MOVIES

OPENING THIS WEEK

ADAM

A lonely guy with Asperger's Syndrome ("Confessions of a Shopaholic's" Hugh Dancy) finds unexpected friendship, and romance, with his upstairs neighbor ("Damages' " Rose Byrne) in this comedy-drama from writer-director Max Mayer. Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving and Mark Linn-Baker lead the supporting cast. At Green Valley and Village Square. (99 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, sexual content, profanity.

THE FINAL DESTINATION

Start your engines for the fourth installment of this horror franchise (the first in 3-D), as a teen's premonition of deadly disaster during a race car crash initially saves lives, but triggers the Grim Reaper's gruesome vengeance when he comes to collect the lives he's owed. Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb and Mykelti Williamson lead the cast. At multiple locations; in 3-D at select locations. (82 min.) R; strong violent/gruesome accidents, profanity, sexual content.

HALLOWEEN II

Rocker-turned-horror-auteur Rob Zombie follows his 2007 revamp of the venerable horror franchise with this sequel, in which that pesky Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) returns to his Illinois hometown to make life even more miserable for sister Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). Malcolm McDowell and Brad Dourif also reprise the roles they played in Zombie's first "Halloween." At multiple locations. (101 min.) R; strong brutal bloody violence, terror, disturbing graphic images, profanity, crude sexual content, nudity.

IN THE LOOP

As the U.S. and British governments prepare to invade an unidentified Middle Eastern country (think Iraq), a variety of Anglo-American officials become caught up in the push toward war, from a dovish U.S. general ("The Sopranos' " James Gandolfini) to an expletive-undeleting British press secretary ("Local Hero's" Peter Capaldi). Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, Steve Coogan, David Rasche, Mimi Kennedy and Anna Chlumsky (all grown up, 18 years after "My Girl") round out the starring cast of this acclaimed political satire. Part of the CineVegas screening series at the Palms. (106 min.) NR; extreme profanity, brief sexual content.

PLAY THE GAME

A widower (the venerable Andy Griffith, in his first feature since 2007's charmer "Waitress") gets dating do's-and-don'ts advice from his playboy grandson (Paul Campbell, a veteran of both the "Knight Rider" and "Battlestar Galactica" TV reboots). This romantic comedy marks writer-director Marc Fienberg's feature debut; Doris Roberts and Marla Sokoloff co-star. At multiple locations. (105 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity.

SOUL POWER

You may remember the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" between heavyweights Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire (documented in the Oscar-winning "When We Were Kings"), but you might not remember the all-star "Zaire 74" concert planned to coincide with the match -- until you see this documentary featuring such musical legends as James Brown, Las Vegas' own B.B. King, Miriam Makeba and Celia Cruz. At Village Square. (93 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, brief profanity.

TAKING WOODSTOCK

Read the review.

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, parading around in a bikini for all the dads out there) battling extra-terrestrials invading their vacation home. This has a few positive messages, a few laughs and a few comic throw-downs (one involving "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Doris Roberts going all "Crouching Tiger" on an alien-controlled frat boy), but it's at least as stupid as it is funny. (86 min.) PG; action violence, suggestive humor, profanity.

BANDSLAM

(B) The new kid in town ("Chocolat's" Gaelan Connell) teams up with a free spirit ("High School Musical's" Vanessa Hudgens) to form a rock group destined to compete in a hometown battle of the bands. "Friday Night Lights" graduate Scott Porter and "Friends" veteran Lisa Kudrow co-star for "Camp" director Todd Graff in a charmer that exceeds current teen-flick standards to deliver a combination of good feeling and pretty solid music. (111 min.) PG; thematic elements, mild 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 Patagonia (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.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER

(B+) Back in Las Vegas following its June debut at the CineVegas film festival, this romantic-comedy charmer focuses on a lovelorn L.A. guy ("G.I. Joe's" Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an aspiring architect working at a greeting-card company, before and after he falls for a quirky new co-worker (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn't quite believe in love, everlasting or otherwise. Marc Webb's breezy debut gets a bit too gimmicky for its own good, yet ultimately overcomes its self-conscious cuteness to get to the heart of the matter. (95 min.) PG-13; sexual references, profanity. (C.C.)

FOOD INC.

(B+) It's not a pretty picture, but this documentary presents an essential one, exploring American agribusiness and its impact on our food supply. From high fructose corn syrup to E coli, director Robert Kenner (PBS' "The American Experience") presents a blistering indictment of giant food conglomerates; it's about a subtle as a watermelon in a bowl of Cheerios, but Kenner's out to scare people -- parents with young children, low-income families who depend on fast foods to get by, politicians, food safety officials, all of us -- and succeeds. (93 min.) PG; thematic material, disturbing images.

