Reel Picks

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Contagion (PG-13)

A chilling medical thriller about a global pandemic that starts innocently enough with Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), feeling ill after returning from a business meeting in Hong Kong. And the nightmare begins. With Matt Damon as her husband, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, and Jude Law playing a reporter whose website spreads fear almost as fast as the virus. Grab a can of disinfectant.

The Debt (R)

Past and present (late ’90s) tell the story of three Israeli agents (Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, and Helen Mirren) who tried to bring a Nazi criminal to justice. They reunite when their efforts became the subject of a book.

Dolphin Tale (PG)

The true, inspirational yet sappy story of Winter, a dolphin whose damaged tail was replaced by a prosthetic one. In the process, the life of the 11-year-old boy (Nathan Gamble) who discovered him changes for the better. With Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Kris Kristofferson.

Drive (R)

Stunt driver by day, getaway driver by night, Driver (Ryan Gosling) gets caught up with serious gangsters. After he falls in love with underworld character’s wife (Carey Mulligan), he goes into high gear in her defense. With Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman.

The Help (PG-13)

Skeeter (Emma Stone) creates a stir when she interviews the maids of Jackson, Mississippi in 1961, for a book about what domestic work was like for African Americans working as domestics in the South. She chronicles brutal and poignant truths about discrimination. A brilliant cast: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Ahna O’Reilly, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, and Cicely Tyson. Wow.

Killer Elite (R)

No good guys here. Ruthless hired killer Danny (Jason Statham) comes out of retirement to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro) who’s been kidnapped by an Arabian Sheik. For his release, Danny must kill the three former SAS soldiers that killed the Sheik’s sons. But the soldiers are protected by a special agent (Clive Owen), part of an organization dedicated to protecting SAS officers from retaliation by their enemies.