42 (PG-13) Sports biopics are largely interchangeable. The sports and the players may change, but the obstacles to overcome are nearly identical. Heck, the same could be said of any biopic, musical, sport, etc. Still, something about the challenges faced by Jackie Robinson (gracefully inhabited by unknown Chadwick Boseman) as he broke the color barrier in professional baseball feels so much more singular than your average true tale of successfully bucking the odds. When signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Robinson faced derision by his teammates, opposing players and coaches (embodied by Alan Tudyk as Phillies manager Ben Chapman) and the fans. The role of Robinson requires a special actor giving a special performance. Boseman’s is not a skilled mimicry like so many other portrayals of famous persons; he imbues Robinson with such strength of character and composure. Equally important to this tale is Dodgers exec Branch Rickey, so gruffly played by Harrison Ford, who may finally be making the transition into grand old actor. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does nothing unique as he recounts this cinematic biography, but his film reads quickly, entertainingly and informatively. What more could you ask of a biopic?

AFTER EARTH (PG-13) "Excruciatingly boring" sums up After Earth. Did you watch Castaway and think the film would be better with Jaden Smith substituting for Tom Hanks and Jaden’s papa, Will, for Wilson? Then enjoy this bland hunk of science fiction, which is, thankfully, under two hours. After their spaceship crash lands, a father and son (the Smiths) are stranded on Earth, abandoned by humanity years earlier. Young Kitai must traverse this dangerous Eden if he is to save his father, a legendary soldier named Cypher Raige (ugh). Some critics have blamed Smith’s rumored Scientologist beliefs for this sluggish piece of anti-entertainment. Tom Cruise is a known Scientologist, and he still delivered a fantastic, if derivative, sci-fi spectacle in April’s Oblivion. Blame M. Night Shyamalan all you want; he directs a Robinson Crusoe-type adventure film like a humorless thriller. This flick should have been The Smith Family Robinson; instead, it’s another shovelful of dirt in M. Night’s cinematic grave. A lot of blame rests on Smith for being the least Will Smith he can be. Confined to a chair, barking orders at his son, the mega-charming superstar is drained of charisma. Instead of Earth, just see Star Trek again.

ART ROSENBAUM: MURAL IN PROGRESS The first night of AthFest's film festival features Alan Flurry's documentary about acclaimed local artist and musician Art Rosenbaum, who performs live prior to the screening. Rosenbaum is creating a mural on the University of Georgia campus about Georgia political history. (Ciné)

ATHENS PICTURE SHOW SHORT FILMS As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné is screening several short films. The films to be screened are ABC Cinema: Take2 (directed by Evan Seitz), Brian’s Brain (directed by Tyler Patrick Reeves), Celebrity Space Trash (directed by Kevin Chen), Flirting with Death (directed by Bryan Redding), Inertia (directed by Travis Lee Ratcliff), Lily (directed by Brett Vaughn), Limbo (directed by Tim Dowse), Owen’s Hobby (directed by Zachary J. Burke), Pigman: A Love Story (directed by Katherine English), Powerless (directed by Andrew Shearer) and The Tree Painting (directed by Marie Kafeero). (Ciné)

BASICALLY FRIGHTENED: THE MUSICAL MADNESS OF COLONEL BRUCE HAMPTON As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Rock Docs Series, Ciné will screen this official selection of the Atlanta Film Festival. Colonel Bruce Hampton might not be known to all, but many luminaries in the music industry—including Dave Matthews, Peter Buck, Derek Trucks, Phish, Widespread Panic and writer-director-actor-musician Billy Bob Thornton—think the world of the Colonel. After watching this documentary about the surrealist father of the jam band, you might agree with them. Director Mike Koepenick will be in attendance. (Ciné)

BEFORE MIDNIGHT (R) In 1995, we met Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) on a train to Vienna in Before Sunrise; in 2004, Jesse and Celine reunite for an afternoon in Paris in Before Sunset. Now the unlikely trilogy continues nine years later, as Jesse and Celine spend time in Greece. Again, director Richard Linklater and stars Hawke and Delpy share screenplay credits. A series like this could go on forever. It’s about time to catch up with this indie romance.

