Honolulu Weekly

Unattributed film synopses indicate movies not yet reviewed by HW staff.

Indicates films of unusual interest

Opening

Away We GoThe journey of a couple expecting their first child, searching to find a place to settle and raise a family with questions raised, in part, thanks to the friends they meet along the way.

Easy Virtue A catfight for the ages goes on between an American woman and her new mother-in-law as they both struggle to keep the love of the central male character.

My Sister’s Keeper A desperate couple concieves a daughter in hopes she’s a genetic match for their ailling daughter. If there’s any chance for the family to rebuild their lives, the moral and ethical questions must be answered.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The universe is under siege and the Autobots with the help of Sam Witwicky and his friends, including the U.S. military (and Megan Fox!), are prepared to fight Megatron and his decepticon partners.

Continuing

Angels and Demons Exciting prequel to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, but lacking a certain passion of the Christ. –Ryan Senaga

Departures See review, page 20.

Drag Me to Hell This horror film is good enough to really scare, to poke fun at its genre and to incite audience indignation, even while luxuriating in its excesses. –Bob Green

Everlasting Moments It’s 1900s Sweden and a young working class woman wins a camera in a lottery. The decision to keep it alters her life.

Imagine That Eddie Murphy plays an overworked executive who begins to reconnect with his daughter when he realizes she has mysterious insights into business trends. Another family flick: Eddie, what have you done for me lately?

Land of the Lost Land of the Lost provides everything it was supposed to, and a little bit more, which is exactly what we ask of our summer blockbusters. It may end up being the overlooked gem of the season. –R.S.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian While in the vein of in-vain money-making sequels, this Ben Stiller flick still offers some hidden treasures. –Dean Carrico

Year One Starring Michael Cera and Jack Black. Arrested Development fans will recognize Cera’s haircut from the take-your-daughter-to-work-day episode.

Star Trek J.J. Abrams’ amazing, revisionary version of the classic series is one that both true and new fans will love. –R.S.

The Hangover A men-will-be-boys comedy that is like most alcohol: mass-produced and homogenized. But sometimes you can find a truly great brand to your liking. Whether it will age well…is yet to be determined. –D.C.

The Limits of Control See review online at [www.honoluluweekly.com].

The Proposal Sandra Bullock plays a tough-as-nails boss who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in lieu of getting deported to Canada. The chemistry shines as the “couple” fakes a new marriage through the antics of Bullock’s new on-screen in-laws.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 As good as Denzel Washington is, he can’t save what amounts to an uninspired retread of a summer thriller. This one, a remake of the 1974 classic, tells the story of a hostage situation on a NYC train. –R.S.

The Hangover, this critically acclaimed documentary involves Mike Tyson examining his own life, in and out of the ring with brutally honest candor.

Terminator Salvation Definitely action-packed and robot-filled like the future probably will be, the human element is still necessary, but lacking in this fourth Terminator movie. –R.S.

Up Yet another piece of thoroughly enjoyable poignancy to add to Pixar’s already impressive catalog…With its deceivingly simple title–it’s downright award-worthy. –R.S.

Doris Duke Theatre

Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St., $7 general, $6 seniors/students/military, $5 Academy members, [honoluluacademy.org], 532-8768

One Foot Off The Ground (China, 2006) Daming Chen’s comedy follows the ups and downs of a Chinese opera troupe, who must find other jobs, ranging from cock fighting, photography and selling “stolen puppies.” Producer Chris Lee (Valkyrie, Superman Returns) will be on hand to present the film and helm a Q&A afterwards. Lee is the founder of the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii–Manoa.

Wed 6/24–Fri 6/26, 1pm & 7:30pm; Sat 6/27 & Sun 6/28 1pm, 4pm & 7:30pm.

Please Vote For Me (China, 2007) Doc about an experimentation in democracy in a Chinese third-grade class. Students get a chance to elect their own class monitor, and a series of culturally revelatory exercises in “elections” take a peculiarly Chinese turn–and fascinating, they say.

Tue 6/30, 1pm & 7:30pm.

Movie Museum

3566 Harding Ave. #4, $4 members, $5 general, 735-8771

Crossing The Border (Spain, 2006) Tired of scratching out a living in the detritus Franco’s Spain, two dissimilar types (a scruffy mechanic and a dapper gent) join forces, manage to get to Switzerland, and have adventures in which they are almost always misunderstood.

Fri 6/26, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.

Sakuran (Japan, 2006) Edo-period brothels are celebrated in this eclectic, over-the-top celebration of purchased and true love, in which the most popular Oiran wants to leave her calling but on the arm of a rich patron. True love interferes. With a jazz/rock soundtrack (by Ringo Shiina) and an offbeat visual style, making it a candidate for cult status.

Mon 6/29, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.

The Elephant God (aka Joi Baba Felunath Satyajit) Ray’s detective story, suitable for kids, features beloved Bengali stars in a tale about stolen artifacts in Benares, the estimable detective Prodosh Mitra (Soumitra Chatterjee), and religious rituals. Winner of the Golden Lotus award in India as “best children’s film.”

Sun 6/28, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30 & 8:30pm.

Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (Japan, 2005) Absurdist comedy (in the manner of Amélie) where a shy, neglected young lady nabs a job as a spy and benefits from her lack of assertiveness. Intrigue ensues. Delightful, we’re told.

Thu 6/25 & Sat 6/27, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.

University of Hawaii

Spalding Auditorium, 2500 Campus Rd., 223-0130

Living Yoga Part of an “enlightenment” series.

Sun 6/28, 5pm.