Heroic acts

In theaters

Elysium (Tristar): In this summer of sci-fi spectaculars, some soared (Star Trek Into Darkness) while others crashed and burned (After Earth). If all the stars align, the latest entry, Neill Blomkamp's Elysium stands a good chance of being a universal hit.

Set more than 100 years in the future, when Earth is devastated by overpopulation and pollution and those whose can afford it live on a lush green space station known as Elysium. As children, Earthbound orphans Max and Frey dreamed of one day living on Elysium. Max even promises Frey to take her there.

Now all grown up, Frey (Alice Braga) is a nurse in a hospital, as well as the mother of Matilda (Emma Tremblay) who is in the final stages of Leukemia. Max (Matt Damon) has taken a somewhat different path. A parolee with tattoos and a shaved head, Max works in a factory run by a mega-corporation that does major business with the government. Anxious to keep his nose clean on the job, Max follows all the rules and orders, including the one that leads to him getting a lethal dose of radiation.

With five days to live and nothing to lose, Max takes on a criminal endeavor, under the direction of underworld boss Spider (Wagner Moura) that will get him to Elysium where he can seek medical treatment. While he's at it, he plans to take Frey and Matilda with him, too. Of course, that's easier said than done. First, he has to undergo a transformative exo-skeletal surgery. Then Max has to abduct heartless CEO Carlyle (William Fichtner) so that the sensitive brain data he has can be downloaded into Max's brain. When that occurs, the "keys to the kingdom" are in Max's head.

Ruthless chief of security Delacorte (Jodie Foster, who comes close to virtually destroying Elysium with what has to be the strangest accent in modern movie history) does everything in her power to make sure that Max will fail, including enlisting the aid of one-man killing machine Kruger (Sharlto Copley). Her mission is to take over the government and she'll let nothing stand in her way. Naturally, Kruger has a similar plan of his own.

Elysium may not be as inventive (or full of humanity) as Blomkamp's previous hit film District 9, but it does have Matt Damon, who proves to be as good an action hero here as he was in the Bourne series. Unfortunately, it's hard to overlook the catastrophic performance given by Foster. As inexplicable as her friendship with Mel Gibson, her ridiculous and mannered performance as Delacorte, burdened by the accent, is simply inexcusable.

Watch: Official Elysium trailer

Kick-Ass 2 (Universal): As sequels go, Kick-Ass 2, well, kicks ass. High-school heroes (with secret identities) Dave aka Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Mindy aka Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) have been forced to curtail their crime-fighting activities and lead the lives of ordinary teens. But that's easier said than done.

While on hiatus, Kick-Ass discovers that he has inspired others to dress up in costume and become vigilantes, making the streets of New York City safer. Hit Girl, on the other hand, now under the watchful eye of her guardian, police detective Marcus (Morris Chestnut), following the death of her father Big Daddy, must fight the urge to join Kick-Ass and his followers.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, following the death of his mother, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), formerly known as Red Mist, reinvents himself (in his mother's dominatrix gear, no less) as super villain Motherf*cker. His mission is to find Kick-Ass and get revenge for the murder of his father.

Soon there are two competing armies. The good ones, led by Kick-Ass, include ex-mob enforcer turned born-again Christian Captain Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey); gay Insect Man (Robert Emms); mom and pop team Tommy's Dad (Steven Mackintosh) and Tommy's Mom (Monica Dolan); goofball Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison); the fierce Night Bitch (Lindy Booth) and mild-mannered Battle Guy (Clark Duke), who turns out to be Dave's childhood pal Marty.

Not surprisingly, the super villain team assembled by Motherf*cker is much scarier and far more lethal. It includes female killing machine Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina, who would be perfect to play Vladimir Putin's long-lost twin sister in the made-for-TV movie of his life); martial arts warrior Genghis Carnage (Tom Wu); with The Tumor (Andy Nyman) and Black Death (Daniel Kaluuya) bringing up the rear.

Being a teenager also figures prominently in the movie. Mindy, for instance, is grounded by Marcus for fighting crime as Hit Girl. She also falls victim to Brooke (Claudia Lee), the ruthless reigning queen bee among the school's mean girls. Brooke, who doesn't like to be upstaged, tricks Mindy into trusting her and then stabs her in the proverbial back. But fear not, Mindy's revenge is sweet (if unbelievably disgusting).

But you came to see Kick-Ass 2 to see asses being kicked (or stabbed or sliced or demolished). You definitely get what you came for. The violence level, while on the cartoony side, is ramped up even more than in the original. Decapitations and severed limbs, gunshots and stabbings, bones and necks broken, are all part of the story, so consider this a warning for the faint of heart. Still, as comic book/superhero adaptations for the big screen go, this is the best of the season, surpassing the wishy-washy Wolverine and the tinny Man of Steel without much effort. And in case you didn't see it coming, Kick-Ass 2 leaves plenty of room for Kick-Ass 3.

