More Movie Reviews
'All Roads Lead Home' 
'All Roads Lead Home' 
(Kerry Lengel) After losing her mother in a car accident, a troubled girl returns to her grandfather's racehorse ranch for some hard-work therapy. Inspired by a true story - five words that should give all discerning filmgoers pause - it's by-the-numbers family fare except for an ideological subtext about animal rights and euthanasia that may alienate some viewers. (PG - 108 minutes)
'American Teen' 
'American Teen' 
Nanette Burstein's documentary following the lives of five high-school students in a small Indiana town plays by many of the same rules as reality television, but is miles ahead in terms of quality and effectiveness. While she traffics in what seem at first stereotypes - artsy chick, jock, rich mean girl, etc. - Burstein turns up much more, and creates characters anyone who's been through high school can relate to. (PG-13 - 95 minutes) P, S.
'Appaloosa'
Ed Harris co-wrote, directed and stars in this old-school Western about a hired gun (Harris) and his partner (Viggo Mortensen) who bring justice to a town besieged by an outlaw (Jeremy Irons, having a ball). Their lives are complicated by the arrival of a woman (Renee Zellweger). Harris and Mortensen are good, the latter especially so. (R - 114 minutes) P,V.
'Babylon A.D.'
'Babylon A.D.' (Philadelphia Inquirer) Talk about exceeding expectations. "Babylon A.D.," which had all the cauliflower earmarks of a trashy action throwaway, turns out instead to be a disturbing, wonderfully executed vision of the future, the equal of last year's well-received "Children of Men."
'Baghead' 
(Bill Goodykoontz) Ross Partridge and Steve Zissis star as frustrated filmmakers who go into the woods to shoot a low-budget horror film, which then appears to maybe be coming to life for real. Decent premise, but the execution falls flat, and things take way too long to develop. (R - 84 minutes) P, S.
'Bangkok Dangerous' 
'Bangkok Dangerous' 
(McClatchy Newspapers) For an A-list actor with an Oscar, serious acting chops and an at least one-billion-dollar franchise behind him, Nicolas Cage certainly does do a lot of B-movies. Some, like Ghost Rider, you can understand. It's a comic book. It'll be a hit and raise the salary. Others, like Next and Wicker Man and the new Bangkok Dangerous, are harder to explain.
'Before the Rains'
'Before the Rains' (McClatchy Newspapers) Kerala, South India, in 1937, was the wild frontier for English colonialists, a land rich in resources for the taking and restless natives. Plantation owner Henry Moores (Linus Roache) takes advantage of both. He's carrying on a secret affair with his beautiful married housekeeper, Sajani (Nandita Das). But when two village boys witness their adulterous tryst, the stage is set for tragedy. (PG-13 - 98 minutes) S, V.
'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' 
'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' 
'Bigger, Stronger, Faster*'
'Bigger, Stronger, Faster* ' (Kerry Lengel) A thoughtful and surprisingly entertaining look at the epidemic of steroid use in sports - and of hypocrisy about performance-enhancing drugs in American society. An out-of-left-field winner from bodybuilding filmmaker Christopher Bell, it's subtitled The Side Effects of Being American. (PG-13 - 106 minutes) D, P, S, V.
'Blindness'
Director Fernando Meirelles pounds his message home in this story of a city whose residents suddenly go blind. Julianne Moore is good as a woman who fakes blindness and is thus witness to the disintegration of society, but Meirelles' heavy-handedness mutes much of the film's potential power. (R - 120 minutes) P, S, V.
'Bottle Shock'
'Bottle Shock' (Randy Cordova) Based on a true story, Bottle Shock tells about a small California Chardonnay that beat more renowned wines in a prestigious French competition. Unfortunately, too many clichés pile up, the stereotypes run deep and director Randall Miller (he also co-wrote the script) lets thing amble on without a lot of momentum. On the plus side, it does give reliable Bill Pullman a lead role. (PG-13- 110 minutes) P, V.
'Bra Boys'
'Bra Boys' (Newsday) The dashing young lords of California's Dogtown have nothing on the hard-core surf gangs of Australia, whose assaults on the world's scariest waves are matched, if not exceeded, by their full-contact battles with rivals, traitors and cops. It's fairly thorough with its archival footage, historical and sociological perspective. Narrated by Russell Crowe. (R - 84 minutes) P, V.
'Brick Lane'
'Brick Lane' (USA Today) Though it focuses mostly on one woman's story, the film, based on Monica Ali's 2003 novel, also is a portrait of Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End of London. (PG-13 - 102 minutes) P, S.
