New movies showing in Minneapolis
By Wendy Schadewald (Rating system: 4=Don’t miss, 3=Good, 2=Worth a look, 1=Forget it)
“Mower Minions” (NR) (2)
When the squabbling, yellow minions decide they want to make some quick cash in this funny, cute, family-oriented, 5-minute cartoon, they steal gardening equipment from an arborist and attempt to manicure the lawn of elderly people sitting in rocking chairs on a porch; shows along with “The Secret Life of Pets”.
“The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble” (PG-13) (3.5)
[Brief strong language.] — Striking, spectacular music dominates this fascinating, inspirational, 96-minute, 2015 documentary about the aspirations and goals of legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma who created the Silk Road Ensemble project in which he gathered an eclectic, talented group of international musicians, including Wu Man (China), clarinetist Kinan Azmeh (Syria), kamancheh player Keyhan Kalhor (Iran), bagpiper/pianist Cristina Pato (Spain), Kojiro Umezaki (Japan), Johnny Gandelsman (Israel/Russia), Kevork Mourad (Syria), and Bobby McGill, in 2000 to perform around the world and consists of insights from composers Tan Dun and Osvaldo Golijov, former executive director Theodore Levin, violinist Isaac Stern, former Galicia’s Minister of Culture Roberto Varela, manager Isbabel Soffer, and Keyhan’s wife Zohreh.
“The Purge: Election Year” (R) (3)
[Disturbing bloody violence and strong language.] — Extreme violence dominates this disturbing, action-packed, suspenseful, timely, somber, 115-ininute thriller in which a tough-as-nails former police sergeant (Frank Grillo) tries to protect the anti-purge presidential candidate (Elizabeth Mitchell) during the night of the purge in Washington, D.C., in May from her opponents (Ethan Phillips, Tom Kemp, Raymond J. Barry, et al.) while a deli owner (Mykelti Williamson), his protégé (Joseph Julian Soria), and a concerned EMT friend (Betty Gabriel) try to protect his store and the senator.
“The Secret Life of Pets” (PG) (3)
[Action and some rude humor.] — When a lovable dog (voiceover by Louis C.K.) finds himself with an unwanted, much-bigger roommate (voiceover by Eric Stonestreet) in Manhattan and animal control officers nab them while on the streets in this colorful, entertaining, family-friendly, 3D, star-studded (voiceovers by Steve Coogan, Dana Carvey, Jim Cummings, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Ellie Kemper, Tara Strong, and Laraine Newman), 90-minute animated comedy, a revengeful rabbit (voiceover by Kevin Hart) initially helps them escape but then they find themselves on the run from the hare and his posse while a turkey-loving feline (voiceover by Lake Bell), mutts (voiceover by Jenny Slate, et al.), and a hungry hawk (voiceover by Albert Brooks) try to find them.
“Wiener-Dog” (R) (2.5)
[Language and some disturbing content.] — A shocking, horrific conclusion punctuates this dark, quirky, 88-minute film that follows the mixed-up life of a lovable dachshund as it is passed from owner to owner, including an inquisitive young boy (Keaton Nigel Cooke) whose coldhearted parents (Julie Delpy and Tracy Letts) look for excuses to get rid of the dog from the time they brought it into their pristine Colorado home, a compassionate vet technician (Greta Gerwig) who travels to Ohio with a crystal meth addict (Kieran Culkin) and ends up giving the mutt to a couple (Connor Long and Bridget Brown) coping with Down Syndrome, a down-on-his-luck acting professor (Danny DeVito) who desperately tries to sell his screenplay, and a blind, elderly woman (Ellen Burstyn) whose estranged granddaughter (Zosia Mamet) finally pays her a visit looking for a handout.
On DVD
“Cashback” (R) (2)
[Graphic nudity, sexual content, and language.] — After breaking up with his hotheaded girlfriend (Michelle Ryan) in this creative, whimsical, 113-minute comedy based on the Sean Ellis Oscar-nominated 2004 short film, an imaginative, insomnia-prone Australian art student (Sean Biggerstaff) joins his egotistical boss (Stuart Goodwin) and other bored employees (Emilia Fox, Michael Dixon, Michael Lambourne, and Marc Pickering) working at an all-night supermarket and kills time by freezing time in order to sketch unclad female customers.
“My Best Friend” (PG-13) (3)
[Subtitled.] [Some strong language.] — The obvious answer eludes a clueless, self-centered, arrogant French antique art dealer (Daniel Auteuil) in Paris in this touching, poignant, 94-minute, 2006 film when he tries to learn the meaning and value of true friendship from an amiable, good natured, trivia-savvy taxi driver (Dany Boon) after he foolishly accepts a bet from his leery business partner (Juliet Gayet).
“No Reservations” (PG) (3)
[Some sensuality and language.] — Mouth-watering food dominates this heartwarming, but syrupy, 114-minute, 2007 remake of “Mostly Martha” in which a finicky, rigid, meticulous, workaholic chef (Catherine Zeta-Jones) must cope with raising her sister’s daughter (Abigail Breslin) after a tragic car accident and getting along with a new chef (Aaron Eckhart) after her boss (Patricia Clarkson) hires him to help out at her popular New York City restaurant.
“Sunshine” (R) (1.5)
[Violent content and language.] — Fabulous special effects and cinematography unfortunately substitute for a compelling plot in this convoluted, futuristic, ultimately nonsensical, 107-minute, 2007 sci-fi thriller about eight scientists (Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Troy Garity, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Benedict Wong) aboard the spaceship Icarus who discover a menacing entity (Chipo Chung) after losing contact with Earth and trying to complete their mission of detonating a massive, highly energetic bomb that will hopefully restore the dying sun.
“Talk to Me” (R) (3)
[Pervasive language and some sexual content.] — After just-released, sharp-tongued miscreant Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Jr. (Don Cheadle), along with his supportive flamboyant girlfriend (Taraji P. Henson), pesters an initially skeptical WLOL radio programming director (Chiwetel Ejiofor) for a job as a deejay in this well-acted, insightful, 118-minute, 2007 biographical film, the director manages to convince his equally skeptical, blue-suited boss (Martin Sheen) to hire the prison deejay, who proved to be a the bigger than life personality with a razor-sharp wit and a unique pulse on the black community in Washington, D.C. from the mid-1960s until his death in 1984.
“Ten Canoes” (NR) (3.5)
[Subtitled] — While a jealous Aborigine (Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu) living in northeastern Australia covets one of his brother’s three wives (Frances Djulibing, Sonia Djarrabalminym, and Cassandra Malangarri Baker) and the tribe builds canoes and hunts for geese eggs in the Arafure Swamp in this entertaining, humorous, 90-minute, 2006 film filled with exquisite cinematography, an Aboriginal storyteller (David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu) tells a 1,000-year-old tale about another likeminded warrior (Crusoe Kurddal) who wanted another man’s wife, which eventually lead to a violent and deadly retribution.
See related: All Film News on MinnyApple.com
©1986 through 2016 by Wendy Schadewald. The preceding films were reviewed by Wendy Schadewald, who has been a Twin Cities film critic since 1986. To see more of her film reviews, log on to 60-Second Film Reviews.
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