MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
CHOKE
Back in Las Vegas following its CineVegas showcase in June, this quirky black comedy (based on a novel by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk) focuses on a sex-addicted con artist (Sam Rockwell) who finances the care of his deranged mother (Anjelica Huston) by pretending to choke to death -- and playing on the sympathies of his rescuers. Kelly Macdonald, Bijou Phillips and director Clark Gregg co-star. At multiple locations. (89 min.) R; strong sexual content, nudity, profanity.
EAGLE EYE
Thrown together by a phone call from a mystery woman they don't know, two strangers (Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan) run for their lives -- and try to figure out why they've been targeted as the country's most wanted fugitives -- in this countdown thriller from LaBeouf's "Disturbia" director, D.J. Caruso, which features Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis. At multiple locations; in Imax at Palms and Red Rock. (118 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of action and violence, profanity.
FIREPROOF
A firefighter (Kirk Cameron) and his wife (Erin Bethea) are on the verge of divorce, until his father challenges him to "The Love Dare" -- 40 days of spiritual effort to work his way back into his wife's heart -- in this religious drama from writer-director Alex Kendrick ("Facing the Giants"). At multiple locations. (122 min.) PG; thematic material, peril.
FOREVER STRONG
A hot-shot rugby player ("Never Back Down's" Sean Faris) winds up behind bars -- and gets a second chance by playing for a rival team -- forcing him to choose between playing for his tough new coach (Gary Cole) or his overbearing father (Neal McDonough) after he's released from prison. At multiple locations. (112 min.) PG-13; thematic material involving teen drug and alcohol use, disturbing images.
I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND
This tragedy-tinged farce from legendary Czech director Jiri Menzel ("Closely Watched Trains"), the Czech Republic's official Oscar entry, follows the through-the-years fortunes of a clown-like Prague waiter (Ivan Barnev) with an uncanny knack for survival -- even after the Nazis take over before World War II. In Czech and German with English subtitles. At the Suncoast. (120 min.) R; sexual content, nudity.
THE LUCKY ONES
MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA
Director Spike Lee's World War II epic focuses on four members of the Army's all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division (Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller), who become trapped behind enemy lines and must fight their way back to neutral territory. At multiple locations. (160 min.) R; strong combat violence, profanity, sexual content/nudity.
NIGHTS IN RODANTHE
Richard Gere and Diane Lane (who previously teamed in "Unfaithful" and "The Cotton Club") reunite for this adaptation of "The Notebook" author Nicholas Sparks' romance about an abandoned wife overseeing a friend's beachfront inn -- and the inn's sole guest, a doctor nursing both personal and professional wounds. Scott Glenn, Christopher Meloni, Viola Davis and James Franco anchor the supporting cast. At multiple locations. (97 min.) PG-13; sexual references.
TELL NO ONE
In this acclaimed French thriller, a pediatrician (François Cluzet) suspected of his wife's murder eight years ago becomes a suspect once again when police reopen the case -- and the doctor receives an e-mail from his presumed-dead wife. Kristin Scott-Thomas and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's" Marie-Josée Croze and Marina Hands co-star. In French with English subtitles. At Village Square. (125 min.) NR; violence, profanity, nudity, adult themes.
TOWELHEAD
A sexually blossoming Arab-American 13-year-old (Summer Bishil) struggles to deal with an overprotective father (Peter Macdissi), racist classmates -- and a flag-waving neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) with an inappropriate interest in her -- in this adaptation of Alicia Erlian's novel from "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball (an Oscar-winner for his "American Beauty" screenplay). Maria Bello and Toni Collette co-star. At Village Square. (124 min.) R; strong disturbing sexual content and abuse involving a young teen, 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.
BABYLON A.D.
(D-) Babble on: In this futuristic thriller, a post-apocalyptic mercenary (Vin Diesel) escorts a mysterious young woman (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian (Michelle Yeoh) from Russia to New York while trying to elude sinister kidnappers. This odd, solemn disaster refuses to make any sense at all, combining badly executed action sequences with mystic mumbo-jumbo that not even a two-disc, director's-cut DVD could make comprehensible. No wonder director Mathieu Kassovitz has all but disowned it; audiences should follow suit. (90 min.) PG-13; intense violence and action, profanity, sexuality.
