Here are selected capsule reviews of movies in current release. Information is based on the most up-to-date theater schedules available and subject to change.
13 Going on 30 (star)(star)
“Big” meets time travel in this comedy that’s as mixed-up as an adolescent girl. Leaning heavily on her toothy-grinned charm, Jennifer Garner plays Jenna, who in 1987 wishes she were 30 and suddenly wakes up in 2004 as an adult with no memory of the previous 17 years. The movie shows how painful being 13 can be, then peddles cheap nostalgia for that age. PG-13. 1:37. — M.C.
50 First Dates (star)(star)
The meager laughs never justify the elaborate set up of this “Memento”-meets-“Groundhog Day” romantic comedy, which has a puppyish Adam Sandler falling for a Drew Barrymore, a cutie who never remembers anything from the previous day, thus causing him to woo her over and over. The typical Sandler combination of juvenile humor and sentimentality rarely has seemed so out of sync. PG-13. 1:36. — M.C.
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (star)1/2
In another misguided outbreak of sequel fever, Frankie Muniz returns as the perpetually 16-year-old, mild-mannered teen of moderate intellect with a penchant for foiling evil plots for world domination. This time it’s an AWOL agent hell-bent on implanting a mind-control device in the president’s decayed tooth. Will Cody–personality-depraved as ever–stop him? I wonder. PG. 1:40. — A.B.
Bon Voyage (star)(star)(star)(star)
From Jean-Paul Rappeneau (“Cyrano de Bergerac”) comes a supremely amusing French romantic comedy-mystery-adventure, set during the hectic 1940 days after the German victory. Brilliantly written and gorgeously mounted, full of great actors (Gerard Depardieu, Isabelle Adjani, Virginie Ledoyen) and fabulous scenery, a full-blooded entertainment that turns serious themes to pure pleasure. In French and German with English subtitles. PG-13. 1:54. — M.W.
Breakin’ All the Rules (star)(star)1/2
Writer-director Daniel Taplitz’s romantic comedy strains to be screwball but is effortlessly likable. A relaxed Jamie Foxx is Quincy, who writes the best-selling “The Breakup Handbook,” prompting his cousin (Morris Chestnut) and his old boss (Peter MacNicol) to seek his breakup advice. A love hexagon, pairing Quincy with his cousin’s ex (the winsome Gabrielle Union), ensues. PG-13. 1:25. — M.C.
Connie and Carla (star)(star)1/2
Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette star as two Midwestern women on the run after witnessing a murder. They disguise themselves as drag queens, and pay the rent by starring in a fabulous cabaret act. As a message movie teaching us to love ourselves, “Connie and Carla” is a little simplistic. But as a stab at musical comedy, it fits the bill. PG-13. 1:38. — A.B.
Ella Enchanted (star)(star)1/2
A warm-hearted but unbalanced star vehicle for Anne Hathaway, “Ella Enchanted” is a cinematic Frankenstein of movie parts, stitching together “Shrek,” “Cinderella” and “A Knight’s Tale” with the sensibilities of “The Princess Bride”–though not always successfully. Adults may groan at the cinematic swipes, but kids will still like it. PG. 1:35. — R.E.
Envy (star)1/2
Jack Black’s character invents a spray to “Vapoorize” doggie doo, and his neighbor pal, played by Ben Stiller, seethes with resentment in Barry Levinson’s shaggy dog-poop comedy that all-too-quickly runs out of gas. The beginning actually hints at character-driven comedy, but by the end you’ll wish you could “Vapoorize” the screen. PG-13. 1:39. — M.C.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (star)(star)(star)
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Adaptation”) returns to his trick bag to present another muttering, self-critical protagonist (Jim Carrey in his most restrained dramatic performance) who, after learning his ex-girlfriend (a vibrant Kate Winslet) has erased him from her memories, decides to reciprocate. Directed by Michel Gondry (“Human Nature”), the movie offers cool surfaces but an emotionally potent payoff. R. 1:48. — M.C.
