20 / Thursday, January 29, 2015 Gray DVD Movies from page 16 picking up, he’s paid a visit by Eloise’s paternal grandmother, Rowena (Spencer), a loving but iron-fisted matriarch whose boggle-eyed glare is enough to push back an army, and who soon takes it upon herself to demand custody of her granddaughter through the help of hotshot nephew lawyer, Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie). “Inspired by a true incident” per the opening credits, the screenplay by Binder paints a broad but credible portrait of a fractured family living on opposite sides of L.A.’s racial barrier, with Elliot carousing around his massive suburban mansion while Rowena shelters relatives in a Compton abode across the street from a crack den. Yet neither household is shown to be a total movie cliche, and the script intelligently navigates both domains to reveal how they have more in common than they may imagine, especially when it concerns the best interests of their granddaughter. As Rowena blindly (and not always understandably) continues her legal pursuits just as Reggie pops back into the picture, the race question is eventually brought into play and even becomes a major factor in the ensuing trial. Various plot mechanics, some of them rather heavy-handed, lead to a resolu- tion that predictably shows how little race ultimately matters, although “Black or White” never panders too easily to sentiments, creating characters who are riddled with flaws but likeable all the same. Such is the case with Elliot, and as both producer and star this is clearly Costner’s film for the taking. It’s a pleasure to see the seasoned actor approaching this kind of role after a recent run of genre-related material (“Man of Steel,” “3 Days to Kill”), reteaming with Binder (who he worked with on “The Upside of Anger”) to play a man whose life has been riddled with tragedy but who still has a fighting spirit and dark sense of humor. (Costner can also still play a convincing drunk, which is no easy task.) The rest of the cast is excellent, starting with Spencer and her guns-a-blazing portrayal of Rowena, and moving down to the terrific young Koaho, who sparks the most laughs with his depiction of an African immigrant who’s the smartest guy in the room and not afraid to say it. “Black or White,” a Relativity Media release, is rated PG-13 for “for brief strong language, thematic material involving drug use and drinking, and for a fight.” Running time: 121 minutes. from page 19 of art forger Mark Landis . • “Mas Negro Que La Noche”: Four women are trapped in a sinister mansion. • “Born of War”: Revenge drives a young woman into battle. • “Arthur: Fountain Abbey”: Adventure inspired by “Downton Abbey.” • “Kingdom of Dreams and Madness”: Director Mami Sunada’s look at Studio Ghibli. • “The Remaining”: Five friends try to survive a series of cataclysmic events. • “Maison Close: Season One”: TV series that takes viewers into an exclusive 19th century bordello. WEEKENDER • “The Color of Time”: James Franco collaborates with 12 film grad students. • “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?”: Film crew gets involved with a Japanese gang feud. • “Regular Show: Mordecai Pack”: Includes 16 episodes of the Cartoon Network show spotlighting Mordecai. • “Big Driver”: Novelist is determined to get revenge after a brutal crime. • “My Little Pony: The Movie”: With Hydia wants to spoil a big festival. • “Open Windows”: Date with a Hollywood actress takes a dark turn. Charlie Palmateer’s Top Notch Tavern World Famous Prime Rib Dine & Relax by our Real Wood Fireplace Make Your Reservations Now for VALENTINE’S DAY February 14th Our new lite fare menu is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays. At bar only Fridays & Saturdays. 20 Draft Beers & Premium Wine List Gift Certificates Available Reservations Suggested Weekdays & Required on Weekends Closed Mondays; Tues-Thurs 4:30 to 10pm Fri-Sat 4:30 to 11pm; Sun 12 to 9pm 712 Co. Road 132, Hagaman, NY Call: 518-THE-BEEF The Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y. from page 18 “The Duke of Burgundy” — An entomologist tests the limits of her sadomasochistic relationship with her lover. With Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D’Anna. Written and directed by Peter Strickland. (1:46) NR. “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” — There are three big Middle-earth lessons in Peter Jackson's J.R.R. Tolkien finale. Firstly: Dragons, even ones as mighty as Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), are ever so moan-y and melodramatic when wounded. Secondly: Five armies are too many. “The Hobbit” battlefield soon looks like an out-ofcontrol Comic-Con after-party with its orcs, elves and dwarfs. Finally: Hobbits such as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and certain, ahem, directors, are reluctant to say goodbye. Which is why the film's title could just as easily have been “The Indecision of the Five Endings.” In 3-D, Imax and HFR. (2:21) PG-13. “The Humbling” — A famous but depressed stage actor attempts to get his mojo back and has an affair with a lesbian half his age. With Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Nina Arianda. Written by Buck Henry and Michael Zebede. Directed by Barry Levinson. (1:53) R. “Mommy” — A widowed mother burdened with the full-time custody of her unpredictable 15-year-old son finds help from a peculiar new neighbor. With Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon and Suzanne Clement. Written and directed by Xavier Dolan. (2:19) R. “Mortdecai” — A roguish art dealer races to recover a stolen painting that may hold the key to a stash of Nazi gold. With Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor. Written by Eric Aronson. Directed by David Koepp. (1:47) R. “The Principle” — A documentary questioning the Copernican Principle, which holds that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Directed by Katheryne Ktee Thomas. (1:30) PG. “Red Army” — A documentary about the Soviet Union and the