Capsule reviews for Dec. 18

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Russell Brand does his best Michael Moore impersonation, except with results that are more muddled than persuasive, in this documentary from director Michael Winterbottom with a million different gimmicks to tell us that the contemporary economic system is screwing over the working class, both in Britain and the United States. The reasons range from outdated economic policies, to ill-conceived bank bailouts, to failed tax laws, to plain old corporate greed. Brand is an endearing host, and his arguments resonate across the pond, yet the film really doesn’t offer much new insight. And with an impractical checklist of solutions, it leaves the audience with hopeless resignation. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

Extraction

If gratuitous bone-crunching fight sequences are your thing, there’s a whole highlight reel’s worth of them in this generic revenge thriller. The trouble is that you have to stomach a woefully formulaic and predictable script along the way. Bruce Willis stars as a former CIA agent who is kidnapped by international terrorists. The government doesn’t show much interest in a rescue, however, so his son (Kellan Lutz), a low-level analyst looking to follow in his dad’s footsteps, goes rogue along with a former flame (Gina Carano) to save his family and potentially the world. Some stylish touches can’t rescue a thin concept that’s riddled with clichés. (Rated R, 83 minutes).

He Never Died

Some well-worn genre concepts are given a fresh twist in this low-budget character study about Jack (Henry Rollins), a loner with vampiric qualities whose boredom with urban life among the humans in Manhattan has him depressed. But when the waitress (Kate Greenhouse) at his favorite diner sees her daughter kidnapped, it springs Jack into vigilante action and forces him to confront some past demons. It’s somewhat annoying when the main character is practically indestructible. Yet while this material would have been toxic if taken too seriously, the script by director Jason Krawczyk injects a welcome dose of quirky humor, and Rollins gives an amusing understated performance. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

Noma: My Perfect Storm

Every frame of this flavorful documentary is meant to celebrate the titular Copenhagen restaurant and its innovative commitment to authentic Nordic cuisine, along with its eccentric Macedonian chef, Rene Redzepi, who refused to compromise his vision while winning numerous international culinary awards. Yet despite some mouth-watering shots of the presumably delicious menu items, the approach of rookie director Pierre Deschamps combines a strange mix of ingredients that isn’t for all tastes. Explaining the philosophy behind the restaurant is one thing, but non-foodies might lose their appetite when they hear eye-rolling bromides like: “Food is everything. It’s like a metaphor for how we interact with the world.” (Not rated, 99 minutes).

Son of Saul

We’ve seen many cinematic depictions of the horrors of concentration camps, but few have been as vivid and gut-wrenching as this intimate look at Saul (Geza Rohrig), a Hungarian Jew suspected of harboring war secrets who is forced to burn the corpses of other prisoners at Auschwitz. His personal mission becomes giving a proper burial to a young boy he finds among the victims, even if it means sacrificing his own escape chances. It’s deliberately paced and relentlessly bleak, but using lengthy hand-held takes and sparse dialogue, rookie director Laszlo Nemes crafts a visceral and visually stunning examination of confinement, injustice, childhood innocence and unsung heroism. (Rated R, 107 minutes).