MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE
Based on a Japanese animé, this horror thriller focuses on a vampire (Gianna Jun) who’s part of a clandestine government agency that hunts down demons in post-World War II Japan. Allison Miller ("17 Again"), Masiela Lusha ("George Lopez") and Liam Cunningham ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") co-star. At Village Square. (91 min.) R; strong bloody stylized violence.
BRÜNO
EVERY LITTLE STEP
Real-life dancers audition for a Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line" — which, of course, is all about dancers auditioning for a Broadway show. But what a show: this documentary also explores the singular sensation that the original production became, through archival footage and interviews with (among others) composer Marvin Hamlisch, dancer Donna McKechnie and late great director/choreographer Michael Bennett. At Suncoast. (96 min.) PG-13, profanity, sexual references.
I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER
After a nerdy valedictorian (Paul Rust) proclaims his love for the title high school hottie ("Hero’s" Hayden Panetierre) during his graduation speech, she shows up at his door, determined to make his grad night one to remember in this high school comedy from director Chris Columbus ("Rent," "Mrs. Doubtfire"). At multiple locations. (102 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity, teen drinking, drug references, brief violence.
MOON
Sam Rockwell stars as an astronaut nearing the end of a three-year lunar stint in a sci-fi thriller that returns to Las Vegas following its local debut at last month’s CineVegas film festival. Duncan Jones directs; you may know Jones’ father, David Bowie, from (among other things) his starring role in "The Man Who Fell to Earth" more than three decades ago. At Palms, Village Square. (97 min.) R; 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.
ANGELS & DEMONS
(C+) Yes, it’s better than "The Da Vinci Code." But that doesn’t make director Ron Howard’s bid for cinematic absolution good. Tom Hanks (shorn of his distracting "Da Vinci" tresses, but, thankfully, not his sense of humor) returns as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who’s called to the Vatican to stop a clandestine sect’s deadly terrorist plot before all Rome goes kablooey. Unlike the too-talky "Da Vinci," this sequel does nothing but run and gun, yet far too many sequences that should keep you on the edge of your seat elicit a been-there, seen-that shrug. (138 min.) PG-13; violence, disturbing images, mature themes. (C.C.)
AWAY WE GO
(B) A young couple expecting their first child ("The Office’s" John Krasinski, "Saturday Night Live" alumna Maya Rudolph) hit the road to connect with friends and family — and find the perfect place to start their own family — in an amiably oddball odyssey that winds from Arizona to Wisconsin to Florida — and Canada. It’s a (welcome) change of pace for Oscar-winning "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes (who probably needed one after last year’s anguished "Revolutionary Road"); Krasinski’s and Rudolph’s unassuming performances help make this the first Mendes movie that feels lived-in rather than staged. (98 min.) R; profanity, sexual content.
CHERI
(C+) All dressed up with nowhere to go: Michelle Pfeiffer (luminous as ever) reunites with her "Dangerous Liaisons" director, Stephen Frears for this surprisingly flat period tale, set in belle epoque Paris, about an aging courtesan who educates a colleague’s son (Rupert Friend) in the ways of love. It’s always lovely to look at, but the sharp wit and creeping melancholy of the source material (two Colette novels) never quite materialize on screen. (100 min.) R; sexual content, brief drug use.
DANCE FLICK
(D) The latest useless spoof from the Wayans Brothers, the folks who brought you the side-splitting hilarity of "White Chicks," this follows the follow-that-dream adventures of street dancer Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans Jr.), who teams up with classy Megan White (Shoshana Bush) to take the mother of all dance competitions by storm. David Alan Grier and Amy Sedaris co-star alongside various other Wayans family members in a comedy that’s cheap, stale and, worst of all, obvious. (83 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, 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.
DRAG ME TO HELL
(B) "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi returns to his horror roots in this tale of a perky bank loan officer (a game Alison Lohman), ordered to evict an old woman (Lorna Raver) from her home, who falls victim to a supernatural curse. Justin Long and David Paymer co-star in this Raimi-esque mix of gross-out madness and sick laughs, which turns out to be a hell of a lot of fun — in a sick and twisted way, of course. (99 min.) PG-13; horror violence, terror, disturbing images, profanity.
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 not trying to be objective. He’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 he succeeds. (93 min.) PG; thematic material, disturbing images.
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, however, you’ll have to 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.)
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.
IMAGINE THAT
(B-) An investment banker (Eddie Murphy) caught in a downward career spiral alters his prospects — by entering an imaginary world dreamed up by his daughter (Yara Shahidi), where the princesses make winning stock predictions. Murphy’s often deliriously misguided output tends to obscure what a naturally gifted (and conscientiously virtuosic) comedian he is, but through pure comic timing, he rescues what’s wrong in a movie in which very much is right. Sure, it’s uneven, but at least it takes a major step toward reasserting Murphy’s place as the comic heir to not only Richard Pryor but Groucho Marx. (107 min.) PG; mild profanity, brief questionable behavior.
LAND OF THE LOST
(C-) Wasteland of the lost: A crackpot scientist (Will Ferrell), believing time travel can solve the world’s fossil fuel shortage, zaps himself back in time in a (very) loose adaptation of the ’70s kid TV favorite that wastes Ferrell’s comedic talents and exemplifies the current Hollywood formula: big over small, special effects over story and excess, excess, excess. Some movies are good stupid; this one’s just plain stupid, and that’s not good. (93 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity, drug references.
