MOVIES

OPENING THIS WEEK

BEDTIME STORIES

Adam Sandler goes the family-friendly route in this Disney romp, playing a hotel handyman whose life changes when the outlandish bedtime tales he tells his niece and nephew -- from racing an ancient chariot to rescuing a medieval damsel in distress -- magically come true. Keri Russell, Courteney Cox, Guy Pearce and Russell Brand co-star for "Hairspray" director Adam Shankman. At multiple locations. (99 min.) PG; mild rude humor and mild profanity.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Reviewed on Page 37.

DOUBT

In 1960s New York, an old-fashioned nun who runs a Catholic school (Meryl Streep) and a young teacher (Amy Adams) suspect a parish priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of molesting the school's lone black student. Viola Davis co-stars for writer-director John Patrick Shanley, who adapts his own Tony-winning drama. At multiple locations. (104 min.) PG-13; sexual references, mature themes.

FROST/NIXON

Tony-winner Frank Langella and "The Queen's" Michael Sheen reprise their Broadway roles as the disgraced ex-President and the British TV interviewer in Peter Morgan's adaptation of his play; Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen ("Pride & Prejudice"), Toby Jones (alias Karl Rove in "W.") and Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") co-star for director Ron Howard. At Green Valley and Suncoast. (122 min.) R; profanity.

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG

"English Patient" Oscar nominee Kristin Scott-Thomas is generating major Oscar buzz again, this time for her performance -- in French -- as a woman who moves in with her sister's family and tries to restart her life after 15 years away. Elsa Zylberstein ("Farinelli," "Jefferson in Paris") co-stars for writer-director Philippe Claudel. In French with English subtitles. At Suncoast. (115 min.) PG-13; mature themes, smoking.

MARLEY & ME

Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson bond with a naughty, neurotic -- and utterly lovable -- yellow Labrador retriever in this adaptation of John Grogan's best-seller featuring Alan Arkin, Kathleen Turner and McSteamy himself, Eric Dane of "Grey's Anatomy." David Frankel ("The Devil Wears Prada") directs. At multiple locations. (123 min.) PG; thematic material, suggestive content, profanity.

THE SPIRIT

Rookie cop Dennis Colt (Gabriel Macht), gunned down on the mean streets of Central City, returns as the title crimefighter in this adaptation of Will Eisner's comic book series from graphic novelist-turned-director Frank Miller ("Sin City," "300"). Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson and Jaime King co-star. At multiple locations. (103 min.) PG-13; intense stylized violence and action, sexual content, brief nudity.

VALKYRIE

During World War II, high-ranking German officers plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, seize power from the Nazis and negotiate an end the war in this fact-based drama starring Tom Cruise, Billy Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard and Kenneth Branagh. Bryan Singer ("X-Men," "Superman Returns") directs from a script by his Oscar-winning "Usual Suspects" screenwriter, Christopher McQuarrie. At multiple locations. (121 min.) PG-13; violence, brief profanity.

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.

APPALOOSA

(B) Home on the range: City fathers of the titular town hire seasoned saddle pals Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen (both terrific) to stop a ruthless rancher (Jeremy Irons). Harris also co-writes and directs a refreshingly old-fangled Western (based on "Spenser" creator Robert B. Parker's novel) that consciously echoes classic oaters yet serves up interesting twists on time-honored themes, riding tall in the saddle as it rides into the sunset. (114 min.) R; violence, profanity. (C.C.)

AUSTRALIA

(B-) Good on ya: Nicole Kidman reunites with visionary "Moulin Rouge!" director Baz Luhrmann for this sprawling saga, set on the eve of World War II, about a starchy British aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a remote cattle station and reluctantly teams up with a hard-riding drover (gruff charmer Hugh Jackman) to save it from a rival beef baron (Bryan Brown). Defiantly old-fashioned, this overlong, over-the-top Down Under Western-meets-war-movie scrambles romance, action, melodrama and historic revisionism into a crazy cinematic salad that's often utterly ridiculous -- and, even more often, ridiculously entertaining. (165 min.) PG-13; violence, sexual references, brief profanity. (C.C.)

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA

(C) To the dogs: Vacationing in Mexico, the pampered title pooch (voiced by Drew Barrymore) finds herself lost -- and needs the help of the local canine contingent to get home. Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, Edward James Olmos, Luis Guzman, radio's Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo and (believe it or not) Placido Domingo round out the vocal cast of this Disney canine comedy. It's not the apocalypse-signaling cultural abomination its trailers make it out to be, but that's pretty much the best thing you can say about it. (91 min.) PG; mild thematic elements.