THE BLING RING (R) Sofia Coppola’s back! Using their Internet savvy, a group of teenagers (Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Taissa Farmiga and Claire Julien) track celebrity whereabouts (victims include Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox, Rachel Bilson and Orlando Bloom) and rob their unoccupied homes. Coppola based her script on Nancy Jo's Vanity Fair article detailing this wild and crazy true story. This teens gone wild flick looks like perfect double-bill companion to Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers.

THE CROODS (PG) Despite its underwhelming trailers, The Croods stands out as one of the best non-Pixar animated family films released in the last few years. A family of cavemen—dad Grug (v. Nicolas Cage), mom Ugga (v. Catherine Keener), teen daughter Eep (v. Emma Stone), dumb son Thunk (v. Clarke Duke), feral baby Sandy and grandma (v. Cloris Leachman)—are forced on a cross-country road trip after their cave is destroyed by the impending “end of the world.” Fortunately, Eep meets Guy (v. Ryan Reynolds), whose developed brain filled with “ideas” might just help them all survive. Most cute family fun pics feel rehashed and overdone; The Croods does not. Its characters successfully, though unbelievably, combine the Flintstones with the Simpsons, and the voice acting, particularly by Cage, Stone and Reynolds sparkles. Cage was an inspired choice, for a role one would think is practically written for Kevin James. Most animated features, with their paint-by-numbers plot and rote, child-pleasing gags lose an adult’s attention within minutes. The Croods kept me rapt for its entire entertaining run time and left me considering potential plots for its inevitable, disappointing sequel.

EPIC (PG) Epic, from Ice Age and Robots director Chris Wedge, is like Star Wars in a forest; wait, that would just be Return of the Jedi. Still, another monomyth should be less exciting than this animated family film based on the William Joyce book, The Leafmen. Unbeknownst to humanity, the forests are protected by the Leafmen, who constantly do battle with the Boggans, led by Mandrake (v. Christoph Waltz). When M.K. (v. Amanda Seyfried) is magically transported to the world of the Leafmen, she must team up with wizened soldier Ronin (v. Colin Farrell) and young turk Nod (v. Josh Hutcherson) to ensure the survival of the forest. Stunningly animated, Epic could be an American attempt at Miyazaki—bigger, blunter, more action, less subtlety, more Pitbull (whose voicework is better than expected). Nevertheless, the movie does far too little to avoid Star Wars comparisons; it practically invites them. See bird racing (pod racing) and the two slugs (humorously voiced by Chris O’Dowd and Aziz Ansari) who give off a distinct R2D2/C3PO sidekick vibe. When Star Wars isn’t being referenced, it’s The Lord of the Rings. I’d still rather sit through Epic than most kids’ movies.

EVIL DEAD (R) The remake of Sam Raimi’s cult classic is more important for what it represents—an R-rated gorefest released into mainstream multiplexes—than what it is: an above average horror movie. Picking up some time A.A. (After Ash; see Ash’s car rusting away behind the cabin), 2013’s Evil Dead puts five new young people (including Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez and Lou Taylor Pucci) through the horrific, maddening, limb-threatening paces. When will young people learn not to read from a book bound in human skin? What Evil Dead gets right is the massive amounts of blood poured upon its actors. Director Fede Alvarez also shows (borrows) the stylistic imagination of a young Raimi. Still, the importance of Bruce Campbell’s Ash was underestimated. The new victims don’t generate any connection with the audience. Evil Dead also lacks a tonal identity. Does it want to be fun or discomfortingly intense? It’s neither. (I’d like to see Diablo Cody’s original version for its distinctive tone, if nothing else.) Gorehounds (like me) are going to see Evil Dead no matter what, but if the droves of teenage horror fans show up, a new generation of horror movies that deliver the gory goods we want can begin.

