Week of Sept. 27 to October 3 (Rhoades)

Tropic Cinema Brings the Entertainment to You

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

For those of you who haven’t made the pilgrimage to New Town, the Tropic Cinema is bringing three mainstream hits straight to you this week.

“The World’s End” is that British comedy about (as the title implies) the world’s end. Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (that “Shaun of the Dead” duo), it follows five grown-up buddies who go pub-crawling to redo a failed attempt as teens to set a record. But along the way they encounter robots trying to take over the world. Yes, it’s funny. Movie Habit calls it “a screwball Sci-fi comedy.” HoneycuttsHollywood.com terms the film a “classic British comedy: It's anarchy versus conformity with conformity never standing a chance.” And The Atlantic observes that “Robert Frost famously mused 'Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice.' I prefer Edgar Wright's vision: It will end in a pub.”

Another funny addition is “We’re the Millers,” the Jason Sudeikis-Jennifer Aniston comedy about a drug dealer, a stripper, a runaway, and a latchkey kid who pretend to be a family called the Millers in order to mule some pot in from Mexico in an innocuous RV. The Daily Mail notes that the movie is “funnier and more ingenious than you might expect, and the actors have the comic timing to pull off most of it.” And Richard Roeper says it “clicks on just enough cylinders to warrant a recommendation.”

Adding to that is “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” the drama starring Forest Whitaker as a White House butler who observes the Civil Rights Movement under eight Presidents. The New Yorker calls it “a high-minded, didactic, but irresistible entertainment...” ReelReviews says, “Forest Whitaker imbues his part with immense dignity.” And Christian Science Monitor notes “Oprah Winfrey is good, though, demonstrating yet again that she's an actress and not just a celebrity playing an actress.”

And to maintain its creds as a purveyor of indie films, “Thanks for Sharing” opens at the Tropic too. This dramedy stars Gwyneth Paltrow, along with Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, and Josh Gad as three guys undergoing a 12-step treatment for sexual addition. Paste Magazine calls it “a warm, funny and poignant portrait of a misunderstood affliction…” Movie Dearest says it “makes pretty much all the right moves while walking a delicate tightrope between deadly-serious dramatic scenes and some guffaw-inducing comedic moments.” And Chicago Sun-Times concludes “First-time director Stuart Blumberg does a fine job and makes some brave choices.”

Plenty of entertainment coming to you … this week at the Tropic.

srhoades@aol.com