Our critics recommend...
Movies Opening This Week The Angels' Share A man with a shady past and a newborn baby attempts to change his life with the help of three new friends and a whiskey distillery.
Movies
Opening This Week
The Angels' Share
A man with a shady past and a newborn baby attempts to change his life with the help of three new friends and a whiskey distillery.
Arthur Newman Colin Firth stars as a man who fakes his own death to escape his old life and start a new one. Also starring Emily Blunt.
Blancanieves See Steven Rea's preview on H3.
The Big Wedding See Steven Rea's preview on H3.
Koch Documentary on Ed Koch, the late mayor of New York City.
Mud Teen boys help a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) stay ahead of the bounty hunters. Reese Witherspoon also stars.
No Place on Earth Blend of documentary and recreation, based on the discovery by Ukrainian cave explorers of a World War II hiding place for Jewish families escaping Nazis.
Pain & Gain See Steven Rea's preview on H3.
Excellent (****)
Reviewed by critics Steven Rea (S.R.) and Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.
Silver Linings Playbook A head-spinning wonder of a movie about love, pain, reinvention, rehabilitation, and the totemic power of an NFL franchise, with Bradley Cooper as a guy dealing with bipolar disorder and heartbreak, best actress Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence as a young widow with her own troubles, and an amazing supporting cast. From director David O. Russell, based on Matthew Quick's novel, and about as Philly-centric as you can get. 2 hrs. 02 R (profanity, sex, drugs, violence, adult themes) - S.R.
Very Good (***1/2)
The Place Beyond the Pines
Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper star in this roaring drama about a motorcycle stunt rider bank robber and the cop who chases him down. Riveting and electric, and boldly ambitious, with great performances from Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, Harris Yulin, and Ray Liotta. 2 hrs. 20
R
(violence, profanity, drugs, sex, adult themes) -
S.R.
Lore Five children, led by a strong-minded teenage girl, trek across Germany in the first days after the fall of the Third Reich. The siblings' father was a Nazi officer, they have been taught to hate Jews, and a chance encounter puts those teachings to the test. A fierce and powerful coming-of-age saga about the trauma of war, legacy, and collective guilt. 1 hr. 49 No MPAA rating (violence, sex, nudity, adult themes - S.R.
No Gael Garcia Bernal stars as a hot young ad exec in 1988 Chile who joins the media campaign to oust military dictator Augusto Pinochet in this fictionalized piece of reeling, ricocheting history. 2 hr. R (violence, adult themes) - S.R.
Starbuck A big-hearted French-Canadian comedy that has nothing to do with coffee and everything to do with paternity, in which a former sperm donor discovers several decades later that he is the biological father of 533 children, 143 of whom now wish to know his identity. Soul-searching and stalking ensue. 1 hr. 49 R (adult themes) - S.R.
Also on Screens
42 ***
Inspirational, old-fashioned Hollywood account of Jackie Robinson's historic demolition of the color barrier in Major League Baseball, and his relationship with Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers exec who gave Robinson a uniform. Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford star. 2 hrs. 08
PG-13
(profanity, racial epithets, adult themes) -
S.R.
The Croods **1/2 DreamWorks' latest animated blockbuster is a visually dazzling, if a little empty-headed, 3D feast for the eyes. Nicolas Cage stars as the patriarch of a prehistoric caveman family who are forced to go on a road trip when their cave is destroyed. Emma Stone plays his adventurous daughter and Ryan Reynolds her love interest, a more evolved man who introduces the family to fire, cooking, and tool-making. The flick is breezy, diverting, and fun, though it lacks the inspired wit that made Shrek a classic. 1 hr. 38 PG (some scary action) - T.D.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation ** An elite military unit fights an evil organization bent on death and destruction, while also clearing their names in the eyes of a government that no longer trusts them. Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and Dwayne Johnson star in this action film with a very high body count. 1 hr. 50 PG-13 (intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, brief sensuality, profanity) - W.S.
Scary Movie 5 * The horror spoof series returns with Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan bringing their, um, star power. 1 hr. 20 PG-13 (crude and sexual content, profanity, drug use, partial nudity, comic violence and gore) - W.S.
Theater
Reviewed by Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.), Jim Rutter (J.R.), and David Patrick Stearns (D.P.S.)
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New This Week
North of the Boulevard
(Theatre Exile) Bruce Graham's new comedy about a decaying garage in a declining neighborhood. In previews, opens Wednesday.
Continuing
The American Play
(Plays & Players) Suzan-Lori Parks' unsettling work about an African American gravedigger who looks uncannily like Abraham Lincoln. Extended through April 28.
A Raisin in the Sun (Arden Theatre) With this Lorraine Hansberry classic, Walter Dallas creates a "just folks" atmosphere that illuminates the play's continuing relevance. Ends Sunday. - D.P.S.
Cooking With the Calamari Sisters (Society Hill Playhouse) Mamma Mia! Two guys portray behavior-challenged Italian sisters in a spoof of cooking shows. Through May 19.
Good People (Walnut Street Theatre) A tough South Boston single mother with money troubles seeks help from a high school boyfriend who made good. It's all about class. Through next Sunday. - T.Z.
The Hand of Gaul (Inis Nua/PIFA) Three Irish soccer fans vow revenge when an unchecked French foul knocks their team out of the 2010 World Cup. Through next Sunday.
Henry V (Lantern Theatre Company) Prince Harry now is king - and what a king. Ends Sunday.
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Montgomery Theater) Charming performances can't rescue this tired, formula-driven musical. Through April 30. - W.R.
Mame (Media Theatre) Andrea McArdle is everybody's favorite madcap aunt. Through May 19.
Much Ado About Nothing (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre) Domenick Scudera's brilliant direction elucidates the duality between earnestness and fear, tenderness and the urge for self-preservation in a fresh, exuberant production. Through May 19. - J.R.
Othello (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre) This production lasers in on what motivates its fine Iago's malicious actions. Through May 31. - W.R.
Permanent Collection (InterAct Theatre) Tom Gibbons' fine drama is loosely based on the Barnes Foundation saga, pre-move. Through May 5. - D.P.S.
The Pirates of Penzance (Bristol Riverside Theatre) Poor Fredric is in thrall to both the pirates (literally) and fair Mabel (metaphorically). What to do? Sing! Lovely. Through April 28.
- D.P.S.
South Pacific (Delaware Theatre Company) There is nuthin' like a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Through May 5.