MARCH MOVIES

March 3
21 AND OVER Straight-A college student Jeff Chang has always done what’s expected of him. But when his two best friends, Casey and Miller, surprise him with a visit for his 21st birthday, he decides to do the unexpected for a change, even though his critical medical school interview is early the next morning. What was supposed to be one beer becomes one night of chaos, over-indulgence and utter debauchery in this outrageous comedy. Starring: Miles Teller, Justin Chon and Skylar Astin. Rated R
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend—and gets the chance to become a legend himself. Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor. Rated PG13
THE LAST EXORCISM: Part 2 Continuing where the first film left off, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is found terrified and alone in rural Louisiana. Back in the relative safety of New Orleans, Nell realizes that she can’t remember entire portions of the previous months, only that she is the last surviving member of her family. Just as Nell begins the difficult process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her is back with other, unimaginably horrific plans that mean her last exorcism was just the beginning. Rated PG13
PHANTOM Ed Harris plays the captain of a Cold War Soviet missile submarine who has secretly been suffering from seizures that alter his perception of reality. Forced to leave his wife and daughter, he is rushed into a classified mission, where he is haunted by his past and challenged by a rogue KGB group (led by David Duchovny) bent on seizing control of the ship’s nuclear missile. With the fate of humanity in his hands, Harris discovers he’s been chosen for this mission in the belief he would fail. “Phantom” is a suspense submarine thriller about extraordinary men facing impossible choices.
STOKER After India’s (Mia Wasikowska’s) father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). Soon after his arrival, she comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives, but instead of feeling outrage or horror, this friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

March 8
DEAD MAN DOWN Niels Arden Oplev, the acclaimed director of the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” makes his American theatrical. Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as two strangers who are irresistibly drawn to one another by their mutual desire for revenge. The film co-stars Academy Award® nominee Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper, from a screenplay by J.H.Wyman (“Fringe”). Rated R
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL tells the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot–fame and fortune are his for the taking–that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity–and even a bit of wizardry–Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well. Rated PG

March 15
THE CALL When veteran 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry), takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl’s life.
THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego. But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other. Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale. But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act—both onstage and off—if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place. Rated PG13

March 22
ADMISSION Tina Fey (“Date Night,” “30 Rock”) and Paul Rudd (“I Love You Man,” “Knocked Up”) star in Admission, the new film directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”), about the surprising detours we encounter on the road to happiness. Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the free-wheeling John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted — but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having. Rated PG13
THE CROODS A prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world’s first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures – and their outlook is changed forever. Featuring voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman. Rated PG
InAPPropriate COMEDY is a no-holds barred sketch movie starring Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody as “Flirty Harry,” a tough, no nonsense cop with a soft middle and a flair for fashion; Rob Schneider in a dual role as both a sleazy, horny psychologist and a curmudgeonly porn critic, alongside his enthusiastic counterpart Michelle Rodriguez; Lindsay Lohan living out her fantasy of taking an ultimate revenge on the salivating paparazzi who haunt her, and Ari Shaffir as “The Amazing Racist,” whose hilariously offensive hidden-camera encounters with members of different ethnic and minority groups push everyone’s buttons. Starring: Adrien Brody, Rob Schneider, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan and Ari Shaffir. Rated R
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President, and avert an even bigger disaster. Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo and Rick Yune.

March 29
G.I. JOE: RETALIATION The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner, from a screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe characters.
THE HOST What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? This is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga” and worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about – Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt), proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world. Rated PG13
TYLER PERRY’S TEMPTATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR A bold exploration of the intrigue and perils of infidelity and a compelling love story that dives straight into the heart of obsessive passion. “It’s about a woman who starts to get restless in her relationship, and her choice to be with another man has a huge effect on the rest of her life,” explains screenwriter/producer/director Tyler Perry. “She goes on a journey – in her career and in her marriage – and she ends up in a very different place than she expected.” In a departure from his previous dramas, this explosive film finds Perry exploring the nature of desire – and just how powerful and dangerous a taste of the forbidden can be. “This is definitely one of the most provocative movies – sexually and otherwise – that I’ve made,” says the director. “There are a lot of people who struggle in their relationships. They make bad choices about their marriages. They get divorced. And so many of them don’t step out of their situation and really think about the consequences of what they’re doing. This movie asks, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ It sends up a flag.” Starring: Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross, Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Williams, Robbie Jones, Renée Taylor, Ella Joyce and Brandy Norwood. Rated PG13

Special Film Events – March 2013

Beginning March 8 OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL When small-time magician Oscar Diggs pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz. Don’t miss this IMAX 3D experience. Check the website for times and also a selection of documentary films showing regularly. The IMAX Theatre is located in the World Golf Village, One World Golf Place, St. Augustine, 904-940-IMAX, wgv.com.

March 10 Leave ’em Laughing Tent Jacksonville’s chapter of The International Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society (a.k.a. Sons of the Desert) presents a family-friendly showing of Laurel & Hardy movies, including light snacks, sodas, and free to all. 2–4 pm. Pablo Creek Branch Library, 314-5801, http://leaveemlaughing.moviefever.com

Sun-Ray Spotlight
March 16 at 7:15 pm CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON with Julie Adams Live! For another only-at-Sun-Ray experience see the 1954 sci-fi classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, as director Jack Arnold originally intended his “cosmic philosophizing” classic to be seen –in glorious 3D. With an introduction by its star (not The Creature of course but the lovely Julie Adams who plays the Creature’s love interest, Kay) and connection to Northeast Florida’s Silver Springs as a location for the historic shoot, B movie fans won’t want to miss the film Fangoria calls “one of the best monster movies of all time.” Check the website dates and times of Oscar nominated AMOUR, locally made VEER!, and OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL in 3D, all showing in March. Sun-Ray Cinema, 1028 Park St,, sunraycinema.com