The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by Ben Stiller (PG, 125 minutes)
An ambitious, whimsical but not-quite-successful remake of a 1947 film based on James Thurber’s story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty concerns a chronic daydreamer (Ben Stiller) who enlivens his uneventful existence by escaping into a world of fantasy filled with heroism, romance and action. Then the real world interferes when his job and that of his co-worker Cheryl Melhoff (the always entertaining Kristen Wiig) are threatened, forcing him to embark on an extraordinary global journey that far exceeds his expectations.
With Patton Oswalt, ShirleyMacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Daly. The Blu-ray includes deleted scenes, extended scenes, a photogallery, a music video of “Stay Alive” by Jose Gonzalez and the theatrical trailer.
Mobius (R, 103 minutes) A complex tale of international spies busily playing misdirecting games of subterfuge with each other in the unique and apparently unscrupulous environment of international finance trading. With Jean Dujardin (as a Russian secret agent), Tim Roth (as a shady Russian magnate, a skulking role that suits him), Cecile De France (as a beautiful, scheming trader); directed by Eric Rochant.
Great Expectations (PG-13, 128 minutes) Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, this is the sedate, well-performed and stylish story of lowly orphan Pip (Toby Irvine as the young Pip, and Jeremy Irvine as grown-up Pip), who somehow becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor in 19th-century London. With Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Holliday Grainger, Sally Hawkins; directed by Mike Newell.
Switch (unrated, 120 minutes) The future of energy is explored by Scott Tinker in this methodical, detailed and balanced documentary that considers the opinions of worldwide leaders of government, the energy industry and academia. Directed by Ohira Haoki.
Date and Switch (R, 91 minutes) An agreeable, earnest, and spirited coming-of-age comedy in which high school seniors and best friends Michael (Nicholas Braun) and Matty (Hunter Cope) agree to find a way to lose their virginity before it’s time for the senior prom, a goal complicated by the revelation that one of them is gay. With Dakota Johnson, Nick Offerman, Gary Cole; directed by Chris Nelson.
Ride Along (PG-13, 99 minutes) Having funny people in a comedy’s cast doesn’t guarantee that a film will be a laugh riot. That’s the case with Ride Along, a lazy, cliche-riddled buddy film that expects its stars - specifically Kevin Hart and Ice Cube - to do all the heavy lifting. It would help if they were provided a decent script, a hint of originality, coherency, and characters that somebody might actually care about.
Here’s the premise, such as it is: High school security guard Ben (Hart) pairs with his cop brother-in-law James (Cube) on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta to prove himself worthy of marrying James’ sister Angela. With Laurence Fishburne, Bruce McGill, John Leguizamo; directed by Tim Story. The Blu-ray release includes an alternate ending, deleted scenes, a gag reel, a making-of featurette, and commentary by the director.
The Nut Job (PG, 86 minutes) An occasionally amusing kid-targeted animated comedy, set in the 1950s, in which a grumpy squirrel known as Surly (voice of Will Arnett) recruits his rat pal to attempt an incrediblyambitious nut store heist with the help of a gopher, a mole and a pug. With the voices of Katherine Heigl, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson; directed by Peter Lepeniotis.
MovieStyle, Pages 29 on 04/18/2014