BOLT

(B) A coddled canine TV star (voiced by John Travolta) discovers he's not quite the super-dog he plays on TV when he's forced to deal with the real world on an accidental New York-to-Hollywood trek. Disney's latest computer-animated romp (showing in both 2-D and 3-D versions) covers familiar territory and lacks the magic (and emotional impact) of "Wall-E" and other Pixar triumphs, but this charmer shows that the Disney folks still know how to bring a story to life. (96 min.) PG; mild action and peril.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

(B) Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the 8-year-old son of a Nazi official (David Thewlis), is none too pleased when the family moves from Berlin to a rural area where his father's been stationed during World War II, but finds an unlikely friend in the title character, Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), who lives behind the fence that divides Bruno's home from Shmuel's: a concentration camp. This kid's-eye view of the Holocaust suffers from lapses in logic, but writer-director Mark Herman adapts John Boyne's novel with admirable restraint, delivering a poignant and powerful tale. (98 min.) PG-13; mature themes, violence.

BURN AFTER READING

(B-) After the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men," filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen lower their expectations with an off-kilter black comedy about two dim-bulb gym employees (Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt) who launch a doomed blackmail scheme when they find a computer disc belonging to a disgruntled, drunken CIA agent (John Malkovich). "Michael Clayton" teammates George Clooney and Tilda Swinton join the spyjinks (he's a goofball serial philanderer, she's an adulterous ice queen) and they're all swell, but not even the dream-team cast can make this anything more than a fitfully amusing diversion. (96 min.) R; violence, sexual situations, profanity. (C.C.)

CADILLAC RECORDS

(B) Don't let the title fool you -- this is the rockin', raucous story of Chess Records, the house that Muddy Waters (the terrific Jeffrey Wright), Howlin' Wolf (a feral Eamonn Walker), Chuck Berry (Mos Def, a duck-walking hoot) and Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles, demonstrating marked improvement since "Dreamgirls") built. As history, it's downright suspect, and writer-director Darnell Martin ("I Like It Like That") stocks this ensemble (melo)drama with enough conflict and characters for five movies. That makes it merely adequate as drama -- but, as a jukebox musical, you can't stop (or resist) the beat. (109 min.) R; profanity, sexuality. (C.C.)

CHANGELING

(B-) Director Clint Eastwood's fact-based 1920s melodrama focuses on a single mother (Angelina Jolie, in another look-at-me Oscar bid) whose son vanishes -- and takes on Los Angeles' corrupt police department when they try to convince her that the little boy they've found isn't really her son. It's a fascinating true story, but its sprawling structure -- It's a mystery! Wait, it's a corrupt-cop thriller! No, it's a miscarriage-of-justice melodrama! Oh, it's a courtroom drama! -- means "Changeling" wrestles with even more questions of identity than its embattled heroine. (140 min.) R; violent and disturbing content, profanity. (C.C.)

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

(C+) An extra-terrestrial (the amusingly impassive Keanu Reeves) comes down to Earth, accompanied by his faithful robot companion Gort, to warn heedless humans of impending doom in this remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic featuring Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese and Jaden Smith (who co-starred with his dad, Will Smith, in "Pursuit of Happyness"). Gravity gets the best of this environmentally conscious reworking, which soars in the first half but plummets in the second, as flashy effects replace coherent storytelling and everyone goes all weepy over the innate decency of humanity. (103 min.) PG-13; sci-fi disaster images, violence.

THE DUCHESS

(B-) The toast of 18th-century London, the aristocratic Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley) turns heads with her outrageous fashions, her political activism -- and a loveless marriage that prompts her to turn to a rising politician (Dominic Cooper of "Mamma Mia!"). Any similarities to the duchess' descendant, Princess Diana, are hardly coincidental in this handsome, if superficial, drama; only the dependably subtle Ralph Fiennes (as the duchess' dour duke, a prisoner of his own exalted station) manages to suggest the emotional eddies churning beneath the stiff exterior. (110 min.) PG-13; sexual content, brief nudity, thematic material. (C.C.)

