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OnVideo: JUNE's Top Movies


THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE

photo Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas Strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt's growing ego. But lately the duo's greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they've grown to loathe each other. Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show is starting to look stale. But there's still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act -- both onstage and off -- if only Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place.

Director: Don Scardino. Stars: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, Jay Mohr, Gillian Jacobs, Brad Garrett. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $22.339 million, Warner. Available: 6/25.

two stars goback



THE CALL

photo When veteran 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry), takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) who has just been abducted and thrown into the trunk of a madman's car, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life.

Director: Brad Anderson. Stars: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, Michael Eklund, Michael Imperioli. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 118 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $50.727 million, Sony. Available: 6/25.

two stars goback



ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH

photo Animated family comedy begins on the planet Baab, where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary, head of mission control at BASA. When BASA's no-nonsense chief Lena informs the brothers of an SOS from a notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary's warnings and bounds off for yet another exciting mission. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker, it's up to scrawny, risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing. As the interplanetary stakes rise to new heights, Gary is left to save his brother, his planet, his beloved wife Kira and their adventure hungry son Kip.

Director:. Stars: Voices of Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Kaitlin Olson, James Gandolfini, Craig Robinson, Ricky Gervais, Sofia Vergara. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 89 min., Animated, Box office gross: $55.540 million, The Weinstein Co. Available: 6/04.

two stars goback



A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

photo Bruce Willis is back in action as John McClane, the heroic New York cop with a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time. John's latest predicament takes him all the way to Russia to track down his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who has been imprisoned in Moscow. But jack is not who he seems to be, and the mission takes a deadly turn as father and son must join forces to thwart a nuclear weapons heist that could trigger World War III.

Director: John Moore. Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Yuliya Snigir, Cole Hauser, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Amaury Nolasco, Sebastian Koch, Anne Vyalitsyna. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Action, Box office gross: $66.260 million, Fox. Available: 6/04 .

two stars goback




HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

photo Sly and ingeniously wicked movie tells the story of Hansel and Gretel, the brother and sister team seeking to avenge their parents' deaths. But after a lifetime of hunting witches, Hansel and Gretel now must face an evil greater than anything they've seen: a terrifying new threat so massive, it could destroy the world as we know it.

Director: Tommy Wirkola. Stars: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen, Thomas Mann, Zoe Bell, Peter Stormare, Derek Mears. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 87 min., Action Fantasy, Box office gross: $54.931 million, Paramount. Available: 6/11.

three stars goback



IDENTITY THIEF

photo Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (Melissa McCarthy) to live it up on the outskirts of Orlando. There's only one glitch: she's financing her shopping sprees with an ID stolen from Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), an accounts rep who lives halfway across the U.S. With only one week to hunt down the con artist before his world implodes, the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson heads south to confront the woman with an all-access pass to his life. He attempts to bribe, coax and wrangle her the 2,000 miles to Denver, finally forcing her to join him in an uproarious, cross-country road trip.

Director: Seth Gordon. Stars: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Tip "T.I." Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $129.916 million, Universal. Available: 6/04.

three stars goback



JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

photo An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend­ and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

Director: Bryan Singer. Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Warwick Davis, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Ewen Bremner. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 114 min., Fantasy Adventure, Box office gross: $62.958 million, Warner. Available: 6/18.

two stars goback



THE LAST EXORCISM PART II

photo Sequel to 2010's horror hit "The Last Exorcism." Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is back in the relative safety of civilization and sent to live in a group home where she's encouraged to leave her past behind and start a new life. Just as Nell settles in, she is tormented by the seductive demonic presence that once possessed her. She realizes that the evil force is back with unimaginably horrific plans that could only mean that her last exorcism was just the beginning.

Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly. Stars: Ashley Bell, Spencer Treat Clark, Andrew Sensenig, Judd Lormand, Muse Watson, Julia Garner. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Horror, Box office gross: $15.152 million, Sony. Available: 6/18.

two stars goback



MOVIE 43

photo A series of interconnected short films follows a washed-up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Fourteen vignettes directed by Bob Odenkirk and a dozen stars-directors: Elizabeth Banks (segment "Middleschool Date"), Steven Brill (segment "iBabe"), Steve Carr (segment "The Proposition"), Rusty Cundieff (segment "Victory's Glory"), James Duffy (segment "Super Hero Speed Dating"), Griffin Dunne (segment "Veronica"), Peter Farrelly (segments "The Pitch", "The Catch" and "Truth or Dare"), Patrik Forsberg (segment "Tampax"), Will Graham (segment "Homeschooled"), James Gunn (segment "Beezel"), Brett Ratner (segment "Happy Birthday"), Jonathan van Tulleken (segment "Machine Kids").