FAST & FURIOUS 6 (PG-13) The unlikeliest blockbuster franchise of all-time (especially considering it survived a first film directed by Rob Cohen) has enough gas left in the tank for several more entries. (The pre-credits stinger is a doozy of a game changer). Following the international hijinks of Fast 5, Furious 6 (according to the opening title) puts Dominic “Dom” Toretta (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest (Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang and Gal Gadot) on the heels of big bad Shaw (Luke Evans), as they seek to recover Letty (Michele Rodriguez) and attain pardons all around from Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). These movies keep improving under the direction of Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan. It’s arguable that Furious 6 is the best of the high gloss bunch. If a muscle car mag filled with bikini-covered boobs and chrome was adapted into a movie, this flick would be it. This live action comic book sags a little in the talky, plot-driven sections, but gets back on crazy course whenever the gang gets behind the wheel for another ridiculous car chase. Dom even flies! Simply sit back and enjoy Mr. Dom’s Wild Ride.

FRANCES HA (R) Could this be Greta Gerwig’s big Lena Dunham-ish break? She co-wrote this comedy with director Noah Baumbach (The Squid & the Whale), and judging from the trailer, it could be an indie smash. Think “Girls” on the big screen (but no Dunham). Frances (Gerwig) works for a dance troupe, though she’s not a dancer, and goes all in for her dreams. With Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver (“Girls”) and another daughter of Meryl Streep, Grace Gummer. (Ciné)

GEORGIA DOC BLOCK As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné is screening several short documentaries with a connection to the Peach State. The films being screened are Art Rosenbaum: Mural in Progress (the opening night film will be accompanied by a catered reception, live music and Rosenbaum himself); Athens Revisited, a doc about the original inhabitants of the Lyndon House; Birdwatching, an account of the Oconee Audobon Society; Testify, Beyond Place, which chronicles the resilience of the Mount Zion AME Church; and the Sapelo Island doc, Hog Hammock. (Ciné)

GEORGIA GUIDESTONES MOVIE The indie documentary, Georgia Guidestones Movie, in which the history of Elbert County’s one of a kind granite monument is recounted returns to Athens as part of the AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series. If you’ve never seen the landmark, featuring ten precepts for humanity in eight different languages, you can see the movie. Filmmaker Mike Reser and narrator Paul Floyd will be in attendance. The soundtrack was written by local musician Kyle Dawkins. (Ciné)

THE HANGOVER PART III (R) If one’s main complaint about the second Hangover was that it was a mere narrative retread of the original with a geographical transplant, then The Hangover Part III has addressed your concern. Gone are the weddings, the hangovers and the amnesia. The Wolfpack—Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis)—now find themselves thrust directly into a Charlie Huston crime novel. Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) has escaped a Thai prison, and the Wolfpack are charged with finding him by crime lord Marshall (John Goodman). Laughs are not as plentiful as in either of the first two movies, but the biggest problem with Part III is its lack of character. The script feels as if it were revamped for the Wolfpack, not written for them. Phil is far too laidback; did Cooper film the entire film while on Xanax? Writer-director Todd Phillips and collaborator Craig Mazin smartly allow Galifianakis to carry the largest load. However, the film could have used less Jeong and more Goodman. Give Phillips and crew credit for the old college try, but recapturing the comic freshness of the first Hangover once, much less twice, has proven too Herculean a humorous task.