The Girl Next Door (star)(star)1/2
A teenage straight-arrow is brought out of his shell by the porn star house-sitting next door in this slightly risque teen movie. Despite some strong performances from Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, the porn component makes the film feel contrived and exploitative, like the producers sat in a room brainstorming for a gimmick, with prostitution already used by “Pretty Woman.” R. 1:50. — A.B.
Girl With a Pearl Earring (star)(star)(star)1/2
A stunningly shot movie about Dutch master painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) and the creation of his masterpiece (circa 1665), told from the viewpoint of the fictitious house-servant Griet (Scarlett Johansson) who poses for it. Faithfully based on Tracy Chevalier’s novel, Peter Webber’s film is a work of resplendent visual beauty and a sad study of how society entraps artists and lovers. PG-13. 1:39. — M.W.
Godsend (star)(star)
Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos star as parents who lose their 8-year-old son, Adam, in a freak accident. But when Dr. Richard Wells (Robert De Niro) offers to clone Adam, the couple agrees, but they are unprepared to deal with the dark consequences in this scary but predictable thriller. PG-13. 1:40. — R.E.
Hidalgo (star)(star)1/2
Based on the history of distance rider Frank Hopkins and his legendary mustang Hidalgo–and their battle in an Arabian desert survival race–this is sometimes stirring, sometimes preposterous. With Viggo Mortensen (as Frank) and Omar Sharif, directed by Joe Johnston, it’s a would-be mix of “Seabiscuit” and “Lawrence of Arabia” that’s closer to “The Mummy” on horseback. PG-13. 2:16. — M.W.
Home on the Range (star)(star)
The new Walt Disney cartoon feature is a big animated western with six good Alan Menken songs (sung by Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, Tim McGraw), lots of funny animals, expensive animation and star voice actors (Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench and Cuba Gooding Jr.). But its central premise is absolutely ridiculous: cows vs. gunfighters. Fast and silly, with malfunctioning jokes. PG. 1:16. — M.W.
I’m Not Scared (star)(star)(star)1/2
If we know right and wrong from our parents, how do we react when we witness evil at their hands? This question cuts to the core of Gabriele Salvatores’ “I’m Not Scared,” which chronicles a kidnapping in rural Sardinia. Strong child actors and lush cinematography define this drama of horror and beauty. R. 1:41. — R.E.
Johnson Family Vacation (star)1/2
This unfunny bastard stepchild of “National Lampoon’s Vacation” breaks all the rules of a good family road-trip flick: The kids are well-behaved, the gags played down and the family gets closer instead of unraveling. Plus, star Cedric The Entertainer forgets his last name. 1:36. PG-13. — A.B.
Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (star)(star)1/2
This is the sound of a filmmaker in love with his own voice. The overlong second part of Quentin Tarantino’s revenge epic emphasizes exposition and dialogue over action but fails to deliver on the first movie’s promise, in part because Tarantino seems clueless about real-world emotions. As the bloodthirsty Bride, Uma Thurman remains a force. R. 2:16. — M.C.
The Ladykillers (star)(star)(star)1/2
The new Coen brothers movie, remade from the 1955 Alec Guinness-Peter Sellers classic, is a baroque dark comedy with Tom Hanks and Marlon Wayans as thieves and Irma P. Hall as their indestructible landlady. Gleaming with style, exploding with wit and slapstick, it’s another offbeat Coen gem: an elegant, mad movie and an enjoyable, brainy throwback. R. 1:44. — M.W.
Laws of Attraction (star)(star)
Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore as feuding ace Manhattan divorce lawyers who fall in love — in a romantic comedy that aspires to the effortless grace of Billy Wilder or George Cukor classics and falls far short. Director Peter Howitt and writers are stronger on aspiration than inspiration; the cast, including Frances Fisher, Michael Sheen and Parker Posey, can’t compensate. PG-13. 1:29. — M.W.
Main Hoon Na (star)(star)
Shah Rukh Khan departs from his loverboy roles in this film, playing a military major who goes “back to school” to find his half-brother and protect a general’s midriff-baring daughter from those bent on foiling the Indian-Pakistani peace process. Director Farah Khan’s debut serves up formula Bollywood staples and rip-offs with a dash of self-awareness that’s on the silly, rather than snarky, side of playful. No MPAA rating. 3:00. — E.F.
