FILM CLIPS: Friday, March 18

Will Jane Eyre be Limitless, or will Paul go Kaboom?

Image

OPENING FRIDAY
JANE EYRE 4 stars (PG-13) Charlotte Bronte’s steadfast young governess (Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska) contends with the romantic overtures of her magnetic, enigmatic employer, Mr. Rochester (the excellent Michael Fassbender). Cary Fukunaga places the heart of Jane Eyre in the pair’s volleying conversations, while Moiri Buffini sustain the themes of female empowerment without neglecting the haunted-house flourishes. Jane Eyre’s depths offer a lesson in tortured romance and Gothic mood to fans of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. — Curt Holman
KABOOM (NR) Not the big-screen adaptation of the breakfast cereal, this indie sci-fi drama from Mysterious Skin director Greg Araki concerns a group of hot college students whose sexual awakening coincides with a world-altering conspiracy.
LIMITLESS (PG-13) The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper plays a lazy would-be writer who takes an intellect-enhancing drug that makes him a celebrity financial genius — and a target for bad guys who want the drug for themselves.
THE LINCOLN LAWYER (R) Apparently this Lincoln is a comeback vehicle for Matthew McConaughey, who’s getting his best reviews in years as an ambulance-chasing attorney who works out of his car and must reconsider his values when he defends a sleazy rich kid (Ryan Phillippe). Don’t let the title mislead you into thinking that it’s a period piece about Honest Abe’s law practice.
PAUL 2 stars (R ) Aspiring sci-fi artists/fanboys Graeme and Clive (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) tour the UFO hotspots of America’s Southwest, only to encounter the uncouth but friendly fugitive alien Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen). For Paul, some of our greatest comic actors and Superbad/Adventureland director Greg Mottola team up for what might as well be “Alf” for pot-smoking, Star Wars T-shirt wearing nerds. The film’s affection for Paul and his raffish ways shines through, but the script eventually sounds like a straight-up list of lazy quotes from 1970s and 1980s blockbusters. — Holman

DULY NOTED
FOUND FOOTAGE FILM FESTIVAL (NR) For the fourth year, Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett bring their latest discoveries of instructional tapes, home-made music videos and other hilarious oddities, including “Heavy Metal Parking Lot.” 7:30 p.m., March 24. The Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave. 404-873-1939. www.plazaatlanta.com
FOUR LIONS 4 stars (R ) English satirist and journalist Chris Morris directs this ingenious comedy about a bumbling group of would-be Islamist terrorists from Sheffield, England. Cinefest Film Theatre, Georgia State University, Suite 240 University Center. March 14-20, 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. 404-413-1798. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft.— Holman
KAMOME DINER (NR) A new diner in Finland attracts both curiosity-seeking locals and expatriate Japanese in this comedy about people forming connections that cross cultures. Japanese Film Festival. Free-$7. Sat., March 18, 8 p.m. Rich Theatre, High Museum, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. 404-733-5000. www.high.org.
LIVING FOR 32 (NR) This documentary profiles Colin Goddard, who survived the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Tue., March 22, 4 and 7:30 p.m. White Hall, 301 Emory University. filmstudies.emory.edu/
SHOWGIRLS (R ) The Plaza Theatre proves that it knows what sells by presenting members of Blast-Off Burlesque and a screening of the modern campfest Showgirls (complete with costume contest and “pool scene” re-creations) as its annual membership party, as well as the kick-off to its new monthly film series, “Taboo/La-La.” 9:30 p.m., March 19. The Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave. 404-873-1939. www.plazaatlanta.com
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990) The Plaza Theatre programs the first live-action film (inspired by the animated TV series, which was inspired by a comic book parody of Daredevil) about the pizza-snarfing martial artists on the half shell. Cowabunga? March 16, 9:30 p.m.; March 18, midnight; March 19, 3 p.m. $8. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-873-1939. www.plazaatlanta.com.
WONDERROOT FILM FESTIVAL (NR) The High Museum’s Rich Theatre hosts “WonderRoot’s General Local, Mostly Independent Film Series: Best of Year One,” which includes short films, animation, experimental video and narrative documentary. 8 p.m. March 19, Rich Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. 404-733-5000. www.wonderroot.org