MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
AMELIA
Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank stars as legendary pilot Amelia Earhart, who in 1937 attempts an around-the-world flight -- but disappears before completing the trip. Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor co-star for director Mira Nair ("The Namesake," "Monsoon Wedding"). At multiple locations. (111 min.) PG; sexual references, profanity, thematic elements, smoking.
ASTRO BOY
In futuristic Metro City, the super-powered title robot (voiced by "Finding Neverland's" Freddie Highmore) battles aliens threatening Earth in this big-screen revamp of the TV cartoon fave. Also in the vocal cast: Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Kristen Bell and Charlize Theron. At multiple locations. (94 min.) PG; action and peril, brief mild profanity.
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT
A teen (Chris Massoglia) joins the title freak show in this horror comedy from director Paul Weitz ("American Pie," "About a Boy"); John C. Reilly, Josh Hutcherson and Salma Hayek co-star. At multiple locations. (108 min.) PG-13; intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements, profanity.
THE COVE
GOOD HAIR
Comedian Chris Rock hosts and narrates a documentary look at the beauty, the splendor, the wonder of African-American hair with comments from such notables as Maya Angelou, Nia Long, Eve, Tracie Thoms, Salli Richardson, Salt-n-Pepa and Raven-Symone. At multiple locations. (95 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual and drug references.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3-D
Break out the 3-D glasses as the 1993 animated classic (co-written and produced by Tim Burton, directed by "Coraline" stop-motion master Henry Selick) returns for its annual ghoul-to-Yule run. At Town Square. (76 min.) PG; scary images.
SAW VI
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) are back, along with previous co-stars Shawnee Smith and Betsy Russell, in the hit horror franchise's latest chapter. At multiple locations. (90 min.) R; grisly bloody violence and torture, profanity.
A SERIOUS MAN
Filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, multiple Oscar winners for 2007's "No Country for Old Men," return to their native Minneapolis for this black comedy, set in 1967, about a professor (Broadway veteran Michael Stuhlbarg) whose marriage, and life, unravel before his eyes. At Suncoast. (105 min.) R; profanity, sexual situations, nudity, brief violence.
ALREADY IN THEATERS
Movies are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J movie critic Carol Cling (C.C.) are indicated by initials. Other opinions are from wire service critics.
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC
(C-) A children's movie mix of live-action and animation, this family-friendly romp features a group of kids (led by "High School Musical" alumna Ashley Tisdale) battling extra-terrestrials invading their vacation home. This has a few positive messages, a few laughs and a few comic throw-downs, but it's at least as stupid as it is funny. (86 min.) PG; action violence, suggestive humor, profanity.
THE BOYS ARE BACK
(B) A divorced sportswriter (Clive Owen) struggles to deal with single parenthood when tragedy strikes in this drama from "Shine" director Scott Hicks. Based on a Down Under newspaperman's I'm-a-single-dad memoir, this is a potentially mawkish pity party, but Owen's strong, stoic performance -- and a recognition that life, endlessly complex, doesn't always follow a typical Hollywood course -- save the day. (104 min.) PG-13; sexual references, thematic elements.
BRIGHT STAR
(A-) A thing of beauty: Oscar-winning writer-director Jane Campion ("The Piano") returns to form with another rich, ravishing period tale, this one an ecstatic couplet to tubercular Romantic poet John Keats (a charming Ben Whishaw) and his muse, Regency fashion plate and seamstress Fannie Brawne (radiant, Oscar-caliber Abbie Cornish). They remain as timely now as they were two centuries ago, and this movie -- intimate as a whisper, immediate as a blush, universal as first love -- positively palpitates with the sensual and the spiritual. (119 min.) PG; thematic elements, sensuality, brief profanity, incidental smoking. (C.C.)