THE INTERNSHIP (PG-13) As a follow-up to stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s Wedding Crashers, this movie would have killed in 2007. Of course, the economy hadn’t quite tanked at that point, so the tale of two down-on-their-luck salesmen forced to tackle a Google internship wouldn’t quite have had much relevance—not that a buddy comedy from Vaughn/Wilson has much relevance in 2013. The movie made me feel as if I’d stumbled upon a big budget training video for new Google employees. Sadly, most training videos are unintentionally funnier (just check out any edition of the Found Footage Festival for proof). Due to its still likable (if not bankable) stars and a laudably creative end credits sequence, The Internship leaves one feeling better about the movie than it deserves, being that it's a two hour chore through which to sit. Were the movie the least bit funny—rather than a mere vehicle for Vaughn and Wilson to mug at the camera—and thirty minutes shorter, it might garner a mild recommendation for a lazy cable viewing. In its current state, do with this movie what the movie folks at Google should have done: say no.

IRON MAN 3 (PG-13) Happily, Shane Black has taken over the Iron Man franchise from Jon Favreau (Black also co-wrote the script), and it’s mostly a blast right out of 1987. I dig Black’s vision of Iron Man 3 as a buddy movie; I just wish his Stark had suited up more. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) may be the rare superhero alter ego that is more interesting out of costume, but watching him investigate a mystery in Small Town, Tennessee (child sidekick in tow) felt more like episodic television than the initial, post-Avengers solo adventure. The climactic showdown where a hoodied-and-Polo’ed Tony and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) run around a cargo ship with guns drawn was way more Lethal Weapon 2 than Iron Man 2. Armor them up, and you have yourself a cool twist on the 80s' buddy concept Black helped pioneer. The Iron Man franchise goes 0 for 3 on villains; none are in Iron Man’s league. The potential of The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is wasted with a twist that, while amusingly executed, leaves the film villainously bereft. Such minor quibbles don’t devalue Iron Man 3’s entertainment worth; it’s one high quality blockbuster (terrifically pulpy, worth watching credits included).

• MAN OF STEEL (PG-13) Superman returns (again) with Christopher Nolan tasked to give Supes his Dark(ened) Knight treatment. Then Nolan, writer David S. Goyer and director Zack Snyder realized Superman is an alien and nearly impossible to ground in the real world. Their solution: Treat the material like serious science fiction. The extended time spent with Superman's birth parents (Russell Crowe rules as father Jor-El) on dying Krypton is the film's strongest, most original segment. The middle chunk, retelling Kal-El's transformation from a hunky Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) into Superman, intriguingly tweaks a well-known origin with the benefit of fatherly wisdom from Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent. Despite some well-executed set pieces pitting Superman against fellow Kryptonian General Zod (cast standout Michael Shannon) and his alien army, the final act never fully takes flight. Instead, the blockbuster soars in fits and starts, seeming most confident in its final frames than the previous hour and a half of repetitive conflict. The entertaining if (mostly) humorless and heartless Man of Steel proves it’s harder to make a great Superman movie than a bad one. However, if one hero stands for hope, it's Superman. Here's hoping Man of Steel's sequel will be this generation's Superman II.

MAYAN BLUE As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné and locally based Standoff Studios offer a glimpse into a 2000-year-old lost city. This breathtaking film documents an expedition to the Mayan city of Samabaj, recently discovered beneath Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Standoff Studies team members in attendance include director Rafael Garcia, producer/underwater cameraman Lawson Barnes, writer Hamilton Craig and producer/cameraman Jeremiah Chapman. Recommended for anyone impressed by Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. (Ciné)

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (G) Pixar tries sequelizing another of its popular properties. Hopefully, Monsters University will be Toy Story 2/3 great, not Cars 2 ugh. Witness the first meeting of best buds Mike (v. Billy Crystal) and Sully (v. John Goodman) when they weren’t so keen on one another. Knowing Pixar (and evidenced by the trailers), the movie should have some cute, ingenious ways of tweaking college life for young monsters. I’d rather have an original flick from Pixar, but there’s always next summer.

