City Island

Set in a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of the Bronx, this smart and charming comedy explores the absurd secrets and vices people choose to keep from their loved ones…When prison guard and aspiring actor Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is asked to reveal his biggest secret during his drama class, he sets off a chain of events that turn his mundane suburban life into total chaos.  Soon it becomes clear that everyone - his hot-tempered wife (Julianna Margulies), college student daughter, ex-con son, charismatic acting partner, and even his drama coach (Alan Arkin) - all have secrets of their own.

“A boisterous, warm-hearted film, which sidesteps cliche while embracing the hope and love in loony dysfunctional families everywhere.” ~ Amy Biancolli, SF Chronicle.

“It’s nothing but good, sweet, breezy times.” ~ Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, smoking and language, 100 mins.

Grown Ups

Grown Ups, starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider, is a comedy about five friends and former teammates who reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. With their wives (Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph) and kids in tow, they spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend together at the lake house where they celebrated their championship years earlier.  Picking up where they left off, they discover why growing older doesn’t necessarily mean growing up, and just because they’ve all grown up and started families doesn’t mean that they’ve lost that old spark. Adulthood is what you make of it, and no one is eager to be the grown-up of the gang. 

“No one in their right mind goes to an Adam Sandler movie for any reason other than to laugh, and Grown Ups delivers!” ~ James Berardinelli, ReelViews. 

“What kept me laughing is the genuine camaraderie among Sandler’s posse, the way they almost play themselves that perfectly suits this material.” ~ Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times. 

Rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity, 102 mins.

Grown Ups

Please see the previous entry for more information about this film.

Ondine

The story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), a simple fisherman who catches a beautiful and mysterious woman in his trawler’s nets. The woman seems to be dead, but when she comes alive before Syracuse’s eyes he thinks he may be seeing things. However, with the help of his ailing yet irrepressible daughter Annie, he comes to believe that the fantastical might be possible and that the woman ~ Ondine ~ might be a myth come true. Ondine and Syracuse fall passionately in love, but just as we think the fairy tale might go on forever, the real world intercedes. After a terrible car crash and the return of a dark and violent figure from Ondine’s past, hope eventually prevails and a new beginning is presented to Syracuse, Ondine and Annie.

“Ondine is so good it hurts.” ~ Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune. 

“There is enough saving grace on these craggy shores to let the mists and the legends roll in and envelop you for a while.” ~ Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times.

“A gorgeous, contemporary fairy tale. When director  Neil Jordan resolves the mystery, he does so beautifully, satisfying both realists and those who long for a storybook ending.” ~ Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and brief strong language, 111 mins.

The Karate Kid

Beautifully filmed on location in China with breathtaking cinematography, The Karate Kid  has been hailed as “the movie to see this summer...”  12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could’ve been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother’s latest career move has landed him in China. Arriving at his new school, he develops a powerful crush on a pretty classmate. The feeling is mutual, although the cultural divide between the two makes a friendship unlikely, and romance impossible. When a cruel classmate and kung fu prodigy learns of his feelings, he harasses and humiliates Dre in front of the entire school. With no one to turn to for help, Dre confides his fears in kindly maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), an aging kung fu master who knows that serenity and maturity - not punches and power - are the true keys to mastering the martial arts. 

“At the end of the movie, the audience with whom I saw the film stood and cheered.” ~ Ty Burr, Boston Globe. 

“The chemistry between Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan grounds the movie, imbuing it with sincerity and poignance.” ~ Claudia Puig, USA Today. 

“Precisely the sort of rousing, stand-up-and-cheer, feel-good entertainment movie audiences have been starved for.” ~ Tom Long, Detroit News. 

Rated PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language, 140 mins.

The Kids Are All Right

Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) are married and share a cozy suburban Southern California home with their teenage children, Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson). Nic and Jules gave birth to and raised their children, and built a family life for the four of them. As Joni prepares to leave for college, Laser presses her to help him find their biological father.  Against her better judgment, Joni honors her brother’s request and manages to make contact with “bio-dad” Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an easygoing restauranteur. The kids find themselves drawn to the confirmed bachelor’s footloose style - and as Paul comes into their lives, an unexpected new chapter begins as family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-re-defined. 

“Movies like this -- beautifully written, impeccably played, funny and randy and true -- don’t come along very often.” ~ Ty Burr, Boston Globe.  

“The movie we’ve been waiting for all year: a comedy that doesn’t take cheap shots, a drama that doesn’t manipulate, a movie of ideas that doesn’t preach. It’s a rich, layered, juicy film, with quiet revelations punctuated by big laughs.” ~ Dana Stevens, Slate. 

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use, 104 mins.