 In this film image released by The Weinstein Company, James D'Arcy, left, and Andrea Riseborough are shown in a scene from "W.E." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Anthony Souza)
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Capsule reviews of new film releases
"Big Miracle" - If a movie is cheesy and knows it's cheesy - if it embraces the soft, gooey texture and pungent aroma of its own fromage - does that make it any more palatable as a meal? That is the question to ponder while watching this rousing, feel-good, family-friendly animal adventure that has the added benefit of being based on a true story. It's a weird hodgepodge, mixing the large cast and the melodrama of a 1970s disaster movie with the small-town quirkiness of "Northern Exposure," with just a touch of the big-haired ambition of "Broadcast News." At its centre are three grey whales - a mother, father and baby who found themselves trapped within the quickly forming Arctic ice near Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States, in 1988. The effort to free them in the open water brought together a disparate alliance of environmental activists, oil executives, journalists, native people and even the Soviets toward the end of the Cold War, and it fascinated viewers worldwide. John Krasinski plays Adam, the boyishly enthusiastic local TV reporter who breaks the story. He gets some help from an adorable little native boy (Ahmaogak Sweeney) who looks up to him as a big brother as well as from his idealistic ex-girlfriend, Greenpeace leader Rachel (Drew Barrymore). But soon everyone's invading this small, remote town for a piece of the action, which sets up all the fish-out-of-water scenarios you'd expect. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell are among the ensemble cast. PG for language. 107 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
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"Chronicle" - It owes a great debt to the found-footage conceit of "The Blair Witch Project," has some of the esthetic and tonal touches of "Cloverfield" and probes the same sorts of philosophical notions about the burden of power that serve as the basis for the "X-Men" series. And yet, "Chronicle" still has enough energy and ingenuity to serve as thrilling entertainment all its own. First-time feature director Josh Trank and writer Max Landis (as in son-of-John) have come up with a clever way to tell a hand-held, point-of-view story without relying on the same old grainy, headache-inducing shaky-cam techniques: The camera can levitate. Because the three teenagers who take turns operating it have acquired the power of telekinesis. These are three recognizable high school types: nerdy loner Andrew (Dane DeHaan), popular athlete Steve (Michael B. Jordan) and Matt (Alex Russell), Andrew's cousin who falls somewhere in the middle of the social hierarchy. One night in the woods outside a party, they discover a hole in the ground and decide to explore it. Since Andrew chronicles everything with his video camera, he documents what they find: some sort of glowing cosmic thing that fascinates them, and also gives them the ability to move and manipulate things with their minds. Rather than embark on some important superhero adventure, they do what regular kids would do. They mess with people at Walmart. The third act goes a little haywire, though, especially as the camera device collapses in favour of various points of view. PG-13 for intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking. 84 minutes. Three stars out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
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