'Brideshead Revisited'
'Brideshead Revisited' Emma Thompson stands tall as the pious matriarch of a decaying British family in Julian Jarrold's take on Evelyn Waugh's novel. Matthew Goode is just fine as an atheist whose dealings with the very Catholic Flyte family color his life greatly, but Thompson dominates. (PG-13 - 135 minutes) S.
'Burn After Reading'
'Burn After Reading' (Bill Goodykoontz) 
After the masterful No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers return to knucklehead territory. Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand find a CIA analyst's memoirs and decide to bribe him. George Clooney and Tilda Swinton are along for the ride. Has its moments, but doesn't add up to much. (R - 96 minutes) P, S, V. Moronic Chad (Brad Pitt, above) is in a bit over his head in Burn After Reading, which also features (at left, from top) John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney.
'Choke'
'Choke' Over-the-top tale of a sex addict who chokes himself in restaurants for money to pay for his mother's hospitalization. It could easily be too much, and may in fact be. But Sam Rockwell's performance is so winning that almost all is forgiven. (R - 89 minutes) N, P, S.
'Chris and Don'
'Chris and Don: A Love Story' (Washington Post) "Chris & Don: A Love Story" is Tina Mascara and Guido Santi's sensitive and affecting portrait of Don Bachardy and British author Christopher Isherwood's remarkable (for being so unremarkable) union. (Unrated - 90 minutes) S.
'College' 
'College' 
(Orlando Sentinel) Josh Peck of TV's "Drake & Josh" left his kiddie TV show days behind him with the indie coming-of-age dramedy "The Wackness" this summer, playing a pot dealer who finds love and sex over one magical summer before college. Drake Bell of TV's "Drake & Josh" - he plays Drake, y'see - tries to go Josh one better, or worse, in "College," a raunchy comedy that plays like a Superbad without the smarts, the heart, the originality or the laughs.
'Death Race'
'Death Race' Jason Statham stars in this reimagining of 1973's Death Race 2000. Ultra-violent, ridiculously stupid and kind of a rush. Joan Allen and Ian McShane are mostly wasted as a control-freak warden and Statham's crew chief. The adrenaline is non-stop, but it's ultimately forgettable. (R - 89 minutes) P, V.
'Disaster Movie'
"Disaster Movie." (McClatchy Newspapers) The name says it all. Not since the Hindenberg has something crashed and burned as spectacularly as this film. All the writers have done is taken a lot of short bits, many you probably already saw on a late-night network comedy show, and thrown them one at a time at the screen like some cinematic version of a paper wad. But nothing really sticks.
'Eagle Eye'
(Randy Cordova) Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan effectively play two strangers who become pawns in a deadly game of espionage involving terrorism and technology. Breathless, highly charged thriller will keep viewers guessing; just don't examine the plot too closely or it may fall apart. (PG-13 - 117 minutes) V, P.
'Elegy' 
'Elegy' 
Ben Kingsley is outstanding as an aging New York writer who becomes obsessive over his relationship with a young student (Penélope Cruz, also excellent). The acting is so refreshing - Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard also are in the cast - that it puts a refreshing spin on what could have been a dreary tale. Based on Philip Roth's The Dying Animal. (R - 106 minutes) P, S.
'Elsa & Fred'
'Elsa & Fred' Richard Nilsen) Sentimental comedy about two elderly and polar opposites in Madrid. He is a timid widower, she is a brassy Zorba the Greek in skirts. Although the story is meant to prime the waterworks, it instead drowns in its own pretensions and its cast of thoroughly annoying characters, saved only by the authenticity of Manuel Alexandre, who plays the sympathetic Fred. Subtitles. (PG - 108 minutes).
'Encounters'
'Encounters at the End of the World' (Orlando Sentinel) Werner Herzog, the mainstream cinema's greatest mystic, ponders life, humanity, ice and penguins in Encounters at the End of the World, a mesmerizing South Pole documentary that promises more than it delivers. (G - 99 minutes).
'Fighting for Life'
'Fighting for Life' With Fighting for Life, two-time Oscar-winning producer Terry Sanders takes us to the firefights of Iraq and back. The soldiers this time are the brave military medical personnel who lift the wounded from the battlefields and begin a startling medical process of lifesaving, healing, body reconstruction and counseling that repairs (as much as possible) the damage that war inflicts.
'Flash of Genius'
Greg Kinnear's performance as an inventor whose intermittent wiper was ripped off by Ford is his best in years, maybe ever. Director Marc Abraham would have benefited from the subtlety Kinnear brings to the role. (PG-13 - 119 minutes) P.
