DREW'S REVIEWS

THE PURGE: ANARCHY (R) The second Purge steps out from the luxury security system of the original and goes into the dangerous streets on the one night when laws are encouraged to be broken and help is not on the way. Our group of protagonists—separating couple (Zach Gilford of “Friday Night Lights” and Kiele Sanchez), mom and daughter (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul), and vengeful dad (Frank Grillo)—wind up on the streets for different reasons but must come together to survive, mostly thanks to Grillo’s Punisher proxy. DeMonaco’s political points, delivered by Michael K. William’s fiery revolutionary rhetoric, might get ham-fisted, but the idea behind the Purge franchise certainly retains a lot of power. It is a grand, exploitative example of a “What if…?” flick. What if we had a Purge? Would I survive? Would I participate? What amounts to Manhunt: The Movie is alarmingly pessimistic about humanity and cynical about the government. DeMonaco also veers into well-trodden territory as he tries to wrap it up (both Hostel and The Most Dangerous Game came to mind). Purge-era America begs for further exploration despite the flaws in its depiction.

SEX TAPE (R) While trying to reignite their sex life, a married couple, Jay and Annie (Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz), make a sex tape that inadvertently gets synced to the multitude of old iPads Jay had repurposed as gifts. Even the mailman got one, so they repeatedly tell us. It’s a pretty contrived setup, even for today’s high-concept comedy. While the movie is not obnoxious, it is virtually laughless. One sequence in which Segel’s Jay is chased by a dog, and Annie does coke with her potential boss (Rob Lowe), goes on interminably long. That this script was written by Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who gave us Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is surprising; the trio of Segel, Diaz and director Jake Kasdan had much more comic success with Bad Teacher. The few laughs that do land come from the best friends played by Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper, but they’re not enough, especially once we hit the YouPorn segment. Not since Don Jon has a pornographic website played such a key role in a major release. Don’t bother watching this Sex Tape.

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AMERICA (PG-13) A movie so singularly titled should probably be a little more focused. But what starts as a weakly tolerable, disingenuously patriotic documentary eventually shows its true, intolerant colors when co-writer-co-director-star-felon Dinesh D’Souza renews his anti-Obama screed, last seen on screen in 2012’s 2016: Obama’s America. Attempting to debunk the liberal American-shame movement led by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn (it’s partially framed as a belated answer to his People’s History of the United States) and Michael Moore, D’Souza espouses the greatness of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Madam C. J. Walker and more in poorly dramatized reenactments. Trying to prove America’s innocence of the several crimes, the movie actively reminds us that white people were slaves, too, and that one of the worst slaveowners was black. The film then really turns ugly, as D’Souza accuses Obama and Hillary Clinton of being not-so-covert agents of the ideals of the radical Saul Alinski. America’s greatest moment comes from U2’s Bono, whose description of America-the-idea is far more eloquent than any of the amateurish, cinematic stunts pulled by D’Souza. Say what you will about Michael Moore, but the man can put together some convincingly artful propaganda. D’Souza, not so much.

BEGIN AGAIN (R) See Movie Pick.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (PG-13) First Godzilla, then Edge of Tomorrow and Snowpiercer: summer 2014 has been especially generous for sci-fi fans. Now Dawn of the Planet of the Apes arrives to live up to and exceed our expectations about how good a movie about damn, dirty apes can be. (And we can still anticipate Guardians of the Galaxy and Lucy.) In the eighth installment of the venerable franchise, apes have yet to completely take over the planet. A band of humans survived the Simian Flu and struggle to rebuild in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Caesar (motion-capture king Andy Serkis, giving another Oscar-worthy performance) has created a community in the forests outside the city. Soon man and beast will clash, thanks to the machinations of evil ape Koba (Toby Kebbell). I never thought I’d fully back a PotA flick without humans shuffling around behind stuffy masks, but with the digital FX in Dawn I don’t miss them at all. The work done on the apes is truly wondrous to watch. Kudos to director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) and his entire technical staff. I cannot wait for what I can only assume will be War for the Planet of the Apes.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL (R) To date, Scott Derrickson’s weakest feature is his stolid remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Deliver Us from Evil is more fun than Derrickson’s sci-fi dud, but it’s no Sinister or Exorcism of Emily Rose. Based on… excuse me… inspired by the true accounts of New York police sergeant Ralph Sarchie (convincingly portrayed onscreen by Eric Bana), the film struggles to decide if it is a demonic possession flick, a cop thriller with delusions of Se7en or a haunted house chiller. Ultimately, it decides to be The Exorcist, climaxing with Sarchie and his partner priest, Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez), performing an exorcism right there in the police station. But lots of screen time is spent on the dedicated cop dealing with family abandonment issues. And who wouldn’t, with Olivia Munn as the wife Sarchie leaves waiting at home? Too bad the scary bedroom scenes with Sarchie’s six-year-old daughter ultimately amount to little more than Conjuring-esque knockoffs. Joel McHale, of “Community.” was a nonconformist, if not dramatically successful, choice for Sarchie’s buff, comic-relief partner. Derrickson’s latest is less a bad horror movie so much than an unfocused generic one from a filmmaker who could deliver better.

