Becoming Jane (PG, 113 minutes) Winsome Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) stars in this speculative biopic about young Jane Austen. Prior to becoming a famous author, Austen was just another romantic chick being wooed a young Irish hunk (James McAvoy from The Last King of Scotland). Brits James Cromwell, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith class up the joint in supporting roles. Perhaps the biggest blow to this romantic drama is the fact that it wasn’t actually penned by Austen. As a result, it’s no Pride and Prejudice. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre.
Trailer for Becoming Jane. |
The Bourne Ultimatum (PG-13, 111 minutes) The third (loose) adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s spy thriller series wraps things up for our amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). This time, our boy is racing around the globe, trying to shake a government agent and uncover the final mysteries about his dark past. This, of course, involves shooting a whole lot of people. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Bratz: The Movie (PG, 90 minutes) Looking for evidence that future generations are doomed? Look no further than this painfully shallow live-action adaptation (if that’s the right word) of the inexplicably popular doll line. By combining Barbie, Paris Hilton and a Hollywood Boulevard hooker, the toys have inspired a generation of prepubescent girls to dress like total hoochie mamas. The storyline (if that’s the right word) has something to do with a quartet of teenage BFFs who battle the popular cliques in school through the liberating power of fashion. I feel ill. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Daddy Day Camp (PG, 93 minutes) Daddy Day Care from 2003 had Eddie Murphy pretty much scraping the bottom of the family film barrel. In this "should have gone direct to video" sequel, Murphy’s role has been outsourced to Cuba Gooding Jr. (Snow Dogs, Boat Trip). This time around, our stay-at-home hero is taking a bunch of kids on, yes, a camping trip. Hijinks ensue all over the damn place. 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 your 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
Hot Rod (PG-13) Andy Samberg, the dude behind the much-e-mailed "SNL" video "D**k in a Box," gets his own movie. Samberg plays Rod Kimble, a dorky thrillseeker who fancies himself a "Jackass"-style stunt man. When his abusive stepfather needs a lifesaving heart operation, Rod vows to raise the money by performing a record-setting motorcycle jump. A dumb but laughable throwback to Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison period of man-boy humor. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
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
 Nicole Kidman looks beautifully worried about getting her body snatched in The Invasion |
The Invasion (PG-13, 93 minutes) Do we really need another remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Probably not. Actually, this one’s two remakes in one. The studio didn’t like German director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s first version, so they brought in the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) to rewrite it and James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) to redirect it. Oh well. At least this one amps up the star power with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig on the poster. No alien pods this time around, just an epidemic that turns people against one another. Opening Friday; check local listings
The Last Legion (PG-13, 110 minutes) This cheap, poorly cast historical fantasy hopes to cash in on a little bit of that leftover 300 money. Good luck. It’s directed by a guy who helmed a couple of episodes of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and purports to tell the story of ousted young Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus (Thomas Sangster, Nanny McPhee) who flees to England looking for supporters. The "international" cast includes Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’s Diary), Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. This one belongs on the Sci-Fi Channel. Opening Friday; check local listings
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. 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
Rescue Dawn (PG-13, 126 minutes) Werner Herzog (Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo) offers up a fictionalized version of one of his previous documentaries (Little Dieter Needs to Fly). Christian Bale (Batman Begins) stars as real-life Navy flyer Dieter Dengler, who was shot down over Laos in the early days of the Vietnam conflict. Dieter ends up in a ranshackle POW camp trying to keep his tiny collection of fellow inmates from going stir crazy (which they pretty much already have). When conditions deteriorate, Dieter figures it’s time to bust out. With the help of a fellow prisoner (Steve Zahn), he braves the green hell of the Laotian jungle. Despite the occasional harrowing moment, Rescue Dawn is an inspirational tale of survival. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Rush Hour 3 (PG-13, 90 minutes) Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and director Brett Ratner are back for another exciting, occasionally obnoxious go-around in the Rush Hour franchise. This time, mismatched buddy cop duo of Chief Inspector Lee and Detective Carter are in Paris and have indavertantly gotten themelves mixed up with a murderous Chinese Triad. This calls for some kung fu and some wacky "yo mama" jokes! Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
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! Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
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. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Stardust (PG-13, 130 minutes) The popular fantasy novel by comic book icon Neil Gaiman gets turned into a live-action film about a young man who promises to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved. His quest takes him into a magical realm where stars are alive, witches prey on humans and pirates sail through the skies. Claire Danes is the star (literally), Michelle Pfeiffer is the witch and Robert De Niro is the pirate. Fans of romantic adventure stories along the lines of The Princess Bride will welcome this one with open arms. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Superbad (R) From the makers of Knocked Up comes another outrageous comedy. This one stars Jonah Hill (Accepted) and Michael Cera ("Arrested Development") as a couple of dorky, codependent high schoolers who figure they can get lucky if only they can score some booze for an upcoming party. This is unrepentant R-rated stuff. 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
Underdog (PG, 84 minutes) For rabid fans of the Garfield movies comes this creepy-looking live-action/CGI adaptation of the classic 1964 cartoon. Jason Lee ("My Name is Earl") provides the voice for our canine
superhero. This juvenile offering plays mighty fast and loose with the original, setting it all in the "real" world and throwing in some rude humor for good measure. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
