MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
BEAUTY IN TROUBLE
This award-winning Czech comedy-drama from director Jan Hrebejk focuses on the title wife and mother (Ana Geislerova), whose car thief husband is sent to prison, leaving her vulnerable to the attentions of the stolen car's owner (Josef Abrham), who runs a vineyard in Italy. In Czech with English subtitles. At Village Square. (110 min.) NR; sexual images, nudity.
IMAGINE THAT
A financial (Eddie Murphy) caught in a downward career spiral alters his prospects -- by entering an imaginary world dreamed up by his daughter (Yara Shahidi). Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker and Vanessa Williams co-star in this family-friendly comedy from animation veteran Karey Kirkpatrick ("Over the Hedge"). At multiple locations. (107 min.) PG; mild profanity, brief questionable behavior.
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
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.)
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
(C) Two con-artist siblings (Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo) take an eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) on a romantic around-the-world escapade. Like the hats the brothers wear (a porkpie and a bowler suggesting their slapstick allegiance with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton), there's something arch about these hornswogglers -- to say nothing of the movie they're in. "Brick" director Rian Johnson's film is a scam wrapped in a sham, a stylish caper so concerned with its look that it winds up having precious little to say. (113 min.) PG-13 for violence, sexual references, brief profanity.
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.
EARTH
(B+) Disney hearkens back to its "True-Life Adventures" of the 1950s with a feature-length version of the BBC/Discovery documentary series "Planet Earth," which follows three species of mothers and babies over a year -- polar bears in the Arctic, elephants in Africa's Kalahari Desert and humpback whales near the Equator -- plus a variety of wondrous creatures in between. (89 min.) G; all ages.
FAST & FURIOUS
(C) The fourth installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise reteams original stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, who try to take down a local drug lord (John Ortiz) eager to add the twosome to his elite driving team. Original co-stars Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are along for the ride, but the real stars are the loud racing sequences that look like the video games inspired by these movies. In short, a tough guy fantasy about cars, girls -- and other tough guys. (107 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content, profanity, drug references.
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST
(B-) At his brother's wedding, a bachelor playboy (Matthew McConaughey) finds himself confronted by memories of his past girlfriends -- and his role model, his Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas) -- in this romantic comedy co-starring a wise, wistful Jennifer Garner as the one who got away. As a romantic comedy, it's average -- but as Matthew McConaughey McComedies go, this one's above average. If you're a low-expectations moviegoer, it qualifies as a mildly pleasant surprise. (115 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity, drug references.
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.)
HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE
(B-) Not to be confused with "Hannah Montana" the TV show, or last year's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," this new movie finds the title pop princess (Miley Cyrus) gettin' too big for her britches, so Dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) takes her alter ego, Miley, back to down-home Tennessee, where her people, her roots and her music can straighten her out. The story line may be a bit moldy and much of the frantic change-of-identity shtick is slapstick filler, but "Hannah'" tween-age fans will love it, and parents won't resent it. Much. (102 min.) G; all ages.
I LOVE YOU, MAN
(B-) A fine bromance: A newly engaged yet curiously friendless guy (Paul Rudd) launches a search for a best man that bears unexpected fruit when his instant bond with a fun-loving lug (Jason Segal) threatens his relationship with his understanding fiancée (Rashida Jones). Rudd's wry warmth balances Segal's fearlessly funny portrait of permanently arrested adolescence, while writer-director John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly") proves that he's got more on his mind than a snickering celebration of testosterone gone wild. (104 min.) R; pervasive profanity, including crude and sexual references. (C.C.)
IS ANYBODY THERE?
(B) Michael Caine continues a remarkable late-career renaissance with another standout portrayal, this time playing a curmudgeonly magician who finds an unlikely friend in a precocious, death-obsessed 10-year-old ("Son of Rambow's" endearing Bill Milner) whose parents have transformed the family residence into an old-folks home. Caine's far from the only attraction, thanks to a sensitive script and direction, but he once again proves that he needs no tricks to conjure a magical character. (95 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual references, disturbing images. (C.C.)
KNOWING
(C) A widowed MIT professor (Nicolas Cage) who opens a time capsule at his son's school discovers that some of its chilling predictions already have come true -- and his family may be implicated in future events -- in this weird, gloomy existential thriller from "Dark City" and "I, Robot" director Alex Proyas, who can't seem to keep Cage from lapsing into hysteria. (122 min.) PG-13; disaster sequences, disturbing images, brief profanity.
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.
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.)
OBSESSED
(D+) "Fatal Attraction" meets "The Temp" when a wacko new office worker (Ali Larter) makes life miserable for a happily married asset manager ("The Wire's" Idris Elba) -- and his hands-off-my-man wife (Beyoncé Knowles). The three leads may be easy on the eyes, but the dialogue they're forced to spout is pretty harsh on the ears. One doesn't expect this type of movie to be plausible, but this one stretches the plausibility factor past the snapping point -- to the unintentional-laughter point. (100 min.) PG-13; sexual material including suggestive dialogue, violence, mature themes.
RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
(B-) In this revamp of the 1975 Disney favorite "Escape to Witch Mountain," a hard-luck Vegas taxi driver (Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as The Rock) picks up two passengers (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) prove to be aliens on the run from government agents and inter-galactic killing machines alike. True to its title, the action-packed "Race" hardly stops to catch its breath, but does capture a bit of the original's hokey-smokes vibe. (99 min.) PG; sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, thematic elements. (C.C.)
RUDO Y CURSI
(B) The dynamic "Y Tu Mama Tambien" duo of Gabriel Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reunites in this engaging rags-to-riches sports fantasy about country-bumpkin brothers who play soccer for their village team -- until a slick agent (Guillermo Francella) recruits them to play professionally in Mexico City. Writer-director Carlos Cuaron (brother of "Y Tu Mama's" Alfonso) makes an auspicious feature debut, skewering everything from Mexico's soccer hooliganism to the sorry exploitation of its work force. In Spanish with English subtitles. (102 min.) R; pervasive profanity, sexual content, brief drug use.
17 AGAIN
(B-) Teenthrob Zac Efron graduates from "High School Musical" -- but not from high school -- as the adolescent incarnation of an embittered family man (Matthew Perry) who magically gets a chance to live things all over again. It's not as clever as "Freaky Friday" or even "13 Going on 30," but, as a teen with the brain of a father, Efron ably carries this featherweight farce -- especially for its target tween audience. (102 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual material, teen partying.
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.)
STATE OF PLAY
(B) Stop the presses: A veteran Washington reporter (the commanding Russell Crowe) and a neophyte blogger (feisty Rachel McAdams) investigate the mysterious death of a congressional staffer -- employed (and then some) by a rising political star (a slick Ben Affleck), the reporter's college roommate. Based on an acclaimed British miniseries, this streamlined, Americanized version loses a bit in translation, but director Kevin Macdonald ("Last King of Scotland") builds taut-wire tension without flashy camera tricks or computerized effects. (127 min.) PG-13; violence, profanity, sexual references, brief drug content. (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.
TYSON
(B) Mike Tyson reflects on his rise and fall -- from troubled street kid to heavyweight champion, convicted rapist and drug addict -- in a documentary combining archival footage with original interviews that reveal Tyson's contradictory but undeniably compelling nature. Filmed by Tyson's longtime friend, writer-director James Toback (who featured Tyson in his controversial 1999 drama "Black and White"), this is a hugely engrossing, if hardly objective, portrait. (90 min.) R; profanity, sexual references. (C.C.)
UP
(A-) Another winner from the wonderful 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.)
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.)