EARTH TO ECHO (PG) Found footage is not the cinematic dead end many believe it to be, but the gambit needs a narrative purpose to be used. The trailers for Earth to Echo, an E.T.-looking wannabe that brings to mind 1988’s Mac and Me, betray no such narrative need for the found footage frame. A group of kids could help this alien named Echo return home without filming every second of it. The family-friendly sci-fi flick is the first feature from director Dave Green. 

EDGE OF TOMORROW (PG-13) Exo-suited Tom Cruise continuously kills the same generic aliens over and over in this charmingly funny, engagingly smart, sci-fi take on Groundhog Day. The untrained Cage dies but somehow wakes up to repeat the day. Fortunately, war hero Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) knows what’s going on and gives Cage some pointers on effective soldiering. 

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER  2013. You probably have not heard of Vivian Maier; I had not. But Maier, a nanny, earned posthumous acclaim as one of the 20th Century’s greatest shutterbugs after the discovery of 100,000 of her negatives. Directors John Maloof and Charlie Siskel recreate Maier’s mysterious life from photos, films and interviews in this award-winning doc. Dr. Janice Simon, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of Art History at UGA's Lamar Dodd School of Art, will introduce the film at its one-night screening on Wednesday, July 23. (Ciné)

THE FLUFFY MOVIE (PG-13) Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias brings his stand-up comedy to the big screen in this concert film. If you saw A Haunted House 2, you’re familiar with Iglesias, who starred as Marlon Wayans’s neighbor; he also played a strip club DJ and drug dealer in Magic Mike (you’re forgiven for not remembering). For what it's worth, director Manny Rodriguez won a Latin Grammy Award for Ricky Martin’s MTV Unplugged special. With Jeremy Ray Valdez and Juliocesar Chavez.

HERCULES (PG-13) The year’s second movie about the ripped Greek demigod (have you already forgotten The Legend of Hercules starring Twilight’s Kellan Lutz? Everyone else has) stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Hurt and Ian McShane—they’re all pluses—and is directed by Brett Ratner (2011’s Tower Heist).  Following his 12 labors, Hercules must aid the King of Thrace and his daughter. Methinks this is going to be more Conan than Hercules. With Joseph Fiennes and Rufus Sewell.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY 1940. Cary Grant plays Walter Burns, the headstrong editor of The Morning Post who discovers that his former ace reporter and ex-wife, Hildegard (Rosalind Russell), is to be remarried. Now Walter must do everything within his power to stop Hildy from leaving for good. His Girl Friday gives social commentary on male-dominated work environments and the choice women often face between marriage and a professional career. Fast-paced and full of witty dialogue, this screwball comedy provides a classic battle of the sexes within a love story. (Ciné)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (PG) How to Train Your Dragon 2 aspires to make a wonderful family film and turn it into an epic. Hiccup (v. Jay Baruchel) and his dragon, Toothless, spend their days flying across the world, discovering new locations and hopefully new dragons. Writer-director Dean DeBlois fantastically ups the ante from the first film. 

JERSEY BOYS (R) Naturally, Jersey Boys is about the music. When four young men, including angel-voiced Frankie Valli (Tony winner John Lloyd Young) from the wrong side of the Jersey turnpike come together, the result is the melodic harmonies of the Four Seasons. The struggles that precede and are caused by the fame come with the musical biopic territory. 

LUCY (R) The trailers for Luc Besson’s latest action sci-fi flick actually excite. Scarlett Johansson stars as Lucy, a drug mule who has the secrets of her brain unlocked by a mysterious drug that has leaked into her system. As she reaches 100 percent consciousness, she becomes superhuman, learning Chinese in minutes and how to move objects with her mind. Morgan Freeman shows up to explain everything. One can hope for a new Besson heroine to join The Fifth Element’s Leeloo and La Femme Nikita.

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (PG-13) Woody Allen returns with another light romantic comedy set in Europe. This time, the backdrop is the 1920s French Riviera, where Allen’s latest muse, Emma Stone, stars as a medium whose veracity is challenged and whose skill challenges British magician Stanley (Colin Firth), known on stage as Wei Ling Soo. The cast, including Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Hamish Linklater (HBO’s “The Newsroom”), Simon McBurney (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Eileen Atkins, is not as impressive as usual.

MALEFICENT (PG) Maleficent is clearly birthed from the Alice in Wonderland strain of family fantasy, and despite being more successful than either of 2012’s dueling Snow White retellings, overdoses on style while lacking the original cartoon’s charm. No one benefits from this ultimately unrewarding retconning of Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty, least of all the titular evil fairy (Angelina Jolie). Here, the powerfully wicked Maleficent is relegated to a petty trickster in snakeskin head wraps. 

