Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Blue Grass Drive-in, Blue Grass IA
Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Davenport IA
FilmScene, Iowa City IA
The Last Picture House, Davenport IA
Marcus Sycamore Cinema, Iowa City IA
Putnam Museum & Science Center, Davenport IA
Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Delmar IA
(Hyperlinked titles take you to Reader reviews; IMDb hyperlinks take you to the films’ Internet Movie Database pages or other sites with film information.)
***
Abigail (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - Because almost half the movie is spent getting to the “twist” that nearly every patron will be aware of before entering the theater, you'll likely find yourself inordinately antsy even if you're enjoying the rogue's gallery of mismatched kidnappers. IMDb listing.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Monday, May 13, 7 & 7:15 p.m.) - Taken as a stand-alone experience, this comic-book flick's incidental pleasures turn out to be its only real pleasures. IMDb listing.
The Arc of Oblivion (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Tuesday, May 14, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
The Battle of Algiers (not rated; FilmScebe at the Chauncey: Sunday, May 12, 3:30 p.m., and Wednesday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (not rated; FilmScene on the Ped Mall: Thursday, May 16, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Challengers (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - A deep dive into competitive and sexual power dynamics so overflowing with passion that your admission ticket should come with a complimentary mini-fan. IMDb listing.
Chicken for Linda! (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
Civil War (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Alex Garland's rather astonishing dystopian provocation may be exciting, but it's exciting in the way a near-death experience is – which is to say terrifying, and no fun at all. IMDb listing.
Dawn of the Dead 3D (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, May 15, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Dino Dana: The Movie (PG; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Dragonkeeper (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.
Drive (R; The Last Picture House) - A sleek, exciting, and unexpectedly affecting tour de force of mood, like what you'd get if the Michael Mann of Manhunter and the David Lynch of Blue Velvet collaborated on a scrappy, grubby B-picture for drive-in audiences. IMDb listing.
The Fall Guy (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - The leads are attractive and charming. The action is swift and loud. The jokes are unmissable. And if you spend more than five seconds thinking about any of it, the whole thing crumbles like a particularly flimsy house of cards. IMDb listing.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (R; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - I just sighed at the experience, and slumped into my seat further and further as the film continually struggled, and failed, to deliver anything approximating the zippy good times of Ivan Reitman's '80s blockbusters. IMDb listing.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - While I'd hardly consider this monster mash on par with the Oscar-winning genius of Godzilla Minus One, but I actually managed to stay awake, and even have a bit of fun. IMDb listing.
Into America's Wild (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Jolly Roger (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
Journey to Space (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Says narrator Patrick Stewart of the genial scientists on-screen, "It's all about getting the job done and having a little fun" - an apt description for this edu-doc itself. IMDb listing.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Kung Fu Panda 4 (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre) - This third animated sequel is hardly a debacle, but it's definitely a series low point, and all but indistinguishable from a 90-minute yawn. IMDb listing.
The Met Opera: Madama Butterfly (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Saturday, May 11, 11:55 a.m., and Wednesday, May 15, 1 & 6:30 p.m.) - MetOpera.org.
Migration (PG; Voy 61 Drive In Theatre) - This goofy animated outing is merely a well-executed lark with all the expected, family-friendly Life Lessons in place, if one boasting funnier second bananas than we're generally treated to. IMDb listing.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Guy Ritchie's spy-themed action comedy is for everyone who would've liked Inglourious Basterds more if it had less threat, less wit, and no Christoph Waltz. IMDb listing.
Museum Alive! (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
National Parks Adventure (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - This expectedly gorgeous edu-doc is also unexpectedly, even thrillingly, varied in presentation: sensationally informative, joyfully inspiring, and even laugh-out-loud funny. IMDb listing.
Oceans (G; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - The movie's 85 minutes occasionally crawl by as deliberately as its sea-floor denizens, but it's hard to be too disappointed by a film that provides so many extraordinary sights. IMDb listing.
The Old Oak (not rated; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - IMDb listing.
Robinson Crusoe (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
Secrets of the Dunes (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
SLC Punk! (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Monday, May 13, 6:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: 25th Anniversary (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Superpower Dogs (G; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - We're given just enough information on how the heroic pups pull off their feats of derring-do to wholly appreciate them in practice, with the duties of the stunningly well-trained Ricochet proving especially moving. IMDb listing.
Tarot (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - This boring, unsatisfying horror flick is practically screaming for a Final Destination-like presentation, and as in the outer space of Ridley Scott's Alien, apparently no one can hear it. IMDb listing.
The Three Musketeers (PG; FilmScene on the Ped Mall: Friday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Tomb Racers (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
The Transformers: The Movie -- 40th Anniversary (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Twister (PG-13; The Last Picture House: Friday, May 10, 8:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Unsung Hero (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Given that so many works of this sort feel predictable to a fault even from their first trailers, I was thoroughly grateful for the unanticipated character complexity. IMDb listing.
Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - I might've left this edu-doc just as satisfied if it were a silent film, or at least one wholly free of words, given that the 3D sights on display left me less fascinated than thunderstruck. IMDb listing.
Wild Africa (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Wildcat (not rated; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - IMDb listing.
The Wizard of Oz: 85th Anniversary (G; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
