‘Man of Steel’ is a man of angst | 2 stars
Note to Hollywood: When you take the fun out of a big, dumb, fun summer movie, what remains is merely big and dumb.
‘Hava Nagila: The Movie’: Everybody sing a happy song | 2½ stars
The documentary “Hava Nagila: The Movie” turns out to be a lot like the song “Hava Nagila.” It can claim some seeds of gravitas, but they’re ultimately trampled by a lot of goofy enthusiasm.
‘The East’: Anarchists get a human face | 3 stars
As usual, Brit Marling is a pleasure to watch for the psychological complexity and contradictions of her character. This time, the story almost lives up to the performance.
‘Before Midnight’: Love grows complicated | 3 stars
“Before Midnight” is just as witty, chatty and close-to-the-bone about relationships as the two earlier Richard Linklater collaborations with writing actors Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.
In ‘This Is the End,’ no end to the raunch | 2 1/2 stars
This initially intimate movie builds to a big, big finale yet somehow wears out its welcome along the way. That’s because its wild and hilarious elements don’t cancel out its smug and lazy ones.
‘The Purge’: Scary future makes you think | 3 stars
The horrors of ‘The Purge’ carry a message for today.
‘Tiger Eyes’1/2
Rated PG-13 | Time: 1:32
‘The Internship’: A feel-good Google comedy | 3 stars
There’s an unadulterated joy in the re-teaming of those fast-talking “Wedding Crashers” Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, a wholesome novelty in their playing laid-off salesmen forced to do what millions of Americans have had to do in the past six years — reinvent themselves.
‘Stories We Tell’: Director Sarah Polley mines her family story for a gem of a film | 3½ stars
Sarah Polley’s remarkable “Stories We Tell” transcends every cliche in the confessional / investigatory genre, and it’s one of the year’s highlights.
‘I Do’ carries a message | 2 stars
Glenn Gaylord’s marriage rights drama is told through Jack (David W. Ross), a gay Brit trying to figure out how to stay in America when his immigration status is revoked.
‘What Maisie Knew’: Child’s-eye view of dysfunction | 3 stars
If Baz Luhrmann’s flamboyant 3-D version of “The Great Gatsby” left you wondering about the state of cinematic adaptation these days, hie yourself to “What Maisie Knew,” Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s tone-perfect, modernized re-telling of Henry James’ novel.
‘Blancanieves’: Strong step back for Snow White’ | 3 stars
“Blancanieves” is a silent, black-and-white homage to the films of yesteryear. And now that the gothic Spanish drama is getting a stateside release, American audiences finally can witness a winning recipe for revamping this old favorite.
‘Frances Ha’: A black-and-white film about a heart of gold | 3 stars
Noah Baumbach’s playful, effervescent comedy “Frances Ha” is the story of a young woman’s quest to find an apartment in New York.
‘After Earth’: Where there’s a Will (Smith) there’s a way | 3 stars
For the first time in 20 years, M. Night Shyamalan directs a film he didn’t write alone. He should try it more often. The former-wunderkind-turned-punch-line delivers his best movie in a decade with “After Earth.”
‘At Any Price’: Seeds of farm saga fail to thrive | 2 stars
The flowing Iowa cornfields of “At Any Price” have nothing on the amber waves of Zac Efron’s hair.
‘Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s’: A worshipful look at a shopping mecca | 3 stars
“Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s” is a love letter to a New York institution, a celebration of its place within the fashion food chain and those designers who know that when they’ve been accepted there, their fortune is made.
‘Now You See Me’: Poof! No magic | 2 stars
The razzle dazzles but the smoke never quite hides the mirrors in “Now You See Me,” a super-slick magicians’ heist picture that demonstrates, once again, how tough it is to make “magic” work as a movie subject.
‘The English Teacher’ has a class of underachievers | 2 stars
Rated R | Time: 1:33
A picturesque ‘Poppy Hill’ | 3 stars
Just about every animated film from an American studio these days is nonstop manic to the point of exhaustion. Exiting the theater can be a relief. Thus the gentleness of a Studio Ghibli film from Japan, with its hand-drawn, 2-D throwback look and irresistible colors, is always welcome.
‘Fast & Furious 6’: Dumb fun in the summer time | 2 stars
Bad movies are rarely as much fun as these “Fast and the Furious” pictures. And make no mistake about it — they’re bad.
