Get ready for the Oscars with Julianne Moore, special screening series
The final piece of the Academy Awards puzzle falls into place Friday when “Still Alice,” the Alzheimer’s drama starring presumptive best actress winner Julianne Moore, opens at Green Valley Ranch, Downtown Summerlin, The Orleans and Village Square.
Moore portrays a Columbia linguistics professor who, shortly after her 50th birthday, forgets a word in a presentation. Before long, she gets lost running and starts storing lotion in the fridge. When she misses an important dinner party, she dismisses her husband’s (Alec Baldwin) mix of anger and concern with a dry, “I’m sorry. I forgot. I have Alzheimer’s.”
It’s another solid performance by Moore, who’s made a career out of them. But I was more impressed with Kristen Stewart as her black-sheep actress of a daughter, although lowered expectations may have played a part in that. As for the movie itself, “Still Alice” feels too predictable, like a well-cast installment of “Hallmark Hall of Fame.”
But considering that Sandra Bullock was ordained for an Oscar for “The Blind Side,” well, congratulations Ms. Moore. You’re long overdue.
The arrival of “Still Alice” means local movie lovers will have had the opportunity to see each nominee in the big six categories at the Feb. 22 Academy Awards. But if you’ve fallen behind, there are several ways to catch up.
At the South Point, you can see all eight best-picture nominees spread out over the course of two weeks, plus the best live-action and animated shorts, for one $40 ticket.
Here’s the schedule: “American Sniper,” 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Feb. 19; “Birdman,” 7 p.m. Friday, 10 p.m. Monday and 1 p.m. Feb. 22; “Boyhood,” 7 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Feb. 20; “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” 4 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Monday; “The Imitation Game,” 4 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Feb. 20; “Selma,” 10 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Tuesday; “The Theory of Everything,” 1 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Feb. 21; “Whiplash,” 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 p.m. Feb. 19 and 1 p.m. Feb. 21.
South Point and the Suncoast will screen the Oscar-nominated shorts at 2 and 7 p.m. Feb. 20, 2 and 7 p.m. Feb. 21 and 2 p.m. Feb. 22. Tickets are $10, or free with the $40 South Point ticket.
If you’re more of a marathon viewer, at the AMC Town Square on Saturday you can see “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (10 a.m.), “Whiplash” (noon), “Birdman” (2:05 p.m.) and “Selma” (4:55 p.m.) with one $30 ticket. Then, on Feb. 21, catch “Boyhood” (10 a.m.), “The Theory of Everything” (1:05 p.m.), “The Imitation Game” (3:30 p.m.) and “American Sniper” (6:25 p.m.) with a separate $30 ticket. You can save $5 on two-day passes by buying them at the box office.
Or, if you’re a homebody, “Boyhood” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” are available on home video, “Birdman” and “The Theory of Everything” will be released on Tuesday and “Whiplash” is due Feb. 24.
Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.