MUD (PG-13) Boasting a star-studded cast including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon, Jeff Nichols’ third feature offers this promising rising filmmaker with his best chance of widespread success. A coming of age tale set in the disappearing wilds of the small town south, Mud aims high, as Nichols attempts to channel Mark Twain, and hits the target square in the bull’s eye. Two teens—Ellis (Tye Sheridan, Tree of Life) and Neckbone (newcomer Jacob Lofland)—discover a boat in a tree. They also discover McConaughey’s Mud, a fugitive living in the boat in the tree, while he waits to escape with the love of his life, Juniper (Witherspoon). Mud watches like a work of modern literature, capturing the last gasps of a dying culture as one boy becomes a man. (Ciné)

MUSCLE SHOALS As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Rock Docs Series, Ciné will host a special preview screening of this documentary about the Muscle Shoals, Ala. music scene. This official selection of the Sundance Film Festival features rock legends like Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Bono and more attempting to explain the musical magic—that “Muscle Shoals Sound”—emanating from a small town on the Tennessee River. A special father and son musical conversation/collaboration with David and Patterson Hood will follow the screening. (Ciné)

NOW YOU SEE ME (PG-13) A magical heist flick, you say? I’m skeptical, I say. Four street magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco) are enlisted in a mysterious, magical plan to do something, but nobody is really sure what until the last reel. Hot on their heels is a dogged FBI Agent, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), and a debunker of magicians (Morgan Freeman). Now You See Me is as entertaining as it is eye-rollingly contrived. However, this smug band of protagonists is hard to pull for despite game attempts by Harrelson and Fisher; Darth Eisenberg finally crossed over to the Smug Side. Fortunately, Ruffalo, the lovely Melanie Laurent and underused sidekick Michael Kelly (check out Netflix’s “House of Cards” for his best work) are present to pick up the slack. Clash of the Titans’ Louis Leterrier (to be fair, he should probably be remembered for the first two Transporters and Unleashed) keeps the illusions moving along too fast for anyone to see through the script’s tricks until the woeful reveal. Now You See Me has the slick, breezy air of a ‘70s TV show, an okay trait for forgettable summer fun.

OBLIVION (PG-13) The new Tom Cruise action, sci-fi spectacle is a doozy of a looker. Everything from the set design to the vehicle design to the music (scored by M83) is stylishly crafted and a visual/aural knockout. After fighting off an alien invasion via nuclear destruction, humanity has moved off-planet to Titan, a moon of Saturn. Two people, tech Jack Harper (Tom Cruise, who is arguably the best preserved man on the planet) and his communications liaison Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), have been left behind, tasked to protect the giant hydroreactors that power Titan using remnants of the alien invaders. But Jack's world is turned upside down by the arrival of a NASA scientist (Olga Kurylenko) of whom Jack has been dreaming, and by the discovery of human survivors, led by Malcolm Beech (Morgan Freeman). Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski co-scripted Oblivion from his own graphic novel, and despite its derivative pieces, the whole narrative coheres rather well. It's the rare video game-inspired movie that I enjoyed watching alone; I never once thought I'd rather be playing Oblivion.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (R) Olympus Has Fallen feels like a relic from the bygone era of the 1980s, where audiences were satisfied by old-fashioned, bloody action movies wherein stone-faced heroes faced off against despicable bad guys without obfuscating their violent exploits with frenetic camerawork. Too bad director Antoine Fuqua’s latest flick isn’t the new Die Hard, as this Gerard Butler-saves-the-president actioner easily bests John McClane’s latest misfire. Disgraced Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler, who needs to stick to action movies) is the only person in America who can save the President (Aaron Eckhart) after North Korean terrorists take over the White House. The movie relies quite heavily on Butler’s manliness. Luckily, no one is more badass than the Scot best known as 300’s King Leonidas (when he’s not wooing Katherine Heigl or Jessica Biel). The supporting cast keeps up better than usual, which should not surprise considering the presence of Morgan Freeman (as the Speaker of the House), Melissa Leo, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell and Cole Hauser. With a franchise-worthy new hero and a well-choreographed, well-shot focus on physical conflict, Olympus Has Fallen kicks butt better than the muscular bulk of recent action movies.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (PG) First and foremost, Sam Raimi’s The Wizard of Oz prequel is no Wizard; it’s not even Return to Oz, the very dark, very underrated 1985 sequel. Disney’s latest family blockbuster reveals the wizard’s own cyclonic entry to Oz. Carnival magician and con man Oscar Diggs (James Franco, whose performance is nothing if not inconsistent) meets three witches—Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams)—who believe him to be the great wizard whose appearance in Oz was prophesied. In the void left by the recently deceased king, Oscar must determine which witches are wicked and which are good. Raimi trots out his usual visual wizardry, and Oz is as successful as his first Spider-Man entry once it gets going. The middle act gets a bit logy as the good people of Oz prepare for battle via sewing montages. The climax is filled with whiz-band special effects, used effectively, and ties in well with the classic film being emulated. I just wish Raimi had chosen to make his Wicked Witch via makeup, like the original’s Margaret Hamilton, as opposed to CGI. Oz won’t make anyone forget the original, but it doesn’t shame its memory either.

