Los Angeles Times
Opening this week
"Chloe" -- A remake of the 2004 French film "Nathalie" about the effect of a mysterious young girl on the lives of a flirtatious college professor and his wife. With Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson. Directed by Atom Egoyan. (1:36) R.
"The Eclipse" -- A widower still reeling from the death of his wife is plagued by terrifying apparitions and finds himself drawn to an empathetic author of supernatural fiction. With Ciaran Hinds, Iben Hjejle, Aidan Quinn and Hannah Lynch. Screenplay by Conor McPherson and Billy Roche, based on Roche's "Tales from Rainwater Pond." Directed by McPherson. (1:28) NR.
"The Harimaya Bridge" -- Daniel Holder's father was killed fighting the Japanese in the Second World War so when Daniel's beloved artist son Mickey takes a job in Japan teaching English, it creates a rift between them and leads to unexpected discoveries for Daniel. With Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka and Misa Shimizu. Directed by Aaron Woolfolk. (2 hours) NR.
"Harmony and Me" -- After a breakup, a hipster wallows in his unrewarding job, a family devoid of warmth, a circle of indifferent friends and sad songs in a series of comically deadpan episodes. With Justin Rice, Kevin Corrigan and Kristen Tucker. Directed by Robert Byington. (1:15) NR.
"Hot Tub Time Machine" -- A group of best friends bored with their adult life wake up after a night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub to find themselves in the year 1986 and set out to change their futures. With John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan and Chevy Chase. Directed by Steve Pink. (1:40) R.
"How to Train Your Dragon" -- An animated comedy adventure of a misfit Viking teen who encounters a dragon that challenges his tribe's tradition of heroic dragon slayers. With the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell. Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. (1:38) PG.
"Sweetgrass" -- The film follows the last sheepherders to trail their flocks up into Montana's Beartooth Mountains for summer pasture. Directed by Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor. (1:45) NR.
"Vincere" -- A chronicle of the largely unknown story of the secret marriage of Benito Mussolini to Ida Dalser. With Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Fausto Russo Alesi and Filippo Timi. Directed by Marco Bellocchio. In Italian with English subtitles. (2:08) NR.
"Waking Sleeping Beauty" -- A documentary that chronicles Disney from 1984 to 1994, when clashing egos, out-of-control budgets and escalating tensions combined to create one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history. With Roy Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner. Written by Patrick Pacheco. Directed by Don Hahn. (1:26) PG.
"West of Pluto" -- A look at a day in the lives of twelve Quebec high schoolers captures the nature of their teenage years. Written and directed by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault. In French with English subtitles. (1:35) NR.
Still playing
"Alice in Wonderland" -- Alice returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. With Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas and Mia Wasikowska. Screenplay by Linda Wolverton, from the books by Lewis Carroll. Directed by Tim Burton. In Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D. (1:49) PG.
"Avatar" -- An "avatar," a human mind in an alien body, finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver. Written and directed by James Cameron. Also in IMAX 3D. (2:30) PG-13.
"The Blind Side" -- The true story of a young, homeless African-American boy taken in by a well-to-do white family to discover his potential as a student and a football player. Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins and Jae Head. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock. (2:06) PG-13.