FOUR CHRISTMASES

(C) Ho, ho, ho? So, so, so. Leisure-obsessed San Franciscans (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) find themselves fogbound and unable to take their annual exotic holiday vacation, forcing them to endure multiple Yuletide celebrations with multiple divorced (and remarried) parents (played by Oscar-winning pros Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen and Jon Voight). The jokes may be old, but they hit as often as they miss in what turns out to be the cinematic equivalent of a gift card: utterly generic, but still deserving of a little gratitude. (88 min.) PG-13; sexual humor, profanity.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR

(B) Hip to be square: It's a threepeat for the Disney Channel's smash song-and-dance franchise, which moves from the small to the big screen as East High Wildcats Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) and Chad (Corbin Bleu) face the big finale of high school life -- and explore their conflicting emotions by (what else?) putting on a show. Eminently watchable, occasionally very funny and sweet enough to give you diabetes, "HSM" introduces new performers (including Matt Prokop, Justin Martin and Jemma McKenzie-Brown) who will enable director Kenny Ortega and company to keep the franchise singing and dancing well past graduation day. (112 min.) G; all ages.

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA

(B) The zany former denizens of the Central Park Zoo (voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer), accompanied by wacky lemur king Julian ("Borat's" Sacha Baron Cohen) -- all of whom we met in 2005's "Madagascar" -- return to their roots, when their plane crash-lands on the African savanna. It's a typical tale of self-discovery, but at least it's punctuated by genuine hilarity and top-flight animation. (89 min.) PG; mild crude humor.

MILK

(B+) If you've seen the Oscar-winning 1984 documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk," you've already seen the definitive cinematic account of the first openly gay man elected to a major political office -- until Dan White, his former colleague on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, gunned him down, along with his political ally, Mayor George Moscone, in 1978. For those who haven't seen the documentary, however, this not only showcases a standout title-role performance by Sean Penn (along with sterling support from Josh Brolin, James Franco and Emile Hirsch) but offers a timely introduction to a pivotal public figure who still inspires, three decades after his death. (128 min.) R; profanity, sexual content, brief violence. (C.C.)

NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS

(C) In Chicago's Puerto Rican enclave of Humboldt Park, feuding spouses Edy (Alfred Molina) and Anna (Elizabeth Peña) welcome assorted offspring (John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez, Vanessa Ferlito) and assorted friends and lovers (Debra Messing, Luis Gonzalez, Jay Hernandez, Melonie Diaz) in the cinematic equivalent of that time-honored holiday dish that turns up on the table every year, even though everybody's sick of it by now. Heavy on the Latino flavor, but underneath the spices, it's the same old holiday mush. (98 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, including sexual dialogue and brief drug references. (C.C.)

QUANTUM OF SOLACE

(C) Bland, James, bland: After a slam-bang reboot in 2006's "Casino Royale," the James Bond franchise suffers definite sophomore slump as a vengeful Bond (Daniel Craig, icy as ever) globe-trots from Europe to South America in pursuit of an enigmatic eco-entrepreneur ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Mathieu Amalric) -- and his own inner demons. We get bullets flying, stuff blowing up real good and slice-and-dice editing that renders all that action all but impossible to follow. And while Bond's always movie, he's never moved. Neither are we. Or, as 007 himself might summarize it, not shaken -- and definitely not stirred. PG-13; intense action violence, sexual content. (C.C.)

QUARANTINE

(C) Assigned to spend the night shift with L.A. firefighters, a TV reporter (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) respond to a routine 911 call at an apartment building, where something unknown has attacked one of the residents -- prompting the Centers for Disease Control to quarantine the building and cut off all telephone, Internet, TV and cellular access to those locked inside, who seem to be turning into rabid, homicidal zombies. Like any imitation, this remake of a 2007 Spanish thriller, isn't as good as the original. But this is really about cheap thrills -- and there aren't nearly enough. (89 min.) R; bloody, violent and disturbing content, terror, profanity.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

(B) Sprung from rehab to attend her sister's wedding, a troubled young woman (Anne Hathaway) demonstrates her insatiable need to steal the spotlight, even from the bride (Rosemarie DeWitt). Yet another portrait of yet another dysfunctional family, but the acutely observed screenplay (by Jenny Lumet), slice-of-life direction (by "Silence of the Lambs" Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme) and standout performances (including Oscar-worthy support from Bill Irwin and Debra Winger as the bride's divorced parents) put us in the midst of the jittery gathering -- and the jittery people trying desperately to ignore their jitters. (113 min.) R; profanity, brief sexuality. (C.C.)

ROLE MODELS

(B) As punishment for their wild behavior, a pair of energy drink reps (Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott) become Big Brother-type mentors to a pair of misfit kids (Bobb'e J. Thompson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, alias "Superbad's" McLovin). The premise is completely formulaic and potentially cheesy, but it's the wildly, hilariously crude way that director David Wain and Co. approach the concept that makes "Role Models" so disarming -- and consistently, laugh-out-loud funny. (99 min.) R; crude and sexual content, profanity, nudity.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

(C) In 1964 South Carolina, a 14-year-old (Dakota Fanning) flees her abusive father (Paul Bettany), accompanied by her caregiver and only friend (Jennifer Hudson); they find a haven with small-town sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo) who run a beekeeping business. Like a spoonful of honey, this adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Love & Basketball") is cloyingly sweet and gooey -- and almost impossible to swallow undiluted, despite the valiant attempts of the performers to sell the faux-profound platitudes they've been given. (110 min.) PG-13; violence, mature themes.