A MOST WANTED MAN (R) It’s always nice, if not quite successful, when someone attempts to adapt John le Carre to the big screen. In A Most Wanted Man, director Anton Corbijn (The American, which was not as good as his debut, Control) and screenwriter Andrew Bovell (Mel Gibson’s Edge of Darkness) are in charge of one of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final performances, as he plays a German intelligence agent planning what to do with an illegal Chechen Muslim immigrant. With Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and Daniel Bruhl.

PERSECUTED (PG-13) Are you sure this isn’t a TV movie? Evangelist John Luther (James Remar, not Idris Elba, reprising the similarly named tortured British detective) finds himself framed for murder and having to go all “Fugitive” after failing to back a devious senator’s (played by the typecast Bruce Davison) religious reform bill. This film’s anti-Christian conspiracy nonsense will more than likely find its audience in congregation halls rather than theaters. Persecuted has rather backwardly been adapted into a novel.

PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE (PG) This Planes sequel sounds like its best years are ahead on DVD. Dusty Crophopper (v. Dane Cook), now a world-renowned racer, experiences an engine injury and changes his focus to aerial firefighting. Dusty joins the Smokejumpers, a team of all-terrain vehicles led by the veteran chopper, Blade Ranger (v. Ed Harris). Other vocal talents include Julie Bowen, Wes Studi, Dale Dye, Regina King, Corri English, Bryan Callen, Danny Pardo and Matt Jones. Remember this is just Disney, not Pixar.

SNOWPIERCER (R) If you’ve seen any of Bong Joon Ho’s excellent features, you should not be surprised at the raves his latest—a sci-fi epic, no less—has been getting. Released in the heat of summer, competing with Hollywood’s biggest, loudest blockbusters, Snowpiercer stands out as that scarce genre film one expects people to cite as a must-see in years to come. A botched attempt to stop global warming kills off all life on Earth except for the last remnants of humanity aboard a globetrotting super train. But people are people, so they remain stratified by class, leading to a revolution led by gruff Curtis (Chris Evans), his second, Edgar (Jamie Bell), and his mentor, Gilliam (John Hurt). Seeking to reach the eternal engine, manned by the legendary Wilford (Ed Harris), Chris and his army journey through the increasingly lively, inventive cars, battling Wilford’s emissary, Mason (Tilda Swinton, a caricaturish standout in bad teeth and glasses), and soldiers. Be prepared for Bong’s momentary whimsies and abrupt tonal shifts from serious to silly; it’ll be familiar stuff for anyone who’s seen his excellent monster movie, 2006’s The Host. Skip Transformers 4 and see the best blockbuster not at the local multiplex.

THE STORY OF OCAF Ciné and the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation present a free screening of the 30-minute documentary, The Story of OCAF 1994-2014, about a unique, nationally-known art center located right over in Watkinsville. The community, called “The Artland of Georgia,” was created through the hard work of volunteers and paid for by independent donations, not tax money.  Anyone is welcome. For more info about OCAF, visit ocaf.com or better yet, go see the doc at Ciné. (Ciné)

TAMMY (R) Melissa McCarthy headlines her hubby Ben Falcone’s directorial debut; the duo collaborated on the script. McCarthy’s Tammy hits the road with her grandmother, Pearl (Susan Sarandon), after losing her job and discovering that her husband, Greg (Nat Faxon), is a cheater. Tammy’s trailer looks more like Identity Theft 2; its description sounds much more charming. The cast includes fan favorites like Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Duplass, Gary Cole, Toni Collette and Sandra Oh.

THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (PG-13) Everyone returns to mine more gold from the sequel to the hit romantic comedy based on Steve Harvey’s bestseller, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The gang reconvenes in Las Vegas for the wedding of Candace and Michael (Regina Hall and Terence Jenkins). What happens in Vegas shakes up everyone’s lives. With director Tim Story, original writers David A. Newman and Keith Merryman, and original cast members Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union and Kevin Hart all back, can this second marriage be as successful?

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (PG-13) Michael Bay’s fourth Transformers movie is too long, but it's less abrasive and offensive than its two immediate predecessors. A more appealing band of humans, led by Mark Wahlberg, certainly helps, as do the Dinobots that finally appear in the last 30 of the movie’s 165 minutes. Evil government, represented by Kelsey Grammer, and evil corporations, represented by Stanley Tucci, are working together with a bad Transformer named Lockdown to hunt down the remaining Autobots. 

22 JUMP STREET (R) 22 Jump Street steps right into the criticisms of other high profile R-rated comedy sequels like The Hangover Part II. Hot off the success of The LEGO Movie (still 2014’s best wide release), writing and directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, constantly and self-referentially acknowledge that Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) just need to do the exact same thing again. Moving from high school to college, the undercover team must find the supplier of a dangerous new drug called WHYPHY. Stick around; the end credits contain the movie’s funniest gag.