BANGKOK DANGEROUS
(D) Dangerous? Ridiculous is more like it, as a lone-wolf hit man (a slumming Nicolas Cage), on assignment in Thailand, bonds with his errand boy (Shahkrit Yamnarm) -- and falls for a winsome deaf-mute shopgirl (Charlie Young). It worked much better the first time around Hong Kong brothers Danny and Oxide Pang ("The Eye") directed it, in their 1999 breakthrough; this dark, grim actioner has little plot and even less emotional traction. As a cinematic experience, it's like being locked in a coffin for an hour and a half. (100 min.) R; violence, profanity, sexuality.
BURN AFTER READING
(B-) After the towering achievement of last year's Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men," filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen lower their expectations with this off-kilter black comedy about two dim-bulb gym employees (Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt) who find a computer disc belonging to a disgruntled, drunken CIA agent (John Malkovich) -- and launch a doomed-to-fail blackmail scheme. "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. It's a cosmic joke, all right, but not a particularly funny one. (96 min.) R; violence, sexual situations, profanity. (C.C.)
THE DARK KNIGHT
(B) The Joker (an indelible Heath Ledger) wreaks havoc in Gotham City, prompting the interest of not only the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) but crusading new D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) in a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins" that wants desperately to be taken seriously. Mostly, it deserves to be -- except when it takes itself too seriously for its own good. It's so overstuffed with characters, plots and counterplots that Batman sometimes seems like a supporting character, but Ledger's Joker is one for the ages. (152 min.) PG-13; intense violence and menace. (C.C.)
DEATH RACE
(C) In this supercharged remake of Roger Corman's 1975 cult fave "Death Race 2000," a ruthless prison warden (Joan Allen) taps an inmate (Jason Statham) for the title competition, the ultimate demolition derby in which combatants drive to kill -- or die. Ian McShane and Tyrese Gibson co-star in a relentless, soulless action fantasy that's "Ben Hur" for video junkies: imposing on the surface, hollow at the core. (89 min.) R; strong violence and profanity.
DISASTER MOVIE
(D) Diminishing returns: The folks behind "Scary Movie," "Date Movie" and "Epic Movie" continue their downward spiral with this virtually laugh-free romp in which unsuspecting 20-somethings (led by Matt Lanter and Vanessa Minnillo) find themselves bombarded by a variety of natural catastrophes -- and takeoffs of movies from "Cloverfield" to "The Dark Knight." The references feel tired and the humor (if you can call it that) seems even more exhausted. (90 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content throughout, language, drug references and comic violence.
ELEGY
(B+) Philip Roth's novella "The Dying Animal" inspires this drama of a renowned, skirt-chasing academic (Ben Kingsley), whose affair with a Cuban-American graduate student (Penélope Cruz) awakens his sense of sexual possessiveness, throwing his life into emotional disarray. Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Hopper and Peter Sarsgaard co-star for director Isabel Coixet ("My Life Without Me," "The Secret Life of Words") in this touching, wonderfully acted examination of doubt's corrosive effects on love. (108 min.) R; sexuality, nudity, profanity.
THE FAMILY THAT PREYS
(B-) Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard star as the matriarchs of two very different Atlanta families -- one wealthy, the other working class -- who find their long friendship threatened by scandal in this undeniably entertaining melodrama from writer-director Tyler Perry, which features Sanaa Lathan, Cole Hauser, Taraji P. Henson, Robin Givens -- and Perry himself, this time out of drag as a true-blue hard hat. Defiantly old-school, this shiny, two-timing throwback to 1950s melodramas (and prime-time TV soaps) proves Perry can whip up the suds with the best of 'em. (111 min.) PG-13; thematic material, sexual references, brief violence.
FLY ME TO THE MOON 3-D
(D) Buzz kill: In the first animated feature created for 3-D, a trio of houseflies stow away aboard Apollo 11 and try to stop a conniving Soviet spy fly from sabotaging the moon shot. Alas, this animated kiddie cartoon is as tedious and irritating as a real fly. (89 min.) G; all ages.
