How to Train Your Dragon

Blue Grass Drive-in, Blue Grass IA

Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAXDavenport IA

FilmScene, Iowa City IA

The Last Picture House, Davenport IA

Marcus Sycamore CinemaIowa City IA

Putnam Museum & Science Center, Davenport IA

VIP CinemasMoline 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.)

***

Andala Rakshasi (not rated; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - 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.

Ballerina (R; Davenport 53rd 18 +IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - The fighting in this John Wick offshoot is mostly excellent, and it desperately needs to be, because the rest of Len Wiseman's action thriller is largely a wash. IMDb listing.

Bring Her Back (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Days after seeing A24's lates horror film, I can't get more than a dozen scenes and images out of my mind. In a rarity for this theatre-of-cruelty sub-genre, I also don't necessarily want to. IMDb listing.

Bugs! (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - The 3D 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.

Castration Movie Anthology I: Traps (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 p.m.) - ICFilmScene.org.

Critical Role Live: Sydney, Australia (not rated: Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX< Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Thursday, June 19, 7 p.m.) - Fandango.com.

Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Dangerous Animals (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - Director Sean Byrne's and screenwriter Nick Lepard's shark thriller is agonizingly bad, and a specific failure regarding the elements that made it inherently promising. IMDb listing.

Dogma: Resurrected! A 25th Anniversary Celebration (R; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Elio: Early-Access Screening (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Wednesday, June 18, 4:10 & 6:45 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Final Destination: Bloodlines (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas) - Not only did I have a ball, but I was reminded why the FDs constitute my all-time-favorite fright-flick franchise that doesn't feature H.R. Giger xenomorphs. IMDb listing.

Finding Faith (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Monday, June 16, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Friday the 13th: 45th Anniversary (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Friday, June 13, 8:15 & 11:50 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Friday, June 13, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Friendship (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - With Tim Robinson turning high concept into cringey art, Andrew DeYoung's comedy is uproarious, unsettling, and oddly moving. IMDb listing.

The Garfield Movie (PG; VIP Cinemas: Wednesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 19, 10 a.m.) - An unexpectedly very funny animated slapstick, but in order to actively enjoy it, you have to agree to forget everything you ever knew about Jim Davis' tubby orange kitty. IMDb listing.

Giallo & Gelato: Italian Frights & Bites (not rated; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m.) - LastPictureHouse.com.

Hairspray (PG; Putnam Museum & Science Center: Thursday, June 19, 7 p.m.) - Adam Shankman's Broadway adaptation is a giggly pop fantasia exploding with exhilaration and imagination. IMDb listing.

Harold & the Purple Crayon (PG; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - This adult found the family comedy alternately dull and hyperactive, but the visibly excited 10-year-old Harold fan sitting beside me had a ball. IMDb listing.

Hidden Universe (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.

How to Train Your Dragon (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.

Jubilee (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, June 18, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Karate Kid: Legends (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Really? This is it? This whole, paltry, indifferently shot thing exists simply to get Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio on-screen together – and even then only barely, and not until almost a full hour has passed? IMDb listing.

The Last Rodeo (PG; VIP Cinemas) - This pro-faith "inspirational" drama is profoundly unsurprising, generically tiresome, blandly staged, and indifferently acted in several major roles. IMDb listing.

The Life of Chuck (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.

Lilo & Stitch (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Given Disney's “live-action” track record of recent years, "perfectly decent" is it's own kind of upgrade, and what the film is missing in magic is more than made up for in off-the-charts cute. IMDb listing.

The Lost World (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.

Materialists (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, Blue Grass Drive-in, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.

A Minecraft Movie (PG; VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in) - Little more than an unpretentious goofball slapstick for kids, or those who, for 100 minutes, agree to be wholly in touch with their inner kid - but Jack Black is astoundingIMDb listing.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Tom Cruise's eighth go at Ethan Hunt never stops reiterating that this is Serious Stuff for both the character and his portrayer, and the exhausting sameness of it all keeps grinding the movie to a halt. IMDb listing.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - This edu-doc tries to do too much in too little a time, but it's never less than interesting, and those mega-screen vistas of Egypt are truly stunning. 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.

Out of Sight (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall Rooftop: Sunday, June 15, 8:45 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Pavements (not rated; The Last Picture House: Friday, June 13, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

The Phoenician Scheme (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, FilmScene at the Chauncey) - While this is a swift, clever, oftentimes very funny fable that could only be the product of Wes Anderson, I'll admit I liked it better when it wasn't quite so manically busy and was titled The Royal TenenbaumsIMDb listing.

Reservoir Dogs (R; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Thursday, June 19, 8:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Return to the Lost World (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.

Secret Mall Apartment (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, June 14, 3:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 15, 4:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Sinners (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas) - This might be first great movie that literally gives you everything, considering that most revered titles don't think to add bloody supernatural horror, original blues songs, and an American-history primer into the mix. IMDb listing.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Monday, June 16, and Wednesday, June 18, 9:30 a.m.) - With this deservedly Oscar-winning animated adventure mploying computer animation alongside hand-drawn techniques, the film's visuals suggest what the experience of tearing through a comic book looks like in your mind. IMDb listing.

Superpower Dogs (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Daniel Ferguson's edu-doc 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 Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, 8:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.

Thunderbolts* (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas) - The good time I had came only in fits and spurts, and despite sitting through the entirety of its running length including the inevitable post-credits teaser, I'm no more stoked for the next Marvel than I was for this one. IMDb listing.

Twister (PG-13; Blue Grass Duve-in) - IMDb listing.

The Unholy Trinity (R; VIP Cinemas) - IMDb listing.

Wild Africa (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) IMDb listing.

The Wizard of Oz (G; Blue Grass Duve-in) - IMDb listing.

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher