28 Weeks Later (R, 99 minutes) 2002’s apocalyptic zombie flick 28 Days Later was a shot in the arm to a stagnant horror film industry. Unfortunately, director Danny Boyle isn’t back for this follow-up. Substitute Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto) can’t quite replicate Boyle’s kinetic camerawork; but he does O.K., adding a few honest jump scares to a fairly standard script. It’s six months after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus, and the U.S. Army has arrived in England, helping to secure a small section of London for repopulation. Naturally, everything goes wrong and those American boys start getting a tad trigger-happy. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Black Book (R, 145 minutes) Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct) delivers this surprising mix of art house drama and popcorn-fueled exploitation. Carice van Houten stars as a Jew who finds herself stuck in Holland when the Nazis overrun the country round about 1944. She offers her services to the undergroud resistance and is soon doing Mata Hari duty, pumping (so to speak) a Nazi commander for information. The Nazi extermination of Jewish people in Northern Europe would seem like poor backdrop for an erotic thriller, but Verhoeven and his cast handle it with supreme confidence, delivering Hitchcock-style thrills and plenty of naked bodies. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
Bug (R, 101 minutes) Ashley Judd headlines this somewhat misleading horror thriller directed by Exorcist helmer William Friedkin. Judd plays a lonely woman trapped in a spooky Oklahoma motel room with a paranoid, possibly unhinged Gulf War vet who believes he is being persecuted by invisible insects. It’s based on the claustrophobic stageplay by Tracy Letts and features far more psychological drama than cinematic horror. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
DOA: Dead or Alive (PG-13, 87 minutes) This long-delayed action flick adapts the popular videogame about bikini-clad kung fu babes who beat up on each other (and occasionally play volleyball). Our real-life babes for this version include Jaime Pressly, Devon Aoki and Eric Roberts. Wait, scratch that last one. The film is helmed by Hong Kong action director Corey Yuen (The Transporter, The Enforcer, Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk), but you really shouldn’t go expecting amazing martial arts action from the star of “My Name is Earl.” Opening Friday; check local listings
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (NR, 89 minutes) The super-powered gang returns, this time squaring off against the cosmic being known as Silver Surfer (sympathetically voiced by Laurence Fishburne), herald to the planet-eating entity Galactus. The Surfer is one of the most interesting character’s in Marvel’s canon, and it’s nice to see him on screen; but director Tim Story (Taxi) still insists on injecting lots of wacky sitcom moments amid the CGI-driven action. Opening Friday; check local listings
Gracie (PG-13, 92 minutes) According to the hands on my watch, it’s time for another inspirational, based-on-a-true-story sports movie. This one’s about a teenage gal (Carly Schroeder from Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire”) who faces an uphill battle of sexism and prejudice when she fights for the opportunity to play on a competitive soccer team. Dermot Mulroney and Elizabeth Shue (who says this story is based on something that happened to her) play the caring parents. Personally, I’m inspired enough as it is, but you may feel differently—especially if you’ve already worn out your copy of Bend it Like Beckham. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Hostel: Part II (R, 94 minutes) Eli Roth follows up his horror roughie Hostel with this inevitable sequel. This time around, it’s three female college students backpacking through Eastern Europe who are tortured and killed. …Ah, progress. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6.
Hot Fuzz (R, 121 minutes) Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the team behind the 2004 gem Sean of the Dead, reunite to tweak another movie genre. This time around, Pegg stars as a top London cop who is sent to a sleepy English hamlet and teamed with a dimwit partner (Sean’s Nick Frost) by jealous colleagues. Eventually, the mismatched duo are prevailed upon to solve a series of bloody murders. The film has a blast making fun of classic ’80s buddy cop movies, and the laughs are—more often than not—explosive. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Knocked Up (R, 129 minutes) From the team behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin comes another witty sex comedy. Seth Rogen (“Freaks and Geeks”) is a fun-loving party animal whose life gets turned upside down when a one-night stand (Katherine Heigl from “Grey’s Anatomy”) shows up on his doorstep with the info that she’s pregnant. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Mr. Brooks (R, 120 minutes) Kevin Costner is cast severely against type as a mild-mannered suburban hubby who is occasionally controlled by his alter ego, a vicious serial killer embodied by William Hurt. A sleazy amateur photographer (Dane Cook, also playing against type) finds out about our hero’s little split personality problem and tries to blackmail him. (Is it too much to hope that Cook gets slaughtered?) The film nearly chokes to death on subplots (including one with Demi Moore as a soon-to-be-divorced detective), but the story is clever and Costner does a commendable job. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Nancy Drew (PG, 99 minutes) Carolyn Keene’s teen sleuth, star of a whole lot of books I never read as a kid (I was really more of an Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators type), gets updated to the 21st century. Emma Roberts (niece to Julia) stars as the famed nosey parker, who accompanies her father on a business trip to Los Angeles, where she happens upon clues to a murder involving a movie star. Opening Friday; check local listings
Ocean’s Thirteen (PG-13, 113 minutes) George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and crew add one to the guest list and go out pranking for money once again. In this third heist-heavy go-around, the boys are getting even with evil casino owner Al Pacino. Expect plenty of breezy hijinks, a wealth of celebrity in-jokes and a script that is slightly more sensical than the second ridiculous outing. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (PG-13, 168 minutes) After the two-and-a-half-hour cliffhanger that was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest comes the nearly three-hour conclusion. This time, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley have sailed to the ends of the Earth to rescue Johnny Depp. They’re also required to gather a massive pirate army to fight the forces of nastiness and villainy (still embodied by squid-faced Bill Nighy and uptight Tom Hollander). Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Shrek the Third (PG, 93 minutes) Kids
and fart-loving adults are welcome for this third gathering of the CGI Shrek cast. Seems that our titular ogre’s father-in-law has fallen ill. Now it’s up to Shrek to assume the throne of the fairy tale-filled kingdom—a job he’d rather not take. The voice cast is getting crowded, with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Eric Idle and Justin Timberlake on board for this go-around. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Spider-Man 3 (PG-13, 140 minutes) The third time is supposed to be a charm, but poor Spider-Man is having an awfully bad time of it in this second sequel to the smash hit superhero flick. Seems that Spidey’s best friend (James Franco) has gone insane and is now trying to kill him. He’s also been possessed by a malevolent alien life force and is trying to bring a sand-powered supervillain (Thomas Hayden Church) to justice. Oh, and he’s thinking of getting married. The film’s a bit long, but there’s plenty of action and the special effects should please hardcore comic book fans. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Surf’s Up (PG, 85 minutes) If you found the tap-dancing penguins of Happy Feet odd, then the surfing penguins of Surf’s Up will prove equally confusing. This sub-par CGI toon (by Sony Pictures) is a basically a remake of old surf documentries like Endless Summer, only with penguins instead of people. The voice cast is fresh. (Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder and James Woods head it up.) But unless you’ve got a burning desire to see what surf legends Kelly Slater and Rob Machado look like as penguins, the film has only minor appeal. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Waitress (PG-13, 107 minutes) In this guilt-free Southern-fried treat, Keri Russell (“Felicity”) stars as an unhappy waitress in a small-town cafe. She’s blessed with an unearthly ability to bake pies, but cursed with an emotionally abusive lout of a hubby (Jeremy Sisto from “Six Feet Under”) and a sudden, unwanted pregnancy. Her life turns around when she meets her obstetrician, though, an awkwardly charming new hunk in town (played by Nathan Fillion of “Firefly” fame). The film occasionally surrenders to its more sitcom-esque moments, but it’s mostly a good-natured, emotionally complex dramedy about pregnancy, infidelity and delicious desserts. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