A PLAGUE SO PLEASANT As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné offers a late show for all Athens’ horror hounds. Shot in Athens, A Plague So Pleasant posits that zombies aren’t vicious or mean unless provoked. Now humanity has come to grips with living amongst the living dead. Apparently, a 16-year-old potential Tom Savini created the zombie effects from household products and liquid latex. Meet filmmakers Benjamin Roberds and Jordan Reyes, who will be in attendance. (Ciné)

THE PURGE (R) In the future, America is a paradise of low unemployment and low crime, all thanks to the Purge instituted by the New Founding Fathers. One night every year, all laws are suspended for twelve hours. During this Purge, any citizen may empty themselves of all the pent-up rage and frustration by doing whatever violence they want. Mostly, the Purge affects the poor. Wealthy families like the Sandins (Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Buckholder and Adelaide Kane) lock themselves behind fancy security systems. But this Purge is different, as the Sandins’ young son lets in a bloody stranger, who is being hunted by a creepy pack of rich kids that want their prey returned to them. What looks like another version of Bryan Bertino’s excellent The Strangers is really more like another movie written by The Purge’s writer-director James DeMonaco, the remake of Assault on Precinct 13. It also feels a little bit like the last act of Straw Dogs. Despite the slight bait-and-switch, this flick is a fine example of how to do an exploitation-thriller right—emphasis on tension, intimidation and bloody violence. Audiences expecting more thrills and fewer scares should enjoy this summer changeup.

SCARY MOVIE V (PG-13) So, Scary Movie is back. What do you really need to know? A Paranormal Activity/Mama mashup provides the frame that is rattily covered by an hour and thirty minutes of puerile, scattershot jokes. A Black Swan B-plot? Real timely, David Zucker and Pat Proft, who’ve done this parody thing so much more successfully in their shared Naked Gun past. Airplane! worked as a spoof of disaster movies that developed its own witty gags. The Scary Movies simply tosses pop culture references and cameos by celebrities who have passed their sell-by date with no real interest in spoofing the genre they allegedly came to spoof; if Mike Tyson meets Fifty Shades of Grey jokes make you giggle, be my guest. How did they get that Evil Dead sequence (the movie’s strongest, at that) into theaters within a week of its release? At least A Haunted House had Marlon Wayans. Simon Rex is some weak comic sauce. The absolutely frightening aspect of this movie is the thought that enough people might venture to see it to warrant a sixth entry.

