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 “50 First Dates,” a “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.
Baadasssss! (star)(star)(star)1/2
Mario Van Peebles writes, directs, produces and stars in this biopic of the making of his father Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 independent black power film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” It’s a fast-paced look at production nuts and bolts, marvelously evoking the passion and frantic energy behind the revolutionary film and era, and staying away from the cloying sentimentality that often comes with hero depictions. R. 1:48. –A.B.
The Big Animal (star)(star)(star)
When a small town accountant and his wife adopt a camel left behind by a circus, they become instant local celebrities. But the joy with which Zygmunt and his camel are greeted soon turns to bewilderment, then disdain. The screenplay comes from a “lost script” by famed Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski. No MPAA rating. 1:13. — R.E.
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.
The Butterfly Effect (star)(star)1/2
Call this “Dude, Where’s My Reality?” Ashton Kutcher plays a college student who, by reading his old journals, can travel back into his absurdly troubled childhood and create alternate life paths for himself and his pals. Too bad the new realities are just as ugly as the old ones. Although well-executed, this mind-messing movie doesn’t quite justify its time-tested conventions. R. 1:53. — M.C.
Carandiru (star)(star)(star)(star)
Hector Babenco’s great prison drama, set in the real-life (now leveled) Sao Paolo prison and based on the best-selling novel-memoir by his friend, Dr. Drauzio Varella. In the Altmanesque weave of many characters and stories, and the startling humanity and candor, this unique film is propelled by thoughtful writing and brilliant acting, photographed and directed with real feeling and intensity. In Portuguese with English subtitles. R. 1:36. — M.W.
The Chronicles of Riddick (star)(star)
David Twohy’s belated sequel to “Pitch Black” abandons the original’s horror-film structure for science-fiction adventure sprawl, with too many planets and populations to care about. At the center again is Vin Diesel’s self-regarding Riddick, who now doesn’t seem all that different from your typical reluctant movie hero as he attempts to thwart the Necromongers and their plan to convert conquered populations. PG-13. 1:58. — M.C.
Coffee and Cigarettes (star)(star)1/2
Shot over 17 years, Jim Jarmusch’s 11 linked black-and-white shorts feature performers playing versions of themselves as they meet over java and smokes. The results are hit-or-miss, with the best segments pairing Iggy Pop with Tom Waits, Alfred Molina with Steve Coogan, and Cate Blanchett with herself (as her resentful cousin). But even in these, the movie has little that’s fresh to say about celebrity culture. R. 1:36. — M.C.
Cold Mountain (star)(star)1/2
Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of Charles Frazier’s Civil War novel is exquisitely shot, lovingly designed and populated with talented name actors–and that’s part of the problem. With Jude Law and an all-too-beautiful Nicole Kidman as a wounded, homeward-bound Confederate soldier and the woman awaiting him, you’re constantly aware of the beauty of the filmmaking without ever getting under the characters’ skins. R. 2:30. — 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.
Control Room (star)(star)(star)1/2
Documentarian Jehane Noujaim takes us inside the Arab news network Al Jazeera and U.S. military Central Command for an eye-opening look at how the U.S. war with Iraq has been covered and media-managed. The movie shows perspectives and footage rarely seen over here while suggesting that Al Jazeera’s staffers aren’t so unlike their American counterparts in how they approach their work. No MPAA rating (some graphic war footage, language). 1:24. — M.C.
Dawn of the Dead (star)1/2
A big-bucks remake of George Romero’s ’78 horror classic about a zombie army besieging a shopping mall. Despite a bigger budget and a good cast (Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames), it’s mostly a bloody mess. Where Romero’s original was scary and satiric, this one, directed by Zack Snyder, is mostly as mindlessly violent as those zombies trying to kill all its cliched characters. R. 1:40. — M.W.
The Day After Tomorrow (star)(star)1/2
A genuinely spectacular but terminally predictable sci-fi movie from Roland Emmerich (“Independence Day”) about the cataclysmic consequences of global warming–a new Ice Age, no less–this “Day” mixes grand, epic effects and amazing visualizations of catastrophe with a cliched, sappy family-in-crisis plot wasting Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum. PG-13. 2:02. — M.W.
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.
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.
Garfield: The Movie (star)(star)
When cat owner Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) adopts a brainless dog, Odie, his feline Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray) must overcome his lazy, selfish ways. In line with the comic strip of the last ten years, no laughs are produced in the adventure to rescue Odie when he runs away. PG. 1:25. — R.E.
Goodbye, Lenin! (star)(star)(star)
Wolfgang Becker’s lively comedy about the 1990 reunification of Germany shows us Westernized young Alex (Daniel Bruhl), who tries to keep his Socialist zealot mom (Katrin Sass)–comatose during the big events–from finding out that the Wall has fallen and Communism is kaput. A huge European critical hit, it’s good but not great, cute and funny but not moving. In German and English with English subtitles. R. 1:58. — M.W.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (star)(star)(star)1/2
This third “Harry Potter” movie, based on an especially potent installment in J.K. Rowling’s series, shakes the candy coating off of the franchise, as director Alfonso Cuaron makes us see this magical, increasingly dark world with fresh eyes. Daniel Radcliffe delivers his most assertive performance yet as the 13-year-old wizard who fears he’s been hunted by an escaped murderer, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). PG. 2:22. — M.C.
Hellboy (star)(star)
The hulking, chiseled, 53-year-old Ron Perlman is no one’s idea of a superhero, which is what makes Hellboy interesting; he’s a big, red, cigar-chomping dude who worries most about disappointing his adoptive dad (John Hurt). Guillermo del Toro’s movie captures the visuals of Mike Mignola’s popular comic book but disappoints with its conventional CGI battles and tired plot elements. PG-13. 1:52. — M.C.
