MOVies
F RI D AY januar y 1 8 — T HUR S D AY januar y 2 4
Movie summaries by Matthew Stafford Darius Khondji
of the Victor Hugo musical extravaganza stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as Javert and Anne Hathaway as the lovely Fantine. l Parental Guidance (1:36) Comedy ensues when groovy 20th century couple Bette Midler and Billy Crystal find themselves babysitting their nerdy, entitled 21st century grandkids. l Promised Land (1:46) Gus Van Sant directs Dave Eggers’ story about two corporate hotshots out of their element in a small town; Matt Damon and Hal Holbrook star. l The Rabbi’s Cat (1:29) Dazzling 3D animated excursion into the colors and sounds of 1930s French-colonial Algeria.
k New Movies This Week kAmour (PG-13)
Rafael: Fri, Mon 3:50, 6:30, 9:15 Sat-Sun 1, 3:50, 6:30, 9:15 TueThu 6:30, 9:15
Argo (R)
Fairfax: 12:50, 6:45 Larkspur Landing: Fri 5, 7:45, 10:35 Sat-Mon 11:30, 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:35 Tue-Thu 7:15, 10:15 Northgate: 1:35, 4:35, 7:40, 10:25
kBroken City (R)
Northgate: 11:45, 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05 Rowland: Fri-Wed 11:45, 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (PG)
Northgate: 3D showtime at 1:50
Django Unchained (R)
Fairfax: 12:40, 4:05, 7:50 Larkspur Landing: Fri 7, 10:30 Sat-Mon 11:40, 3:20, 7, 10:30 Tue-Thu 6:30, 10 Regency: Fri, Sun-Tue 12:15, 4, 7:55 Sequoia: Fri-Sat 3:25, 7, 10 Sun 11:45, 3:25, 7 Mon, Tue, Thu 4, 7:30 Wed 2:30
Gangster Squad (R)
Fairfax: Fri-Sun 12:30, 4:25, 7, 9:40 Mon-Thu 12:30, 4:25, 7 Larkspur Landing: Fri 5:15, 8, 10:40 Sat-Mon 11:45, 2:30, 5:15, 8, 10:40 Tue-Thu 7, 9:45 Northgate: 11:55, 2:35, 5:10, 7:50, 10:30 Rowland: Fri-Wed 11:30, 2:10, 4:50, 7:40, 10:25
l RiffTrax Live: “Manos” The Hands of Fate (2:00) The interplanetary wiseasses
Isabelle Huppert as Eve and Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges in ‘Amour’ opening Friday at the Rafael l Amour (2:05) Critically acclaimed French drama stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva as an elderly Parisian couple battling the realities of old age. l Argo (2:00) Ben Affleck directs and stars in the true-life story of the Iran hostage crisis and an unbelievable covert operation to rescue six American prisoners. l Broken City (1:49) One-man vigilante squad Mark Wahlberg takes on corrupt New York City mayor Russell Crowe in a this-time-it’s-personal rampage of vengeance and redemption. l Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (1:31) Enter the weird and wonderful world of the mesmerizing aerial dance troupe through the wonders of 3D technology. l Django Unchained (2:45) Quentin Tarantino über-Western about a slaveturned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx), his still-enslaved wife (Kerry Washington) and the plantation owner (Leo DiCaprio) who stands in their way. l Gangster Squad (1:53) The LAPD’s very own Untouchables take on Mickey Cohen, mob boss of 1940s Los Angeles; Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone star. l The Guilt Trip (1:36) La Streisand is back as an overbearing mama who teaches nebbish son Seth Rogen what life’s all about on a cross-country road trip. l Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (1:28) Scarred by the near-death gingerbreadhouse experience of their youth, the sibs grow up to be vengeance-seeking bounty hunters in form-fitting leather outfits. l A Haunted House (1:26) Marlon Wayans horror parody about a possessed young bride whose inner demons are interfering with her husband’s sex life; Cedric the Entertainer costars. l
