Director J.J. Abrams steers the USS Enterprise in a surprising direction in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’

Director J.J. Abrams steers the USS Enterprise in a surprising direction in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’

IRON MAN 3 (PG-13)

Iron Man 3 (PG-13)

At the start of Iron Man 3, the usually loquacious billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is off his game. Having learned of the existence of aliens and alternate universes in The Avengers, Stark is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. He’s had his mind blown, and he’s having trouble readjusting. For Christmas, he buys his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) a stuffed rabbit the size of a small building. When a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) starts making threats on live TV and blowing up bombs, Stark gives his home address to a news crew and challenges the villain to attack him — which he does.

TO THE WONDER (R)

To the Wonder (R)

I can pinpoint the exact moment when I mentally checked out of Terrence Malick’s torturous To the Wonder and started thinking “Wankage!” It was the scene in which Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams are standing in the midst of a bison herd and nuzzling romantically, like love-struck horses. “What if the animals suddenly started to stampede?” I thought. “Are they being careful where they step? What are they doing in the middle of a herd of bison, anyway? Wouldn’t it stink to high heaven there? Couldn’t they get a room?”

2013 summer movie preview

Sequels, giant robots and superheroes are hurtling our way.

Movies

The cult of ‘The Shining’

The documentary ‘Room 237,’ which explores the bizarre theories surrounding the 1980 horror classic, is being screened at O Cinema Wynwood.

OBLIVION (PG-13)

Oblivion (PG-13)

For its first hour or so, Oblivion is a visually mesmerizing, intriguing picture that doesn’t feel like the same-old: It engages your eyes and piques your curiosity. Then, gradually, the novelty wears off, the clichés start to pile up and we’re back to Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia 101. In his follow-up to TRON: Legacy, director Joseph Kosinski, with the aid of Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi), crafts some dazzling images and beautiful designs (the movie was shot using 4K cameras and enormous rear projections instead of green screens; see it in IMAX if you can). He also teases you with the story, letting you know right from the start things may not be what they seem.

Movies

‘Pain & Gain’ revisits a horrific Miami crime

Director Michael Bay uses humor to recount an incredible story involving bodybuilders, drugs and murder.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (R)

'The Place Beyond the Pines' (R)

The Place Beyond the Pines, the new film by the director of Blue Valentine, does not lack for ambition. Beginning with its bravura opening shot — an uninterrupted take of Luke (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stunt rider, as he dresses in his tent and walks through a carnival to the stage where he’ll be performing — director Derek Cianfrance lets us know he’s working on a larger canvas. But while the scope of the movie is bigger, its impact is smaller. Blue Valentine was a precise, heartrending portrait of a marriage coming apart at the seams. The theme of his new movie is a lot harder to discern.