April 14
Racing Dreams (**) Where do NASCAR drivers come from? Indulgent parents who spend years hauling them all over the country to compete in go-kart races. This is a time-honored story in the vein of countless docs about youth beauty pageants, except these kids are racing around in circles instead of selling it on the runway. — BW (6 p.m., Regal Winter Park; also 4 p.m., April 17 at Enzian Theater)
Harry Brown (****) Director Daniel Barber’s debut feature opens on a poor section of London under siege by a new generation of Burgessian droogs committing random acts of unspeakable horror. Unfortunately for them, that area is home to several elderly citizens who, you know, fought in wars. When ex-special-ops senior Harry Brown’s (Michael Caine in a Sexy Beast role) friend is hacked to death by the hooligans, Brown flips the kill switch on his usually quiet demeanor. The film’s gritty realism and Taken-esque bloodthirst is satisfying and contains more depth than it could have gotten away with. — JS (7 p.m., Plaza Cinema Café; also 9 p.m., April 17 at Regal Winter Park)
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (**) If you’re one of the dozens of people who care deeply about Kiwi lesbian folk-comedy yodeling duos, then this is the film for you. Otherwise, this documentary about just such a team, the Topp Twins, will whiz over your head so often that you will leave the theater with a buzz cut. The doc is totally dependent on the women’s supposedly charming and hilarious anecdotes, but their politically charged social commentary is entirely region-specific, leaving the audience shrugging when crowds onscreen are rolling in the aisles, making for one of the most exclusive (and boring) experiences one can have at the movies. — JS (9:30 p.m., Plaza Cinema Café; also 7:15 p.m., April 17 at Regal Winter Park)
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (**) If you’re one of the dozens of people who care deeply about Kiwi lesbian folk-comedy yodeling duos, then this is the film for you. Otherwise, this documentary about just such a team, the Topp Twins, will whiz over your head so often that you will leave the theater with a buzz cut. The doc is totally dependent on the women’s supposedly charming and hilarious anecdotes, but their politically charged social commentary is entirely region-specific, leaving the audience shrugging when crowds onscreen are rolling in the aisles, making for one of the most exclusive (and boring) experiences one can have at the movies. — JS (9:30 p.m., Plaza Cinema Café; also 7:15 p.m., April 17 at Regal Winter Park)
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This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2010.