'Fly Me to the Moon'
'Fly Me to the Moon' The 3-D animation in this story of three flies - yes, flies - sneaking aboard the Apollo 11 moon landing is astounding. Director Ben Stassen just needed more dimensions to the weak story, which will make you appreciate Pixar all the more. Includes the voices of Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry and Ed Begley Jr. (G - 84 minutes).
'Foot Fist Way'
'Foot Fist Way' (Bill Goodykoontz) Ragged, crude low-budget film about a tae kwon do instructor (Danny R. McBride, a co-writer of the film) who loses it after discovering an indiscretion by his wife, then must find his way back to his beliefs and principles. Sounds a lot more highbrow than it really is. (R - 85 minutes) P, S.
'Frozen River'
'Frozen River' Melissa Leo is terrific as a suddenly single mom who must resort to smuggling illegal immigrants across the U.S./Canadian border to support herself and her sons. Also good is Misty Upham as the Mohawk tribal member who accompanies her. First-time director Courtney Hunt illuminates with documentary-like intensity the lives of the struggling poor. (R - 97 minutes) P.
'Fugitive Pieces'
'Fugitive Pieces ' (Richard Nilsen) Slow moving Canadian film that chronicles the life of a young Polish boy whose parents are killed by Nazis, is rescued to Greece, and moves to Canada to write books about his experience. Beautifully acted, deeply emotional but with an unconvincing ending. (R - 104 minutes) S.
'Get Smart'
'Get Smart' Steve Carell is winning in his portrayal of Maxwell Smart, but if you wondered why they bothered to remake the '60s TV show as a big-screen feature, you'll still be wondering after you've seen it. Some laughs, but is the target audience old enough to get some of the jokes? (PG-13 - 110 minutes) P, V.
'Ghost Town'
Ricky Gervais elevates a rather pedestrian-sounding romantic comedy about a misanthropic dentist who sees dead people above its mediocre trappings. He's hilarious, and surprisingly effective (in his own way) as a romantic lead. Téa Leoni and Greg Kinnear also star. (PG-13 - 102 minutes) P.
'Girls Rock!'
'Girls Rock!' (Seattle Times) Much of "Girls Rock!," the cheerfully raucous documentary co-directed by Shane King and Arne Johnson, is pretty cute. But this tale of a group of girls at a Portland rock n' roll summer camp is not at all about cuteness, or really even about music: It's about female empowerment, and about giving girls - at a crucial time in their development - the space they need to be themselves.
'Gunnin'
'Gunnin' Beastie Boy Adam Yauch directs a documentary about eight of the players chosen for the first Elite 24 Hoops Classic, offering a glimpse into their lives as well as the game itself, which was held at legendary Rucker Park. Intriguing, but Yauch's offbeat technique sometimes gets in the way of the story. (PG-13 - 90 minutes) P.
'Hamlet 2'
'Hamlet 2' Steve Coogan is outstanding as a failed actor teaching drama in a Tucson high school. To save the drama program from budget cuts, he stages Hamlet 2, a sequel to Shakespeare's tragedy. Yes, he's that delusional. Profane, politically incorrect, hilarious, Hamlet 2 is an often tasteless treat. (R - 92 minutes) P, S.
'Hancock'
'Hancock' Will Smith is outstanding as the anti-hero super hero, whose image Jason Bateman tries to rehabilitate. But a huge twist, while inspired, wrecks the last third of the movie, which is much like the hero: lots of potential, but ultimately a mess. (PG-13 - 92 minutes) P, V.
'Hell Ride'
'Hell RIde' (Randy Cordova) Quentin Tarantino executive produced this piece of junk about two motorcycle gangs and a mysterious key that will open a safety deposit box that is buried in the desert. In between come lots of graphic violence and enough oiled-up female nudity for a soft-core flick. But, strangely enough, the movie is never exciting or sexy.
'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'
'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' Visionary director Guillermo del Toro expands the scope of the franchise. Hellboy (Ron Perlman, well-cast) must ward off a war against humanity by a race of underworld creatures. Del Toro invests his mind-blowing creatures with humanity, allowing us to identify with them. He's a true original. (PG-13 - 110 minutes) P, V.
'Henry Poole'
'Henry Poole is Here' (Randy Cordova) A terminally glum man (Luke Wilson) buys a home in which one of the outside walls has a stain. A neighbor (Adriana Barraza of Babel) insists the discoloration contains the image of Jesus, and questions of faith and redemption are raised. Well acted comedy-drama is quietly compelling and quite surprising coming from director Mark Pellington, best known for such taut thrillers as Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies. (PG - 100 minutes) P.