dominance of its national hockey team during the Cold War. Directed by Gabe Polsky. (1:25) PG. “Selma” — The first Hollywood production to put Martin Luther King Jr. front and center is a necessary film, even an essential one, with more than its share of memorable performances, especially by star David Oyelowo, and vivid, compelling sequences. But it is also inconsistent and not always as strong as its strongest moments. (2:08) PG-13. “Song One” — When a car accident leaves her musician brother in a coma, an archaeologist returns home to see him and strikes up a relationship with his favorite artist. With Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen. Written and directed by Kate Barker-Froyland. (1:28) PG-13. “Spare Parts” — While the appropriately titled “Spare Parts” might feel like it has been Almanac assembled from bits and pieces of other inspirational movies, that doesn't mean the factbased drama is any less effective when it comes to hitting all the requisite crowd-pleasing chords. Based on a Wired magazine article about a quartet of undocumented Latino high school students who entered an underwater robotics competition, director Sean McNamara's film is impressively buoyed by a cast of young newcomers and seasoned pros. (1:53) PG-13. “Still Alice” — Losing your mind is a terrible thing to watch, but the splendid acting in “Still Alice” makes it worth the pain. Scarier than any Elm Street nightmare, a horror film for the rest of us, it succeeds despite itself because of strong performances by Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart. (1:39) PG-13. “Strange Magic” — Goblins, elves, fairies and imps battle over a powerful potion in this animated musical inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” With the voices of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood and Kristin Chenoweth. Written by David Berenbaum, Irene Mecchi and Gary Rydstrom. Directed by Rydstrom. (1:39) PG. “Taken 3” is so unintentionally hilarious I couldn't help but wonder: Do movie contracts carry a humiliation bonus clause these days? The highoctane action thriller once again features Liam Neeson as the former black-ops guy with all those particular skills intact. But this time around the dramatics and dialogue are so laugh-out-loud funny that if there is a “4” — despite the promises that “3” is the final chapter — maybe it should be a straight-out satire. (1:52) PG-13. “Unbroken” — Despite all the good things in it, and there are many, the Angelina Joliedirected “Unbroken” is incomplete and unbalanced. It's made a decision not to tell all of Louis Zamperini's riveting true story, and that choice costs it in the end. (2:17) PG-13. “We’ll Never Have Paris” — After leaving his girlfriend for a gorgeous co-worker, a guy realizes he’s made a huge mistake and heads to France to win back his ex. With Simon Helberg, Melanie Lynskey and Zachary Quinto. Written by Helberg. Directed by Helberg and Jocelyn Towne. (1:32) R. “The Wedding Ringer” — There is considerable comic chemistry in this film between the high-octane Kevin Hart and the energyconserving Josh Gad. A good thing since theirs is the only relationship worth watching. Gad plays a loser groom, Hart the best manfor-hire. It's a crazy conceit and Hart tackles it with his signature style. Watching him sweettalk his way out of one dilemma after another offers a little redemption. But too often “Ringer” looks like a hodgepodge of “Hitch,” “Wedding Crashers” and “Bridesmaids” — something borrowed, something blue and all of it half-baked. (1:41) R. — Los Angeles Times from page 16 eventually, using it. In a somewhat amusing wink to the audience, the characters keep restating that they have to film everything. But, the first hour of the film is so relentlessly paced, it feels like it’s on fast-forward. From the camera movements to the manic dialogue and energy of the teens, the audience is pummeled with jargon and mostly useless information as the kids try to get a handle on their new toy. There also are a host of just out-of-date references (jokes about films like “Argo” and “Looper” from 2012) that only serve to remind that this movie, previously titled “Welcome to Yesterday” has been sitting on the shelf for a year. Even though those remain, there were some last-minute edits that took place (between even an early January screening and its Jan. 30 release). Paramount and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes took heat for utilizing footage of an actual plane crash in the movie. They “are in the process of removing the footage from the film and promotional materials,” the studio said in a statement on the eve of its release, declining to specify what will replace it. That’s not to say there aren’t any good ideas here. When the kids finally figure out how to jump back in time, and everything mercifully slows down, things get pretty fun for a while as they do exactly what you might expect teenagers would do — going back in time a few days to ace a failed chemistry test, stand up to your bully, win some lotto money and so on. There’s also a great sequence that brings the teens to the music festival Lollapalooza that is actually as joyous to watch as it presumably is to be there. Things take a dark turn in the film when David gets greedy and jumps back in time alone to try to re-do a botched moment with his crush (Sofia BlackD’Elia) and bad things start happening in the future, but interest wanes as the stakes get higher. Director Dean Israelite in his feature debut proves that he has a keen knack for conveying teen pluck, friendships and flirtations. The scenes that show the actual process of time travel are even quite thrilling and inventive, but the found-footage gimmick makes it nearly impossible to evaluate his talents. It’s time to hang up the GoPro and return to actual filmmaking. “Project Almanac,” a Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for “some language and sexual content.” Running time: 106 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.