Reviewers include: A.B. = Allison Benedikt; M.P. = Michael Phillips; J.R. = Jessica Reaves; S.S. = Sid Smith; M.W. = Michael Wilmington.
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.
American Gun (star)(star)(star): Great performances back a director who’s not interested in pat answers to difficult questions (Who’s to blame for gun violence? How do we make it stop?). R. 1:34.–J.R.
ATL (star)(star)1/2: If “Roll Bounce” and “Boyz n the Hood” had a PG-13 baby, it would be “ATL.” Director Chris Robinson plays roller skating scenes for cheap nostalgia and the drug culture feels watered down for the MPAA. PG-13. 1:45.–A.B.
Basic Instinct 2 (star)1/2: No one’s having much fun, least of all an apparently narcoticized Sharon Stone. A risible opening-credits sequence mixing vehicular recklessness with other pursuits settles into risk-averse mode. R. 1:53.–M.P.
The Benchwarmers (star): In Adam Sandler World, groins are for kicking, gas for passing and Sandler need not appear (David Spade and Rob Schneider star in this geeks vs. kids baseball farce). PG-13. 1:20.–Roger Moore, Tribune newspapers
Brick (star)(star): Good performances (especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s) in writer-director Rian Johnson’s debut feature, a California high school-set noir, are undermined by a weak mystery and a choice of style over substance. R. 1:50.–A.B.
Brooklyn Lobster (star)(star)(star): Director Kevin Jordan’s autobiographical tale of the family business features strong performances by Danny Aiello and Jane Curtin. No MPAA rating (language, sexual inferences). 1:30. –M.W.
Don’t Come Knocking (star)(star)(star): Director Wim Wenders and writer Sam Shepard reunite with Shepard starring as a western star fleeing his hedonistic life to find the family he missed. With Jessica Lange and Sarah Polley. R. 1:50.–M.W.
Friends With Money (star)(star)(star)1/2: Director Nicole Holofcener does it again in a class-conscious tale of four friends (Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand and Catherine Keener) and the men who love (and hurt) them. R. 1:28.–A.B.
Ice Age: The Meltdown (star)(star)(star): A lesser movie than the slap-happy original–and it’s hard to accept that the first movie’s ice age now begins to vanish like a cold snap, sending the gang on an odyssey to an ark. PG. 1:30. –M.W.
Inside Man (star)(star)1/2: Mastermind (Clive Owen) engineers a daylight bank heist, but the crooks don’t seem interested in the money. Det. Frazier (Denzel Washington) tries to figure out why. R. 2:09.–M.P.
Lucky Number Slevin (star)(star)(star): Directed by Paul McGuigan (“Wicker Park”), this is a neo-noir thriller with a saucy attitude and a fine cast–Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, Lucy Liu and Josh Hartnett. R. 1:50.–M.W.
Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (star)(star): A grieving widower (Robert Carlyle) aids a dying man, who sends the Samaritan to fulfill a promise to a girl he knew 40 years earlier in dancing class. PG-13. 1:43.–S.S.
Phat Girlz (no star rating): This plus-size “Cinderella,” featuring Mo’Nique as Jazmin, sends her to a spa, where she meets a dreamboat who helps her learn to love herself. MPAA rating: PG-13 1:37.–Chris Hewitt, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Slither (star)(star)(star): A fiesta of alien slime, this space-slug/mutant-zombie hybrid by James Gunn shows a sense of humor as a small town gets a visit from a worm-infested asteroid. A good, gory time, if a little wearying in later passages. R. 1:35.–M.P.
Take the Lead (star)(star): This is one of those true stories that feels not so true in the telling, featuring Antonio Banderas as a dance instructor whipping detention-hall kids into tango-savvy shape in time for a competition. PG-13. 1:48.–M.P.
Thank You for Smoking (star)(star)(star)1/2: A snappy comedy with a true gift of gab, thanks to Christopher Buckley and writer/director Jason Reitman, about a tobacco industry lobbyist and his adventures in D.C. and Hollywood. R. 1:32.–M.P.
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Compiled by Regina Robinson