Man on Fire (star)(star)1/2
Denzel Washington plays a flawed superman in Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire,” a flawed super-thriller that drowns an engrossing story in ultra-violence and glitz. He’s an alcoholic bodyguard so charmed by 9-year-old Dakota Fanning that he wages war on Mexico City’s underworld when she’s kidnapped. Scripter Brian Helgeland and the cast (Radha Mitchell, Chris Walken) almost make it work. R. 2:22. — M.W.
Mean Girls (star)(star)(star)
Lindsay Lohan stars as 15-year-old Cady, whose childhood in Africa with her zoologist parents leaves her ill-equipped for the jungle politics of high school in Evanston. Navigating the cliques and esoteric social costumes, Cady befriends social outcasts and the cool girls in Tina Fey’s nervy, subversively comic script. PG-13. 1:33. — R.E.
My Architect: A Son’s Journey (star)(star)(star)(star)
This powerful film is a portrait of director Nathaniel Kahn’s father, visionary architect Louis Kahn–who fathered Nathaniel out of wedlock. Done with amazing emotional balance and openness, it becomes a quiet, inspiring, deeply moving study of family, the vagaries of genius and the almost sublime power of great architecture. No MPAA rating. 1:56. — M.W.
Mystic River (star)(star)(star)(star)
Clint Eastwood’s powerful movie takes us on a voyage almost to the end of the night. Based on the 2001 crime novel by Dennis Lehane, it’s a shattering journey into darkness, taken by three Boston boys pulled at age 11 into one awful act of transgression, climaxing 25 years later when an even more terrible crime reunites them. Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon. R. 2:17. — M.W.
NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience (star)(star)
This educational IMAX overview of NASCAR, which trips along through a re-enactment of stock car racing’s origins, its mechanics and rules and race day, could make a city-dweller wish they were sitting atop an RV parked in the infield, drinking a cold one. But true fans, who probably know this stuff already, might be disappointed by the brevity of 3-D racing action. PG. :48. — E.F.
New York Minute (star)(star)
The Olsen Tw– er, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, follow up their direct-to-video romps with this big-screen coming-out party, in which the sisters play a goody-goody (Ashley) and a rock ‘n’ roller (Mary-Kate) who experience wacky mishaps in Manhattan. This by-the-numbers comedy serves mainly to promote the Olsen brand. PG. 1:26. — M.C.
The Passion of the Christ (star)(star)1/2
Director-co-writer Mel Gibson’s serious, earnest, sometimes admirable, often brutally powerful film on the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus (Jim Caviezel) is a passionate but gruesomely physical picture on a subject that needed more spirituality and transcendence–at least to succeed in moving us in the way Gibson so obviously wants. More gore than power and glory. In Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles. R. 2:05. — M.W.
The Saddest Music in the World (star)(star)(star)
Guy Maddin’s wonderfully nutty new film is another weird little flick in minor key, from a remarkable filmmaker with a genius at catching the style of old ’20s and ’30s movies. Here, working from Kazuo Ishiguro’s (“The Remains of the Day”) script, he tells the weird saga of a crazy family and a worldwide contest for the saddest music. With Mark McKinney and Isabella Rossellini. No MPAA rating (adult for sexuality, some gore and language). 1:39. — M.W.
Secret Window (star)(star)1/2
Johnny Depp wittily plays a troubled suspense novelist, besieged by a scary amateur (John Turturro), who insists Depp plagiarized him. Based on Stephen King’s “Secret Window, Secret Garden,” this well-cast, well-made psycho-thriller from David Koepp (“Stir of Echoes”) is icily engrossing for a while, but the end is telegraphed too soon. With Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton. 1:46. PG-13. — M. W.
