney acquired Marvel and has proven it can keep multiple heroes producing mega ticket sales. But for how long? Surely at some point the audience appetite will be sated. For now though, it's a great ride.

Noah IMAX ***

With this gritty, grand, poetic, and violent version of the great flood myth, Darren Aronofsky ("The Wrestler," "Black Swan") creates a new view of a religious fanatic and family cult leader. Noah receives visions as he wanders the ruined landscape of a depleted world laid waste by men. He is led to construct a huge floating box to save the animals of earth from the watery wrath of the Creator. With some fantastical interpretations of fallen angels and a foreshadowing of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, "Noah" is sometimes lyrical, sometimes a fevered dream in a tempest, and sometimes a bombastic shocker with an unfortunate resemblance to a Transformers sequel.

Uneven though it may be, through it all the gravel-voiced Russell Crowe is the rock, the one thing the family - wife, sons, and adopted daughter - can count on. Until they can't. When the drive and fanaticism turn inward, the logic, guilt,  and the punishment are inescapable. Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife effectively conveys the love, dedication, fear, and desperation of her situation. Emma Watson finds a similar range in her portrayal of Ila, the adopted daughter who develops a love for son Shem. Anthony Hopkins is suitably wise and effective as the aged grandfather Methuselah. And Ray Winstone as the kingly heir of Cain is a worthy counterweight to Crowe's Noah.

This vision of Noah is unlikely to please a religious audience, whether Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. But it uses the elements of the flood story in a dramatically powerful way, with a particularly effective style and superb special effects that are always in service of the story. Its message, about both the stewardship of the earth and the redemptive power of love, resonates deeply despite its flaws.

Muppets Most Wanted ***

The Muppets are back in a terrific sequel, on the road again performing in major European capitals. This time they're under the management of Ricky Gervais as Dominic Badguy (pronounced "bahd - gee" please) who is in cahoots with an evil Kermit look-alike, while the real Kermie languishes in the gulag.

It's great seeing all the characters again with a raft of new songs, inventive sight gags, and sly digs at everyone and everything imaginable. In addition to Gervais there are other strong humans in the cast, including Tina Fey as a Siberian prison commandant, Ty Burrell as a French Interpol inspector, and a host of often-hilarious cameos from celebrities literally too numerous to mention.

The songs don't always catch, and the movie slumps in the second half hour, but Tina Fey's prison musical review and Ty Burrell's inspector one-upping the CIA's Sam Eagle are inspired bits of lunacy. I remind parents that the Muppets, though denizens of Disney, are PG rated, not G, so much of the humor will be inaccessible to the youngest. Judging by the restive tykes in the theater I saw today, you can be too young for the Muppets.

Bad Words ***

Softened by a repentant voice-over narration by the culprit, "Bad Words" indulges in wicked insult comedy and inappropriate verbal abuse of children competing in spelling bees. It is, I must admit, often deliciously funny.

In his directorial debut, Jason Bateman also stars as a gifted speller, Guy Trilby, on a strange quest to win the national spelling bee. He gets in on a technicality and is sponsored by an online news organization whose publisher/reporter, played by the versatile Kathryn Hahn, has taken on the task in the hopes of scoring a big human interest story. As someone who has survived and thrived as an actor since he was a child himself, one can imagine how the perennial nice guy Bateman must have relished the opportunity to let fly with some exceedingly blue verbal arias. There are many line-crossing moments.

But there is also a child he takes an interest in, played with wide-eyed innocence by Rohan Chand. And here Bateman's experience surely guided the fantastic performance that emerges. Kathryn Hahn is a great foil for Bateman's character, and Allison Janney fumes and schemes appropriately as the national show runner. In the end the reason is revealed, and Trilby learns something his photographic memory cannot provide.

A cautionary note, prompted by the unfortunate experience of an acquaintance who rented "Ted" for her young boys, thinking anything starring a teddy bear would be fine, please note that this movie about kids in a spelling bee is rated R for a very good reason.

Divergent IMAX ***

Thin on content and overlong, the Hunger Games wannabe "Divergent" is at least enlivened by the performances of its two leads, Shailene Woodley and Theo James.  Woodley plays Tris, who has just chosen the faction she will ally with for her adult life in the future dystopian land-locked Chicago, where everyone must choose which of five cardinal virtues suits them best. Surprising her family and perhaps even herself, she chooses the most physically demanding one to apprentice, where James' character Four becomes her trainer, advisor, and coach.