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
(B) Two decades after bursting onto the big screen with "Roger & Me," contrarian documentarian Michael Moore (an Oscar-winner for "Bowling for Columbine") examines the fallout of 2008's economic meltdown, scolding free-market profiteers as he surveys, and sympathizes with, their victims. Like most Moore movies, this one is scattershot -- frustrating at times, eloquent at others. And while his rabble-rouser shtick may be getting tired, Moore's satirical yet heartfelt message is anything but. (120 min.) R; profanity. (C.C.)
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
(B) A wacky inventor (voiced by Bill Hader) discovers a way to create storms of food in a 3-D animated romp (inspired by a beloved children's book) that's clever and zippy, with a terrific vocal cast (including Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Neil Patrick Harris and Andy Samberg) and some actual nutritional value hidden among the fun. (90 min.) PG; brief mild profanity.
COUPLES RETREAT
(C) Trouble in paradise: Four couples (played by, among others, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman and Jon Favreau) try to sort out their relationship problems amid Bora Bora's tropical splendor in a tepid marriage-renewal comedy that has a decent cast and a few good ideas -- but no clear grasp of what to do with them. (107 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity.
DINOSAURS 3D: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA
(B) If you like dinosaurs (and who doesn't?), you'll love this 3-D documentary, which follows paleontologist Rodolfo Coria as he tramps the rugged wilds of southern Argentina, where remains of the largest dinosaurs in the world -- including the 120-foot Argentinosaurus -- have been discovered. The perfect blend of scholarly information and totally cool dinosaurs brought to vivid life. (40 min.) G; scary dinosaurs.
DISTRICT 9
(B) Aliens trapped in apartheid-like conditions on Earth discover an ally in a government agent (Sharlto Copley) who, exposed to their biotechnology, begins mutating from human to extra-terrestrial. This sci-fi sleeper from writer-director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") proves sci-fi thrillers don't have to be star-studded or mega-budgeted to be visually compelling -- and thoroughly entertaining. (112 min.) R; bloody violence, pervasive profanity.
FAME
(C-) Forget their names: This bloated, bland "reinvention" of the 1980 fave follows gotta-sing, gotta-dance students (most of whom look way too old for high school) struggling to find their way at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Forget sex and drugs -- these kids (played by, among others, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Asher Book, Kherington Payne and Collins Pennie) have. They only care about -- well, you know. Too bad we don't care about any of them. (107 min.) PG; thematic material, including teen drinking, sexual situations and profanity. (C.C.)
THE FINAL DESTINATION
(D-) Start your engines for the fourth installment of this horror franchise (the first in 3-D), as yet another teen (Bobby Campo) tries to put the brakes on Death after his premonition of deadly disaster during a race car crash initially saves lives -- lives the Grim Reaper intends to collect. A decade ago, this was a somewhat intriguing premise; three sequels later, it's deader than this movie's hapless victims. (82 min.) R; strong violent/gruesome accidents, profanity, sexual content.
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
(D) The elite G.I. Joe fighting force takes on a notorious arms dealer (Christopher Eccleston) and his evil organization. Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller and Dennis Quaid lead the starring cast, but the original Hasbro action figures probably would have given livelier performances. Director Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy") isn't interested in them anyway, saving his overkill for the computerized effects -- and the audience members who become collateral damage. (118 min.) PG-13; strong action violence and mayhem.
HALLOWEEN II
(C) Rocker-turned-horror-auteur Rob Zombie follows his 2007 revamp of the venerable horror franchise with this blunt-force sequel, in which pesky Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) returns to his Illinois hometown to make life even more miserable for sister Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). Zombie's a terrific stylist, but he seems bored with this material, which is not scary -- and that's no way to celebrate "Halloween." (101 min.) R; strong brutal bloody violence, terror, disturbing graphic images, profanity, crude sexual content, nudity.