Watch: Official Kick-Ass 2 trailer

At home

The lives of two gay dads in Tennessee – school teacher Cody (Trevor St. John) and contractor/carpenter Joey (gay writer/director Patrick Wang) – and their six year old son Chip (young scene stealer Sebastian Banes), take a serious hit when Cody is involved in a fatal car accident in Wang's 2011 masterwork In The Family (www.inthefamilythemovie.com).

The limbo in which Joey finds himself at the hospital following Cody's accident is horrific. He is treated disrespectfully by nurses who act as if he's from another planet. When he supplies Cody's correct medical information after Cody's sister Eileen (Kelly McAndrew) gives it incorrectly, he is looked at with suspicion and doubt. As Cody's mother Sally (Park Overall), Eileen and her husband Dave (Peter Hermann) are brought in to see Cody, Joey and Chip are excluded. One nurse does attempt to bend the rules to allow Joey to fill out papers for patient visitation, but by then it's too late and Cody is dead.

From this point on, In The Family becomes an incredibly effective film about loss and grief. Joey's numbness is palatable. The post-funeral mail sorting scene, for example, is enough to elicit tears from viewers. But he also knows that as a father he must rise to the occasion for Chip. Beginning here, Wang incorporates extended flashbacks, starting with when Joey met married Cody and his pregnant wife Rebecca (Julia Motyka).

Back in the present, Joey is muddling through his days. Gloria (Elaine Bromka), who taught with Cody (and will be a valuable ally later), reaches out him. When Joey meets with Eileen and Dave he is told that, in spite of thinking otherwise, Cody had an old will (pre-dating Joey), in which Eileen was named executor. There is a sudden shift in the Joey's relationship with Cody's family. Eileen and Sally attempt to vilify Joey. He is no longer welcome at Thanksgiving as he was in the past (there is a weird, Southern racial vibe flashback to when Cody introduced Joey to his family). The day after dropping Chip off to spend the holiday with Cody's family, he learns that he's been duped and that Eileen never planned to return him to Joey. She even files a restraining order.

In The Family subtly morphs again into a custody drama as powerful as Kramer Vs. Kramer. Joey's friends Anne (Elisa Davis), Helen (Zoe Winters) and Gloria team up to support him. Gloria introduces Joey to her lawyer Charlie (Matthew Boston), who bluntly tells Joey that he has no case, that no judge will "legitimize that kind of stuff." Retired lawyer Paul (Brian Murray), the husband of Joey's wealthy client Marge (Susan Kellermann), takes a liking to Joey and offers to come out of retirement to take his case.

Heart-wrenching to the very last scene, In The Family is a remarkable movie in the way that it makes a potentially divisive subject immediately relatable. It has a similar (although less humorous) spirit to Big Eden. Wang's attention to detail is remarkable. The film never feels anything but authentic and organic, intimate and honest. Nothing here is surprising or out of place. Characters speak and behave the way people you know do. We believe it when we discover that Joey is the kind of father who makes one-of-a-kind toys for his kid; when Anne sneaks a call in to Joey so he can hear Chip playing in the background; as Joey and Cody bond over a Chip Taylor CD, leading to their first kiss.

When people ask why gay marriage is so important, just show them In The Family. DVD special features include a second disc of video essays by Wang, H.P. Mendoza and Kevin B. Lee, a behind the scenes video, a booklet of essays and more.

In gay filmmaker Quentin Lee's family drama White Frog (Wolfe), teen brothers Nick (Booboo Stewart) and Chaz (Harry Shum, Jr.) are as close as they can be. Older Chaz is always there for the younger Nick, who has Asperger's. But then tragedy strikes and Chaz dies suddenly.

Nick and Chaz's religious parents Irene (Joan Chen) and Oliver (out actor BD Wong) don't value Nick as much as they did Chaz. Their treatment of him alternates between overcompensation and neglect. They struggle with the loss of Chaz in their own ways.

Nick, who relied on Chaz, particularly when it came to social interaction, begins hanging out with Doug (Tyler Posey), Randy (Gregg Sulkin) and other friends of Chaz's. He becomes a part of their regular poker game, and it's there that he begins to learn more about his brother. For instance, Chaz was active at a community center for troubled youth and even donated $20,000 of his poker winnings to the safe space.

As Nick learns more about Chaz, there are things revealed to him that he doesn't understand or agree with. At the top of that list is Chaz's being gay and in a relationship with Randy. Nothing helps Nick deal. Not therapy sessions with Dr. King (Amy Hill); not heart to hearts with Miss Lee (Talulah Riley), the lesbian drama teacher who runs the community center; not parental intervention. Ultimately, it's an unexpected encounter with a homeless man that sets Nick straight, allowing him to gain access to Chaz's laptop video diary and view a message meant just for him.

White Frog leaps in a few different directions, trying to make statements about gay teens, Asperger's Syndrome, Asian families, male friendships and more. It is more successful with some of the subjects than others, but on the whole it is worth watching for its message of acceptance and endurance. DVD bonus material includes a "making of" featurette.