'House Bunny'
'The House Bunny' The movie is essentially a female remake of Revenge of the Nerds, with a script from Legally Blonde writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, so it contains the same type of facetious humor as that 2001 hit. Anna Faris, in all her ditsy glory, functions as a descendant from a long line of supposedly dumb blondes, but she's so unafraid of going for the big, goofy laugh at her own expense that she makes this familiar role her own. (PG-13 - 98 minutes) P.
'How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'
Simon Pegg is dependably funny as a British magazine writer trying to make it in the U.S. But the film devolves into a rote romantic comedy, with precious few of the ingenious touches Pegg brings to his own work. Co-stars Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox and Jeff Bridges. (R - 110 minutes) P, S.
'Igor'
(Orlando Sentinel) It's a decently animated misfire from MGM. Visually, it's a knock-off of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and a credible one at that. But the joke-and-heart-starved script lets down a solid voice cast headed by John Cusack, Eddie Izzard, Steve Buscemi, Jay Leno and Molly Shannon. (PG - 80 minutes).
'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Crystal Skull'
'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' There is no getting around it: The latest in the franchise is shackled with the burden of unreasonable expectations.
'Jake's Corner'
'Jake's Corner' (Randy Cordova) Arizona-filmed story about a former college football star (Richard Tyson) who takes in his orphaned nephew (Colton Rodgers). Writer-director Jeff Santo earlier made the fine documentary This Old Cub, but nothing here rings true.
'Jellyfish'
Jellyfish (Richard Nilsen) This slow-starting poetic Israeli film follows a handful of people whose aimless paths cross, but seldom interact. It finally comes to a boil in its final half-hour, when many of the strands come together and forge a metaphorical unity unsuspected till then. Subtitled. (Unrated - 78 minutes). P.
'Journey to the Center of the Earth'
'Journey to the Center of the Earth' Journey to the Center of the Earth boasts outstanding 3-D effects. If only the story, in which Jules Verne's novel turns out to be true, were as impressive. Brendan Fraser heads a good, if small, cast, but the real star is the pair of 3-D glasses you're handed when you walk into the theater. (PG - 92 minutes) V.
'King of England'
'King of England' (Richard Nilsen) Epic ironic comedy about the horrors of the 20th century, as lived through by a Czech everyman whose only ambition is to become a millionaire. By Closely Watched Trains director Jiri Menzel, the film is a sexy cornucopia of cinematic playfulness. Subtitled. (R - 120 minutes) N, S.
'Kit Kittredge'
'Kit Kittredge: An American Girl' Unexpectedly relevant and moving story based on a line of expensive dolls. Abigail Breslin stars as Kit, an intrepid little girl growing up during the Depression. At a time when children grow up too fast, it's a delight to see a movie in which kids are kids, and happy to be. (G - 101 minutes).
'Kung Fu Panda'
'Kung Fu Panda' Jack Black leads a big-name cast in a surprisingly good animated film about a panda (Black) who becomes an unlikely martial-arts hero. Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and others are on hand, but Ian McShane is especially good as a snow leopard with revenge on his mind. (PG - 91 minutes) V.
'Lakeview Terrace'
(Randy Cordova) Tense suburban thriller pits an interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) against their next-door neighbor (Samuel L. Jackson), an LAPD cop with racist tendencies. Smart and effective, though the movie's ending is a disappointment. (PG - 110 minutes) V, P, S.
'Longshots'
'The Longshots' (Orlando Sentinel) The Longshots is a certifiable crowd pleaser, an agreeable variation on the kid sports movie formula whose family-friendly messages outweigh its corny over familiarity. It's set in the world of Pop Warner (pre-high school) football and the first girl to play in the Pop Warner version of the Super Bowl. Of course it's fictionalized. (PG- 90 minutes) P.
'Mamma Mia!'
'Mamma Mia!' Yes, Meryl Streep can sing. No, Pierce Brosnan cannot. The movie version of the infectious Broadway hit based on ABBA songs is a lark, nothing more - and doesn't aspire to be. Drags in places, but in numbers like Dancing Queen it's joyous. (PG-13 - 108 minutes) P.
'Man on Wire' 
'Man on a Wire' 
(Richard Nilsen) Documentary about funambulist Philippe Petit and his infamous 1974 high-wire walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center. The film is told with the suspense and tension of a heist film, detailing each step of the planning and execution as if it were a Mission: Impossible. In English and French, with some subtitles. (PG-13 - 94 minutes) N, S.
'Meet Dave'
Meet Dave (McClatchy News Service)
It says volumes about the state of Eddie Murphy's comedy career that Meet Dave, his latest, is his least hateful film in years. But that doesn't make this attempt at comedy funny or good.
