MOVIES
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.
Motion Picture Association of America ratings:
G - General audiences, all ages.
PG - Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 - Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children under 13.
R - Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian.
NC-17 - No one under 17 admitted.
NR - Not rated.
BABY MAMA
(C) Gynecomedy: With her biological clock nearing midnight, an overachiever ("30 Rock's" likable Tina Fey) hires a dubious young woman ("Saturday Night Live's" Amy Poehler) to carry her baby. Detecting human life here would require a sonogram; this is mild to the point of pablum, making the fertile topic of surrogate motherhood inoffensive to anyone. Which is not an endorsement; in comedies, delivery is everything. (99 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual humor, profanity, drug references.
THE BANK JOB
(B) In 1971 London, petty thieves (led by Jason Statham as a struggling mechanic and Saffron Burrows as his ex-model ex-flame) break into a Baker Street bank vault, unaware their record haul includes salacious photos incriminating a royal family member. It's a tangled web "The Bank Job" weaves, but under the crisp direction of Roger Donaldson ("No Way Out"), the movie keeps multiple plot threads tangle-free and multiple colorful characters in orbit -- until their various worlds collide. (111 min.) R; sexual content, nudity, violence, profanity. (C.C.)
THE COUNTERFEITERS
(B) Oscar's best foreign-language film this year, inspired by a true story, takes place in a World War II concentration camp, where a Nazi officer (Devid Striesow) enlists a Jewish forger (Karl Markovics) in a scheme to counterfeit Allied currency -- saving the criminal from torture, starvation and death. Full of chilling, ironic details, director Stefan Rukowitzky's provocative drama proves that, no matter how many Holocaust stories the movies tell, there are always new and unexpected ones worth relating. In German with English subtitles. (98 min.) R; intense violence, nudity.
DEAL
(C-) Bum deal: Plenty of movies prove entertaining despite their familiarity; this by-the-numbers poker drama isn't one of them. A grizzled Burt Reynolds stars as a veteran player who's been away from the game for 20 years, until he takes a young Internet whiz ("Reaper's" Bret Harrison) under his wing, setting the stage for a ho-hum showdown at the World Poker Tour championship. All those things that usually make a movie memorable (the performances, the pacing, the visuals, the soundtrack) are missing in action. (86 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual content, brief drug use. (C.C.)
DECEPTION
(C) No fooling: A suave, man-about-Manhattan attorney (Hugh Jackman) lures a timid accountant (Ewan McGregor) into an an elite New York sex club (populated by the likes of Michelle Williams, Natasha Henstridge and Charlotte Rampling), setting the stage for blackmail, embezzlement, arson -- and snooze-inducing plot twists so obvious they might as well have neon arrows pointing to them -- in a would-be erotic thriller with no heat and zero chills. (108 min.) R; sexual content, profanity, brief violence, drug use.
DEEP SEA 3-D
(B) Get up close and personal with ocean wildlife, unveiled in the reach-out-and-touch weirdness of IMAX 3-D at the Luxor. This giant-screen documentary introduces exotic denizens of the deep so extravagantly extraterrestrial, nothing created by Hollywood's special effects labs could possibly compete. (40 min.) G; all ages.
DINOSAURS 3-D: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA
(B+) Now at Luxor's IMAX theater, this excursion traces the evolution -- and extinction -- of giant prehistoric beasts that rip each other's faces off in thrilling computer-generated segments showcasing species we didn't see in "Jurassic Park." (40 min.) NR; very large, very loud dinosaurs.
DRILLBIT TAYLOR
(C) Three desperate high school dweebs (Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman) solicit a beach bum who claims to be an Iraq veteran (Owen Wilson, very much in his comfort zone), hoping this budget bodyguard will protect them from a sadistic bully (Alex Frost). Watching the latest from the Judd Apatow hit machine ("Knocked Up," "Superbad") makes you feel as though your arm's being twisted on your way to class. And that's not a compliment. (102 min.) PG-13; crude, racy humor, profanity, drug references, violence, partial nudity.
