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

CITIZENFOUR

Compared to some of the other government whistleblowers out there — the egotistical Julian Assange or the beleaguered Chelsea Manning — Edward Snowden seems clear-eyed and reasonable. That’s exactly what this Laura Poitras documentary, which follows Snowden in the eight days after his leak of NSA spy tactics in 2013, wants you to believe. The film tries too hard to be a thriller (the soundtrack should’ve been dialed down a notch), but as Snowden drops bombshell after bombshell about all the ways the government is spying on you, well, you may find yourself ducking for cover alongside him. (PG)

Opens Nov. 28 at Kahala Theatre

COPENHAGEN

A quaint European excursion (to Copenhagen, Denmark) finds a boorish young man (Gethin Anthony, best known as Game of Thrones‘ Renly Baratheon) meeting a delightful young woman (bright-eyed Frederikke Dahl Hansen) just in time to develop some self-awareness and grow as a human being. Cute stuff, right? It’s all very thoughtful and emotional, with more than a few surprises from the lovely Hansen, except that Anthony cranks his “jerk” dial all the way to 11, and he does such a good job being obnoxious that it’s hard to focus on anything else. (Unrated)

Plays noon, 3:30, 5:15 and 8:45 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Movie Museum

LOVE AND LEMONS

It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that this citrus-titled film is anything but sour. In fact, you know how this is going to go before you even step into the theater: Agnes (Rakel Wärmländer) is a sweet girl with a big dream to open her own restaurant, and of course, she succeeds, finding love and happiness amidst the solvable mishaps she encounters along the way. It’s nice, with some sharp comedic beats, even if you’ve seen it done about 475 times already. But why try a new dish if you already know what you like? Plus, food porn. (Unrated)

Plays 1:45 and 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Movie Museum