Coyote vs. Acme
Aledo Opera House, Aledo IL
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
VIP Cinemas, Moline IL
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.)
***
American Doctor (not rated; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - IMDb listing.
Arctic: Our Frozen Planet (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Back from the Brink: Saved from Extinction (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - This edu-doc would be recommended solely for the chance, for 40 minutes, to actually feel momentarily great about the state of the human race. IMDb listing.
Batman (PG-13; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Thursday, September 17, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Buddy (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Rasting roughly nine times as long as Too Many Cooks, Casper Kelly's first big-screen release delivers a solid concept, sometimes ideally presented, that wildly overstays its welcome. IMDb listing.
Bugs! (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - The effects make the film's creepy-crawly world pop in enjoyable fashion, and the bugs' life-and-death struggle makes for endlessly intriguing viewing IMDb listing.
By Any Means (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) -A few hours after this period thriller mercifully ended, it finally dawned on me who Mark Wahlberg was reminding me of: Alley Oop. That incongruously bulky comic-strip caveman whose jokes are funny only to him. IMDb listing.
Cars: 20th Anniversary (G; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Aledo Opera House, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Pixar's smash has its share of awesome animated sights, but the film has almost no personality - like its central character, it's a shiny, lifeless thing. IMDb listing.
Clueless (PG-13; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Coyote vs. Acme (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, FilmScene on the Ped Mall, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Astonishingly, especially for a movie that runs roughly 35 times longer than any Looney Tunes classic ever did, this comedy doesn't run out of invention, and might even necessitate a second viewing just to notch all the gags. IMDb listing.
Dear You (PG-13; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - 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.
Dirty Dancing (PG-13; Blue Grass Drive-in) - IMDb listing.
The Dog Stars (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - The energy on display would hardly be enough to illuminate a 20-watt bulb, and in roughly 95 percent of Ridley Scott's dystopic thriller, the prettiness is the only thing actively working in its favor. IMDb listing.
Elephants: Giants of the Desert (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
The End of Oak Street (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - David Robert Mitchell's dinosaurs-in-suburbia thriller is an absolute blast. I sensed that it was also a blast to make. IMDb listing.
Fall 2: Deadpoint (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - This survival-thriller sequel isn't bad. It's just serviceable and kinda dull. 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.
For Kicks (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, September 16, 7:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Germany, Year Zero (not rated; The Last Picture House: Wednesday, September 16, 6 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Grease (PG; Blue Grass Drive-in) - IMDb listing.
Hope (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Monday, September 7) - Francis Lawrence's terrific dystopian thriller kept me invested for the entirety of its two-and-a-half hours – even if it was slightly odd that this big-budget, large-scale return of cinematic YA lit is wholly stolen by its grown-ups. IMDb listing.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Friday, September 4) - This sequel doesn't inspire anywhere near that level of "What's gonna happen next?" engagement, yet it's a solid, mostly enjoyable follow-up, and sometimes even better than that. IMDb listing.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Saturday, September 5) - After the Hunger Games outings that preceded it, I found it unfortunate that this entry seemed designed almost solely for those who wouldn't consider missing an issue of Tiger Beat. IMDb listing.
The Hunger Games:: Mockingjay - Part 2 (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Sunday, September 6) - While I didn't join in my fellow patrons' applause at the end, I was happier with this entry than any since 2012's original. IMDb listing.
In the Heights (PG-13; The Last Picture House: Tuesday, September 15, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Insidious: Out of the Further (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) Standard “Boo!” effects amid endless narrative repetition, and an underwhelming new villain, Sam Spruell's Cyrus Lam, who's like the love child of Marilyn Manson and Keith Richards, except he doesn't rock.- IMDb listing.
Jane Elliott Against the World (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Sunday, September 13, 4 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
La Cocina (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Monday, September 14, 6:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - IMDb listing.
Minions & Monsters (PG; VIP Cinemas) - It's hard to think of a more ticklish recent ode to cinema than thios animated sequel, which would've been just about perfect if its monsters were ditched entirely. IMDb listing.
Moana (PG; VIP Cinemas) - Another unconscionable yet sadly inevitable Disney cash grab. IMDb listing.
MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments - Sting of Death (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Aledo Opera House, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Sunday, September 13) - FathomEntertainment.com.
Mutiny (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in) - For 90-ish minutes, there's really nothing to do but watch Jason Statham pick off one swarthy goon after another, and as these things go, it's pretty bearable. IMDb listing.
Mysteries of the Unseen World (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - One of the fastest-moving, most visually resplendent edu-tainments the Putnam has ever housed. IMDb listing.
Ninja: The Final Duel (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, September 16, 10 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, yet it's hard to be too disappointed by a film that provides so many extraordinary sights. IMDb listing.
The Odyssey (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - A Homer adaptation of staggering grandeur and (for Nolan) considerable emotional power, and more sheer fun than anything Christopher Nolan has delivered since The Dark Knight. IMDb listing.
Onslaught (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House) - Director Adam Wingard's action thriller is a schlocky, imbecilic take on The Terminator that, in an additional nod to Aliens, turns Adria Arjona into a Sigourney Weaver with her very own Newtt. IMDb listing.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
The Piano (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, September 12, 4 p.m., and Tuesday, September 16, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
The Samurai & the Prisoner (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
Sorry to Bother You (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, September 12, 10 p.m.) = Boots Riley's authorship, as both writer and director, is so profound and assured that you simply roll with the movie's intellectual and visual gut punches, even if you don't quite get what's going on. IMDb listing.
Spa Weekend (R; Blue Grass Drive-in) - A prototypically dopey buddy comedy made modestly pleasurable through its stars' individual comic gifts and shared chemistry. IMDb listing.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Its moderate merits are ultimately undone by the element that's been imposing itself on Marvel Studios releases for ages: a feature-length game of connect the dots. IMDb listing.
The Sun Never Sets (R; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Superpower Dogs (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Daniel Ferguson provides enough globe-trotting action for a James Bond flick, treating us to first-rate training footage and re-created missions in locales ranging from the Canadian Rockies to the Italian coast to a debris-strewn site near New York's Ground Zero. IMDb listing.
T. Rex (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma (R; The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey) - Jane Schoenbrun's splatter comedy is a big, rollicking blast of pure fun, and of filmmaking excitement, too. IMDb listing.
Tom & Jerry: Forbidden Compass (PG; VIP Cinemas; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Tony (R; VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey) - Matt Johnson, propelling the action with admirable speed, writes spiky, winningly profane dialogue, and the brash, laser-focused Dominic Sessa, in the Anthony Bourdain bio-pic, finally fulfills the promise of his 2023 Holdovers debut. IMDb listing.
Toy Story 5 (PG; VIP Cinemas, 61 Voy Drive In Theatre, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - To not have fun at this movie, I think you'd have to actively try to have a bad time – which isn't to say that we didn't deserve a better one. IMDb listing.
Twister (PG-13; Aledo Opera House) - IMDb listing.
Videodrome (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall Rooftop: Sunday, September 13, 7:30 p.m.) - 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 sights on display left me less fascinated than thunderstruck. IMDb listing.
Wild Africa (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
World Trade Center (R; Aledo Opera House) - We're supposed to let the crummy script and narrative contrivances off on a pass merely because it's a film about 9/11, but just because a movie is sincere doesn't mean it isn't phony. IMDb listing.
