Bloglander

BUCK
The horse-training doc returns. At Magic Lantern. Rated PG

DRIVE
Ryan Gosling is a usually even-tempered guy who fixes cars by day, drives them for dangerous movie stunts, and is a wheelman for robbers at night. Though there are bursts of outrageous action and violence, this is more of a ’70s-style character study of a loner “hero,” his possible love interest (Carrey Mulligan), his can’t-catch-a-break boss (Bryan Cranston), and a couple of vicious heavies (Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman). Oddly, we don’t get to know anyone too well. But this is another example of truly original and very atmospheric filmmaking from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson). (ES) Rated R

FILM SOCIALISME
Director Jean-Luc Godard has been challenging cinematic norms for decades, declaring “film is dead” and finding inventive ways to manipulate it. Film Socialisme continues that journey. Blending all sorts of digital media and audio into an incoherent flurry of scenes, it takes the viewer from a cruise ship to a service station to a slew of fragmented snapshots of European civilization. The thesis is left hidden and impotent, but Godard fans will delight. At Magic Lantern (EW) Not Rated

I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT
Sarah Jessica Parker is a finance exec and a mother of two children, married to a recently unemployed architect (Greg Kinnear). She wants it all — to be the attentive mother, the working woman, and the loving wife. But when new developments stretch her even thinner, she must comically prioritize. Hasn't Tina Fey been doing this schtick for half a decade now? (EW) Rated PG-13

THE LION KING
Hamlet of the Serengeti gets freshened up in honor of the imminent 3D Blu-ray release. Fly across majestic plains and duck around murderous stampedes as theaters release a 3D version of the animated classic for a limited time. Having been convinced that he was responsible for his father's death, lion cub Simba flees his kingdom to live in shame. Learning the truth as an adult, he returns to claim what he once gave up. If nothing else, relive the glory days of Jonathan Taylor Thomas. (EW) Rated G

THE RIVER MURDERS
Remember spotting Christian Slater, Ving Rhames, and Ray Liotta all over town last year? Well, the Spokane-made movie is out now. When his ex-girlfriends pop up as victims of brutal murders, Liotta must put his detective skills into high gear before his captain (Rhames) and an FBI agent (Slater) become too comfortable making Liotta the prime suspect. Rich Cowan of The Basket fame directs this new thriller from North by Northwest Productions. At Magic Lantern (EW) Rated R

STRAW DOGS
Pacifistic intellectual David (James Marsden) moves to the South with his wife, Amy. Her rugged ex-boyfriend is hired to repair their home and eye-molests Amy ad nauseum, prompting David to politely fire him and his buddies. They don't go quietly. A remake of the 1971 film of the same name, this one also aims to find a man's breaking point in order to prove that even the gentlest human has the potential for brutality. (EW) Rated R

TREE OF LIFE
The return of Terrence Malick’s story about a family in Waco, Texas, which also manages to be about the beginning of the world and the end of it. At Magic Lantern. Rated PG-13