FUNNY PEOPLE

(C) A 40-something comic movie star (Adam Sandler, bravely lampooning his goofball image) develops a possibly fatal blood disease and takes an aspiring stand-up comedian (a genial Seth Rogen) under his wing. This maudlin, contrived and frustratingly self-indulgent comedy-drama from writer-director Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") strains to be serious, but by trying to cram three movies into one, "Funny People" suffers from a massive identity crisis -- and a fatal case of the bloats. (145 min.) R; sexual situations and references, nudity, profanity. (C.C.)

G-FORCE

(C) Specially trained animal spies (including those voiced by Tracy Morgan, Sam Rockwell and Oscar-winners Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz) battle a diabolical billionaire (Bill Nighy) in a humdrum, kid-friendly hybrid of "Mission: Impossible" and "The Wind in the Willows" that's an inane perpetual-motion machine of car chases (and motorized exercise ball chases), projectile kitchen appliances, and, yes, a towering "Transformers"-like robot run amok. Good thing the 9-inch-tall furball action heroes are actually computer-animated, because real rodents would never make it through the opening minutes. Grown-ups in the audience may not either. (88 min.) PG; mild action, rude humor.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA

(D) Forget those fighting soldiers you collected as a kid; this G.I. Joe is an elite fighting force, assigned to take 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" franchise) 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.

THE GOODS: LIVE HARD. SELL HARD.

(C-) No cash for this clunker, a strained comedy about an under-the-gun car dealer (James Brolin) so desperate he calls in an ace liquidator (Jeremy Piven) who specializes in bringing dead car lots back to life. Despite a timely premise and a game cast (including Ving Rhames, David Koechner and "The Hangover's" Ed Helms), this wannabe satire's down-and-dirty 'tude turns out to be a ruse, because in its heart of hearts it's nothing but mush. All of which makes "The Goods" far from good. (90 min.) R; sexual content, nudity, pervasive profanity, drug material. (C.C.)

THE HANGOVER

(C) A wild Caesars Palace bachelor bash spells trouble for four pals (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha) who party so hard they can't remember anything from the night before -- including where they left the groom. "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 training in wizardry -- and discovers an old book that helps him delve into the dark past of the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Slower and talkier than the five Potters that came before -- but not necessarily in a bad way -- this is a bubbling cauldron of adolescent angst, rife with romance and heartbreak, jealousy and longing. If it weren't for all the bearded wizards and whooshing Death Eater vapor trails, this could be just another modern-day high school melodrama. (153 min.) PG; scary images, violence, profanity, mild sensuality.

THE HURT LOCKER

(A-) Three members of an Army bomb-defusing squad --a cocky sergeant (Jeremy Renner), his steady second-in-command (Anthony Mackie) and a scared-spitless rookie (Brian Geraghty) -- hit the streets of Iraq hoping to save lives, including their own. In this riveting action drama, one of the year's best movies, director Kathryn Bigelow ("Point Break," "K-19: The Widowmaker") demonstrates her mastery of action (and psychology), exploring how dehumanizing -- and how addictive -- combat can be. (131 min.) R; war violence, profanity. (C.C.)

ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS

(C) Yawn of the dinosaurs: The third prehysteric adventure in the "Ice Age" franchise is definitely not the charm, as computer-animated pals Manny, Ellie, Diego and Sid (alias Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo -- or at least their voices) have definitely overstayed their welcome, despite a move to Jurassic-like surroundings. Despite the imaginative imagery (and effective 3-D), the depth of these effects make the flatness of the story (and the indifferent voicework) all the more obvious. (94 min.) PG; mild rude humor and peril.

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. All the Tarantino trademarks are here, from tangy dialogue to gleeful violence, but he's so busy trying to convince us of his brilliance he can't be bothered to make a movie that might prove it. (153 min.) R; strong graphic violence, profanity, brief sexual situations. (C.C.)

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, thanks in part to deft performances -- and Ephron's light, almost sitcom-style approach. 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.)

PAPER HEART

(B) This mock documentary follows comic/performance artist Charlyne Yi ("Knocked Up") on a cross-country quest to find, and figure out, love -- and journey that, inevitably, includes a stop at a Las Vegas wedding chapel where an imitation Elvis presides over rockin' nuptials. Michael Cera co-stars, in the demanding role of Michael Cera, while Jake M. Johnson co-stars -- as writer-director Nicholas Jasenovec. Slight, silly, sweet and, yes, quirky, "Paper Heart" doesn't really have a whole lot to say, but it says it in a unique and inventive way. (88 min.) PG-13; profanity.

A PERFECT GETAWAY

(B-) Cheap thrills: two vacationing couples (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez) vacationing in Hawaii discover that murderous psychos are sharing their romantic Hawaiian idyll in a pulpy chiller (from "Chronicles of Riddick" writer-director David Twohy) that plays dumb to outsmart its audience. Up to a point, it works; this is one B-movie that not only knows where it's going but knows how to get there. (97 min.) R; graphic violence, profanity, sexual references, drug use.