88 MINUTES
(C-) After receiving a death threat informing him that he has (surprise!) only 88 minutes to live, a famed forensic psychologist (gleeful scenery-chomper Al Pacino) tries to sort out the usual suspects, including a serial killer (Neal McDonough) he helped put on Death Row. This might have been slightly more tolerable if it were actually 88 minutes long, but it's too long at any length, given its lame premise and labored execution. (108 min.) R; disturbing violent content, brief nudity, profanity. (C.C.)
EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED
(C-) In this propaganda disguised as a documentary, Ben Stein -- actor, comedian, columnist, game show host and Nixon-era White House speechwriter -- tries to make the case for intelligent design, traveling to various universities to interview advocates on both sides of the creationism-vs.-evolution debate before turning his inquiry into a diatribe. Stein claims to denounce the tyranny of dogma, then browbeats us with his own. (90 min.) PG; mature themes, disturbing images, brief smoking.
THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM
(C+) Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Emerald City metamorphoses into Jade City for a martial arts fantasy about a Boston teen (Michael Angarano) who lives for kung-fu movies -- until he finds himself in one, transporting a magical staff back to its legendary owner, with more than a little help from a drunken master (Jackie Chan) and a silent monk (Jet Li). Too bad this first-time teaming of martial arts legends Chan and Li can't keep up with its resident speed demons, succumbing to draggy predictability in between kicky kung-fu sequences. (113 min.) PG-13; martial arts action, violence. (C.C.)
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
(C) Dumped by his TV-star girlfriend (Kristen Bell) after six years together, a struggling musician (Jason Segel, a cross between Albert Brooks' sad-eyed clown and Will Ferrell's bubbly klutz) struggles to recover with a solo trip to Hawaii -- where he winds up in the same hotel as Sarah and her new British-rocker boyfriend. Sporadically funny, yet this latest from the Judd Apatow comedy factory lacks the crackle and snap of previous Apatow-zers; the sell-by date is getting ever closer. (112 min.) R; sexual content, profanity, graphic nudity.
THE HAMMER
(B) Jerry (Adam Carolla) has just said goodbye to his live-in girlfriend, his construction job and his 30s. So, naturally, he tries out for the Olympic boxing team. Like its hero, this comedy is basically a good-natured slob. In other words, it's no classic, but , unlike recent attempts at sports comedy (we're looking at you, "Semi-Pro"), it comes through by not seeming to try to hard. (90 min.) R; brief profanity.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
(B) High jinks (and we do mean high): Mistaken for terrorists aboard an Amsterdam-bound plane, the title stoners (John Cho, Kal Penn) try to prove their innocence in this sequel to 2004's "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle." Sure, the nasty toilet jokes and sex gags are there, but the gratuitous nudity (male and female) and crazed cannabis-ness serve a greater good, mocking social and political hypocrisy -- and a culture steeped in prejudice and pretense. (102 minutes.) R; strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive profanity and drug use.
HORTON HEARS A WHO
(B) Finally, a Dr. Seuss tale that won't make you wail! After live-action travesties "The Cat in the Hat" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," your faith will be restored by this charming computer-animated adaptation, about a helpful elephant (voiced by "Grinch's" Jim Carrey) trying mightily to protect a microscopic community from his judgmental jungle neighbors. Vivid animation from the "Ice Age" folks and a top-chop vocal cast (also featuring Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Seth Rogen and Charles Osgood) make this a true family treat. (88 min.) G; all ages. (C.C.)
JUMPER
(C-) A genetic glitch allows a young man (a sullen Hayden Christensen) to teleport himself anywhere, anytime -- and into a centuries-long war between the "jumpers" and their enemies -- in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" director Doug Liman's sci-fi misfire. Rarely have so many humdrum digital effects and so much expensive location photography been lavished upon so many disagreeable characters (played by, among others, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane and Rachel Bilson). They deserve better; so do we. (88 min.) PG-13; intense action violence, profanity, brief sexuality.