Director: Bob Odenkirk. Stars: Hugh Jackman, Seth MacFarlane, Justin Long, Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Emma Stone, Kate Winslet, Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Anna Faris, Gerard Butler, Halle Berry, Terrence Howard, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Gere, Kate Bosworth, Kristen Bell, Jason Sudeikis, Josh Duhamel, Uma Thurman. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $8.828 million, Fox. Available: 6/18.

two stars goback



NO

photo The film, which won the Cannes Film Festival's 2012 Art Cinema Award and was the Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012 and Telluride Film Festival 2012, is based on the true story surrounding the 1988 referendum on Augusto Pinochet's presidency in Chile. Facing international pressure to legitimize his dictatorship, Pinochet created a national plebiscite giving the citizens of Chile the opportunity to vote for or against extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the "NO" persuade a brash young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and under scrutiny by the despot's minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free from oppression. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Director: Pablo Larrain. Stars: Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Luis Gnecco, Nestor Cantillana, Antonia Zeger. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.196 million, Sony. Available: 6/25.

three stars goback


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OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

photo When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot: Fame and fortune are his for the taking. That is until he meets three witches: Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it's too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar transforms himself not only into a great wizard but into a better man as well.

Director: Sam Raimi. Stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 130 min., Fantasy Adventure, Box office gross: $226.258 million, Disney. Available: 6/11.

three stars goback



QUARTET

photo Beecham House is abuzz. The rumor circling the halls is that the home for retired musicians is soon to play host to a new resident. Word is, it's a star. For Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred Bond (Billy Connolly) and Cecily Robson (Pauline Collins) this sort of talk is par for the course at the gossipy home. But they're in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard. Can the passage of time heal old wounds? And will the famous quartet be able to patch up their differences in time for Beecham House's gala concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday?

Director: Dustin Hoffman. Stars: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, Sheridan Smith, Pauline Collins, Luke Newberry, Eline Powell. 2012, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 98 min., Comedy Drama, Box office gross: $17.843 million, The Weinstein Company. Available: 6/18.

three stars goback



SNITCH

photo Johnson stars as a successful businessman who learns his son faces 10 tough years in a Federal prison for drug possession. Convinced it was a set-up, he volunteers to become an undercover informant and infiltrate a ruthless cartel. Now, with his back against the wall and his life totally on the line, he must expose the true criminals before they discover his identity. Inspired by true events.

Director: Ric Roman Waugh. Stars: Dwayne Johnson,Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Michael K. Williams, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Rafi Gavron, David Harbour, Benjamin Bratt, Susan Sarandon. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 122 min., Action Thriller, Box office gross: $41.353 million, Summit Entertainment. Available: 6/11.

two stars goback



STOKER

photo India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) was not prepared to lose her father and best friend Richard (Dermot Mulroney) in a tragic auto accident. The solitude of her woodsy family estate, the peace of her tranquil town, and the unspoken somberness of her home life are suddenly upended by not only this mysterious accident, but by the sudden arrival of her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whom she never knew existed. When Charlie moves in with her and her emotionally unstable mother Evie (Nicole Kidman), India thinks the void left by her father's death is finally being filled by his closest bloodline. Soon after his arrival, India comes to suspect that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives. Yet instead of feeling outrage or horror, this friendless young woman becomes increasingly infatuated with him. An involving and intriguing mystery-thriller -- with twists -- from the great South Korean director Chan-wook Park (in his U.S.-directing debut).

Director: Chan-wook Park. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Lucas Till, Jacki Weaver. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Mystery-Thriller, Box office gross: $1.628 million, Fox. Available: 6/18.

four stars goback



21 & OVER

photo Straight-A college student Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) has always done what's expected of him. But when his two best friends Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller) surprise him with a visit for his 21st birthday, he decides to do what's unexpected for a change, even though his critical medical school interview is early the next morning. What was supposed to be one beer becomes one night of chaos, over-indulgence and utter debauchery.

Director: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore. Stars: Miles Teller, Justin Chon, Skylar Astin, Sarah Wright. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $25.594 million, Fox. Available: 6/18.

two stars goback



WARM BODIES

photo A poignant, comic tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human -- setting off an exciting, romantic and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world.

Director: Jonathan Levine. Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, John Malkovich, Cory Hardrict. 2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, PG-13 min., Comedy Horror, Box office gross: $65.019 million, Summit/Lionsgate. Available: 6/04.

three stars goback




All DVDs and Blu-rays are screened on a reference system consisting of an Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer.


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June 1, 2013