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.
Imelda (star)(star)(star)
Ramona S. Diaz’ documentary profile of Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos–who does most of the talking in the film, both defending and hanging herself–is out to show that the window of Ferdinand Marcos is more than just the sum of her shoe closet. Diaz could have provided a bit more context, but she does get incredible access and manages to include enough history to balance out Imelda’s charm. No MPAA rating. 1:33. — A.B.
Jersey Girl (star)(star)1/2
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are briefly reunited in this romantic comedy/family drama from writer-director Kevin Smith (“Clerks”). Affleck is an ex-PR guy and single dad raising daughter Rachel Castro after Lopez’s character dies in childbirth, later finding new love (Liv Tyler). It doesn’t make sense but it’s likable. With George Carlin and cameos by Will Smith and Matt Damon. PG-13. 1:42. — M.W.
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.
Love Me If You Dare (star)(star)(star)
Caught in a destructive game of one-upsmanship, Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) exchange outlandish dares. Eventually, the game becomes an addiction and an escape hatch through which they flee their problems. A candy-colored palette and whiz-bang camerawork bring this inventive twist love story to the screen. R. 1:34. — R.E.
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, Christopher 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.
Monsieur Ibrahim (star)(star)(star)1/2
Omar Sharif gives one of his most moving performances in this lively adaptation by writer-director Francois Dupeyron of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s play: a poignant, brightly sensuous film about ’60s Paris, rock ‘n’ roll, Rue Bleue hookers–and friendship between a Jewish teenager (Pierre Boulanger) and an old Muslim grocer (Sharif). With Isabelle Adjani. In French and Turkish with English subtitles. R. 1:35. — M.W.
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.
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. 0:48. — E.F.
The Prince & Me (star)1/2
A nice but shamelessly contrived romantic comedy about the farmer’s daughter and the traveling prince–winsome Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles) from Wisconsin and dapper Prince Edvard (Luke Mably) from Denmark. Despite its cast and director Martha Coolidge (“Rambling Rose”), it’s one of those movies where talented filmmakers waste their time and ours with stale, phony material. PG. 1:51. — M.W.
Raising Helen (star)(star)
Director Garry Marshall (“Runaway Bride”) continues making movies that feel like television. “Raising Helen,” though sold on the smiley, squinty charms of Kate Hudson, is no fun single-gal tale but rather a predictable lite lesson about how tough it is to be a mom. Hudson’s Helen becomes her sister’s kids’ guardian when the sister and husband get snuffed in a car accident. PG-13. 1:59. — M.C.
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.
Saved (star)(star)
At times about tolerance, sort of about embracing faith, kind of about eschewing it, and probably about learning to love yourself, this new teen comedy is ambitious in its attempt to expose religious hypocrisy and satirize the contemporary Christian youth movement. But it lacks a strong leading performance from Jena Malone or a conclusion to match its subversive charm. PG-13. 1:32. — A.B.
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (star)
Digging deep into the series’ nostalgia pockets, director Raja Gosnell resurrects some of the cartoon’s most famous villains–but misses the campy fun of the first film. To call this movie a dog would be an insult to canines, so let’s just say “Scooby-Doo 2” is a Scooby-Don’t. PG. 1:33. — R.E.
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.
Soul Plane (star)
Someone figured out they could sell a comedy called “Soul Plane” that looks like an airborne retro dance party, but no one bothered to do the little things like writing jokes, creating characters, casting competent actors or directing with more finesse than a demolition derby flag-waver. On the inaugural flight of a new African-American airline, blacks and whites are stereotyped with equal cynicism. R. 1:26. — 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.
Starsky & Hutch (star)(star)1/2
Spoofing a silly `70s cop show–one that lacks the cultural traction of even “Charlie’s Angels”–is almost the definition of pointless. Still, Ben Stiller as the tightly wound Starsky and Owen Wilson as the loosey-goosey Hutch provide a few laughs, even as they repeat their familiar screen personae. But “S&H” is no “Naked Gun.” PG-13. 1:37. — M.C.
The Stepford Wives (star)(star)1/2
Director Frank Oz’s and writer Paul Rudnick’s remake of the 1975 thriller about suburban wives turned into smiling, submissive robots, is a nightmare comedy that works as comedy–but not as nightmare. Despite a top cast (Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken and Glenn Close) it makes you laugh (sometimes) more than shiver–and the satire suffers. PG-13. 1:33. — M.W.
Strayed (Les Egares) (star)(star)(star)
Set in the early 1940s at the start of the German occupation of France, Andre Techine’s delicate, tense film is far more a study of its characters than the war. Odile and her two children survive a German air attack and take shelter in an abandoned mansion with 17-year-old stranger, Yvan. While Yvan’s identity and motives are questionable, the foursome attempts to live as a makeshift family. In French with English subtitles. No MPAA rating (sexual content, violence). 1:35. — A.B.
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.
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.
Van Helsing (star)(star)(star)
Stephen Sommers’ high-tech revision of Universal horror classics “Dracula,” “Frankenstein” and “The Wolf Man” is under written, 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.
The Whole Ten Yards (star)(star)
A sequel to “The Whole Nine Yards,” in which Bruce Willis played a truculent hit man and Matthew Perry played an excitable dentist next door. But, despite the stars’ chemistry, it’s not much of a movie. Marginally better directed (by Howard Deutch) and better written than the original “Nine Yards.” PG-13. 1:39. — M.W.
Young Adam (star)(star)(star)1/2
U.K. newcomer David Mackenzie’s excellent film of the novel byAlexander 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.
