American Gangster (R, 157 minutes) Based on an article by Marc Jacobson (who also inspired 2001’s The Believer), this crime saga dramatizes the life of Manhattan drug kingpin Frank Lucas. Denzel Washington stars as the slick thug who builds an empire during the ’70s while battling a determined police detective (played by Russell Crowe). Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down) does camera duty. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
August Rush (PG, 100 minutes) This musical drama comes premixed with elements of magical realism and chunks of Oliver Twist. Little Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) stars as an orphaned musical prodigy who believes music will lead him to his long-lost birth parents (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers). It’s all well and good and precious, at least until always-unwelcome Robin Williams shows up as a Fagin-like street musician. Not for cynics or those who shun corny, feel-good predictability. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Awake (R) Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba star in this medical thriller about a young man who suffers from "anesthetic awareness" while undergoing heart surgery. Conscious but paralyzed, he overhears two evil surgeons plotting to murder him. Not only is it far-fetched, but the main character can’t actually move or talk. On the plus side, Christensen isn’t required to "act" either. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Trailer for Awake. |
Bee Movie (PG, 100 minutes) Jerry Seinfeld not only voices the main character in this computer-animated fable, but penned the script about a disillusioned bee who doesn’t want to spend his life making honey. On a trip outside the hive, he meets and falls in love with (sort of) a New York florist (Renée Zellweger). Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Oprah Winfrey and Sting (of course) are among the stars crowding up the credits block. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
Beowulf (PG-13, 113 minutes) From the director who brought you The Polar Express (bad thing) and the writer who gave you The Sandman comic book (good thing), comes this motion-capture CGI update of the quintessential good-versus-evil fable. Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) voices our warrior hero, Crispin Glover (Wild at Heart) does Grendel duty and Angelina Jolie plays our monster’s disturbingly sexy mama. A bit on the rough side for kids. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Dan in Real Life (PG-13, 95 minutes) Steve Carell almost entirely makes up for Evan Almighty with this sweet, entirely authentic romantic comedy. Carell plays the widowed father of three young girls who makes a living as an advice columnist—a job for which the permanently depressive Dan seems singularly unqualified. While on a family vacation/reunion in Rhode Island, Dan meets a lovely, smart, down-to-earth woman (Juliette Binochet). Unfortunately, she turns out to be the new girlfriend of Dan’s brother. A weekend of severe discomfort ensues. Not even the presence of Dane Cook can spoil this near-perfect blend of humor and emotion from writer/director Peter Hedges (Pieces of April). Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
The Darjeeling Limited (R, 91 minutes) Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) reunites with a few old pals to write and direct this comedy about three estranged American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman) who reunite for a "spiritual quest" across India. Like all of Anderson’s film, this one is slow, stylized and painfully clever. An absolute must for fans. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Enchanted (PG, 108 minutes) Disney attempts to turn its old image on its ear with this partly animated parody about a fairy tale princess (Amy Adams, Junebug) who is magically exiled to modern-day Manhattan by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon). She meets a handsome lawyer (Patrick Dempsey, trading on his "McDreamy" rep), but is soon pursued by Prince Charming (James Marsden). Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Fred Claus (PG, 114 minutes) Tim Allen seems to be taking this holiday season off, so it’s up to Vince Vaughn to fill in the slot. Vaughn plays the bitter, black sheep brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti), who is forced to move to the North Pole after his girlfriend kicks him out. Hijinks ensue as Fred parties with the elves, incites sibling rivalry and generally creates some North Pole anarchy. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
 Pay for a ticket to The Golden Compass and you’ll find yourself in a CGI-heavy alternate universe. |
The Golden Compass (PG-13) The first of Philip Pullman’s epic "His Dark Materials" trilogy comes to life courtesy of writer/director Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy). Set on Earth in an alternate universe, the story concentrate on Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), a gifted young gal who goes on a quest to save her best friend who has been kidnapped by a mysterious organization. Lyra’s quest leads her to the frozen North and into a war between her avaricious absentee parents (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig). The CGI-heavy film glosses over much of the book’s (anti-)religious tone, which still isn’t enough to mollify angry Christians. Opening Friday; check local listings
Hitman (R, 100 minutes) Filling this holiday’s lack of violent, videogame-inspired action flicks is this thriller about an unnamed assassin (Timothy Olyphant from "Deadwood") who finds himself ensnared in a political conspiracy and stuck between Interpol and the Russian military. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
 Whatever works: Ryan Gosling has a relationship with a life-sized plastic love doll in Lars and the Real Girl. |
Lars and the Real Girl (PG-13, 106 minutes) A lonely, delusional young dude (the suddenly really good Ryan Gosling) surprises his family when he brings home a gal he met on the Internet. Turns out she’s actually a life-sized plastic love doll. But since his "relationship" with her seems rather chaste, the family decides to indulge the illusion at the urging of a psychiatrist (Patricia Clarkson). Despite the seemingly outrageous premise, this one’s suprisingly funny and sweet—if a little self-consciously off-kilter. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
Lions for Lambs (R, 88 minutes) Audiences don’t seem very interested in dramas that touch on America’s current War on Terror. But this one is directed by Robert Redford. In it, two young college students fighting in Afghanistan create a tie that binds an idealistic college professor (Redford), a charismatic NeoCon senator (Tom Cruise) and a probing TV journalist (Meryl Streep). The whole thing is meant as a criticism of failed government policies, but good writing and solid acting aside, it’s a bit hard to connect the dots. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Michael Clayton (R, 119 minutes) George Clooney toplines this hard-hitting legal drama about an in-house "fixer" at a top New York law firm. When one of the firm’s defense attorneys goes bonkers working on a questionable class action lawsuit, our titular character is called in to clean house. Naturally, our protagonist starts to uncover all sorts of dirty truths that could potentially sabotage the case. Will he do his job or do the right thing? Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack round out a topflight cast for screenwriter-turned-director Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum). Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
The Mist (R, 125 minutes) Writer/director Frank Darabont, who had pretty good luck adapting the Stephen King tales The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption finally tries his hand at a little of King’s horror catalogue. In this Lovecraftian tale of terror, a small band of citizens are holed up in a supermarket fighting for their lives while a freak storm unleashes a horde of bloodthirsty creatures in the parking lot outside. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G, 93 minutes) Giving off a faint but forgivable whiff of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this family fantasy proposes a fantastical toy store whose magical 243-year-old operator (Dustin Hoffman) is looking for a replacement. He finds it in the form of efficient, responsible Natalie Portman. Unfortunately, the store seems to have a mind of its own, and the new owner isn’t proving all that adept at keeping things in line. The directing debut of writer Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction). Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
No Country For Old Men (R, 121 minutes) The Coen brothers bring a touch of Fargo to West Texas with this gripping adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s offbeat crime novel. Josh Brolin (Grindhouse) is a humble welder who stumbles across $2 million from a drug deal gone bad. Javier Bardem (The Sea Inside) is the freaky, emotionless assassin sent to recover the cash. Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) is the small-town sheriff just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. This one is darker and more serious than most Coen films, but there’s still plenty of priceless dialogue and sharp black humor on display. One of this year’s best. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
This Christmas (NR, 118 minutes) A who’s who of African-American actors (Regina King, Loretta Devine, Mekhi Phifer, Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba) crowds this ensemble cast dramedy centering around the Whitfield clan’s first holiday gathering in four years. Expect secret divorces, marriages, pregnancies, fights, a song or two and a badly cooked dinner—the usual. Playing at Regal Seminole Square Cinema 4