Hyped as a more confident and resilient heroine than girls are used to seeing, Woodley seems to grow with the role, with drills and circumstances driving her to become a leader. James gets the tough love bit down, displaying a sensitivity beneath the hard shell exterior that hits the mark. In an inspired choice of casting against type, Kate Winslet plays the cold, calculating, and self-deluded leader of a rival faction. Supporting roles are fine, with Miles Teller and Maggie Q especially creating memorable characters.

I suspect the book had a lot more content, but as presented in the movie the factions are barely described, with an emphasis on conflicts that hints of a history that is unrevealed. The film focuses on the brutal bouts and trials of her new profession, then shifts to the battle that has been brewing. Clearly at his best with intimate scenes, director Neil Burger, whose work was so confidant in "Limitless," struggles to stage the war scenes here, which are confused and lack orientation, a frame of reference, while the mock battle in the training section was tight and effective. The climactic scene suffers from the same sponginess and weird dilation of time when lives are at stake.

Hopefully the next installment will not spend so much time on so little and will introduce a new world and characters beyond the walls of the future Chicago.

The Grand Budapest Hotel ****

A delightful, intricate comedy, encased like a gem in several boxes within boxes of narration, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" details the story of its most celebrated, meticulous, attentive, considerate, and rather randy concierge, M. Gustave (a perfectly cast Ralph Fiennes). Wes Anderson's latest work is set in a mythical Eastern European country at a mountaintop resort in the period between the great wars, lending it a darker tone than we've seen from Anderson lately as the military becomes more and more evident and in control.

Told from the viewpoint of the lobby boy who will one day own the hotel (not a spoiler), Zero Moustafa (a superb Tony Revolori) becomes the protégé, confidant, co-conspirator, and friend of the resourceful, exceedingly well-mannered, cultured fountain of poetry that is M. Gustave. They barge into a dangerous situation when they go to pay their respects to an aged long-time regular guest (an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) who turns up murdered after she returns home. Her bequest to M. Gustave precipitates events involving rapacious relatives and imprisonment for the legendary concierge.

It's a fast-moving story, told with wit and inventive composition. Exteriors of the hotel have a cutout, marzipan quality. Camera work in chase scenes take on the spirit of the 'twenties. For most of the movie, Anderson even changes the aspect ratio of the frame to what was the style in the 'thirties after peeling back the layers to get to the story.

Supporting actors are a delight, including Jude Law, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Wilkinson. Saoirse Ronan strikes just the right tone as Zero's girlfriend and help mate. Composer Alexandre Desplat deserves special praise for his choices, arrangements, and compositions. And thanks to director Wes Anderson, who also has a writing credit, for giving us another great movie.

Stranger by the Lake (L'inconnu du lak) ****

Set entirely at a lake frequented by men looking for anonymous sex, "Stranger by the Lake" builds suspense and dread as it explores carnal desire, loneliness, sexual attraction, depression, and friendship in the shadow of a murder committed there. This demimonde is a strange place, as its habitués leave their ordinary lives behind, free from names, history, and relationships of the everyday world. But it's here that Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) finds what he is looking for in the person of Michel (Christophe Paou), an attraction that is beyond reason, prudence, and evidence. The story seems to say there is a mystery about life and sex that can be shown, but not explained.

The film has a detached, almost clinical point of view, and does not cut away from full nudity or even graphic sex. Given its subject matter, the director, Alain Guiraudie, could hardly do otherwise. "Stranger by the Lake," or "L'inconnu du lak" in its original French, is beautifully made, intriguing, erotic, and fascinating. The film, not rated and subtitled in English, has appeared widely on the festival circuit, winning "Un Certain Regard" at Cannes for Guiraudie last year, and a Cesar, the French Oscar, for Deladonchamps for most promising new actor. 

Non-Stop ***

A suspenseful, satisfying popcorn thriller with Liam Neeson as the flawed protagonist we've come to expect, "Non-Stop" delivers enough surprises to keep even jaded fans taken in. Neeson plays Bill Marks, a weary air marshall on yet another trans-Atlantic flight. He starts getting threatening messages on his secure phone demanding payment to an off-shore account, or else passengers will start to die. Sure enough, the body count starts, but again, not in the way you, or he, might have expected.