PONYO

(B+) Master animator Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke") returns with another fanciful fable, this one about a magical goldfish who longs to discover what life beyond the sea is like -- and gets her chance when she's washed ashore and picked up by a 5-year-old boy. Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon and Tina Fey lead the vocal cast of this English-language version (scripted by "E.T.'s" Melissa Mathison). You watch a Miyazaki film with the pie-eyed, gape-mouthed awe of a child being read the most fantastic story and suddenly transported to places previously beyond the limits of imagination. As always, it's quite a trip. (101 min.) G; all ages.

POST GRAD

(C-) In this lame, tame comedy, a chronically unemployed college graduate (former "Gilmore Girl" Alexis Bledel) is forced to move back home with her wacky parents (Michael Keaton, Jane Lynch) and her wackier grandma (Carol Burnett) while she looks for the perfect job -- and the perfect guy. Its recession-era setting may be timely, but the movie's typically Hollywood, typically sexist message is timeless: If you're a woman, your dreams and plans are meaningless without a man. (89 min.) PG-13; sexual situations, brief 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. This genial romantic comedy may utterly predictable and eminently forgettable, but the charmingly 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.)

PUBLIC ENEMIES

(C+) Motion, not emotion: Johnny Depp goes gangster, playing dapper Depression-era hood John Dillinger to "Dark Knight" Christian Bale's straight-arrow G-man Melvin Purvis in director Michael Mann's rat-a-tat action workout. Too bad it's so overstuffed with bank jobs and shootouts there's little room for character development, let alone reflection. But at least it looks great, and a few supporting players strike sparks, especially "La Vie en Rose" Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard as Dillinger moll Billie Frechette and Mann's "Crime Story" co-star Stephen Lang as a gun-totin' lawman who knows how to get the job done. (140 min.) R; gangster violence, profanity. (C.C.)

SHORTS

(B) A weird Texas town gets even weirder when the local kids find a magical rock -- and the local grown-ups compete to control it -- in a funny, fast-as-lightning fantasy from writer-director Robert Rodriguez (in prime "Spy Kids" mode). This may be a kids' movie -- and a wonderfully offbeat one at that -- but it has enough smarts for parents too. Kat Dennings, Jon Cryer, Leslie Mann, William H. Macy and James Spader lead the able cast. (89 min.) PG; mild action, rude humor.

THE STONING OF SORAYA M.

(B) This riveting account of oppression, injustice and defiance dramatizes the true story of an Iranian wife and mother put to death under fundamentalist religious law in 1986. What keeps us watching is the path -- from outrage, to fear, to resigned martyrdom -- of Mozhan Marno, who plays the blameless victim, and the speak-truth-to-power courage of Shoreh Aghdashloo (an Oscar nominee for "House of Sand and Fog") as her tireless advocate, desperately looking for justice. In English and Persian with English subtitles. (116 min.) R; disturbing sequence of cruel and brutal violence, brief profanity.

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 (the well-cast 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 sort of substance, depth or character development. It's told with a tenderness that's unusual in a major motion picture, but that tenderness, alas, leads mostly to dullness. But (107 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity, sexuality.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

(C) Those nasty Decepticons are back, kidnapping hero Sam Witwicky (charismatic Shia LaBeouf) and setting the stage for another epic, duel-to-the-death battle with the good-guy Autobots to determine Earth's fate. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro reprise their roles in this follow-up to the 2007 smash, which is bigger, longer and louder than its predecessor. In this case, more is definitely less, making this installment long on boom-boom-pow and short on boom-boom-wow! (147 min.) PG-13; intense sci-fi action violence, profanity, crude and sexual material, brief drug material.

THE UGLY TRUTH

(D+) Ugly is as "Ugly" does: A romantically challenged producer for a morning news show (in-a-rut charmer Katherine Heigl) clashes with her show's misogynistic new correspondent ("300's" mucho macho Gerard Butler), who tests his relationship theories on her. Crude yet cloying, this aptly titled battle-of-the-sexes comedy turns out to be a cynical, clumsy attempt to mate a chick flick with a male-oriented gross-out comedy; both sexes should sue for defamation of character. (101 min.) R; sexual content, profanity. (C.C.)

UNDER THE SEA 3-D

(B) Venture beneath the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific and explore the impact of global warming on the denizens of the deep in this IMAX 3-D documentary from husband-and-wife filmmakers (and divers) Howard and Michele Hall. The footage is spectacular, the colors electric and the life aquatic is trippier than anything you'll see in even the most wildly imaginative animated fare. (40 min.) G; all ages.

UP

(A-) Another winner from the folks at Pixar Animation, who make a whimsical leap to 3-D with this buoyant tale of an elderly widower (voiced by Ed Asner) and a stowaway kid (Jordan Nagai) who take to the skies -- in a house buoyed by balloons -- to explore exotic climes. Director Pete Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") directs with a sure-handed mixture of sentiment and slapstick, tapping into the magical connection between young and old -- and making this an ideal summer moviegoing treat for kids of all ages. (96 min.) PG; action and peril. (C.C.)