FROZEN RIVER
(A) When her husband leaves her with two kids and a mountain of unpaid bills, a beleaguered dollar-store cashier (Melissa Leo, already generating Oscar buzz) forms an uneasy alliance with an equally desperate single mother (Misty Upham), a Mohawk Indian, in a scheme to smuggle immigrants across the frozen river separating Quebec from upstate New York. Writer-director Courtney Hunt's debut feature has the crackling pace of an action movie, the racking suspense of a thriller, the unexpected resolution of an O. Henry tale -- and, like its heroines, a homespun poetry that makes it urgent and incomparably moving. (97 min.) R; profanity.
GHOST TOWN
(B+) He sees dead people -- and doesn't like it one bit -- when his unexpected death, and even more unexpected return from the dead seven minutes later, enable anti-social dentist Bertram Pincus ("The Office's" Ricky Gervais) to see ghosts, one of whom (Greg Kinnear) hopes he'll break up the impending marriage of his widow (Téa Leoni). This always amusing, occasionally hilarious "Topper"-style charmer proves that Ricky Gervais is to comedy what the dry martini is to alcoholism -- and that Leoni is one of our best comediennes. (102 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual humor, drug references.
HANCOCK
(C) After he's saved by a boozy, surly superhero (Will Smith), a struggling L.A. marketing expert (Jason Bateman) volunteers to rehabilitate the snide good guy's tarnished image. An intriguing concept, but iffy execution -- and director Peter Berg's inability to meld the movie's jokey first half with its anguished, emotional conclusion -- makes for a bumpy ride, even with Charlize Theron rounding out the classy starring cast. (92 min.) PG-13; intense sci-fi action and violence, profanity. (C.C.)
THE HOUSE BUNNY
(C) A Playboy Bunny (Anna Faris) gets booted from the mansion -- and finds refuge with clueless sorority sisters who are about to lose their house -- in a campus comedy featuring Colin Hanks (yes, his dad's named Tom), Rumer Willis (yes, her dad's named Bruce), "American Idol's" Katharine McPhee -- and, inevitably, Mr. Playboy himself, Hugh Hefner. Despite a winning performance from Faris, this falls on its tail so many times that, before long, the perky pinkness turns a bruising black-and-blue. (97 min.) PG-13; sex-related humor, partial nudity, brief profanity.
IGOR
(C) In this animated monster bash, a lowly lab assistant who dreams of becoming a scientist gets his chance when his cruel master dies a week before the annual Evil Science Fair, enabling Igor to build his own creature -- and battle an even more evil plot to destroy his world. A potentially original premise and an eager voice cast led by John Cusack and Molly Shannon are left to decay amid a clunky story vaguely reminiscent of "Monsters Inc." -- and images that resemble "Corpse Bride" rejects. (87 min.) PG; thematic elements, scary images, action, mild profanity.
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
(A) Whip-crackin' good: Indiana Jones (inimitable, irreplaceable Harrison Ford) returns to derring-duty, reuniting with director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas for an exhilarating, thrill-a-minute romp that recaptures "Raiders of the Lost Ark's" gleeful spirit. This time out, it's 1957, and a graying, gritty Indy teams up with a rebellious teen (Shia LaBeouf) and "Raiders" flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) to battle Soviet spies (led by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett) hot on the trail of a mystical Amazon artifact that may hold the key to life on earth -- and beyond. (124 min.) PG-13; adventure violence, scary images. (C.C.)
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
(B-) In your face, in more ways than one: The first live-action feature shot in digital 3-D is an update of Jules Verne's durable 1864 fantasy, about an absent-minded professor (Brendan Fraser), his surly teenage nephew (Josh Hutcherson) and an Icelandic guide (Anita Briem) on a fantastical, and possibly fatal, journey to the title realm. Without 3-D, it's just another empty-calories cinematic thrill ride; with 3-D, it's a relatively fun thrill ride, with reach-out-and-touch images guaranteed to make you giggle, squirm -- or both at the same time. (92 min.) PG; intense adventure action, scary moments. (C.C.)
KEITH
(Not reviewed) "Blue's Clues" creator Todd Kessler goes for a somewhat older demographic as co-writer and director of this drama, fresh its recent world premiere at Mandalay Bay, about a popular high school senior ("One Tree Hill's" Elisabeth Harnois) who falls for the title character (teenthrob Jesse McCartney), a new kid in school who's harboring a dark and deadly secret. (93 min.) NR.
