Davis carries ‘The Help’
“The Help” – Viola Davis gives a soul- stirring, hope-raising performance in Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller about black domestics in 1962 Mississippi who share their stories for an oral history taken by a white woman (Emma Stone). (2:17, PG-13 for thematic material) • • •
“The Hangover, Part II” – Todd Phillips’ overfamiliar sequel to his unexpected 2009 hit is a Bangkok-and-bull story, virtually a scene-for-scene clone of the first – this time in Thailand. With Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis. (1:42, R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images) • •
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” – Jim Carrey stars as a hard-driving New York real estate guy whose icy heart gets thawed when a six-pack of penguins shows up at his Park Avenue door. Putative comic mayhem, potty-training jokes and profound life-lessons ensue. (1:35, PG for mild rude humor and some language) • •
“Cowboys & Aliens” – Daniel Craig stars as an Eastwoodian stranger in the title-says-it-all mash-up of two rich and venerable movie genres: Westerns and sci-fi. Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), this widescreen hybrid has trouble finding the right tone – sagebrush sobriety or high plains camp? A bit of both, alas, with Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde along for the ride. (1:58, PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference) • • 1/2
“Life, Above All” – A 12-year-old South African girl fights to protect her family in the wake of the AIDS epidemic. (1:40, PG-13 for mature thematic material and some sexual content)
“The Debt” – Two trios of actors share the same respective roles in this taut espionage caper, which also happens to be a love story and a powerful examination of how the lies of the past never truly disappear. Set in 1965 East Berlin, where three young Mossad agents have come to apprehend a Nazi war criminal, and then in Tel Aviv in 1997, when the three Israeli heroes reconvene, with shocking consequences. (1:53, R for some violence and language) • • •