PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Fault In Our Stars” (PG-13) — Hazel (Shailene Woodley) is a smart, cool, wisecracking teenage girl living with metastasized thyroid cancer. Her parents push her into attending a support group for teenagers facing illness, where she meets Gus (Ansel Elgort), a tall older boy who falls instantly in love with her steadfast, sardonic attitude. It’s funny and sad and charming, all while staying out of the Super Sappy Melodrama Danger Zone.
Based on the bestselling novel by John Green, this film adaptation works for audiences outside of the usual young-adult demographic. Woodley’s young career is launching into the stratosphere, as this is her second praised performance in a YA blockbuster (she was the heroine of “Divergent” back in the spring). It may not work for everyone, but this tear-jerker stands out as better than most.
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“Godzilla” (PG-13) — The King of Monsters returns, and he’s playing opposite the intensity of Bryan Cranston. When an earthquake causes a Japanese nuclear reactor to melt down, Cranston’s character becomes convinced that the authorities are hiding something at the plant, something terrifying and destructive. He lost his wife in the meltdown, so he’s written off as a hysteric. The ensuing chaos of monster vs. military and monster vs. monster is loaded with awesomeness and sympathy.
Godzilla fans will (mostly) be pleased with the depiction of the big guy. Unlike a blurry mess of graphics like the Transformers, he’s quite a sight, and you can actually take in the visual splendor. He’s also the film’s anti-hero. However, director Gareth Edwards doesn’t give the lizard a ton of screen time. Edwards comes from the school of directors who don’t show the monster right away, letting things build up the right way.
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“Think Like a Man Too” (R) — The cast of couples from the first movie take a trip to Las Vegas for a wedding and more comedy from Kevin Hart. The group of friends splits up by gender to see who can have the better night on the town, the guys or the ladies. All kinds of relationship issues come up: parenting, jealousy, trust, pre-relationship history, etc. The real payoff is, once again, Hart’s comedic energy, which propels the film.
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“The German Doctor” (R) — In a sunny spot of Argentina, a family hosts a German doctor seeking a quiet life after the war. What the family doesn’t know is that this man is Josef Mengele, the infamous war criminal known for the atrocities he committed in Nazi concentration camps. The family welcomes him, and he takes a keen interest in their young daughter — specifically her height and bodily development. The tensions creep up your spine as the family slowly unravels this stranger.
TV RELEASES
“Big Bang Theory: Season 7”
“Castle: Season 6”
“Bones: Season 9”
“Sleepy Hollow Season 1”
“Arrow: Season 2”
“Grimm: Season 3”
© 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.