IF
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.)
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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.
Arctic: Our Frozen Planet (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Back to Black (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (NC-17; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, May 22, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
The Blue Angels (G; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.
Castle in the Sky (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Monday, May 20, and Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Challengers (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, FilmScene on the Ped Mall, 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.
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.
Common Ground (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Dinosaurs Alive! (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Even young viewers may wind up disappointed that the 3D effects don't add much, while the rest of us might also be underwhelmed by the sub-Ray Harryhausen recreations and general blandness of the presentation. IMDb listing.
The Fall Guy (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, The Last Picture House, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, FilmScene on the Ped Mall, 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.
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
Flight of the Butterflies (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - A bit pokey, but the slow, unspeakably beautiful explosion that is the butterflies' mass exodus is enough to make you believe in God - or, at the very least, in the gods of nature docs. IMDb listing.
Flying Lessons (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Sunday, May 19, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Food, Inc. 2 (not rated; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.
The Garfield Movie: Early Access Screening (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Sunday, May 19, 1 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - 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.
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (PG-13; Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Saturday, May 18, 12:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 19, 12:30 & 7:30 p.m.) - I was grateful for Alan Rickman's presence, because he appeared to be one of the few elements here designed to appeal to both the author's devotees and a film audience in equal measure. IMDb listing.
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18) - Alfonso Cuaron's Potter entry is as fine an entertainment as you could hope for, a visually audacious work with moments of true magic, and it improves on Chris Columbus' vision tenfold. IMDb listing.
Hundred Faces for a Single Day (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, May 18, 3:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
I Saw the TV Glow (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
IF (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - 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) - While director Wes Ball's new installment in the rebooted franchise is gripping and frequently exciting and a hell of a lot of fun, what most floored me wasn't the action, but rather the faces. IMDb listing.
Kung Fu Panda 4 (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - 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.
La La Land (PG-13; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m.) - Damien Chazelle's Oscar-winning musical is a delicious bonbon that considers itself a three-tiered wedding cake. IMDb listing.
Mad Max (R; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - 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.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: 40th Anniversary (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Sunday, May 19, 3 & 7 p.m., and Tuesday, May 21, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
North by Northwest: 65th Anniversary (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Sunday, May 19, 1 & 7 p.m., and Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m.) - 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.
Poolman (R; The Last Picture House) - IMDb listing.
Robinson Crusoe (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
Secrets of the Dunes (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Monday, May 20, 7 & 7:15 p.m.) - An almost-constant steam of minor marvels contributing to a shapely whole brimming with pleasure (reviewed by Jeff Igantius). IMDb listing.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: 25th Anniversary (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (R; 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.
Terrestrial Verses (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - 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: Saturday, May 18) - IMDb listing.
Uncut Gems (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m.) - A work so relentlessly believable in its moral rot and screeching urban chaos that I didn't want to spend more than five seconds in anyone's presence. 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.
Warrior Women (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center: Saturday, May 18, 5:05 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Where the Wild Things Are (PG; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - As wondrous an adaptation as we might've hoped for, one that retains all the charm of its literary source while providing added layers of emotion, depth, and substance. IMDb listing.
Wildcat (not rated; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - IMDb listing.