THE HANGOVER
(C) A wild Caesars Palace bachelor bash spells trouble for pals (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms) who party so hard they can't remember anything from the night before -- including where they left the groom (Justin Bartha). "Old School" director Todd Phillips' rude, crude 'n' lewd romp provides a perfect excuse for anyone who wants to laugh his (or her) ass off; if you'd rather laugh your head off, find another movie, because this one's pretty much brainless, and proudly so. (99 min.) R; pervasive profanity, sexual content, nudity, drug material. (C.C.)
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
(B) Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) enters his sixth year of wizard training -- and discovers an old book that helps him delve into the dark past of the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Slower and talkier than its predecessors (but not necessarily in a bad way), this is a bubbling cauldron of adolescent angst, rife with romance and heartbreak, jealousy and longing. It could be just another high school melodrama -- if it weren't for all the bearded wizards and whooshing Death Eater vapor trails. (153 min.) PG; scary images, violence, profanity, mild sensuality.
I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF
(B) Pistol-packin' granny Madea returns (along with the guy who plays her, writer-director Tyler Perry) in an endearing adaptation of Perry's melo-comedic stage production, in which Madea tries to reform a hard-drinking nightclub singer (spitfire Taraji P. Henson) reluctant to assume guardianship of her late sister's children. A double shot of Saturday-night lowdown, chased by a cheery chug of Sunday-morning uplift. (153 min.) PG-13; mature thematic material involving a sexual assault on a minor, violence, drug references, smoking.
THE INFORMANT!
(B-) Mr. Clean has dirty hands in this quirky comedy about a corporate Boy Scout, an agribusiness executive (Matt Damon, in another nervy, nimble performance) who helps the FBI expose an international price-fixing scheme -- at the same time he's embezzling millions of dollars from the company. Director Steven Soderbergh's droll take on a sobering story may be clever, but it's a bit too self-consciously stylized to draw real blood. (108 min.) R; profanity. (C.C.)
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
(C+) Nothing exceeds like excess in writer-director Quentin Tarantino's epic World War II "Dirty Dozen"-meets-"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" spoof/homage, set "somewhere in Nazi-occupied France," about a smilingly relentless SS colonel (irresistibly smug Christoph Waltz), Jewish GIs (led by a cartoonishly macho Brad Pitt) collecting Nazi scalps and a young survivor of a Nazi massacre (Mélanie Laurent) running a Paris movie house -- and plotting revenge. Tarantino trademarks galore, from tangy dialogue to gleeful violence, but he'd rather convince us of his brilliance than make a movie that might prove it. (153 min.) R; strong graphic violence, profanity, brief sexual situations. (C.C.)
THE INVENTION OF LYING
(C+) "The Office" creator Ricky Gervais (who also co-writes and co-directs) joins Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe and Tina Fey in a comedy about a world where deception doesn't exist -- until one scheming guy invents it. In the land of the literal-minded, the creative thinker soon becomes king. It's a wickedly funny idea -- but Gervais purges the wickedness right out of it. Ultimately, the small-scale, often downbeat jokes never quite match the grand concept. (100 min.) PG-13; profanity, including sexual material, drug references.
IT MIGHT GET LOUD
(B) Calling all rockers: Turn off the Guitar Hero and turn on to the heroes of guitar in this rockin' "rockumentary" from "Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim, a six-string summit featuring virtuosos of the '60s (Jimmy Page), the '80s (The Edge) and the current day (Jack White). (97 min.) PG; mild thematic elements, brief profanity, smoking.
JULIE & JULIA
(B-) In post-World War II Paris, Julia Child (Meryl Streep) discovers the wonders of French cuisine, while in post-Sept. 11 New York, frustrated writer Julie Powell (Amy Adams) decides to cook her way through Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." This genial two-in-one account from writer-director Nora Ephron ("Sleepless in Seattle") strains to equate its two protagonists' far from equal journeys, yet the contrived concept works better than it has any right to. Even so, this recipe would be a lot better with more Julia and less Julie. (123 min.) PG-13; brief profanity, sexual references. (C.C.)
LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
(D+) A victim of miscarried justice (Gerard Butler) vows to wreak revenge after a plea bargain sets his family's killers free. His No. 1 target: the prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) who engineered the deal. This hapless crime drama provides the sad spectacle of a movie far less intelligent than the one its filmmakers thought they were making. But it's nothing a new script, a new director and a couple of committed actors couldn't fix. (107 min.) R; strong bloody brutal violence and torture, including a scene of rape, pervasive profanity.
MORE THAN A GAME
(B) This "LeBron James documentary" looks beyond the NBA superstar to present a broader view in a resonant story about four boyhood friends, determination, sacrifice, overcoming obstacles and the mentor who guides the "Fab Five" of Akron, Ohio, from rough beginnings to a national high school basketball championship. It's about victory off the court, not on -- and all the better for it. (105 min.) PG; brief profanity, incidental smoking.
MY ONE AND ONLY
(B-) If you've ever wondered how a fellow like George Hamilton became a fellow like George Hamilton, this breezy period comedy answers the question by looking, fondly, at his primary caregiver: his mercurial mother (Renée Zellweger), a fading Southern belle dumps her philandering bandleader husband (Kevin Bacon) to search for a replacement mate, teenage sons George (Logan Lerman) and Robbie (Mark Rendall) in tow. A wistfully jaunty, refreshingly old-fashioned road trip through an America that's definitely gone with the wind. (108 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity.
9
(B-) Not to be confused with the Broadway musical "Nine" (coming later this year), this animated apocalyptic sci-fi blast, expanded from director Shane Acker's award-winning short, follows the title rag doll (voiced by Elijah Wood) as he takes refuge from a vicious machine. The thin story can't quite measure up to the stylishly haunting visuals, but Acker's definitely a talent to watch. (79 min.) PG-13; violence, scary images.
OPA!
(C) An American archaeologist (Matthew Modine), in Greece to continue his father's search for a sacred chalice, finds a chance at romance with a vivacious widow (Agni Scott). As standard uptight-American-unbuttons-himself-abroad movies go, director Udayan Prasad's mildly diverting romance is exactly what you'd expect. Everything's flat except for the picturesque mountains, but you can look at those for only so long. (97 min.) PG-13; nudity, brief profanity.
PANDORUM
(C-) Two astronauts (Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster) awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft, with no idea of their identities or their mission -- but a definite idea they're not alone -- in a lukewarm sci-fi chiller that's long on creepy atmosphere and pitifully short on anything except mind-numbing boredom. (108 min.) R; strong horror violence, profanity.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
(B-) A young couple (Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat) moves into a suburban "starter" house -- one that seems to be occupied by a demonic spirit. Writer-director Oren Peli's micro-budget chiller, expanding from sold-out midnight screenings, mines the unknown (and unknowable), using small moments and virtually no special effects to build a this-is-really-happening vibe. That makes it more fun than most studio horror films. But is it scarier? Only occasionally. (99 min.) R; profanity.
THE PROPOSAL
(B-) A bitch-on-wheels book editor (Sandra Bullock) who's about to be deported drafts her browbeaten assistant (Ryan Reynolds) as her instant fiancé, only to get her fish-out-of-water comeuppance when they visit his folks in rugged Alaska. A genial, if utterly predictable and eminently forgettable romantic comedy, but the deft cast (including Betty White as a go-for-the-gusto grandma) proves such good company you might not care. (108 min.) PG-13; sexual content, nudity, profanity. (C.C.)
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
(B) Nuclear Wintour: This "frockumentary" focuses on Vogue editor Anna Wintour (reportedly the inspiration for Meryl Streep's "Devil Wears Prada" character) as she prepares for the magazine's 2007 fall fashion edition -- reportedly the largest single magazine ever published. Yet despite the fashion backdrop, this is at least as much about work -- and the ways individuals compete with, confront and inspire one another in the workplace. (90 min.) PG-13; brief profanity.
