http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/movies/index.xml News, sports and entertainment from The Kansas City Star en-us Copyright 2013Kansas City Star Movies 60 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:06:07 CDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys 1.1.fi feedback@kansascity.com (Feedback) 1 1#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:38 CDT 1 1779020 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302415/lego-movie-looks-surprisingly.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302415/lego-movie-looks-surprisingly.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:02 CDT Our expectations were low when we heard about "The Lego Movie." And then we saw the trailer. And giggled. 1779018 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289357/man-of-steel-is-a-man-of-angst.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289357/man-of-steel-is-a-man-of-angst.html#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00 CDT Note to Hollywood: When you take the fun out of a big, dumb, fun summer movie, what remains is merely big and dumb. 1779021 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289147/hava-nagila-the-movie-everybody.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289147/hava-nagila-the-movie-everybody.html#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00 CDT 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. 1779021 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289121/the-east-anarchists-get-a-human.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289121/the-east-anarchists-get-a-human.html#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00 CDT 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. 1779021 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289110/before-midnight-love-grows-complicated.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4289110/before-midnight-love-grows-complicated.html#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00 CDT "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. 1779021 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/10/4284887/in-this-is-the-end-no-end-to-the.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/10/4284887/in-this-is-the-end-no-end-to-the.html#storylink=rss Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:33 CDT 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. 1779021 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302407/movie-mom-monsters-university.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302407/movie-mom-monsters-university.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:01 CDT Information for parents deciding which movies are best for kids ages 2 to 18, 1779019 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4299997/megan-mullally-and-nick-offerman.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4299997/megan-mullally-and-nick-offerman.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00 CDT For veteran scene stealers like Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally -- married in real life -- pairing them up on camera could get touchy. 1779019 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/17/4298922/world-war-z-draws-massive-crowd.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/17/4298922/world-war-z-draws-massive-crowd.html#storylink=rss Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:22 CDT Thousands of screaming fans brought Times Square to a standstill as they waited to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt at the premiere of his new thriller, "World War Z." 1779019 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/16/4296262/man-of-steel-takes-flight-with.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/16/4296262/man-of-steel-takes-flight-with.html#storylink=rss Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:16 CDT "Man of Steel" leaped over box office expectations in a single weekend. The Warner Bros. superhero film, retelling of Superman's backstory, earned $113 million in its opening weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. 1779019 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4292035/the-man-of-steel-hails-from-smallville.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/13/4292035/the-man-of-steel-hails-from-smallville.html#storylink=rss Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:25 CDT A new movie is just the latest proof that Superman has roots in the Sunflower State. Clark Kent, played by Henry Cavill, wears a Royals T-shirt in one scene and watches a KU football game on TV in another. His dad, played by Kevin Costner, mentions Kansas State, and when we first meet the super schoolboy, his teacher is quizzing him on Kansas history. 1779019 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302173/anarchy-acquires-a-human-voice.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302173/anarchy-acquires-a-human-voice.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT Brit Marling, who played a cult leader claiming to be a prophetess from the future in "Sound of My Voice," takes a look at the other side of the equation in "The East," an audacious thriller about a cultish gang of anarchists who set out to punish those poisoning the planet and the people on it. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301428/movie-guide-capsule-listing-of.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301428/movie-guide-capsule-listing-of.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301700/family-guide-to-new-movie-releases.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301700/family-guide-to-new-movie-releases.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT MONSTERS UNIVERSITY 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302177/capsule-reviews-of-new-movie-releases.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4302177/capsule-reviews-of-new-movie-releases.