'Miracle at St. Anna''
'Miracle at St. Anna' Spike Lee's ambitious film about Black soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in World War II is a noble effort, but he ultimately aims at too many targets. It's a war film, social commentary and a history lesson besides. The acting is good and it looks great, but Lee would have been better served had he streamlined. (R - 160 minutes) N, P, S, V.
'Mongol'
'Mongol' Beautifully made epic about the formative years of Genghis Khan, portrayed here not as a brutal conqueror but as a progressive leader inspired by the love of his wife. Tadanobu Asano is very good as Khan, as is Khulan Chuluun, who plays his wife; Honglei Sun is outstanding as Khan's blood brother and eventual adversary. (R - 126 minutes) V.
'My Best Friend's Girl'
'My Best Friend's Girl' (Orlando Sentinel) Dane Cook remakes his "Good Luck Chuck" here by being the rudest, most obnoxious date a woman has ever encountered. The rest of the film, all retreads of old, old ground with Kate Hudson reprising her role in "Failure to Launch" and Justin Biggs replayes every role he's had since "American Pie." Nothing new here to see. (R, 101 minutes)
'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings spend a night in New York looking for a band and discovering each other, to the tune of a winning indie soundtrack. Has all the ingredients for a teen-romance classic, but never quite reaches that lofty standard. (PG-13 - 90 minutes) P, S.
'Nights in Rodanthe' 
'Nights in Rodanthe' 
(Randy Cordova) Lame soap opera about two lonely people who come together during a weekend at a coastal inn. If this were made in the '50s, it might have starred Lana Turner and John Gavin; these days, we get Diane Lane and Richard Gere,the latter looking like a Ralph Lauren ad come to life. (PG-13 - 97 minutes) S.
'OSS 117'
'OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies' (Richard Nilsen) French James Bond spoof is more Maxwell Smart than Sean Connery, and many of its jokes lose their Gallic wit when translated into English subtitles. Sometimes slow moving, which is no virtue for a spy film, and with a main character whose personality keeps shifting, as if filmmakers weren't paying attention. (Unrated - 99 minutes).
'Pineapple Express'
'Pineapple Express' The latest comedy from Judd Apatow's team finds stoners Seth Rogen and James Franco on the run from bad guy Gary Cole. Indie director David Gordon Green brings a somewhat different touch. It's surprisingly violent, dependably funny but too meandering to be considered a classic. (R - 111 minutes) P, V.
'Redbelt'
'Redbelt' Chiwetel Ejiofor is outstanding as an honorable marital-arts teacher who eschews competition, but whose circumstances lead him into the ring. David Mamet's trademark macho dialogue fits the film well. Yet underneath the twists and turns, it's a rather straightforward tale of good vs. bad. (R - 99 minutes) P.
'Religulous'
Comedian Bill Maher takes on religion. Is it a documentary? Or a screed? Director Larry Charles (Borat) is invaluable, but Maher undercuts his arguments against absolute belief in faith with his own overheated rants championing absolute doubt. (R - 101 minutes) P, S.
'Reprise'
'Reprise' (Richard Nilsen) Norwegian film about young writers and the punk subculture they live in, the women they abuse and rely upon, and the slip in literary ambition between cup and lip. The references to Jules and Jim are overt, but the tone is gray and Norse, not Gallic and bright. In Norwegian with subtitles (R - 105 minutes) S, P.
'Righteous Kill'
'Righteous Kill' (McClatchy News Service) It's fair to say that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro don't exactly disappear into character in Righteous Kill. Every scene is alive with an awareness that the audience is meant to enjoy this legends-collide screen partnership. Aside from the novelty of two acting legends working together, Righteous Kill plays like a pumped-up episode of Law and Order, with the lurid benefits of the "R" rating.
'Roman de Gare'
'Roman de Gare' (Richard Nilsen) Lightweight comedy-mystery by A Man and a Woman director Claude Lelouch leaves us guessing whether his hero is a serial killer and whether he is murdered or not and is buoyed by effervescent acting by rubber-face Dominique Pinon, querulous Audrey Dana and glamorous author Fanny Ardant. In French with subtitles (R - 103 minutes) P, S, V.
'Sex and the City'
'Sex and the City' The big-screen version of the HBO show reunites all the major characters for the wedding of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth). Naturally, complications ensue. There's nothing here that makes the film anything more than an overlong episode of the series, and perhaps that's the point. You hear people say about certain films things like, "The city is another character." In this case, handbags are. (That's not a joke.)(R - 148 minutes) P, S.