Marks' seat mate, Jen Summers (a somewhat mysterious Julianne Moore), is by turns helpful and under suspicion. As his efforts hit one obstacle after another, the plane hurtles through a countdown toward doom. Marks employs more and more desperate tactics, and in large part the film lives up to its name, never flagging or pausing.

While this is above all Neeson's movie, the supporting roles are solid, anchored by fine work as usual from Julianne Moore. Recent Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o has a small role as a flight attendant, alongside Michelle Dockery as the other business class attendant with a history. Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Neeson in the thriller "Unknown" (2011), again delivers a workmanlike production.

The Lego Movie 3D ****

A surprise hit when it opened Feb 7, "The Lego Movie" has continued to dominate the U.S. box office through this weekend. And with good reason. It's a wonderfully inventive, fast-paced animated movie entirely constructed of Legos that cracks wise while skewering pop icons and delivering a message extolling creativity over conformity. Clearly there's much more than needed to keep the little ones interested, and reports are surfacing on Facebook of twenty-somethings seeing it multiple times. Yes, it's fine for the kids, but it's the adults who will laugh loudest.

Among a host of good voice work, I particularly liked the unmistakeable cadences of Morgan Freeman as the godlike prophet Vitruvius, Liam Neeson as the Good Cop/Bad Cop, and Will Farrell as President Business. Animation props go to the huge crew that put it all together, especially the impressive water surfaces, and to the directing team, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who also brought us "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and "21 Jump Street." I saw the version in 3D, which was consistently well used.

The topical, historical, and pop culture references came so fast and furious, it was difficult to catch them all. Now that I consider it, I might have to see it again.

Gloria ****

Gloria is a woman of a certain age, single, divorced, with two grown children, who lives, works, and plays in Santiago, Chile. She is open to new experiences and loves to go to the clubs to dance and have a good time. At one of the clubs she meets Sergio, a retired naval officer, and they start to see each other more and more often.

In the course of the story we get to know Gloria very, very well. She is in virtually every shot as director Sebastián Lelio, who also co-wrote and co-edited, follows her everywhere. It's a demanding role played flawlessly by Paulina García, who so fully inhabits the character it feels like a documentary at times. Thank goodness she's likable and interesting.

Lelio's character study is close-up, unflinching, and non-judgmental. "Gloria" the movie, like Gloria the character, is warm, funny, wise, and sympathetic. "Gloria," in Spanish with English subtitles, is a portrait of a woman who becomes more than a single person in Santiago, while remaining uniquely herself. It's fantastic.

Pompeii 3D **

"Pompeii" suffers from a lack of imagination on the story side and an excess of enthusiasm on the special effects side. For a glimpse into the vibrant life of a thriving center of commerce and leisure for the Roman upper class in 79 AD we get, what, another gladiator movie?

With much of the story line echoing the original "Gladiator," we see a boy in Britannia whose family was murdered by the Romans in front of him and whose later prowess in the gladiatorial ring brings him to the big time in the arena at Pompeii. In Pompeii he catches the eye of a high-born lady who is being courted by - guess who - the very general, now a Roman Senator, who ordered the slaughter in Britain. The Senator (Kiefer Sutherland) and his main henchman seemed to have been locked in a time machine for 20 years, because they look exactly the same as they did in the first scenes.

Our hero Milo (Kit Harington of "Game of Thrones") is a wonder in the ring, but there's no time to explain his fighting skills or even pause for a setback. He befriends the veteran gladiator who is to be his rival (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and has a moment with the lady (Emily Browning) at her villa when he has a chance to calm her horse, spooked by the pre-eruption rumblings of Vesuvius. It's a semi-"Titanic" moment, but alas, the wooden-faced Harington is no Leonardo DiCaprio.

Finally we get to the real focus of the movie, when all hell breaks loose. Clearly, eruption and destruction is what engages director Paul W.S. Anderson, and "Pompeii" hits its stride. The scenes of destruction are imaginative and thrilling, and 3D is put to good use. Never mind that the phases of the eruption do not follow the eye witness accounts we have. Never mind that there was no tsunami, which would have had to originate offshore, and Vesuvius lies inland. Never mind that no giant chasms opened up, swallowing people and houses and horses. The movie rushes to its inevitable end, the world of Pompeii meets its fiery burial, and we're left sitting in the theater, drained and exhausted as the credits roll.

RoboCop IMAX ***

Yet another reboot of an earlier hit, this one largely successful, "RoboCop" updates the technology, widens the perspective, and amps up the star power to present a new version of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 classic story of man in machine.

