MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
THE BURNING PLAIN
COUPLES RETREAT
Vacation season continues with this comic romp about four couples (played by, among others, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman and Jon Favreau) trying to sort out their relationship problems amid the tropical splendor of Bora-Bora. Peter Billingsley (yes, the erstwhile Ralphie of "Christmas Story" fame) directs from a script co-written by former "Swingers" Vaughn and Favreau. At multiple locations. (107 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity.
FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE
A washed-up trainer (Bruce McGill) takes a self-destructive young fighter (Kuno Becker, who played a rising soccer star in "Goal: The Dream Begins") under his wing -- despite the objections of the town's powerful boss (Stephen Lang) in this boxing drama directed by veteran stuntman Jimmy Nickerson ("Fight Club," "Blade"). At multiple locations. (98 min.) PG-13; sports violence, profanity, brief sensuality, drug references.
STARK RAVING BLACK
Comedian Lewis Black takes the stage at Detroit's historic Fillmore Theatre for a comedy concert featuring his trademark blistering social and political commentary. At Town Square. (80 min.) NR; not suitable for children under 17 unless accompanied by parent or guardian.
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.
ALL ABOUT STEVE
(F) All about bad: A roving cable news cameraman ("The Hangover's" Bradley Cooper) thinks he's got a stalker on his trail -- but it's only a one-time blind date ("The Proposal's" Sandra Bullock), a quirky crossword puzzle creator hoping to convince him they're fated to be mated. "Sideways" Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church and "The Hangover's" Ken Jeong co-star in a grating misfire that's unfunny, stupefyingly inane and a depressing waste of money, energy and time -- yours included. (98 min.) PG-13; sexual content and innuendos.
BRIGHT STAR
(A) A thing of beauty: Oscar-winning writer-director Jane Campion ("The Piano") returns with another rich, ravishing period tale, this one an ecstatic couplet to tubercular Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his muse, robust Regency fashion plate (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 spiritual. (119 min.) PG; thematic elements, sensuality, brief profanity, incidental smoking.
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.
COLD SOULS
(B) Struggling with a stage role, tormented actor Paul Giamatti (played by -- who else? -- Paul Giamatti), visits a futuristic facility to have his soul extracted, triggering an increasingly surreal adventure when he wants it back, only to discover it's been stolen. Writer-director Sophie Barthes' feature debut plays like a dream -- sometimes disjointed and illogical, sometimes haunting, sometimes quite funny -- but Giamatti's rumpled, neurotic presence anchors the movie's flights of fancy. (101 min.) PG-13; nudity, brief profanity. (C.C.)
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 it: 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.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
(B+) This romantic-comedy charmer follows 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.)
GAMER
(D) "The Ugly Truth's" mucho macho Gerard Butler puts his game face on for this futuristic thriller, playing a convict trapped in a "real life" video game where players shoot to kill -- or be killed. This was never going to be much, but it could (and should) have been more than this letdown from "Crank" creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who substitute drippy sentiment for goofy mayhem, leaving such talented types as Butler and Kyra Sedgwick stranded, along with hapless audience members. (95 min.) R; strong brutal violence, sexual content, nudity, profanity.
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; real rodents would never make it. (88 min.) PG; mild action, rude humor.
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.
I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL
(F) Tucker Max adapts his gleeful bad-boy confessional about adventures in booze and babes, as the author ("Gilmore Girls' " Matt Czuchry) tries to patch things up with his soon-to-be-married pal (Geoff Stults) after a disastrous bachelor party. Director Bob Gosse never figures out which tone he's going for, let alone why; the result is a worse-than-mediocre gross-out movie that barely pushes the envelope. Along with serving beer, let's hope they show "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" in hell. (105 min.) R; nudity, strong sexual content including graphic dialogue, profanity, crude material.
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 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.
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.
JENNIFER'S BODY
(C+) A high-school hottie ("Transformers" fox Megan Fox) becomes possessed by a boy-eating demon in an occasionally amusing horror-comedy that could use a lot more bite. Screenwriter Diablo Cody ("Juno") and director Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight") have nth-wave feminism on their minds, but their abundant ideas never quite jell. (102 min.) R; sexuality, bloody violence, profanity, brief drug use.
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.)
LOVE HAPPENS
(C-) Not happening: A widowed self-help guru (Aaron Eckhart) visiting Seattle falls for a seminar attendee (Jennifer Aniston), only to discover he might not be ready for romance. Brandon Camp's movie has a ping-pongy rhythm and spin suitable for romantic comedy -- but seems rather lighthearted for the emotional load it drop. The stars may be attractive, but the movie they're stranded in is anything but. (109 min.) PG-13, profanity, sexual references.
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.
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 horror fave "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.
STAR TREK
(B) A blast from the past (and a blast, period), this relaunch of the venerable Starship Enterprise delivers, saluting Gene Roddenberry's original without embalming its best qualities. Actionmeister J.J. Abrams ("Lost") breaks no new ground, but shakes the mission free of numbing nostalgia, while a near-perfect cast (Chris Pine as hot-headed, hot-blooded James T. Kirk, "Heroes' " Zachary Quinto as young Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Simon Pegg as Scotty -- and, inevitably, Leonard Nimoy as time-warped Spock Prime) does the rest. (126 min.) PG-13; sci-fi action and violence, brief sexual content. (C.C.)
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.)
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
(C) Those nasty Decepticons are back, kidnapping hero Sam Witwicky (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, proving that more is definitely less. (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 Katherine Heigl) clashes with her show's misogynistic new correspondent (macho motormouth 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.)
UP
(A-) Another winner from the folks at Pixar, 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 treat for kids of all ages. (96 min.) PG; action and peril. (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.)
YOO-HOO, MRS. GOLDBERG
(B) A lively close-up of Emmy-winning TV pioneer Gertrude Berg, who created, wrote and starred in "The Goldbergs," which enjoyed a 17-year run on radio -- and went on to become TV's first character-driven domestic sitcom, paving the way for everything from "I Love Lucy" to "Seinfeld." In this lively documentary from Aviva Kempner ("The Life and Times of Hank Greenburg"), both the all-but-forgotten Berg and her on-air alter ego provide beguiling company. (92 min.) NR; all ages. (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.