LEATHERHEADS
(C+) It's not quite a fumble, but this amiable romantic romp, set during pro football's Roaring '20s stone age, never scores with its tale of a brash player (George Clooney, who acts better than he directs) trying to save his ragtag team by recruiting a war hero turned college gridiron standout ("The Office's" John Krasinski). A miscast Renée Zellweger rounds out the starring trio as an ace reporter who attracts the attention of both players. It's all good-natured and droll, but watching this is like taking a sip of champagne -- and discovering it's flat. (114 min.) PG-13; brief profanity.
LIONS 3-D: ROAR OF THE KALAHARI
(B+) This award-winning National Geographic production, filmed in the wild by Tim Liversedge, goes 3-D, focusing on a lion king's battle with a young challenger for control of his throne -- and a valuable water hole in Botswana's Kalahari desert. (40 min.) NR; animal violence.
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS
(B) A lovelorn New Yorker (Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones) on a cross-country trek (leading to Memphis and Las Vegas) encounters various other lost souls -- and tries to find her own. Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman (as a cardsharp who loses the big money) and David Strathairn co-star in a beautiful if occasionally daffy exercise in non-narrative filmmaking that marks the English-language debut of Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai. It may not be what you expect, but with Wong Kar-wai, it seldom is. (111 min.) PG-13; profanity, drinking, smoking, violence, adult themes.
NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
(B-) Dauntless treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) returns for more fractured history lessons and Indiana Jones-ing as he searches for 18 missing pages from the diary of Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth -- which could prove the key to an international conspiracy. Silly, breezy escapism with nothing on its mind but unpretentious fun. (124 min.) PG; action violence.
NIM'S ISLAND
(B-) When her scientist father ("300's" Gerard Butler) disappears from their remote island home, the title character ("Little Miss Sunshine's" Abigail Breslin) appeals for help to swashbuckling Alex Rover, author (and hero) of her favorite adventure books -- little dreaming that Alex (Jodie Foster) is really an agoraphobic klutz ill-equipped for life on Nim's island. This mildly diverting, kid-friendly adventure scores points for its focus on a spirited young girl who discovers how reading can inspire her to become her own hero. (95 min.) PG; mild adventure action, brief profanity.
PROM NIGHT
(D-) "Hairspray's" Brittany Snow takes over for '80s scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in this remake of the 1980 slasher fave about an obsessed killer (has-been hottie Johnathon Schaech) determined to give a high school senior and her friends a night to die for -- literally. There's no suspense or perversity and no one seems to know what to do, unless it involves waiting for the studio's check to clear. You certainly don't care who lives or who dies -- just please make it soon. (88 min.) PG-13; violence and terror, sexual material, underage drinking, profanity.
THE RAPE OF EUROPA
(B+) Back in Las Vegas following its local debut at January's Jewish Film Festival, this acclaimed documentary, narrated by Joan Allen, recounts the Nazi campaign to plunder (or destroy) Europe's art treasures before and during World War II -- and the Allied efforts to preserve and return them. The fate of the world's art treasures may not seem especially significant compared to other Holocaust concerns, but this proves otherwise. It's not a pretty picture, but it's a compelling one. (117 min.) NR; images of death and destruction. (C.C.)
SEMI-PRO
(C) Quibble and dribble: Once again, Will Ferrell drapes his goofy man-child persona in 1970s polyester as the owner-coach-power forward of an American Basketball Association franchise on its last legs. The setups are promising, but the payoffs are as flat as an airless red-white-and-blue ball, even with Woody Harrelson, André "3000" Benjamin, "ER's" Maura Tierney, Jackie Earle Haley and Ferrell's "Blades of Glory" co-stars Will Arnett, Rob Corddry and Andy Richter on the team. (90 min.) R; profanity, sexual content.