'Son of Rambow'
'Son of Rambow' A delightful film about two boys (Bill Milner and Will Poulter, in their debuts) growing up in 1980s England who, inspired by First Blood, decide to make a sequel. The film offers the two, both outsiders, a chance at acceptance and friendship. (PG-13 - 96 minutes) V.
'Space Chimps'
'Space Chimps' The story of how Ham III (voice of Andy Samberg), the underachieving grandson of the first chimp astronaut, becomes a hero by traveling to another planet. Nothing surprising, but the kids will love it, and it has a few laughs for the grown-ups, as well. (G - 81 minutes).
'Standard Operating Procedure,'
'Standard Operating Procedure' Errol Morris' examination of the infamous photographs and videos behind the Abu Ghraib prison scandal manages to humanize some of the participants, including Lynndie England, the young woman who became the poster child for the scandal. The film is powerful, necessary, undone only when Morris relies too much on overly dramatic reenactments; the story is plenty powerful enough without them. (R- 116 minutes) P, S, V.
'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' (Kerry Lengel) This computer-animated spin-off follows the adventures of Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker between Episodes II and III of the live-action series. The herky-jerky visuals won't have Pixar shaking in its CGI boots, but there's still plenty of laser-blasting excitement for the target audience, which is probably under the age of 13. (PG - 98 minutes) V.
'Step Brothers'
'Step Brothers' Juvenile, ridiculous, frequently hilarious movie from the Judd Apatow stable about two childish adults (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) who are forced to live together unhappily after their mom and dad marry. It's a movie as imagined and realized by a 15-year-old boy who found a copy of Hustler in his garage. Particularly funny are Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen as the parents, as profane as everyone else involved. (R - 98 minutes) P, S.
'Stuck'
'Stuck' Seemingly outlandish tale of a woman (Mena Suvari) whose car hits a homeless man (Stephen Rea), launching him into the windshield; she panics, drives home, shuts the garage and leaves him to die is actually based on a true story. Director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) brings a twisted humanity to the proceedings. (R - 94 minutes) P, S, V.
'Surfer, Dude'
'Surfer Dude,' (McClatchy Newspapers) Matthew McConaughey is a competitive surfer who comes home to a Malibu without waves and a new sponsor who insists he participate in a reality-TV show and a videogame. More vanity project than movie, this is the McConaughey swimsuit calendar come to life. (R - 87 minutes) P, S.
'Swing Vote'
'Swing Vote' Kevin Costner proves more likable than he's been in ages by playing someone unlikable - a loser in whose hands the fate of the presidential election rests. The film struggles to find its way at times, but newcomer Madeline Carroll is very good as Costner's daughter. A nice bit of wish-fulfillment in a long election season. (PG-13 - 120 minutes) P.
'Tell No One'
Tell No One (Richard Nilsen) Fast-paced French-language thriller mixes Hitchcock's innocent-man-on-the-run with the creepy missing-woman scenario from The Vanishing to create a hyper-plotted story with more convoluted twists than The Big Sleep, except that at the end, all the loose ends are yanked tight. (Unrated - 125 minutes) L, N, V.
'The Children of Huang Shi'
'The Children of Huang Shi' (Orlando Sentinel) An English journalist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an American nurse (Radha Mitchell) and the leader of a Chinese partisan group (Chow Yun Fat) rescue 60 orphans, leading them on an extraordinary journey across hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain in 1930s China. It is a sentimental, old-fashioned and somewhat fictionalized view of World War II. Based on a true story. (R - 125 minutes) V.
'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'
'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' The second film adapted from C.S. Lewis' books cranks up the action, as the Pevensie children return to Narnia to help Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) assume his rightful place as heir to the throne. Exciting, fast-moving, it also features exceptional effects and a nicely dark turn from Sergio Castellitto as the evil King Miraz. (PG - 140 minutes) V.
'The Dark Knight'
'The Dark Knight' Believe the hype. Heath Ledger is brilliant as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's latest take on Batman. Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne, and Aaron Eckhart is on hand as district attorney Harvey Dent. The film is too long and eventually convoluted, but Ledger is magnetic, your eyes drawn to him in every scene. (PG-13 - 152 minutes) V.
'The Fall'
'The Fall' Visually stunning story of an actor (Lee Pace) paralyzed in a fall who spins a fairy tale for a little girl (Catinca Untaru) with a broken arm who is convalescing in the same early 20th century hospital. His ulterior motives are eventually revealed. Untaru is outstanding, but the story lacks focus. (R - 117 minutes) V.
'The Family That Preys'
(Randy Cordova) Sudsy Tyler Perry film focusing on the widowed matriarchs (Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates) of two Southern families. In true soap opera fashion, nothing that happens is terribly surprising, but it is all rather engrossing.
