Capsule reviews: 'The Other Guys' and others

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

"Cairo Time" — Writer-director Ruba Nadda's fourth film seeks poetry and comes up short. Shot on location in Egypt, it has the exotic setting. With Patricia Clarkson as a visiting wife left alone by her waylaid husband, and Alexander Siddig as her host and companion, it has the roles. But the slow pace and elegant mood of "Cairo Time" fails to summon any magic, and this film — a kind of Middle East version of "Lost in Translation" — passes with merely a picturesque tick-tock. A deeper relationship gradually forms between the visitor and native, and a question of how far they'll take it becomes the film's muted drama. But Clarkson and Siddig's lack of chemistry and Nadda's flat script keep things languid and unemotional. Nadda and cinematographer Luc Montpellier succeed in fashioning a graceful postcard to the city, but a story, too, would have been nice. PG for mild thematic elements and smoking. 89 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

"The Disappearance of Alice Creed" — There's so much to say here, so much to pore over and praise. Trouble is, the less you know about this movie heading into it, the better. So ... what can we say about it, then? Well, it's one you should definitely see: a small, intelligent thriller you'll be glad you went out of your way to find, especially during the summer when so much is so mindless. It's so deftly handled, so sharp and clever, you'd never know it's the first feature from British writer-director J Blakeson. A tense, twisting tale about the kidnapping of a wealthy man's daughter, "Alice Creed" keeps you on your toes as secrets are revealed and allegiances shift. With its three characters in a cramped space, it has the claustrophobic feel of watching a play on film. Yet there's also a dry sense of humor that surfaces sporadically and keeps it from being completely suffocating. But perhaps we've already said too much ... Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston are great as the kidnappers whose power dynamic is constantly shifting, with Gemma Arterton as their feisty target. R for violent content, pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity. 100 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

"Middle Men" — You'll probably want to take a shower after watching this, just to wash all the "ick" off yourself. And that's a compliment. Inspired-by-a-true-story film about the birth of Internet porn, it's giddily sleazy, full of convincing crazies and criminals, as well as the scumbags and wannabes who surround them. Writer-director George Gallo seems to have been influenced by "Boogie Nights" and "Goodfellas," not just in their subject matter but in their fast-paced, in-your-face hodgepodge of images, styles and music. It's a predictable rise-and-fall tale, but at least it's fun while it lasts. Besides, the details and the characters are what make these types of movies work. Giovanni Ribisi is gloriously over-the-top as a former veterinarian who helps come up with the idea of distributing porn online in the late 1990s when he becomes bored with his own, um, inspirational material. The real brains behind the operation is a former NASA technician (Gabriel Macht) who creates a program within minutes that allows users to provide their credit card information and receive photos and videos in return. But Luke Wilson is at the center of it all as the Texan with a knack for problem solving who helps legitimize their business. R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, drug use and violence. 113 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

"The Other Guys" — If the mismatched-buddy cop movie seems egregiously overdone, the idea of a parody of that genre would seem especially needless — which is what makes this such a wonderful surprise. On paper, this could have been painfully lame. Will Ferrell is doing a variation on his tried-and-true film persona: the overly earnest guy who's totally confident and oblivious to his buffoonery. Mark Wahlberg, meanwhile, is playing with his screen image as a tough guy and a hothead, doing a version of his Oscar-nominated role in "The Departed." It all could have been too familiar, too cute. But there are just enough tweaks to these characters and this formula — and a refreshingly weird, kinky streak throughout — that make "The Other Guys" an unexpected kick. Director and co-writer Adam McKay's film runs out of steam in the third act and probably could have been tightened a bit. And we didn't need the Powerpoint-style presentation over the closing credits preaching to us about corporate greed. But the majority of it works. A big reason for the film's success is that the action sequences are played totally straight. The comedy similarly has a deadpan tone; it's self-aware but not tongue-in-cheek. PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material. 101 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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