Shrek 2 (star)(star)(star)
The title ogre (Mike Myers) and his ungainly bride Fiona (Cameron Diaz) meet the parents (hers–a baffled king and queen) in this computer-animated sequel that’s less surprising than the original but also less discordant in its efforts to amuse kids and adults. Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and the swashbuckling Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) provide the laughs; the pop-culture references grow tired. PG. 1:45. — M.C.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring (star)(star)(star)1/2
This fine Korean film by writer-director-actor Kim Ki-duk, follows two monks–a child and an old man–through five seasons and much of their lives, as the old man moves toward death and the child to maturity. Shot in lovely mountain lake settings at Jusan Pond, this gem keeps its themes of tranquility and violence, madness and wisdom, sacred and profane love in almost perfect balance. In Korean with English subtitles. No MPAA rating (adult for violence and sexuality). 1:43. –M.W.
Stateside (star)1/2
A troubled youth-turned-soldier (Jonathan Tucker) falls in love with a mentally ill former movie starlet (Rachael Leigh Cook) in a severely uneven drama about mental illness. Val Kilmer takes a colorful turn as a drill instructor, but he alone isn’t reason enough to sit through this cinematic boot camp. R. 1:30. — R.E.
Super Size Me (star)(star)(star)1/2
The logic of Morgan Spurlock’s Sundance Award-winning documentary may not be airtight, but this attack on McCulture is no whopper. Reacting to McDonald’s claims that its food can be part of a healthy diet, the affable Spurlock subjected himself to 30 days of nothing but McDonald’s fare, and his health suffered in surprising, dramatic ways. A Big Mac may never taste the same. No MPAA rating (sexual talk). 1:36. — M.C.
This Old Cub (star)(star)(star)
Jeff Santo can be forgiven for laying it on thick in his documentary about his dad, because we all love Ron Santo, too. The movie is rooted mostly in the present, as the elder Santo battles diabetes and dreams of joining baseball’s Hall of Fame. It could use more baseball footage and fewer testimonials, but Santo proves an inspirational figure. No MPAA rating (family). 1:26. — M.C.
Troy (star)(star)(star)(star)
Wolfgang Petersen’s spectacular, if over-compressed movie saga of the Trojan War is the best Hollywood movie of its kind since “Spartacus.” Like Kubrick’s saga, this is a battle epic that laces spectacle with psychology, bloody warfare with eroticism, adventure with politics. With Brad Pitt (Achilles), Eric Bana (Hector), Orlando Bloom (Paris), Diane Kruger and Peter O’Toole. R. 2:43. — M.W.
The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) (star)(star)(star)1/2
Splendid samurai movie about a master swordsman seemingly over-the-hill, Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada), a warrior burdened by family cares and poverty. Exciting and tender, violent and humane, romantic and tough-minded, this is the work of a master filmmaker, Yoji Yamada, writer-director of Japan’s hit “Tora-San” series. Winner of 12 Japanese Oscars (an all-time record). In Japanese with English subtitles. No MPAA rating. Family with caution (parents cautioned for some extreme swordfight violence). 2:09. — M.W.
Valentin (star)(star)(star)
This Argentine coming-of-age story is endearing in its own way, thanks in a large part to the winning performance of young Rodrigo Noya as the title character, a 9-year-old boy trying to cope with life in 1967 Buenos Aires. But it’s not easy. The film is plenty charming, but lacks a connection to its time and place that would put Valentin’s dilemma in context. In Spanish with English subtitles. PG-13. 1:26. — J.P.
Van Helsing (star)(star)(star)
Stephen Sommers’ high-tech revision of Universal horror classics “Dracula,” “Frankenstein” and “The Wolf Man” is underwritten, over-directed, over-produced and almost constantly over-the-top. But it’s also, at its best, breathtaking fun. Hugh Jackman is the Indy Jones-ish Van, backed by Kate Beckinsale, Kenneth Roxburgh (Dracula) and more CGI than any movie deserves. PG-13. 2:12. — M.W.
Young Adam (star)(star)(star)1/2
U.K. newcomer David Mackenzie’s excellent film of the novel by outlaw literary legend Alexander Trocchi. Set in Glasgow in the ’50s, it focuses, with harsh candor and bleak lyricism, on the lively sexual career of an attractive, amoral barge-worker (Ewan McGregor), who wreaks havoc in the lives of his boss and lovers (Peter Mullan, Tilda Swinton and Emily Mortimer). NC-17 (for sexuality, nudity and language). 1.33. — M.W.