LAKEVIEW TERRACE
(C+) There goes the neighborhood: In this latest variation on the venerable wacko-from-hell subgenre, a law-unto-himself cop (that gleeful scenery-chomper Samuel L. Jackson) makes life hellish for his unsuspecting new neighbors, the nice interracial couple (Kerry Washington, Patrick Wilson) that just moved in next door. Despite its provocative edge, "Lakeview Terrace" degenerates from a potentially thoughtful exploration of such hot-button issues as race and power, surrendering to its basest instincts -- and emerging as just another over-the-top thriller. (110 min.) R; intense thematic material, violence, sexual situations, profanity, drug references. (C.C.)
THE LONGSHOTS
(B) A Pop Warner football coach (Ice Cube) finds a secret weapon: an 11-year-old quarterback ("Akeelah and the Bee's" Keke Palmer) who happens to be a girl. Ex-Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst directs this fact-based heart-tugger, and it's a rough but heartfelt diamond; both Cube and Palmer are irresistible in a triumph-of-the-underdog sports movie where the triumph goes beyond a team to include a whole town. (94 min.) PG; thematic elements, mild profanity, brief rude humor.
MAMMA MIA!
(C) S.O.S.: Meryl Streep (having a blast, even when we're not) turns singing-and-dancing queen in this adaptation of the hit ABBA musical about a former rock singer, now living on a Greek island, whose three ex-flames (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsg?rd) show up at her daughter's wedding. Occasionally entertaining, often excruciating, this boasts a stellar cast (augmented by "Big Love's" Amanda Seyfried and scene-stealers Christine Baranski and Julie Walters), but the narrative thread's flimsier than dental floss. (108 min.) PG-13; sexual references. (C.C.)
MIRRORS
(D) Shine off: A fire-ravaged department store harbors a horrific secret that threatens a cop-turned-security guard (Kiefer Sutherland) and his family. Inane, dull and about as scary as a bottle of Windex, this "Shining" rip-off substitutes a deserted department store for "Shining's" hotel and a strung-out Sutherland for strung-out Jack Nicholson, making this minor chiller a major downer from talented "High Tension" director Alexandre Aja. (100 min.) R; strong violence, disturbing images, profanity, brief nudity.
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
(C-) The third time's definitely not the charm for this poor man's Indiana Jones franchise, which reaches new depths of absurdity as intrepid Rick O'Connell (a game Brendan Fraser) and his archaeologist wife Evelyn (miscast Maria Bello, replacing Rachel Weisz), retired from globe-trotting, head to China when their rebellious son (a charmless Luke Ford) unearths the remains of a cursed, shape-shifting emperor (martial arts whiz Jet Li). More often labored and lumbering than fun, this proves the "Mummy" saga should stay buried. (112 min.) PG-13; adventure action, violence. (C.C.)
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL
(D+) A professional cad who gets paid to mistreat women (who else but Dane Cook?) unexpectedly falls in love when his lovelorn best friend (Jason Biggs) enlists him to take his ex-girlfriend (Kate Hudson) on a rotten date so she'll realize her mistake. Typically clunky and jarringly vulgar, this alleged romantic comedy repeatedly squashes the few signs of life in its appealing cast. (101 min.) R; strong profanity and sexual content, including graphic dialogue and nudity.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
(B-) Reefer madness: In the latest romp from producer Judd Apatow's comedy factory, a hapless stoner ("Knocked Up's" Seth Rogen, who also co-wrote the script) witnesses a murder -- and runs for his life, his even more hapless pot dealer (a delightful James Franco) in tow. Powered by their pricelessly dopey repartee, "Pineapple Express" proves uproarious in fits and starts, but eventually falls victim to its own randomness -- and a nasty violent streak that undercuts the movie's sweetly addled bromance. (111 min.) R; pervasive profanity, drug use, sexual references, violence. (C.C.)
RIGHTEOUS KILL
(C) After sharing one scene in 1995's "Heat," Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share a whole movie; too bad it's this often turgid thriller about veteran New York City detectives trying to figure out the connection between a current murder and a case they thought they had solved years ago. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy and "Frozen River's" Melissa Leo co-star in what's essentially a "Law & Order" episode stretched beyond recognition; De Niro's minimalist behavior and Pacino's maximalist performance provide only minimal interest. (110 min.) R; violence, pervasive profanity, sexual situations, brief drug use.
