1408 (PG-13, 94 minutes) Somebody found another unadapted Stephen King short story. By law they’ve all got to be made into movies before his death, so here we go again. John Cusack plays an author who specializes in debunking claims of the paranormal. To those ends, he checks into the infamously haunted Dolphin Hotel, whose titular room is supposed to be the site of uncounted deaths. Naturally, this being a horror story and all, our protagonist is beset by assorted physical and psychological terrors. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Evan Almighty (PG, 90 minutes) The makers of Bruce Almighty give Jim Carrey the boot in order to promote second-string standout Steve Carell. Seems newscaster Evan Baxter (now a U.S. congressman) has been tapped by God himself (Morgan Freeman again) to build an ark in preparation for another great flood. Filmed in our area, this is reportedly the most expensive comedy ever made (at something north of $175 million). Try to ignore that and just enjoy it as a nice, light family comedy with lots of cute animals and a tidy moral message. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Evening (PG-13, 117 minutes) How can you argue with a cast that includes Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close? Based on the novel by Susan Minot, this multigenerational drama explores the romantic past of a dying woman. As her daughters gather around to witness her final moments, she recounts how she met the long-lost love of her life back in the 1950s. This one’s definitely aimed at women in the mood to weep, but the Oscar-filled cast should attract serious attention. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Hairspray (PG, 107 minutes) It seems redundant to remake the Broadway remake of John Waters’ 1988 film. But it’s hard to grouse when the results are such top-notch fun. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky takes over for Ricki Lake, proving herself a spunky little sparkplug. Surrounding her is an able cast of singers and dancers including John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes and Michelle Pfeiffer. The costumes are great, the music is infectious and the story (about the racial integration of a 1960s TV dance show) quite sincere. It’s hard not to grin you way from start to finish. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PG-13, 138 minutes) The fifth Harry Potter film hits theaters over summer for a change. This time around, meddling bureaucrats have taken over the Hogwarts School. It’s up to Harry and his friends to practice their evil-busting skills in secret in order to combat the growing menace of Lord Voldemort. …Oh, and there’s kissing. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
I Know Who Killed Me (R) Lindsay Lohan stars in this twist-heavy horror thriller about a small-town gal named Aubrey Fleming who is abducted and tortured by a sadistic serial killer. (Oh, more of that, eh?) The traumatized girl escapes and wakes up in a hospital where she claims she is not actually Aubrey Fleming, but another girl named Dakota Moss. Are we dealing with post-traumatic stress? A case of “evil twin syndrome”? Or something even more sinister? Opening Friday; check local listings
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (PG-13, 140 minutes) In this slight twist on La Cage au Folles, two straight firefighters (Adam Sandler, Kevin James) pretend to be a homosexual couple so they can receive domestic partner benefits. For the next two hours and 20 minutes, Sandler and James “act gay” so no one will catch on. More rude silliness (with a big message at the end) from the director of Big Daddy and Beverly Hills Ninja. Playing at Carmike Cinema 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
La Vie en Rose (PG-13, 140 minutes) Marion Cotillard (A Good Year, Big Fish) gives an appropriately oversized performance as volatile Parisian singer Edith Piaf. The film endlessly details Piaf’s bad behavior (tantrums, fights, drunken orgies), but at 140 minutes, it’s a rather exhaustive study of mid-century gloom and doom. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
License to Wed (PG-13, 90 minutes) Robin Williams is at his most annoying as a wacky priest who subjects an engaged couple (John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) to a series of “relationship challenges” during a grueling marriage preparation course. Krasinski is great in “The Office,” but he’s little more than the straight man for Williams’ over-the-top shenanigans here. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Live Free or Die Hard (PG-13, 130 minutes) You’d think poor, bedraggled cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) would be tired of saving the world by now, but no. NYC’s favorite supercop returns for the fourth time. For this outing, he’s teamed up with the kid from the Mac/PC commercials (Justin Long) to defeat a cabal of Internet-based terrorists who are systematically shutting down the United States. Realistically, you could probably stop cyber-criminals with a case of Bawls energy drink and a beta test version of Halo 3. McClane, however, goes the heavy caliber weapons and huge explosions route. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
No Reservations (PG, 105 minutes) Liberally stealing its title from Anthony Bourdain’s TV series, this standard-issue romantic comedy finds Catherine Zeta-Jones cast as a stuck-up, self-centered chef who learns to live and love when she suddenly becomes the guardian of her young niece (Abigail Breslin). Yes, the plot has been recycled endlessly (this one’s actually a remake of the German film, Mostly Martha), but the cast (including Aaron Eckhart as the would-be love interest) is at least pleasant to look at. 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 Downtown Mall 6
Ratatouille (G, 110 minutes) Animation lovers can breathe a sigh of relief. Pixar, the team behind The Incredibles, Toy Story and so much more, returns with another CGI comedy for the whole family. The star is a food-loving rodent living inside a famous Paris bistro who dreams of becoming a world-class chef—not a career path open to most rats. To realize his gastronomic potential, he teams up with a hapless young kitchen helper to wow the cooking world. Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O’Toole and Janeane Garofalo are among the voice cast. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
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 Downtown Mall 6
Sicko (PG-13, 113 minutes) Michael Moore (he of Fahrenheit 9/11 infamy) returns with another rabble-rousing documentary. This one trains its eye on the American health care system (currently ranked 37th in the world by the World Health Organization). Moore contrasts our corporate-controlled, HMO-dominated, pharmaceutical company-backed lack of universal health care with other countries (England, Canada, France and, you heard it right, Cuba), who actually care for their sick and injured. Surprisingly, this is one of Moore’s more apolitical films, offering plenty of health care horror stories with hardly an ambush interview in sight. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
 Don’t be alarmed: After seemingly countless years on TV, it’s only natural that “The Simpsons” makes the jump to the big screen with The Simpsons Movie |
The Simpsons Movie (PG-13, 87 minutes) Who doesn’t love “The Simpsons”? Here, America’s favorite animated family comes to the big screen. Seems Homer has lost his job at the power plant after causing a nuclear accident that forces the evacuation of Springfield, possibly forever. In a word: D’oh! Opening Friday; check local listings
Skinwalkers (PG-13, 110 minutes) The guy who directed Jason X delivers this low-budget shaggy dog story. In it, a 12-year-old boy and his mother become the targets of two warring werewolf packs, each with different intentions and motives. This violent, but not particularly gory horror flick steals a lot of its look from Katherine Bigalow’s classic vampire flick, Near Dark, but it isn’t nearly as good. Opening Friday; check local listings
Transformers (PG-13, 144 minutes) The wildly popular toy-line-turned-cartoon-series from the ‘80s returns as a big-budget, big-screen film directed by the man who gave us Bad Boys, The Rock and Armageddon. (At least he knows how to make things blow up real good.) Seems Earth has been invaded by space robots—some of whom are good, some of whom are bad, all of which can transform into cars and trucks and planes and stuff. Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight and Bernie Mac are among the humans caught in the middle of this frenetic, far-fetched but ultimately action-packed war. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Who’s Your Caddy? (PG-13) An Atlanta rap mogul (Atlanta rap mogul Big Boi, obviously acting against type) tries to join a conservative country club, causing all the uptight white people to go into a tizzy. Basically, it’s Caddyshack with… No, wait, it’s just Caddyshack. Opening Friday; check local listings