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
(B) Creature feature: A mysterious space ray transforms a lovely bride (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) into a 50-foot Bridezilla — who becomes the latest member of a mutant monster team battling invading aliens. This computer-animated sci-fi romp is machine-tooled to provide something-for-everyone fun — goofy slapstick for the kids, movie spoofs for the grown-ups — anchored by a top-chop vocal cast (led by Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie). A definite kick, it not exactly a classic. (94 min.) PG; sci-fi action, crude humor, mild profanity. (C.C.)
MY LIFE IN RUINS
(C-) "My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s" Nia Vardalos (still Greek, still charming) returns in this comedy about an unemployed academic turned tour guide, who’s trying to rediscover romance — in her Greek homeland. Alas, this trip’s hardly a pleasure cruise, it may be summery and scenic, dispensing diversion and wisdom in the "Mamma Mia!" vein, but it’s so brash and trashy it makes "My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s" sitcom humor seem positively restrained. (98 min.) PG-13; sexual content.
MY SISTER’S KEEPER
(C) A young girl ("Little Miss Sunshine’s" Abigail Breslin) conceived as a genetic match for her cancer-stricken sister (Sofia Vassilieva) rebels against her parents (Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric). The "Notebook" team of director Nick Cassavetes and co-writer Jeremy Leven reunites for this moving yet slick adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s book, which captures the profound sorrow and grim realities of a dying child — but also strikes the prettified tone of a sympathy card. (106 min.) PG-13; mature themes, disturbing images, sexual references, profanity, brief teen drinking.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN
(B-) History repeats itself, in more ways than one, in this sequel to the 2006 hit. This time, former night guard turned gadget guru Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) discovers that the friends who came to life after hours at New York’s Museum of Natural History are destined for mothballs at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., setting the stage for a rescue mission that finds spunky pilot Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) helping battle power-crazed pharaoh Kahmunrah (the sublimely silly Hank Azaria). Not much movie magic beyond the computer-generated effects, but it’s still an occasionally clever, frequently funny and generally lively adventure. (105 min.) PG; mild action, brief profanity. (C.C.)
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 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.)
THE SOLOIST
(B-) Looking for a story, a Los Angeles Times columnist (Robert Downey Jr.) finds something more — an unexpected friendship — when he encounters a homeless, Juilliard-trained musician (Jamie Foxx) on the Skid Row streets. Based on columnist Steve Lopez’s best-selling book, this is an undeniably touching tale. But, rather than simply presenting it, the movie keeps trying to tell us how we feel — despite the fact that it doesn’t always know how it feels about things either. (109 min.) PG-13; mature themes, drug use, profanity. (C.C.)
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.)
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
(C+) Money train: A regular-guy dispatcher (Denzel Washington) matches wits with a criminal mastermind (John Travolta) who hijacks a New York subway car and promises to start slaughtering the trapped passengers if $10 million isn’t delivered within the hour. Travolta and Washington have a blast as the cat-and-mouse adversaries, but this remake of a 1974 thriller isn’t quite as much fun as they are, in part because director Tony Scott’s overheated, perpetual-motion visual style often distracts, and detracts, from the suspense he’s trying (too) hard to create. (106 min.) R; violence, profanity. (C.C.)
TERMINATOR SALVATION
(C+) No salvation: Last year’s box-office king, Christian Bale, trades in the cape, but not the crusade, as all-grown-up John Connor, who leads the charge against an army of Terminators trying to destroy what’s left of humanity following a nuclear holocaust. Unlike its groundbreaking, thought-provoking predecessors "Terminator" and "T2," this is a powerfully dumb package of non-stop action. But at least it’s undeniably exciting on a visceral level; for many that will be enough. (115 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, profanity.
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.
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.)
WHATEVER WORKS
(B+) Writer-director Woody Allen returns home to New York for this light, but far from slight, comedy about the unlikely romance between a misanthropic physicist ("Curb Your Enthusiasm’s" Larry David, a kvetchy hoot) and a Mississippi runaway (deadpan Evan Rachel Wood), whose departure soon brings her mother (sensationally sly Patricia Clarkson) to the Big Apple. Allen once again shows off his trademark wit and his insightful view of human nature as he shifts between the seriously and the silly, creating yet another profound — and profoundly funny — exploration of what fools we mortals be. (92 min.) PG-13; sexual situations and references, brief nude images, mature themes. (C.C.)
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
(C+) Hugh Jackman returns as Marvel Comics’ angry, adamantium-clawed title character in a prequel that explores how he’s driven to join the for-mutants-only Weapons X program — by the murderous back-stabbing of his lifelong brother-in-arms, Sabretooth (a smilingly sinister Liev Schreiber). The mega-buff Jackman gives it his all, but his appealing humanity can’t overcome the overwrought tedium. (107 min.) PG-13; intense action and violence, partial nudity. (C.C.)
YEAR ONE
(D+) Banished from their primitive village, two lazy hunter-gatherers (Jack Black and Michael Cera) embark on an odyssey across the ancient world, where they encounter Old Testament characters and visit Sodom, where they must rescue members of their village from slavery. Despite the reliable names in front of and behind the camera (including director Harold Ramis and producer Judd Apatow), this is a dud of near-epic proportions. (100 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, brief profanity, comic violence.