MC Reviews: Movies

In 1995's Before Sunrise, Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) fell in love in one day, but then lost each other. Nine years later, they rekindled the spark in Before Sunset. Now, in Before Midnight, the pair shows us what head over heels looks like 18 years later.

Actress Sarah Polley turns the camera on her family and herself to find that the truth depends on who is telling the story. In the process of making this documentary, she lays bare life-altering family secrets that have been kept for decades.

In this Steve Jobs biopic, Ashton Kutcher delivers a spot-on performance, mimicking the mannerisms of Apple’s founder right down to Jobs’ slouchy walk. But if the story of Jobs’ tech career leaves you wanting more, fear not: Aaron Sorkin is working on his own take.

Robert Redford directs and stars in this political drama about a father whose life is upended when an ambitious young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) outs him as a 1970s antiwar fugitive. With the FBI after him, he tries to hunt down the only person who can clear his name: the girl who got away

In this glossy tribute to Rome, director Woody Allen's ensemble cast (Alec Baldwin, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, to name a few) explores the meaning of celebrity through quirky characters: a funeral parlor owner turned opera star; an actress who seduces her friend's boyfriend; a regular Joe who becomes famous for being famous. Penélope Cruz as a sexy prostitute steals the show—without speaking a word of English.

Director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) takes on Tolstoy's classic epic about love, honor, and betrayal in 19th-century Russia. CliffsNotes plot: The young, beautiful, aristocratic Anna Karenina, who is married to a government official, falls madly in love with the charming Count Vronsky. Long story short: Torrid affair, huge scandal, tragedy. The buzz: A combination of stunning cinematography, Tom Stoppard's script, unbelievable costumes, and an Oscar-caliber performance by Keira Knightley, who, shockingly, has never been cast as the lead in one of the 12 previous adaptations.

Director Ang Lee's 3-D(!) version of the 2001 best seller by Yann Martel. CliffsNotes plot: Pi, a 16-year-old boy who is the sole human survivor after the freighter he is traveling on sinks, finds himself on a lifeboat with an orangutan, a hyena, a wounded zebra, and a Bengal tiger. The buzz: Lee is the king of cinematic book adaptations. In 2005, he won a Best Director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain, which was adapted from a short story by Annie Proulx. That isn't all: His 1995 take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility earned seven Oscar nods.

Socially awkward novelist Calvin (Paul Dano) falls in love with Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan, who wrote the film), a character he invents. Then suddenly Ruby is in Calvin's kitchen, scrambling eggs. It's an oddball fantasy about not questioning the magic of love, especially when it's standing right in front of you.

Director Lauren Greenfield follows the downfall of time-share billionaire David Siegel, 74, his wife, Jackie, 43, their eight children, numerous domestic staff, and countless pets. The morality tale about consumerism and social class is also a lesson in humility.

Big buzz! Director Oliver Stone brings the heat in this steamy action thriller about two partners (Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch) in a thriving pot-growing business, the girlfriend (cover girl Blake Lively) they share, and the drug cartel that kidnaps her.

About to get a divorce, an uptight attorney (Catherine Keener) takes her teenage kids to the Woodstock farmhouse of her pot-smoking hippie mom (welcome back, Jane Fonda). The all-star cast, which also includes the brilliant Elizabeth Olsen, adds depth to this fun tale of generational divides.

Take a remote cabin and add Jack (Mark Duplass), who is mourning the death of his brother; Iris (Emily Blunt), Jack's best friend; and Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt), Iris' dramatic lesbian sister, who is recovering from a messy breakup. Shake, stir, and enjoy. This is one emotional, revealing, first-rate indie you won't want to miss.

Dumped weeks before her wedding, New Yorker Lola (Greta Gerwig), on the cusp of turning 30, falls apart with abandon—she power-eats, she drinks, she has to be pulled off a stripper pole—bedding every wrong guy along the way. It's an all-around downward spiral that Gerwig pulls off with a guileless performance. See it for her star turn and because, chances are, you've kind of been there.

Fast-talking businessman Sam (Chris Pine) returns to his childhood home for his father's funeral and is tasked with delivering $150,000 to a stranger named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks)—who turns out to be the sister he didn't know he had. The story, inspired by true events, is a new twist on a boy-meets-girl drama.