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(2:46) Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Balin, Smaug and others return to the big screen;
major must-see for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien or facial hair. l The Impossible (1:43) A vacationing family learns the true meaning of courage and compassion when they’re caught up in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star. l The Intouchables (1:52) True tale of the bond that developed between a disabled French aristocrat and his caretaker, a black Muslim ex-con. l Jack Reacher (2:10) Lee Child’s enigmatic shamus comes to the big screen in the person of Tom Cruise; Werner Herzog costars! l The Last Stand (1:46) Our former guv is back, this time as a small-town sheriff pursuing a notorious drug kingpin. l Life of Pi (2:05) Ang Lee’s adaptation of the Yann Martel novel about an Indian teenager’s challenging odyssey: navigating across the Pacific in a life raft with a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger. l Lincoln (2:29) High-pedigree look at the 16th president’s four tumultuous years in office features a screenplay by Tony Kushner and stars Daniel Day-Lewis under the direction of Steven Spielberg. l Mama (1:40) Jessica Chastain stars as the foster mom of two abducted children who may be possessed by more than posttrauma stress. l The Master (2:17) Dazzling if overstated Paul Thomas Anderson drama about the Kane-like founder of a Scientology-ish religious sect; Philip Seymour Hoffman stars. l
The Metropolitan Opera: Maria Sturada
(3:20) Mezzo soprano extraordinaire Joyce DiDonato stars in Donizetti’s epic bioopera of Mary, Queen of Scots. l
The Metropolitan Opera: Les Troyens
(5:45) Catch Berlioz’s Trojan War epic live from New York in dazzling big-screen high definition. l Les Miserables (2:38) All-star adaptation
of Mystery Science Theater 3000 aim their verbal stilettos at what is often considered the worst film ever made. l Rise of the Guardians (1:37) Fantastical family-friendly fare about a group of ultra-powerful good guys who team up to protect the planet’s children from a marauding evil spirit. l Rust and Bone (2:02) Marion Cotillard stars as a water-park animal trainer who forms a relationship with a Belgian bouncer raising a young son. l Silver Linings Playbook (2:02) David O. Russell comedy about a down-and-outer’s attempts to rebuild his life after losing his wife and his job and moving in with his parents; Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence star. l This Is 40 (2:14) Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” sequel finds Pete and Debbie dealing
Cary Grant classes up the Côte d’Azur in ‘To Catch a Thief,’ playing Wednesday at the Regency and Sequoia.
with the realities of married bliss; Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd and Albert Brooks star. l To Catch a Thief (1:46) Gorgeous Hitchcock comedy-thriller about a retired jewel thief (Cary Grant), a wealthy tourist (Grace Kelly) and their cat-and-mouse romance on the French Riviera. l Wreck-It Ralph (1:38) Disney flick about a disgruntled video-game villain who wants to be the good guy for a change and hops from arcade game to arcade game to establish his heroic cred. l Zero Dark Thirty (2:37) Kathryn Bigelow’s brutal docudrama about an elite team of ops and agents and their decadelong hunt for Osama bin Laden. Y
Marion Cotillard in ‘Rust and Bone,’ opening Friday at the Regency.
The Guilt Trip (PG-13)
Northgate: 5, 7:35, 10
kHansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (R)
Rowland: Thu 10pm