SPACE CHIMPS
(D) The wrong stuff: Astronaut chimps, led by the slacker grandson of the first chimp in space (voiced by "Saturday Night Live's" Andy Samberg), go ape during a mission to a distant planet. The plot couldn't be more boring, the unattractive animation evokes the Teletubbies (not a good thing) and young kids won't get some of the jokes -- not that they're funny. Sure, it's just a G-rated romp, but does that mean it has to be dull and unimaginative? Anybody who's seen "Wall-E" knows the answer to that. (81 min.) G; all ages.
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
(C) The "Star Wars" saga explores a new cinematic galaxy -- animation -- as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the Jedi knights struggling to save the Galactic Republic. Harmless and mostly charmless, this truly cartoonish animated adventure is to "Star Wars" what karaoke is to pop music, making the special magic of that long-ago galaxy seem far, far away indeed. (98 minutes.) PG; sci-fi action violence, brief profanity and smoking.
TRAITOR
(B) A former U.S. special operations officer (Don Cheadle), a practicing Muslim with terrorist connections, finds himself the target of federal agents (Guy Pearce, Neal McDonaugh) in a topical, globe-trotting thriller that wants to pump up your conscience along with your adrenaline. It does the latter better than the former, but not even Jeffrey Nachmanoff's diffuse direction can defuse the power of Cheadle and Pearce's cat-and-mouse intrigue. (110 min.) PG-13; intense violent sequences, mature themes, brief profanity. (C.C.)
TROPIC THUNDER
(B+) When the studio pulls the plug on their bloated Vietnam War epic, the self-absorbed stars (Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Ben Stiller, who also directs) bungle into the jungle -- and wind up battling real-life bad guys. Gory, vulgar and wickedly funny, this equal-opportunity offender gleefully bites the Hollywood hand that feeds it before licking the very same hand and hoping the folks who finance big-budget movies like "Tropic Thunder" won't take it too personally. Even so, this wimps out far less than most wannabe showbiz satires -- and the top-chop cast, led by the peak-form Downey, makes the most of its irreverence. (107 min.) R; pervasive profanity, sexual references, violence, drug use. (C.C.)
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
(A-) Another year, another minor Woody Allen triumph. This one's a deceptively blithe, breezy tale of two American students in Spain -- one free-spirited and sexually adventurous (Scarlett Johansson), the other serious and strait-laced (Rebecca Hall) -- who become entangled with a seductive painter (Javier Bardem) and his fiery, troubled ex-wife (Penélope Cruz, the newest member of Woody's Oscar-caliber pantheon). Reminiscent of French New Wave master François Truffaut (especially "Jules and Jim"), this bittersweet meditation on love, art and the way we live now won't make you forget "Annie Hall" or "Hannah and Her Sisters," but will remind you why Allen still matters. (96 min.) PG-13; sexual references, smoking. (C.C.)
WALL-E
(A) Play it again, Pixar: "Finding Nemo" writer-director Andrew Stanton strikes again with a wonderful, full-of-wonder tale about a lonely garbage-compactor robot, stranded on an abandoned 29th-century Earth, who follows an alluring probe droid back to her mother ship -- and discovers what happened to the humans who used to occupy the planet. Skipping from poignant comedy to sly satire, "Wall-E" deftly synthesizes cinematic influences from Charlie Chaplin to "Star Wars' " R2-D2, yet it never feels derivative, thanks to a magical blend of soaring imagination and down-to-earth emotions. (97 min.) G; all ages. (C.C.)
THE WOMEN
(C) They just don't remake 'em like they used to, as this remake of the all-distaff 1939 classic (from "Murphy Brown" creator Diane English) demonstrates, focusing on has-it-all Meg Ryan -- wife, mother, fashion designer, saint -- who discovers her Wall Street tycoon husband has taken up with a sultry shopgirl (Eva Mendes), throwing her life, and her best pals (career gal Annette Bening, earth mama Debra Messing, lesbian writer Jada Pinkett Smith) into a collective tizzy. The original's a catty blast; this is a declawed, defanged exercise in smug self-entitlement, full of you-go-girl sisterly bonding and lots (and lots) of yupscale fashion frenzy. And they call this progress? (114 min.) PG-13; sexual references, profanity, drug use, brief smoking. (C.C.)