SPROCKETS 100% LOCAL MUSIC VIDEO SHOW Who said music videos were culturally irrelevant? As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné hosts the longest running film festival for music videos in the world. (Yours truly had a video submitted in Sprockets’ predecessor, the Eyeball Music Video Festival. It featured Dayroom. Remember them?) Past winners include “Bright Whites” by Kishi Bashi (directed by Brett Vaughn) and “The Fear” by Lovett (directed by David Bruckner, who contributed my favorite sequence in V/H/S). (Ciné)

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (PG-13) Star Trek Into Darkness, the second film in J.J. Abrams’ revamped Trek-verse, is the best Star Wars movie since 1983. Don’t think I typed that wrong. The second new Star Trek is the giant, sci-fi, matinee serial that the Star Wars prequels never were. My only concern with J.J. Abrams’ revitalization of George Lucas’ neck of the galaxy is the negative effects it will have on the burgeoning new Star Trek. The new Trek improves upon its already superb predecessor in every way. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads the crew of the Starship Enterprise—Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekhov (Anton Yelchin) and Scotty (Simon Pegg)—after a rogue Federation operative (Benedict Cumberbatch) turns terrorist. Knock Abrams all you want for his love of lens flare, but the bridge of the Enterprise looks fantastic. The space battles trump anything outside of the Star Wars universe. Trek has never looked better, been more thrilling or more humanly humorous, and those praises come from a lifelong Trek fan (I eschew the Trekkie/Trekker nomenclature). Star Trek 2 seems like the luckiest of numbers; this sequel achieves Khan-like greatness. Knowledgeable fans will enjoy the abundant surprises.

TEENSCREEN SPOTLIGHT As part of this year’s AthFest FilmFest Athens Picture Show Series, Ciné presents a glimpse into the future of Athens filmmaking. Local teens Christian Shupe, Deonte Collins, Tristan Cartildge and Phillipe Claytor are responsible for the action thriller, H3 F2ll from the 2ky. The screening will be followed by what could be a fascinating Q&A wilth Shupe, Collins, Cartlidge Claytor and Tylar Carver, the teen genius behind the makeup effects for A Plague So Pleasant. (Ciné)

• THIS IS THE END (R) This pot-fueled “apoc-comedic” nightmare from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is far funnier than most meta-comedies starring comic actors as themselves. The “real” personas concocted by Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel (you remember him from “Undeclared,” right?), Craig Robinson and Danny McBride fuel this raunchy end of the world get-together. On the night of James Franco’s housewarming party, the seeming Rapture occurs, leaving behind this band of famous faces to survive on a Milky Way and little more. Turning to and on one another, Judgment Day brings out the best, worst and funniest in writers Rogen/Goldberg and their cast. The party allows additional famous faces (including Mindy Kaling, Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Emma Watson and Michael Cera) to tweak their images. The only questionable characterization is Hill’s super nice, effeminate guise; everyone else, especially Michael Cera’s douchebag, are hilarious “Curb Your Enthusiasm” versions of their screen selves. In their directorial debut, Rogen/Goldberg might have kept in a few gags that would have been better saved for the unrated DVD; the comedy does push two hours. Still, it rarely lets up, not even when it enters pseudo-religious territory. These guys make the day of reckoning a fun one.

WHAT MAISIE KNEW A contemporary retelling of the acclaimed novel by Henry James, What Maisie Knew stars newcomer Onata Aprile as six-year-old Maisie, who struggles through the divorce and subsequent custody battle of her parents, an aging rocker (Julianne Moore) and an art dealer (Steve Coogan). Thrown into the mix are her parents’ new partners, Maisie’s former nanny (Joanna Vanderham) and a young bartender (Alexander Skarsgard). Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (The Deep End and Bee Season). (Ciné)

WORLD WAR Z (PG-13) The early buzz was not kind, but now that Brad Pitt’s zombie apocalypse/summer tentpole is nearing release, the word isn’t all bad. Max “Son of Mel” Brooks’ bestseller was an oral history of the zombie conflict, requiring some reworking by several scripters (including popular comic scribe J. Michael Straczynski, Damon Lindelof of “Lost” and Drew Goddard, who wrote Cloverfield and The Cabin in the Woods). Brad Pitt stars as the UN employee racing around the globe attempting to stop the impending zombie doom. Directed by Marc Forster.