Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
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.)
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2046 (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, September 13, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Abir Gulaal (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.
The Bad Guys 2 (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in) - More often than not, this animated sequel is quite funny. Better yet, it's smart funny. IMDb listing.
The Baltimorons (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall) - IMDb listing.
Bhangaar - Obsolete (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Sunday, September 14, 4 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Caught Stealing (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Blue Grass Drive-in, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Not as funny as it's likely meant to be, but it's a pleasure to report that a Darren Aronofsky outing is sleek and exciting again. IMDb listing.
The Conjuring: Last Rites (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Michael Chaves' purportedly final horror installment is largely silly, aggressively schmaltzy, and only randomly scary, but satisfying enough to earn its many callbacks and leave fans with a smile. IMDb listing.
David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX: Wednesday, September 17, 7 & 7:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: Early-Access Screening (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, FilmScene at the Chauncey, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Elephants: Giants of the Desert (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas) - By the finale, nearly everything of early interest has succumbed to the same ol' visually indistinct, destruction-of-the-universe meaninglessness, with the added hangup of the action being almost insultingly stupid. IMDb listing.
Found in Translation: Stories of African Immigrants in Iowa (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Saturday, September 13, 3:30 p.m.) - ICFilmScene.org.
Freakier Friday (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Blue Grass Drive-in, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - While this body-switching comedy is entertaining and certainly harmless enough, it's also one of the more confusing family comedies I've seen in a while – not because the four young-to-senior women switch personalities, but because they don't switch them enough. IMDb listing.
Hamilton (PG-13; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas) - As a record of filmed theatre – especially considering that Lin-Manuel Miranda's achievement is probably the greatest musical-theatre offering of the last 20 years – this piece of filmed live theatre might have exactly zero peers. IMDb listing.
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (PG; Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Sunday, September 14, 3:30 p.m., and Monday, September 15, 7 p.m.) - Director Chris Columbus is letting J.K. Rowling's material do all the work for him; so his film is devoid of personality, and therefore, irredeemably boring. IMDb listing.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (PG; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Friday, September 12, through Sunday, September 14, 7:30 p.m.) - A big, handsome production filled with classy art direction and classier performers that's also a bit of a dud, because all the professionalism in the world can't compensate for what's missing: magic. IMDb listing.
If That Mockingbird Don't Sing (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Thursday, September 18, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Inception (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - Christopher Nolan's twisty thriller may be a contraption, but it's a bold, glorious, beautiful contraption. IMDb listing.
The Jester 2 (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Monday, September 15, and Tuesday, September 16) - IMDb listing.
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.
Jurassic World Rebirth (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - Gareth Edwards' direction kept me from hating this dino-sequel, but I did kind of hate the fact of its existence – some $180 million spent in service of something this profoundly, infuriatingly mediocre. IMDb listing.
Kishkindhapuri (not rated; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
La La Land (PG-13; The Last Picture House Rooftop: Thursday, September 18, 7:15 p.m.) - A grand, lush, candy-colored dream of a movie, and I’d mean that as even higher praise if the lingering effects of dreams lasted longer than they actually do. IMDb listing.
Light of the World (PG; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX) - IMDb listing.
Lilo & Stitch (PG; Voy 61 Drive In Theatre) - 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 Long Walk (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, The Last Picture House, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Mirai (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Museum Alive! (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - Putnam.org.
Naked Acts (R; FilmScene on the Ped Mall: Sunday, September 14, 7:30 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
NOAH Live (not rated; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema: Thursday, September 18) - IMDb listing.
Rabbit Trap (not rated; Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
The Roses (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, FilmScene on the Ped Mall, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - The entirety of this War of the Roses remake seems to toggle between greatness, particularly in the performances, and blandness, right up until the final frame. IMDb listing.
The Sound of Music: 60th Anniversary (G; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Splitsville (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey) - IMDb listing.
Superman (PG-13; VIP Cinemas) - This problematic big swing is more fun than most generically solid comic-book movies, because it's a determinedly weird one, and largely held together by David Corenswet's devastating sincerity and well-employed comic chops. 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.
Tank Girl (R; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Wednesday, September 17, 10 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Tin Soldier (not rated; VIP Cinemas) - IMDb listing.
Toy Story: 30th Anniversary (G; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Voy 61 Drive In Theatre, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - IMDb listing.
Triumph of the Heart (not rated; VIP Cinemas) - IMDb listing.
Twister (PG-13; Blue Grass Drive-in) - IMDb listing.
Twisters (PG-13; Blue Grass Drive-in) - This old-school entertainment not only acknowledges but embraces its clichés, allowing you to dig the film as both modern blockbuster and charming throwback to the more simplistic, less oppressive summertime kicks of 30-ish years ago. IMDb listing.
Upa! A Spring in Athens (not rated; FilmScene at the Chauncey: Tuesday, September 16, 7 p.m.) - IMDb listing.
Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - I might've left this nature doc just as satisfied if it were a silent film, or at least one wholly free of words, given that the 3D sights on display left me less fascinated than thunderstruck. IMDb listing.
Weapons (R; Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, VIP Cinemas, Marcus Sycamore Cinema) - Despite much to love in this horror comedy, writer/director Zach Cregger is almost too inventive, his apparent making-it-up-as-he-goes-along approach so reckless that it seems to stop mattering if what we're watching makes sense. IMDb listing.
Wild Rescue (not rated; Putnam Museum & Science Center) - IMDb listing.