SEVEN POUNDS

(C-) An enigmatic IRS agent (Will Smith, in full messianic mode) embarks on a quest for redemption that involves seven strangers -- who might not be strangers at all. Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson and Barry Pepper co-star in a convoluted holiday tearjerker (from Smith's "Pursuit of Happyness" director Gabriele Muccino) that turns out to be an inspirational bummer suffering from murky camerawork and even murkier emotions. Not even the obligatory uplift at the end can make up for the melodramatic (and less-than-credible) plot contrivances we have to sit through to get there. (123 min.) PG-13; mature themes, disturbing content, sexual references. (C.C.)

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

(B+) A beguiling Bollywood fairy tale (complete with plucky hero, damsel in distress, powerful villain and daunting trials in which our hero must prove his mettle), as an orphaned Mumbai teen (Dev Patel) becomes an unlikely contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- not for money, but for love. Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later") scores with yet another trademark combination of humor, hope and horror that soars on the strength of its winning characters and exotic setting. By the time the cast members assemble for the all-dancing finale, you may be tempted to join in. (120 min.) R; violence, disturbing images, profanity. (C.C.)

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX

(C+) Mighty (and mighty cute) mouse Despereaux Tilling, who prefers reading books to eating them, befriends a banished rat, falls in love with a lonely princess -- and rescues his kingdom from the tyranny of grief -- in this computer-animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's award-winning best-seller. Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson and Tracey Ullman lead the vocal cast, but they can't disguise the fact that "Despereaux" -- with echoes of (in no particular order) "Ratatouille," "Flushed Away," "Gulliver's Travels," "Shrek" and several Grimm fairy tales -- is a bit too derivative, and desperate, to be loved. (94 min.) G; all ages.

TWILIGHT

(B-) This adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling tale of the ultimate star-crossed romance (OK, except maybe for "Romeo and Juliet" "Wuthering Heights" and ...) emerges as a fanciful, if fitfully engaging, amalgam of teen angst and vampire lore, as high school junior Bella Swan (appealingly direct Kristen Stewart) falls under the spell of dreamy biology lab partner Edward Cullen (brooding Robert Pattinson) -- who's been undead since the Spanish flu epidemic of 1917. "Thirteen" director Catherine Hardwicke's affinity for everyday teen traumas keep the movie grounded in emotional reality, even during its most far-fetched flights of fantasy. (120 min.) PG-13; violence, sensuality. (C.C.)

TRANSPORTER 3

(D+) The third time's the bomb (and not in a good way) as unstoppable Jason Statham returns as human FedEx Frank Martin, who speaks softly and carries a big stickshift; this time around, he's shackled (literally) to the kidnapped daughter (Natalya Rudakova) of a Ukrainian environmental official (Jeroen Krabbe) targeted by shady eco-villains (led by "Prison Break's" Rob Knepper). A poorly paced, paint-by-numbers reproduction, but probably not quite bad enough to stop "Transporter 4." (105 min.) PG-13; intense action and violence, sexual content, drug material.

YES MAN

(B-) Jim Carrey makes a welcome return to comedy as a chronically depressed loan officer who accentuates the positive -- by becoming a guy who can't say no for an entire year. Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins and Terence Stamp co-star for director Peyton Reed ("The Break-Up," "Down With Love"). Despite some brief vulgarity, this formulaic yet diverting comedy also boasts charm and (surprise!) and a worthwhile message. Given the gloom of this season's holiday releases, it's positively cheering just to see a character turn his frown upside down. (104 min.) PG-13; crude sexual humor, profanity, brief nudity.

ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO

(C+) Writer-director Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Dogma") returns to sex and controversy (not necessarily in that order) for this bawdy comedy about two impoverished roomies (raunch king Seth Rogen, endearing Elizabeth Banks) who become porn entrepreneurs to flesh out their bottom line. Smith regulars Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson join "The Office's" Craig Robinson, Traci Lords, Justin Long and Brandon Routh in the supporting cast, but it's Rogen and Banks, as the unlikely but inevitable romantic couple, who provide a welcome sweetness that helps compensate for the gross-out humor. (101 min.) R; strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, pervasive profanity. (C.C.)