A Haunted House (R)
Northgate: 12:35, 3, 5:25, 8, 10:25 Rowland: Fri-Wed 12:10, 2:25, 4:45, 7:20, 9:45
The Hobbit: An Unexpected J ourney (PG)
Northgate: 12:20; 3D showtimes at 4:15, 8:10
The Impossible (PG-13)
Lark: Fri 5:15, 8 Sat 2:30, 5:15, 8 Sun 1:30, 4:15, 7 Mon-Thu 4:15, 7 Regency: Fri, Sun-Tue 11:30, 2:20, 5, 7:50 Sequoia: Fri 4:50, 7:30, 10:30 Sat 11:25, 2, 4:45, 7:20, 10:30 Sun 11:25, 2, 4:45, 7:20 Mon, Tue, Thu 4:20, 7:05 Wed 4:20
The Intouchables (R)
Rafael: Fri, Mon 3:35, 6 Sat-Sun 1:15, 3:35, 6 Tue-Thu 6
Jack Reacher (PG-13)
Northgate: 4:20, 7:15, 10:10
kThe Last Stand (R)
Northgate: 11:30, 2:05, 4:45, 7:25, 9:55 Rowland: Fri-Wed 12, 2:35, 5:10, 7:50, 10:35
Life of Pi (PG)
Fairfax: Fri-Sun 3:50, 9:30 Mon-Thu 3:50 Marin: Fri, Sun 12:30; 3D showtimes at 3:55, 7:15, 10:10 Sat 3:55; 3D showtimes at 7:15, 10:10 Mon, Tue, Thu 4:30; 3D showtime at 7:20 Northgate: 12:55; 3D showtimes at 4, 7:05, 10:20
Lincoln (PG-13)
Fairfax: 12:35, 3:55, 7:15 Playhouse: 4:25, 7:40 Sat-Mon 1:10, 4:25, 7:40 Regency: Fri 11:45, 3:10, 7, 10:15 Sun-Tue 11:45, 3:10, 7
kMama (PG-13)
Northgate: 12:10, 2:40, 5:15, 7:45, 10:10 Rowland: Fri-Wed 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55, 10:20
The Master (R)
Rafael: 8:20
kThe Metropolitan Opera: Maria Sturada
Lark: Sat 9:55am Marin: Sat 9:55am Regency: Sat 9:55am Sequoia: Sat 9:55am
(Not Rated)
Showtimes can change after we go to press. Please call theater to confirm schedules. CinéArts at Marin 101 Caledonia St., Sausalito • 331-0255 CinéArts at Sequoia 25 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley • 388-4862 Cinema 41 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera • 924-6505 Fairfax 9 Broadway, Fairfax • 453-5444 Lark 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur • 924-5111 Larkspur Landing 500 Larkspur Landing Cir., Larkspur • 461-4849 Northgate 7000 Northgate Dr., San Rafael • 800-326-3264 Playhouse 40 Main St., Tiburon • 435-1234 Rafael Film Center 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael • 454-1222 Regency 80 Smith Ranch Rd., Terra Linda • 479-5050 Rowland 44 Rowland Way, Novato • 800-326-3264
The Metropolitan Opera: Les Troyens (Not Rated)
Marin: Wed 6:30 Regency: Wed 6:30 Sequoia: Wed 6:30
Les Miserables (PG-13)
Larkspur Landing: Fri 7:15, 10:40 Sat-Mon 12:15, 3:45, 7:15, 10:40 Tue-Thu 6:45, 10:10 Northgate: 12:05, 3:45, 7:20 Rowland: FriWed 12:25, 3:50, 7:15, 10:40
Parental Guidance (PG)
Northgate: 1:25, 4:05, 6:55, 9:40
Promised Land (R)
Northgate: 11:40, 2:30, 5:05, 7:55, 10:30
kThe Rabbi’s Cat (Not Rated)
Rafael: Fri, Mon 4:30, 6:45, 8:45 Sat-Sun 2:30, 4:30, 6:45, 8:45 Tue-Thu 6:45, 8:45
RiffTrax Live: “Manos” The Hand (Not Rated)
Regency: Thu 7:30
Rise of the Guardians (PG)
Northgate: 11:50, 4:40; 3D showtime at 2:15
kRust and Bone (R)
Regency: Fri 1:25, 4:20, 7:15, 10:10 Sun-Tue 1:25, 4:20, 7:15
Silver Linings Playbook (R)
Fairfax: Fri-Sun 1:10, 4, 6:50, 9:35 Mon-Thu 1:10, 4, 6:50 Marin: Fri, Sun 1, 4:10, 7:30, 10:10 Sat 10:15, 1, 4:10, 7:30, 10:10 Mon, Tue, Thu 4:45, 7:30 Northgate: 1:20, 4:10, 7, 9:50 Rowland: FriWed 11:25, 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:30
This Is 40 (R)
Northgate: 7:10, 10:15
kTo Catch a Thief (Not Rated)
Regency: Wed 2, 7 Sequoia: Wed 2, 7
Wreck-It Ralph (PG)
Northgate: 11:35, 2:25
Zero Dark Thirty (R)
Cinema: Fri-Wed 11:45, 3:20, 7, 10:30 Fairfax: 1, 4:15, 7:30 Marin: Fri-Sun 12:15, 3:40, 7, 10:20 Mon, Tue, Thu 4:15, 7:40 Playhouse: 4:15, 7:30 Sat-Mon 1, 4:15, 7:30 Regency: Fri 12:05, 1:55, 3:50, 5:40, 7:30, 9:20 Sun-Tue 12:05, 1:55, 3:50, 5:40, 7:30 Rowland: Fri-Wed 12:20, 3:40, 7, 10:20