Reel-View Ratings: The Bigger The Beard, The Better The Movie

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WARD THEATRES HOSTS HITCHCOCK-TOBER

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Fear is not always a girl crawling out of the TV, a zombie charging mindlessly forward or a man with a knife lurking in the shadows. Sometimes fear is as simple as a little bird. That’s why Consolidated Theatres at Ward celebrates Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, throughout “Hitchcock-tober” with special screenings of To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, Rear Window and Dial M for Murder.

Hitchcock films are classics, and a lot of people who attend these showings didn’t get to experience these films in theaters, much less these new digitally remastered and restored editions,” says Lindsey Chun-Hori, promotions and events manager for Consolidated Theatres.

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The series kicked off Oct. 2 with The Birds, and continues every Friday through October. Metro breaks down a few highlights for film lovers here.

1. GRACE KELLY TRINITY

Hitchcock was known for his penchant for working with the same pool of actors, over and over. All three of his collaborations with Grace Kelly are included in Ward’s series: To Catch a Thief, Dial M for Murder and Rear Window.

2. GREATEST MOVIE EVER?

In 2012, Vertigo toppled Orson Welle’s Citizen Kane after its 50-year run at the top of the Sight & Sound critics’ poll, which produces a new movie ranking every 10 years and is considered one of the most hallowed in the industry.

3. TO 3-D OR NOT TO 3-D

Hitchcock made his movies long before the advent of 3-D film, but the screening of Dial M for Murder will require viewers to pop on an extra pair of glasses.

“It’s something you can only experience in a movie theatre with digital 3-D,” comments Chun-Hori.

Whether film purists agree that the upgrade was necessary remains to be seen …

Films screen every Thursday through October at 7 p.m., starting with To Catch a Thief (Oct. 9), Vertigo (Oct. 16), Rear Window (Oct. 23) and Dial M for Murder (Oct. 30).

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A COFFEE IN BERLIN

kewlAs Niko (Tom Schilling) meanders around Berlin, trying to get a cup of coffee and getting thwarted at every turn by apathy, his own mistakes and unhealthy father figures, the film meanders with him, embodying the man at his center with its own seeming lack of purpose. If you relate with Niko, the film’s tragicomedic peaks will move you. If his whininess only gets on your nerves, you’re better off digging up an old Woody Allen film instead. (Unrated)

Plays at noon, 4 and 9 p.m. Oct. 9, 12, 3:45 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12; and 1:45, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Movie Museum.

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CHINESE PUZZLE

meh The third film in a trilogy from French director Cedric Klapisch comes nine years after its last installment and viewers not familiar with L’Auberge Espagnole and Russian Dolls might find themselves detached from the events of this romantic escapade, which finds Xavier Rosseau (Romain Duris) trying to navigate an ocean of subplots involving the many women in his life. If you know ’em, it’s charming; if you’ve never met these people before, it’s less guaranteed that you’ll care. (R)

Plays at noon, 4:45, 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 18; and 2:15, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Movie Museum.

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KILL THE MESSENGER

kewlJeremy Renner trades in his gun and bow for a pen and notepad in his portrayal of Gary Webb, the journalist who sniffed out U.S. governmental involvement in the cocaine industry in Central America. Comparisons to that one movie about Watergate are fair, but in a mirror of real life, this film is more concerned with the reporter than his story. There’s missed potential in the movie’s message, but Renner owns it as the flawed, tragic messenger. (R) Opens Oct. 10 at Kahala Theatre.