In 2028, OmniCorp, once again based in a crime-ridden Detroit, supplies the Pentagon with a variety of robots (tellingly called "drones") for its world-wide policing activities, including the streets of Tehran. Indeed, the Pentagon seems to be in charge of policing worldwide; everywhere, that is, except the "robo-phobic" United States, where it's illegal to put a gun in the hands of a machine.

But OmniCorp's head man, ruthless master-marketer Raymond Sellars (a solid, well-cast Michael Keaton) has an idea: Put a man inside the machine, someone with feelings and a conscience that people can relate to, can trust to do the right thing. The RoboCop program is born and given to top researcher and developer Dr. Dennett Norton (a superb Gary Oldman), who really does have a conscience. The cop chosen is Alex Murphy (Swedish actor Joel Kinneman), a straight-arrow crime fighter going after corruption who was critically injured in a crime syndicate's bomb blast.  Abbie Cornish as Alex's wife is both supportive and steely as the situation requires.

Throughout development and testing, it's always the human element that gets in the way of progress it seems, from the shock Alex feels when he wakes up mostly machine, through the feelings that overwhelm him when the crime history of Detroit is downloaded into his memory. On OmniCorp's side, however, we see the opposite problem: a lack of feeling and a pursuit of profit at the top that leads to real evil being done.

"RoboCop" cost a reported $100 million to make, and looks it. The production is beautifully designed, the special effects are superb, and informational screen overlays are clear, logical, and easy to grasp. Brazilian director José Padilha, a top award recipient back home for "Elite Squad," does a fine job with a top-drawer cast, although several action sequences were uninspired, sometimes confusing. In general the pacing is fine, and the fan boys should be happy.

The Monuments Men ***

In the throes of World War II and its immense destruction in Europe, President Roosevelt authorized the formation of a small group of art professionals and artists whose task would be to save nothing less than the artistic legacy of Western civilization. "The Monuments Men" is the movie based on that endeavor.

The movie steps us through the process: the proposal by Frank Stokes, his formation of the group, their basic training and posting to Europe about the time of D-Day, and their detective work trying to find the priceless art looted by the Nazis and destined for Hitler's planned grand museum or the houses of his favorites. Stokes is played by a very competent George Clooney, but he also directed and shares a screenwriting credit with Grant Heslov. And all that may have been a bridge too far.

The movie suffers from a slackness and lack of focus in the first act. A charitable view might be that it reflects the insecurity of the group and their own lack of a concrete plan, but the audience should not share in their puzzlement. The group splits up for various missions, but once again there is a looseness that loses the narrative thread. Various incidents illustrate their semi-soldierly status, but are badly handled. The sacrifice in defending a major piece is staged to seem pointless, and the fatal wounding of a member of the group is cloaked in confusion. These seem to be directing, not writing problems. 

Eventually there is a major breakthrough that reveals the Nazi grand plan, the movie finally gains some momentum, and there is a rush to a thrilling conclusion, helped along with some manufactured suspense that is more Hollywood than history, Argo style. Overall it's a interesting effort highlighting a little-known aspect of the war, with some memorable moments from Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Live Action

Live action shorts, by definition, are more grounded than animated shorts, which create whole new worlds with strokes of a pen without regard for the heavy realities of the meat world. This year the nominated live action shorts include two very gritty and suspenseful entries, but there are three which manage, each in its own way, to slip the bonds of literal reality.

The more real ones:

"Aquel no era yo" ("That Wasn't Me")  ****
The most searing and brutal entry, from Spain, deals close-up with the horror of child soldiers in Africa. My pick for the Academy award.

"Avant que de tout perdre" ("Just Before Losing Everything")  ****
The French entry depicts a mother and her children in crisis in a film that in the midst of everyday life and work slowly reveals their circumstance and the source of their fears. I found it powerful.

And on the more fanciful side:

"Helium"  **
The janitor at a children's hospital strikes up a friendship with a young patient, relating a tale about the magical world of Helium. A bit cloying for my taste. From Denmark.

"The Voorman Problem"  ***
A doctor is called in to talk some sense into a prisoner who insists he is God, with, as they say, unforeseen consequences. Illuminated by the performance of Martin Freeman (the Hobbit). From the U.K.