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:05 CDT "World War Z" - Might there be a real zombie apocalypse one day? The way zombies have invaded our pop culture the last several years, it's maybe a bit less implausible than it once was. What IS increasingly quite plausible, alas, is a global pandemic, and "World War Z," the long-awaited Brad Pitt thriller, cleverly melds that real-life threat into the more fanciful zombie premise. Talk about more bang for your buck: Once you've settled back into your seat after a good snarling zombie chase, there's nothing like the thought of a SARS outbreak to get the blood racing again. Despite the much-discussed production delays and budget overruns, this movie, based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks (son of Mel), is pretty much what you'd want in a summer blockbuster: scary but not-too-gross zombies, a journey to exotic locales, a few excellent action scenes, and did we mention Pitt? As Gerry Lane, a former U.N. investigator called upon to save the planet, Pitt is a calm, intelligent presence amid the insanity. The most impressive scene is at the beginning, as the streets of Philadelphia are suddenly overrun by packs of wild, raging zombies. For an hour, the action is swift: North Korea, Israel, a harrowing plane crash. The final act takes place on a dramatically smaller scale, and at a slower pace. Oh, a reminder: Turn off those cellphones. After all, it's not just your movie-going partner you'll annoy here. Cellphones also happen to awaken zombies. Consider yourself warned. PG-13 for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images. 116 minutes. Three stars out of four. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301666/ellen-page-connects-with-her-character.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301666/ellen-page-connects-with-her-character.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT MINNEAPOLIS - Ellen Page became a star and best-actress Oscar nominee at 20 for playing a pregnant teen in "Juno." Her lifestyle, however, is not the expected A-list cliche of heedless consumption and bling binges. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301809/man-of-steel-promoted-from-the.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301809/man-of-steel-promoted-from-the.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:05 CDT Seems Warner Bros. has taken movie marketing to a whole new level - even higher than a bird or a plane. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301675/brad-pitt-tries-to-build-a-better.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301675/brad-pitt-tries-to-build-a-better.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:07 CDT Brad Pitt wanted to build a better blockbuster. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301853/a-redneck-pulp-fiction-set-around.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301853/a-redneck-pulp-fiction-set-around.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT A "redneck 'Pulp Fiction'" is such a natural idea for a grindhouse movie that it's shocking that it took almost 20 years for somebody to come up with "Pawn Shop Chronicles." 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301427/movie-guide-alt-independent-limited.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301427/movie-guide-alt-independent-limited.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301699/joss-whedon-makes-a-shakespeare.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/19/4301699/joss-whedon-makes-a-shakespeare.html#storylink=rss Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT MIAMI - If man is indeed a giddy thing - as William Shakespeare suggests in "Much Ado About Nothing," insinuating we are impulsive beyond all reason - then Joss Whedon may be the giddiest man of all. After all, he's the director who decided to make a quick movie in his down time between shooting his first big-budget film and editing it; the screenwriter who dared to adapt a play from the greatest wordsmith in the English language; the optimist who thought: Hey, yeah, let's shoot a Shakespearean comedy at my house; it'll be fun. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299340/billy-crystals-new-monster-project.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299340/billy-crystals-new-monster-project.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT EMERYVILLE, Calif. - It's been a dozen years since the release of Pixar's "Monsters, Inc.," but it didn't take much for Billy Crystal to get back into the spirit to voice Mike Wazowski for the follow-up film "Monsters University." He's seen "Monsters, Inc." many times with his grandchildren. What was important to him was that he wanted to do a movie suitable for all grandchildren. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299730/between-us-shows-its-stage-origins.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299730/between-us-shows-its-stage-origins.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT There are filmed adaptations of plays and plays that are, in essence, staged for the film camera. "Between Us," sadly, is closer to the latter. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299420/with-bling-ring-a24-aims-to-broaden.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299420/with-bling-ring-a24-aims-to-broaden.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00 CDT NEW YORK - Sofia Coppola could have easily gone the studio route in choosing a distributor for her new movie, "The Bling Ring." Instead she chose the upstart company that set loose the viral image of James Franco as a resplendently thugged-out Jesus. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4300770/edward-furlong-charged-with-assault.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4300770/edward-furlong-charged-with-assault.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:19 CDT 'Terminator 2' star Edward Furlong has been charged with assault after a May 21 incident in which his girlfriend called police and reported he attacked her. 1779022 http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299427/james-franco-seeks-500000-in-crowd.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4299427/james-franco-seeks-500000-in-crowd.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:17 CDT Following crowd-funding campaigns from "Veronica Mars" and Zach Braff, James Franco is trying to raise $500,000 to bankroll a trilogy of movies. 1779022