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August: Osage County, directed by John Wells (R, 121 minutes)

The opening scene of August: Osage County features a frightful introduction of the Weston family of Pawhuska Okla., with vitriol-spewing Violet (Meryl Streep) interrupting a conversation between her husband, once-renowned poet Beverly (Sam Shepard), and a potential live-in domestic worker (Misty Upham) that will cause audience members to squirm in their seats. And that’s only the beginning.

Based on Tracy Letts’ PulitzerPrize-winning play, the film revolves around all-powerful Violet, whose bizarre mothering technique makes it hard to believe that she and Beverly were able to raise three daughters to adulthood. Not that the girls turn out all that well. The oldest, Barbara (Julia Roberts), has inherited her mother’s sharp tongue and vindictive cruelty, which she uses against her wimpy estranged husband, Bill (Ewan McGregor), and detached teenage daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin). Next there’s Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), whose troubles are hidden under the veneer of being a gentle, affectionate daughter, largely overlooked by her motherin favor of highly combative Barbara. The youngest is overripe coquette Karen (Juliette Lewis), with a forced gaiety that comes in handy in dealing with her family’s obvious indifference toward her.

The Westons are unwillingly reunited on the occasion of alcoholic Beverly’s disappearance. Ivy is the first to arrive and must deal with her shrieking mother’s mix of heartbreak, hatred and longtime drug abuse. Barbara and family come from Colorado to receive a fawning welcome from Violet, followed by a descent into destructive habits between them.Then Karen and her sleazy soon-to-be husband Steve (Dermot Mulroney) drive in from Florida in Steve’s middle-age-crazy exotic car.

Throw in Violet’s practical sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale), her patient husband Charlie (Chris Cooper), their not-all-there son Little Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a full generation of grudges, unresolved disputes, jealousies, prejudices, terrorizing and bad judgment. The result is a fiery twohour screaming match in the steamy heat of an Oklahoma prairie summer.

Grudge Match (PG-13, 113 minutes) For fans of Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone (and a few others), this sports comedy envisions them as far-past-their-prime geriatric boxers (remember Jake La Motta and Rocky Balboa?) whose decades-old professional feud is set to be resolved in one more punchto-the-finish encounter in the ring. It probably sounded like a good idea in the beginning, but critics’ comments are cringe-worthy. With Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin; directed by Peter Segal.

A Touch of Sin (unrated, 125 minutes) This daring contemporary Chinese drama follows four suffering characters in different provinces - an angry miner, an armed migrant worker, a receptionist with an abusive client, and a factory worker who goes from one discouraging job to the next - who are forced into violence by their often corrupt country’s ever-changing circumstances. Directed by Jia Zhangke. Subtitled.

Back in the Day (R, 93 minutes ) A formulaic, uninspired but occasionally watchable comedy, Back in the Day concerns Jim Owens (Michael Rosenbaum), whose dreams of Hollywood stardom fail to result in anything but car insurance commercials. So he beats an embarrassed retreat to his small hometown, arriving, unfortunately, on theweekend of his high school reunion. Since all his friends are happily married or professionally successful, Jim, who has nothing to lose, decides to drag them into a series of adventures to relive their glory days. With Nick Swardson, Richard Marx; directed by Rosenbaum.

Holy Ghost People (R, 93 minutes) Nineteen-year-old Charlotte (Emma Greenwell), with the help of an alcoholic ex-Marine, searches for her estranged sister in the Appalachian Mountains, where they discover the Church of One Accord under the leadership of a snake-handling minister. With Joe Egender, Brendan McCarthy; directed by Mitchell Altieri.

Norman (R, 99 minutes) A well-performed, emotionally vibrant 2010 dramatic comedy in which high school outsider Norman Long (Dan Byrd) encounters a series of life-changing circumstances that turn his world upside down - just before he meets utterly appealing Emily (Emily VanCamp). With Richard Jenkins (whose quietly competent presence makes the film more impressive than it would be without him), Adam Goldberg; directed by Jonathan Segal.

MovieStyle, Pages 29 on 04/11/2014

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