SORORITY ROW
(C-) The 1983 screamfest "House on Sorority Row" gets a remake (and a title trim), but the premise remains the same, as a serial killer goes after a group of sorority sisters (Rumer Willis, Briana Evigan and Audrina Patridge among them) trying to cover up the deadly consequences of a prank gone horribly wrong. Given its spunky, sexy, funny, spirited and bitchy heroines, this could (and should) have been a lot sharper and a lot more fun. (101 min.) R; strong bloody violence, profanity, sexuality, nudity, partying.
THE STEPFATHER
(C-) "Nip/Tuck's" Dylan Walsh takes on the title role (originated by "Lost's" Terry O'Quinn) in this clumsy, virtually bloodless remake of the smart, witty -- and scary-as-hell -- 1987 fave. This one's anything but, as a military school cadet ("Gossip Girl's" Penn Badgley) returns home to find his mother (Sela Ward) sharing her life with the suspiciously solicitous title character. (101 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, mature thematic material, brief sensuality.
SURROGATES
(C) At a time when most humans live vicariously through robot avatars controlled by their minds, future-cop FBI agents (Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell) try to figure out who's murdering the cyber-surrogates. This sci-fi thriller boasts a notable supporting cast (Ving Rhames and James Cromwell co-star) and introduces some ingenious ideas, but quickly abandons them in favor of the same old formulaic chases and shoot-outs. (88 min.) PG-13; intense violence, disturbing images, profanity, sexuality, drug references.
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
(C) "The Notebook's" Rachel McAdams returns to the star-crossed romance genre with this adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's novel about a Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) with a genetic glitch that triggers involuntary time-tripping. Scripted by "Ghost" Oscar-winner Bruce Joel Rubin, the movie's time-travel gimmick supersedes any substance, depth or character development; it's told with undeniable tenderness, but that tenderness, alas, leads mostly to dullness. But (107 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity, sexuality.
TOY STORY/TOY STORY 2
(A) Back to infinity and beyond: Before "Toy Story 3" hits theaters next summer, here's a chance to revisit the beloved 1995 original and its even-better 1999 sequel, reconfigured in 3-D for a special double feature. The 3-D revamp doesn't make that much difference, because you don't need goggles or gimmicks to appreciate the wonderful characters and equally wonderful storytelling at the heart of these two classics. Still, it's a joy to see them back on the big screen. (173 min.) G; all ages. (C.C.)
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
(B) Let the wild rumpus start: Mischievous 9-year-old Max (the aptly named Max Records) acts out, then runs away to avoid the inevitable punishment, finding refuge with an assortment of squabbling monsters (voiced by, among others, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper and Forest Whitaker). Writer-director Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation") transforms Maurice Sendak's imperishable kid-lit classic to suit his own offbeat sensibilities, delivering a moody, melancholy, madcap live-action romp. It's no classic, but it still speaks to the wild child inside us all. (100 min.) PG; mild thematic elements, adventure action, brief profanity. (C.C.)
WHIP IT
(B-) Whip it good: Drew Barrymore makes an on-track directorial debut with this tale of a high school misfit ("Juno's" whip-smart Ellen Page) who finds a few identity as "Babe Ruthless," speed queen of a doormat roller derby team. Real fun -- and real, thanks to a savvy script, on-target performances (especially Marcia Gay Harden's poignant small-town mom) and a sense of actual people living actual lives, as opposed to wildly exaggerated, utterly contrived comic antics. (111 min.) PG-13; sexual content including crude dialogue, profanity, drug material. (C.C.)
ZOMBIELAND
(B) It's alive! The zombie comedy, that is, as four hapless travelers (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) try to survive the ravenous undead as they head for a California amusement park that may (or may not) be ghoul-free. "Zombieland" makes up in laughter what it lacks in screams, and the arch weariness with which it looks out at undead America hides a frisky yet disturbing message: We're closer than we think. (82 min.) R; horror violence/gore, profanity.