'The Happening'
'The Happening' (Bill Goodykoontz) We're used to twists in M. Night Shyamalan's films. In The Happening, his latest, the big surprise is that there isn't one. Instead we get a weirdly paced environmental horror story with Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. There is some interesting tension but no satisfying payoff. (R - 91 minutes) V.
'The Incredible Hulk'
'The Incredible Hulk' (Bill Goodykoontz) Hulk good. Me like Hulk, whole lot. Grrr. Boiled down to its essence, that's about the size of it. To put it another way, in terms meant more for Dr. Bruce Banner than his alter-ego, "The Incredible Hulk" is a fast-paced, well-acted take on the big green monster and the man inside it. While it doesn't boast the self-reflexive irony of its Marvel Comics summer companion piece, "Iron Man," it packs a wallop of a punch.
'The Love Guru'
'The Love Guru' A Mike Myers vanity project run amok. Hindu groups worried it would be offensive on religious grounds. Instead, it's offensive on comedy grounds. The story of a self-help guru (Myers) trying to help patch up a hockey player's marriage skates on thin ice throughout. (PG-13 - 88 minutes) P, S.
'The Lucky Ones'
'The Lucky Ones' Director Neil Burger crams far too much into the story of three soldiers (Tim Robbins, Michael Peña, Rachel McAdams) who face domestic challenges upon their return home. An interesting premise devolves into a hack buddy picture, wasting some decent performances. (R - 113 minutes) P, S.
'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'
'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' Director Rob Cohen (XxX) has crafted a slam-bang update of The Mummy franchise, with charismatic Brendan Fraser returning to battle an evil emperor (Jet Li) who plans to dominate the world. The film is filled with spectacular visuals and breathtaking action scenes, which are enough to compensate for some oddball gaps in logic. (PG-13 - 112 minutes) V.
'The Promotion'
'The Promotion' (Kerry Lengel) Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly play assistant managers at a downscale grocery store who both want the same job. Rather than an outrageous Farrelly brothers-style comedy, their not-quite-vicious rivalry is Machiavelli writ small. Directed by the writer of The Pursuit of Happyness, this low-key film is a less cutesy, less feminist Little Miss Sunshine, offering a gentle critique of an American dream derailed by empty consumerism. (R - 85 minutes) P.
'The Rocker'
'The Rocker' How much you like this story of a passed-over drummer getting another shot at the big time with his nephew's band depends on how much you like Rainn Wilson (Dwight on The Office). The songs are good and there are some funny bits, but Wilson's best enjoyed in smaller doses. (PG-13 - 102 minutes) P, S.
'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'
'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2' (Randy Cordova) Overlong, underfed sequel to the charming 2005 hit about four young women tied together by friendship and a mystical pair of pants. The actresses are solid, but the story lines are often less than compelling.
'The Strangers'
'The Strangers' (Randy Cordova) Stylishly brutal shocker about a couple (Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler) terrorized by three masked assailants at an isolated vacation home. Grim, grisly and effective, though you may be left asking, "Is that all there is?" once the credits roll. (R - 90 minutes) V, P.
'The Wackness'
'The Wackness' Tween star Josh Peck is outstanding as a dope-dealing teenager in 1994 trying to get a handle on his life. Ben Kingsley has a ball chewing all the available scenery as Peck's psychiatrist - and customer. He even gets to kiss Mary-Kate Olsen (all together now: yuck). (R - 95 minutes) D, P, S.
'The Women' (1939)
'The Women' (1939) (Bill Goodykoontz) George Cukor's 1939 original is a catty classic (and yes, that's a compliment). Norma Shearer is great as a woman whose husband cheats. Rosalind Russell and Joan Crawford are equally good as her friend and the other woman, respectively. Razor-sharp dialogue helps it hold up especially well. (Not rated - 133 minutes).
'The Women'
'The Women' (Bill Goodykoontz) Diane English's remake of the 1939 classic about a woman who is cheated on trades in a lot of the cattiness for women banding together; it's at those moments that it's at its weakest. The cast includes Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes and, best of all (surprisingly), Debra Messing. (PG-13 - 114 minutes) P.
'The X-Files: I Want to Believe'
'The X-Files: I Want to Believe' The return of Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) plays like a movie-length, stand-alone episode of the TV series - for both good and ill. The crimes here aren't supernatural, but the solutions are, as a priest (Billy Connolly) claims psychic visions will lead the FBI to a missing agent. The film has some nice X-Files touches, but newcomers will wonder what the fuss is over. (PG-13 - 110 minutes) V.