SHINE A LIGHT
(B-) Director Martin Scorsese -- who delivered one of the greatest concert docs of all time with 1978's "The Last Waltz" -- focuses on the Rolling Stones' 2006 "Bigger Bang" gig at New York's Beacon Theater, contrasting the now-legendary rockers with interview footage from their bad-boys '60s roots. Despite Scorsese's efforts to pump up some drama, it's sorely lacking; this is just a concert film. (Even in giant-screen format.) But at least it's a concert film with one of the most formidable rock bands of all time. (120 min.) PG-13; brief profanity, drug references, smoking.
SMART PEOPLE
(B-) An arrogant literature professor (Dennis Quaid, having a blast as a rumpled misanthrope) finds his world turned upside down when his bad-penny brother (a sly Thomas Haden Church) turns up -- and so does a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) who's still got a bit of a crush on the old prof. "Juno's" Ellen Page (as Quaid's high-achieving, Young Republican daughter) rounds out the starring quartet of a comedy-drama that manages to be reasonably smart about following its familiar path. (95 min.) R; profanity, brief teen drug and alcohol use, sexual situations. (C.C.)
SNOW ANGELS
(B) Young love blooms as older relationships crumble in director David Gordon Green's poignant slice of small-town life, which is tautly woven and sensitively performed (by, among others, Kate Beckinsale, Jeannetta Arnette, "The Forbidden Kingdom's" Michael Angarano and Amy Sedaris), if a bit heavy on Sam Rockwell's character losing his mind. Green has developed quite a cult following and deserves it; he's one young director possessed of an actual aesthetic. (110 min.) R; violence, profanity, adult situations.
STREET KINGS
(C) "Training Day" meets "L.A. Confidential" as a violent, soul-deadened vice cop (Keanu Reeves), investigating his ex-partner's death, uncovers a web of corruption that leads him into the heart of darkness: his own cop colleagues. Despite an impressive supporting cast (including a hammy Forest Whitaker, a smirky Hugh Laurie and an earnest Chris Evans as the young detective on the case with Reeves), this is a missed opportunity, with "L.A. Confidential" author James Ellroy contributing a convoluted script that "Training Day" screenwriter Ayer directs in equally overheated style. (109 min.) R; strong violence, pervasive profanity. (C.C.)
SUPERHERO MOVIE
(D) The "Scary Movie" folks take on another ripe-for-parody tale with a "Spidey"-lite account of a high school loser (Drake Bell) who's bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly and becomes a costumed crime fighter, complete with too-tight tights. Only those who thrill to flatulence jokes and comedic overuse of the "s" and "f" words will cheer. (85 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references, profanity.
10,000 B.C.
(D+) A young mammoth hunter (Steven Strait) leads a warrior band through uncharted territory to secure his post-Ice Age tribe's future -- and save his sweetheart (Camilla Belle) -- in this tedious, ludicrous (but harmless) prehistoric epic from bombastic "Day After Tomorrow" director Roland Emmerich. It's a low-test "Apocalypto," minus Mel Gibson's gore-mongering and narrative drive. If only Emmerich cared as much about his human characters as his inanimate objects and CGI animals. (109 min.) PG-13; intense action and violence.
21
(C+) This slick, made-in-Vegas fictionalization of the best-selling "Bringing Down the House" focuses on math-whiz college students (Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth) who take their card-counting expertise to the Strip, winning millions at blackjack -- and attracting the ire of an old-school casino enforcer (Laurence Fishburne). Despite the presence of double Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey (who also produced) as the kids' calculating mentor, "21" is like a gambler who keeps playing long after his lucky streak has vanished. (122 min.) PG-13; violence, sexual content including partial nudity. (C.C.)
VANTAGE POINT
(C+) You've gotta get a gimmick, and this thriller has one, exploring an apparent assassination and terrorist attack at an international summit from multiple perspectives, including those of Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid, "Lost's" Matthew Fox), an American tourist (Forest Whitaker), a TV news producer (Sigourney Weaver) and the U.S. president (William Hurt) himself. Alas, once you've got a gimmick you've gotta know what to do with it, and "Vantage Point" doesn't, forcing us to try and solve a puzzle with pieces that never fit. (90 min.) PG-13; intense violence and action, disturbing images, brief profanity. (C.C.)
