Film

From the ads and trailers, you might think that “Flight” is some sort of legal thriller, with Denzel Washington's character being unfairly accused or even framed; and you'd be about 10% right. In fact, “Flight” is primarily a moral character drama of the subspecies “addiction.” Its greatest suspense centers on how low the hero's self-sabotage will take him. Washington plays Whip Whitaker, an experienced airline pilot who for many years has managed to hide his alcoholism from his corporate overlords.

David Mitchell's 2004 novel “Cloud Atlas” was ambitious, sometimes confounding, and absolutely riveting. Viewers are likely to find the film “Cloud Atlas” - written and directed by Tom Tykwer (“Run Lola Run”) and Lana and Andy Wachowski (“The Matrix”) - even more ambitious, possibly more confounding, and very nearly as riveting. It's more ambitious because the structure of the book, its trademark peculiarity, simply wouldn't work onscreen. It comprises six stories, each within a different genre, set in a different time and place, with a different group of characters.

Halloween understandably spurs the release of new horror films every year, and 2012 is no exception. Two weeks ago, we were treated to the mercifully brief run of "V/H/S," an anthology of interchangeable stories organized around "found footage" that would have been better left unfound. Last week was "Sinister," which was a step up, but basically recycled a bunch of creaky plot ideas so overused that they now qualify as conventions: family arrives at new house, kids start acting spooky, objects start moving on their own, and each casual closing of a door triggers a noise so loud that the characters - and, of course, the audience - are physiologically forced to jump.

If it's easy to curse Quentin Tarantino for all the bad-to-awful imitations he's inspired, then it's only fair to grant him a degree of absolution for the occasional good-to-brilliant imitation. Case in point: Martin McDonagh's hilarious new "Seven Psychopaths," opening this week. It may be unfair to reduce McDonagh to the status of imitator. Before he came to film, the Anglo-Irish McDonagh had already established himself as the most acclaimed new playwright of our young millennium.

"Butter" - a frequently funny comedy from director Jim Field Smith ("Episodes") and first-time screenwriter Jason Micallef - is essentially a sports film with a layer of cultural (and, by the end, political) satire. In the tradition of that genre, it pits the sweet, utterly lovable underdog against the smug, utterly loathable alpha dog - only this time, the competition is sculpture; the medium, butter. In the film's world, you can forget about the early presidential caucuses: Here the most important event in Iowa is the butter sculpture competition at the annual state fair.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday approved a two-year extension of the state's tax credit for films and television shows shot in California, providing up to $200 million in breaks. The governor agreed that extending the credit program to July 1, 2017, was justified in light of the problem of runaway film production, where Hollywood companies are lured to other states that offer tax breaks and other cost-cutting. The governor signed two nearly identical bills, AB 2026 by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar)

Bruce Willis must really like projects that muck with time or at least involve confrontations between past and present: from his first major feature, “Sunset” (old guy vs. young guy, real West vs. more modern myths of the West) through “Lucky Number Slevin” with its deceitful layers of narrative, to (obviously) “Pulp Fiction.” One might even (in a stretch) include his voice-over for “Look Who's Talking,” whose central joke was derived from the clash between Willis' adult voice and the adorable moppet it represented.

Much as “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) was a second failed attempt to exploit Big Green (after the broad discontent with Ang Lee's 2003 “Hulk”), “Dredd 3D” also tries to reboot a stillborn franchise. Luckily, the new version (from “Vantage Point” director Pete Travis) is far more satisfying than its predecessor. Those with longish memories may recall the first Judge Dredd movie, made back in 1995. I am one of those unfortunate ones. Sylvester Stallone played the title character, a bit of casting that right away meant throwing out one of the signal attributes of the original long-running comic; i.e., we're not supposed to ever see Dredd's mug. He wears a helmet that covers two-thirds of his face.

Glendale schools may be strapped for cash, but there's one way they can earn extra income without staging bake sales or car washes. At Glendale High School last year, when television crews filmed scenes for the show “Criminal Minds,” the school pocketed $5,200 after seven days of filming. Filming for that show took place twice around the campus, including in the cafeteria and auditorium. Filming at Glendale schools has gone on for years, said Alan Reising, the district's director of facility and support operations.

Glendale Arts kicks off a month-long film series tonight and along with providing a family-friendly event, it also will help the needy. Through a partnership with Tegan Summer Productions, Glendale Arts will show four American classics at the Alex Theatre. The first film is “The Sound of Music.” It screens at 7 p.m. tonight. Subsequent titles are “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial - 25th Anniversary Screening,” at 7 p.m. Aug. 15; “The Princess Bride,” at 7 p.m. Aug. 22; and “The Neverending Story,” at 7 p.m. Aug. 29. Patrons who bring canned goods to any of the screenings will receive a coupon good for $5 off tickets to any of the Glendale Pops Orchestra concerts.