Scene from “The Adventures of Tintin”
PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Adventures of Tintin” (PG) — Steven Spielberg crams as much excitement per-pixel as can fit into this animated adventure. Based on the venerated Danish comic series, “Tintin” follows a young investigative reporter and his dog as they go on dangerous and improbable journeys.
The pace will keep the kids glued to the screen, but could leave some grownups feeling exhausted. The rope-swinging, bullet-dodging, sight-gag mania of it all brings flashbacks to the golden days of Indiana Jones — augmented to an inhuman level by Spielberg’s desire to get every drop out of the animated medium.
“My Week with Marilyn” (R) — While working on a not-much-remembered movie, movie darling Marilyn Monroe spent some time with a 23-year-old English production assistant, and apparently revealed her true self and changed the guy’s life. That guy went on to write a memoir of their time together, and now it’s a decent movie propped up by one stellar pillar — the portrayal of Monroe by Michelle Williams.
The story may sag, the script could be repetitive and some of the performances may cloy, but the lynchpin of the whole picture stays strong as Williams puts out the right mix of confusion, excitement and longing that makes the starlet of yesteryear memorable. Fans of slow, intimate biopics will love it, but this movie isn’t as iconic as its subject.
“Young Adult” (R) — Charlize Theron plays Mavis, a grown woman who just wants to be prom queen again. Mavis is a young-adult fiction writer who returns to her hometown under the delusion that her old boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) and everyone she knew from high school will worship her like in the old days. Reality starts to crush the thick walls of her immature psyche, and Mavis forms an unlikely friendship with one of the guys she used to step on (Patton Oswalt).
The script is fresh, and the actors know it. Oswalt has no problem playing the grownup geek still nursing some wounds from his teen years. Theron absolutely knocks it out of the park as an entitled princess too old to think the world revolves around her.
DOG OF THE WEEK
“The Three Musketeers” (PG-13) — Injecting CGI and brute-force witticisms into old adventure stories doesn’t always pay off. In some cases, the result is a bland, loud, humorless flop with no redeeming characteristics. This most recent adaptation of the Three Musketeers lands squarely in that category. Apparently made from ideas that were too hacky to fit into the last “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel, this musketeer flick falls on its sword and can’t get up.
TV RELEASES
“The Guild: Season Five”
“Breakout Kings: The Complete First Season”
“The Killing: Season One”
“Ghost Hunters International Season 2: Part 1”
© 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.