"Pitääkö mun kaikki hoitaa?" ("Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?")  ***
A city couple with two young children oversleep and must rush around like crazy to make it to the wedding in time. Hilarious and surprising. From Finland.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Animation

Thanks once again to Shorts International for pulling together the Oscar nominated animated shorts this year, along with a couple of honorable mentions. It's a high quality group, as you can imagine, with interstitials enlivened this year with a running dialogue between two veteran animated actors, a seen-it-all ostrich and a blasé giraffe. These two tell insider stories about other animated actors, which were really funny - a nice surprise.

My take on the shorts:

"Get a Horse!" *** from Disney starring Mickey and Minnie, USA. This one I had seen before "Saving Mr. Banks" as I recall. It starts out as a classic-looking 'thirties slapstick tale of a bully in a motor car, then morphs into a full-color feature when the hijinks bust through the screen. The dialogue was apparently lifted from vintage cartoons (Disney himself is credited), and it did capture the look and feel of the old classics. However, it suffered from a lack of ideas beyond the usual knockabout, and the chases from black and white to color and back again were not original enough to keep the thing afloat.

"Mr Hublot" ***** from Luxembourg/France. In a steampunk world (see above) a mechanical man adopts a mechanical dog, with unforeseen consequences. For me, this was by far the most original and enjoyable of the shorts presented. Bravo!

"Feral" ** from USA. In a minimalist drawing style we see a feral child retrieved from the woods, who then uses the same survival tactics in the civilized world that he learned in the wild. The style and the story kept me at a remove from the piece.

"Possessions" *** from Japan. In a richly Japanese decorative flat style we meet a traveling tinker who takes refuge from a storm in a haunted house, where his skills are put to the test. It was entertaining and sweetly instructive.

"Room on the Broom" ** from the UK. Based on the children's book, it's an entirely predictable tale of a witch who collects a few friends and hangers-on in her travels. For the very young at heart.

The honorable mentions were amusing but not stellar. My favorite was from France, "A la Française," where we are treated to the full cast of characters at the Versailles of Louis XIV, all played by chickens. Also appearing is a near-photographic entry from Pixar, "The Blue Umbrella," which suffers from a lack of content, and "The Missing Scarf," from Ireland, which tackles some big themes in a short seven minutes.

I, Frankenstein IMAX 3D **

A so-so stab at creating another "Underworld," unfortunately "I, Frankenstein" is a dry and humorless exercise in myth-making. There are some visually arresting moments, especially in the battle scenes, and the thrill of flying with gargoyles, so the IMAX and 3D are not totally wasted.

As in "Underworld," which shares a writer and three producers with this film, there is a war hidden from humans that has gone on for centuries. This one is between the demons from below, and God's army of flying gargoyles based in a cathedral. Both sides can pass for human, and seldom show their true identities.

Eckhart performs well in the many fight scenes, and got lean and ripped for the part, but his clenched teeth one-note performance fails to convey the torment of the creature that the writers were aiming for. Bill Nighy plays a sophisticated demon in an expensive suit quite well. Yvonne Strahovski provides a decorative presence as a lovely doctor and researcher caught up unawares in the demons' plot, and Miranda Otto projects a regal decisiveness as the queen of the gargoyles.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit IMAX ***

A passable popcorn spy thriller, with current tech gadgets and savvy links to the social media zeitgeist, fight and car-chase action, and a hero who uses his brain. It's Chris Pine's appeal that holds it all together, with fine work from Kenneth Branagh and Kiera Knightly. The story is clear enough, although a murder attempt out of nowhere, while exciting, is not explained or particularly logical. Other than that, the plot makes sense, and we are told just enough to keep up the suspense and to provide those satisfying aha moments.

This latest incarnation of the Tom Clancy characters starts with an extended introduction to the Chris Pine version of Jack Ryan, who interrupted his doctoral dissertation after 9/11 to fight in Afghanistan. Gravely injured in a helicopter crash where he showed bravery and selfless concern for his men, he met a lovely doctor in training (Kiera Knightly) during his agonizing rehab. Clearly the kind of smart patriot who would be of use, he's recruited by the CIA in the person of naval officer Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) to finish his studies and get embedded on Wall Street.

Ten years later, he's a trusted analyst on Wall Street in a firm with Russian partners and living with the lovely doctor. Something odd is going on with the Russian accounts, so Jack goes to Moscow to audit. It's this trip that changes his job description from desk worker to operations. The scheme is ambitious and a huge threat to the U.S. The Russian company is led by a cold operator with deep ties to the government (an excellent Kenneth Branagh, who also directed). Their showdown in Moscow is the heart of the movie and deftly handled. With the machinery now clearly in place, I wouldn't mind seeing another episode.

