Photo © Marvel Entertainment
Captain America: Brave New World film still
Anthony Mackie in 'Captain America: Brave New World'
Captain America: Brave New World
(In Theaters Feb. 14)
In this fifth Captain America film, Harrison Ford takes over for the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross. Now President Ross summons Captain America to ask for his help in defeating a nefarious, world-ending scheme. Anthony Mackie portrays Sam Wilson/Captain America for the second time. He senses something amiss, unaware that Ross transforms into the Red Hulk. Liv Tyler returns to the role of Ross’s daughter Betty, now transforming into the Red She Hulk.
While Wilson’s Captain America lacks the superpowers wielded by predecessor Steve Rogers, Wilson’s wings are as indestructible as his shield. Another threat is posed by a Black-Widow-trained adversary. She is Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas), a close ally of Ross. To combat these adversaries, Wilson is helped by Falcon (Danny Ramirez), who has taken over for Wilson’s Falcon after Wilson was promoted to Captain America. Confused yet? Fans of whizbang gadgetry and action are rewarded by this $180-million-dollar effort chock full of both. One battle sequence, between Captain America and the Red Hulk, features over 300 special effects; the sort of overkill that seems very American indeed. (Lisa Miller)
A Certain Killer/A Killer’s Key
(Arrow Blu-ray)
A youngish man emerges from the crowd, takes a taxi and travels to an industrial wasteland; he walks from where he’s dropped through a graveyard overlooked by a sooty hotel where he waits for a woman. A jarring flashback shows how they met, and other flashbacks help move the story forward.
Japanese director Kazuo Mori’s A Certain Killer (1967) is a crime picture composed of elegant visuals and pregnant silences. The youngish man is a professional killer, choosy with whom he works. The bursts of violence are bomb blasts against the laconic dialogue and the stillness of his inner thoughts. A Certain Killer is pared on the new Blu-ray release with A Killer’s Key, same director, same year, same mastery. (David Luhrssen)
Paddington in Peru
(In Theaters Feb. 14)
Paddington Bear is one of Britain's many gifts to the U.S. He appears in his third movie adventure as a relatively modest hero. His favorite things are marmalade and family. Having spent his earliest years in Peru, Paddington (voice of Ben Whishaw) was adopted by the English Brown family, headed by stuffy patriarch Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Henry’s more free-spirited wife Mary (Emily Mortimer). The family is called to action when Paddington receives a message from a Peruvian Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), stating that his beloved adoptive Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), is in decline.
The Browns choose to think of the trip as a relaxing family vacation, but those hopes are dashed once in Peru where the Reverend Mother claims that Lucy has run away into the jungle. Hoping to find her, the Browns hire treasure-obsessed Spaniard Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), and his boat, to take them on a search for Lucy. Their journey is full of surprising twists, mainly emerging from Cabot’s desire to find the rumored missing El Dorado gold. Tamer and more innocuous than many Stateside offerings, Paddington features a CGI rendered bear interacting with live action players and is appropriate for all ages. (Lisa Miller)
