Opening Friday
The Call
Halle Berry is a 911 operator drawn into a dangerous situation when she receives a distress call about a missing girl. (R, 94 minutes)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
The only incredible thing here is the way this comedy makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable. In a film about magic tricks, this is the most difficult feat of all. Even when Carell is playing characters who are nerdy (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin’’) or needy (“Crazy, Stupid, Love’’) or clueless (TV’s ‘‘The Office’’) or just plain odd (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’’), there’s usually an inherent decency that shines through and makes him seem relatable, vulnerable, human. None of those qualities exists within Burt Wonderstone, a selfish and flashy Las Vegas magician who once ruled the Strip alongside his longtime friend and partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), but now finds his act has grown outdated and unpopular. Even within the confines of a comedy sketch, where he probably belongs, Burt would seem one-dimensional and underdeveloped with his hacky jokes and tacky clothes. Stretched out to feature length, the shtick becomes nearly unbearable — until, of course, the movie doles out its obligatory comeuppance, followed by redemption, and goes all soft and nice. By then it’s too little, too late. Jim Carrey gives it his all, as always, as the up-and-coming gonzo street magician who threatens Burt’s career. When Carrey shows up on the Strip as hipster stunt artist Steve Gray, any hopes of comic riffing between him and Carell are soon dashed by the realization that, true to his character, he barely registers his co-stars’ presence. "Burt Wonderstone" is best appreciated not as an ensemble of inspired talents but as the convergence of very funny actors who are all starring in their own little movies.
Still, "Burt Wonderstone" magically produces its share of modest laughs: With his ombre-blond hair and tribal tattoos, Carrey does a magnificently deranged job of skewering the inane hijinks of such performers as David Blaine and Criss Angel.
Carell, more reserved than usual, channels Siegfried, Roy and David Copperfield (who good-naturedly shows up for a cameo) to create a character who will never end up in his classic repertory, but allows him some clever visual humor nonetheless. One of the few memorable bits in "Burt Wonderstone" is Carell’s one-man rendition of an undoubtedly two-man routine. (PG-13, 101 minutes)
— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
SECOND WEEK
Oz the Great and Powerful
‘‘Oz’’ features a couple of fun performances, a handful of witty lines, some clever details and spectacular costumes. At its center is a miscast James Franco, co-star of Sam Raimi’s ‘‘Spider-Man’’ movies, as the circus huckster who becomes the reluctant Wizard of Oz. (PG, 130 minutes)
Dead Man Down
Colin Farrell plays a brooding gangster, Victor, who’s infiltrated the brutal gang of Alphonse to avenge the deaths of his wife and daughter. He’s joined in revenge by Beatrice, who blackmails him into killing the drunk driver that crashed into her. Though her beauty is hardly marred, children throw rocks and shout ‘‘Monster!’’ at her. The film either can’t stomach having its star actress appear actually maimed, or it’s simply too lazy to make Beatrice’s motivations plausible. (R, 118 minutes)
THIRD WEEK
Jack the Giant Slayer, (PG-13, 117 minutes)
21 & Over, (R, 93 minutes)
FIFTH WEEK
Safe Haven, (PG-13, 115 minutes)
SIXTH WEEK
Identity Thief, (R, 107 minutes)
LEAVING TONIGHT
The Last Exorcism Part II, Snitch, Escape from Planet Earth.