'The Year My Parents Went on Vacation'
'The Year My Parents Went on Vacation' (Star Tribune of Minneapolis) The son of political activists is left on his grandfather's doorstep in 1970 Brazil only to find that the old man has just died. With no one to care for Mauro, the Orthodox Jewish community's rabbi prevails on the reluctant Shlomo to take him in: The boy's arrival is God's will. Like many other coming-of-age films, The Year My Parents Went on Vacation follows its characters through a hesitant dance of accommodation across lines of age and ethnicity. (PG - 105 minutes) L, V.
'Towelhead'
'Towelhead' Alan Ball's directorial debut about the seedy side of suburbia heaps abuse upon abuse upon a Lebanese-American girl (Summer Bishil). Scenes between Bishil and Aaron Eckhart, who plays a predatory neighbor, are well-acted but exceedingly difficult to watch, crossing the line from uncomfortable to prurient. A lighter touch was called for all around. (R - 124 minutes) P, S.
'Traitor'
'Traitor' Don Cheadle is outstanding as a man whom the FBI is seeking as a terrorist. Is he a traitor to his country? As Cheadle's character says in the film, the truth is complicated. Also stars Said Taghmaoui and Guy Pearce. (PG-13 - 112 minutes) P, V.
'Transsiberian'
(Orlando Sentinel) A worldly "bad girl" wife, a naive husband, two too-chatty strangers, drugs, Russian cops and a very long train ride - that's a combo Alfred Hitchcock would be happy to call his own. Transsiberian is a paranoid, chilling train trek that borrows freely from the best Hitchcock pictures to give us that rare adult summer thriller - "adult" as in not based on a comic book or video game. (R - 111 minutes) P, V.
'Tropic Thunder'
'Tropic Thunder' Ben Stiller wrote, directs and stars as a fading action star involved in a war movie that unexpectedly becomes real, thanks to drug lords who don't know the actors are faking it. Robert Downey Jr. is great as a method actor who goes to extremes, and there is a great extended cameo by a major star. But the film doesn't quite reach the heights it might have. (R - 107 minutes) P, V.
'Up the Yangtze'
'Up the Yangtze' (Richard Nilsen) A documentary about the gigantic Three Gorges Dam in China looks at the human cost of the project, presenting small stories rather than angry polemic, and managing to turn what could have been mere statistics into quiet tragedy. In English and Chinese with subtitles. (Unrated - 93 minutes) P.
'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (Richard Nilsen) Another Woody Allen misfire, and perhaps the film to finally kill off the Scarlett Johansson mystique. She and Rebecca Hall are Americans in Barcelona finding love - or sex - with Spanish painter Javier Bardem and danger with his ex-wife, Penélope Cruz. Tin-eared dialog and pretentious piffle sink this boat. (PG-13 - 96 minutes) S.
'WALL-E'
'WALL-E' WALL-E is the last robot on Earth; while performing his tasks, as he has for 800 years, he stumbles upon something that might make the planet habitable for humans again. But it'll take the help of EVE, another robot, to make it happen. At its heart, a love story. (G - 97 minutes).
'Wanted'
'Wanted' James McAvoy plays an office drone who becomes a deadly assassin. It's a genuine thrill ride, as long as you don't take it too seriously. McAvoy is quite good, as is Angelina Jolie; Morgan Freeman is always a welcome presence. (R - 110 minutes) P, S, V.
'War, Inc.'
'War, Inc.' John Cusack co-wrote, co-produced and stars in this satire of the war in Iraq. He's a hit man hired by a former U.S. vice president (Dan Aykroyd) to kill an oil minister in a fictional Middle Eastern country. Director Joshua Seftel opts for the heavy hand, making the film less effective. Good for Cusack for trying, but it's a failed effort. (R - 107 minutes) P, S, V.
'Wedding Weekend'
'The Wedding Weekend' Cliche-ridden movie about members of a male a cappella choral group who get back together for one member's wedding - and solve each other's midlife problems. Take out everything you like about The Big Chill, leave in all the annoying parts, and you have The Wedding Weekend. (R - 96 minutes) S.
'When Did You Last See Your Father?'
'When Did You Last See Your Father?' Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent play father and son with a troubled relationship in this honest and thoughtful film based on the book by Blake Morrison. (PG-13 - 92 minutes) P, S.
'You Don't Mess With the Zohan'
'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' The latest Adam Sandler comedy is the usual mix - stupid, an absurd story, bad acting and Rob Schneider. But it's also something else: really funny in places (perhaps because Judd Apatow helped write it). Of course, you feel bad for laughing, as much of the humor is in bad taste, but you laugh anyway. That's something, at least. (PG-13 - 113 minutes) S, V.
