Godzilla PG-13
Once again, Godzilla is an amazing monster that rises from the sea to dwarf skyscrapers and to terrorize mankind. But wait! Godzilla also saves us from two long-gestating creatures that feast on radiation and devastate everything in their paths. Starring Bryan Cranston as something of a mad scientist, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the scientist’s son, the film examines government conspiracies, the ecological destruction humans leave in our wake, and our fascination with things that go bump in the night. Elizabeth Olsen channels our wide-eyed fascination and our fear of reptiles as she watches Godzilla wander through a city, his gigantic tail cutting through buildings as if they were butter. (Lisa Miller)
Hamlet A.D.D. Not Rated
Milwaukee filmmakers Bobby Ciraldo and Andrew Swant have produced a humorous take on Shakespeare, complete with such contemporary touches as zombies, robots and space travel. Come to think of it: if zombies, robots and space travel had been part of Elizabethan pop culture, Shakespeare would have happily incorporated them into his productions. Familiar local faces proliferate throughout Hamlet A.D.D., including Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank, along with such out-of-towners as Mark Metcalf, Neil Hamburger and Majel Barrett Roddenberry. (David Luhrssen)
7 p.m., Thursday, May 15, Landmark Oriental Theatre
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return PG
Based on the books by L. Frank Baum’s great-grandson, Roger Stanton Baum, Dorothy (Lea Michele) awakens in post-tornado Kansas. Before she can get her bearings, she learns Oz is under attack from a new villain, the Jester (Martin Short). Dorothy agrees to return in order to aid her friends the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Lion (James Belushi), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammar) and the good witch Glinda (Bernadette Peters). Additional new characters are voiced by Oliver Platt, Hugh Dancy, Megan Hilty and Patrick Stewart, but there’s no getting around the film’s annoying animation or a busy storyline that lacks emotional oomph. (L.M.)