The Legend of Hercules 3D **

In this gladiator version of the Hercules legend Kellan Lutz looks the part, performs well in the fight scenes and passably in the romantic interludes, but is clearly out of his league when any real acting is required. In those scenes his lieutenant Sotiris (a competent Liam McIntyre) steps in, and in a crucial scene convinces their owner that they should go back to Greece for a big fight and the chance to earn their freedom. There's little of the clever trickster Hercules here, or of his pansexual prowess either for that matter.

The Hercules story gets a just war twist as Alcmene, the mother of Alcides/Hercules, goes to Hera, jealous wife of Zeus, for help to quell her husband's wonton warring. So instead of trying to keep Zeus from her bed, Hera names the offspring that will come to Queen Alcmene. And the boy will come after his brother, not as a twin, which I guess could get too complicated to deal with in a fight movie. Strangely then, Hera, normally the tormentor of her husband's illegitimate son, becomes a promoter of Hercules.

The story becomes one of rival brothers, the weak older Iphicles (a lackluster Liam Garrigan) promoted by his murderous father King Amphitryon (a fiery Scott Adkins). When Iphicles takes credit for the slaying of the Nemean lion, it's clear he's a vain and duplicitous coward. The story also borrows freely from the Christian tradition as there is a Samson-like scene, and supernatural powers are granted to Hercules when he acknowledges Zeus as his heavenly father.

After a slow first half the action picks up, and several of the fight scenes add some punch to the proceedings. Gaia Weiss as the princess both brothers love is beautiful in a mostly decorative part, and as Alcmene Roxanne McKee (of "Games of Thrones") is a comparative standout in a mediocre movie.

August: Osage County ***

A Southern gothic family tale transplanted to the plains of Oklahoma, "August: Osage County" has the sweaty heat and long-hidden secrets worthy of Faulkner or Williams. As the Weston clan gathers for a funeral there are more than enough pills, liquor, and wine to keep the tongues of the three sisters and the woman who raised them wagging.

Considering the time we spend with the brutal Violet (a scenery-chewing Meryl Streep), it's something of a wonder that her daughters turned out as well as they did. There's Barbara (a very strong Julia Roberts) whose marriage has hit a rough patch, Karen (a tarted up Juliette Lewis), and poor Ivy (a long-suffering Julianne Nicholson). There are plenty of revelations, and the men in their lives, played by an able stable of actors - Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch - have their share of secrets as well.

The screenplay is adapted by the playwright of the original himself, Tracy Letts, but as so often happens, attempts to open up the play still leave the remnants of the fourth wall and a stuffy literary atmosphere. Remarkable mostly for the performances of Streep and Roberts, who do break free from the constraints imposed by the structure, "August: Osage County" delivers some strong emotions, a good dose of humor, and portraits of four fearsome women.

Her ****

In the not-too-distant future a sensitive L.A. writer develops a relationship with the personality of his new computer operating system. That's the premise of "Her," an incredibly well-written, acted, and realized movie from Spike Jonze.

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) makes his living creating "beautiful handwritten letters" for others, a luxury item in a world immersed in technology. His sentiments show intelligence, care, sincerity, and style. But he's in a bad place personally and putting off signing his final divorce papers. He's not looking for anyone really, but the idea of an operating system with a personality intrigues him. He chooses a female voice rather nonchalantly, and what he gets is a breathy, chatty, curious OS (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).

Soon their conversations - and they are conversations - go beyond organizing his hard drive, and get into feelings, history, plans, and dreams, on both sides. A relationship develops. As the two start to bond, an intimacy blossoms. For both sides, it's a process of discovery, and for Theodore a reassessment of who he is and how he got there. It's a fascinating, highly original trip, which you might expect from the director of "Being John Malkovich" and writer/director of "Where the Wild Things Are." And let's not forget he's a producer of the "Jackass" franchise. So there is also, needless to say, a good dose of humor.

The vision here is focused and convincing, despite the fantastical premise. Lending credence to that vision is the seamless creation of a future LA. This foggy basin is populated by many high-rise towers, a quiet and efficient network of public trains, and a style of clothing and interiors that one feels could easily have grown out of what we have today. Add great dialog and an examination of what it means to be in a relationship, and you have a movie that is timeless.