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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 27, 2007

Updated: 12/26/2007 06:11 pm

OPENING

Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (not reviewed)

A small Colorado town and its residents are caught in the middle of an epic battle between the two iconic alien races. 86 minutes (R; violence, gore and profanity)

The Great Debaters **½

Starring Denzel Washington, this drama is based on the true story of the Wiley College debate team of 1935 that went on to challenge Harvard University in the national championship. 124 minutes (PG-13; violence, disturbing imagery, vulgarity, brief sexuality)

Juno ***

We can only hope Jamie Lynn Spears has her act half as together as Juno (Ellen Page), a pregnant teenager who faces tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately finds her way. 91 minutes (PG-13; mature themes, sexual content, profanity)

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep ***

A touching adventure about a Scottish boy who finds an enchanted egg that hatches into a mythical water horse, a k a the Loch Ness Monster. 101 minutes (PG; violence)

TAMPA THEATRE

A historic film house at 711 Franklin St. in downtown Tampa; (813) 274-8981. Tickets for regular screenings: $9 adults, $8 students with ID, $7 seniors age 55 and older, military and children 12 and younger. Weekend matinees: $7. Admission includes pre-show Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ mini-concert.

The Rape of Europa

Joan Allen narrates this epic chronicle of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction and miraculous survival of Europe's art treasures during the Third Reich and the Second World War. 117 minutes (not rated)

Show times: 7:30 p.m. today, 2:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The theater's Holiday Classics series culminates with the popular 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis' beloved story of four British children who - with the help of a mystical lion - fight to free a fantasy world from the clutches of an evil witch. (PG; battle sequences and frightening scenes)

Show times: 3 p.m. Sunday

STILL IN TOWN

Across the Universe **½

Inspired by the music of the Beatles, director Julie Taymor's sprawling musical starring Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess is visually imaginative but frequently plays like a bad night at a karaoke bar. 134 minutes (PG-13; drug content, nudity, sexuality and violence)

The Alps (not reviewed)

A mountain climber attempts to scale the Swiss mountain where his father died in this adventure-documentary, filmed in glorious Imax. 45 minutes. (Not rated)

Alvin and the Chipmunks (not reviewed)

In this CGI/live action comedy, three homeless chipmunk brothers with helium voices find refuge in the home of a struggling songwriter (Jason Lee). 90 minutes (PG; for mild rude humor)

American Gangster ***

Two of Hollywood's biggest stars go head-to-head in this tale about a New York cop (Russell Crowe) on the trail of a Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) in the 1970s. 157 minutes (R; violence, pervasive drug content and profanity, nudity and sexuality)

Awake (not reviewed)

A psychological thriller, starring Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba, about "anesthetic awareness," a horrifying phenomenon where failed anesthesia leaves a patient fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. 84 minutes (R; profanity, disturbing situations and drug use)

Bee Movie **

Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger provide voices in this animated tale about a busy bee who sets off to sue the human race for stealing honey. 90 minutes (PG; mild suggestive humor)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead **

Family dysfunction hits a new low when siblings (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) decide to rob the family jewelry store. 123 minutes (R; graphic sexuality, nudity, violence, drug use and profanity)

Beowulf **½

Using motion-capture animation, director Robert Zemeckis tells the tale of the young warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone), who slays the monster Grendel. But then the hero must face a deadlier foe: Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie), who seeks vengeance for the loss of her son. 113 minutes (PG-13; intense violence, disturbing images, sexual material and nudity)

Charlie Wilson's War ***

Starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman, this movie is the "true" story of how Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson persuaded the CIA to arm resistance fighters in Afghanistan to fend off the Soviet Union. 97 minutes (R; profanity, nudity, sexual content and drug use)

Deep Sea 3D (not reviewed)

This 3-D exploration of the ocean's depths is filmed in Imax and narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. 41 minutes. (Not rated)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age *½

Cate Blanchett reprises her regal role as Queen Elizabeth I for this lavish mixture of historical fact, romance-novel melodrama and ornate costumery. 115 minutes (PG-13; violence, sexuality and nudity)

Enchanted ***

Disney pokes fun at itself in this twisted fairy tale about a cartoon princess (Amy Adams) banished to a live-action New York City where she finds her prince charming (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce lawyer. 107 minutes (PG; scary images and mild innuendo)

Fred Claus *½

Christmas is in jeopardy when Santa (Paul Giamatti) gives his black-sheep brother (Vince Vaughn) a chance at redemption in the North Pole toy shop. 116 minutes. (PG; mild profanity and rude humor)

The Golden Compass *½

A 12-year-old girl (newcomer Dakota Blue Richards) tries to rescue a kidnapped friend and winds up on an epic quest to save her world. The movie also stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. 114 minutes (PG-13; sequences of fantasy violence)

Gone Baby Gone ****

Two Boston private investigators get drawn into a complex child kidnapping case in actor Ben Affleck's directorial debut. 114 minutes (R; violence, drug content, profanity)

Hairspray **½

John Travolta (in drag) and newcomer Nikki Blonsky star in the latest adaptation of a 1988 movie that went on to become a Broadway hit. Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, a pleasantly plump teen who challenges stereotypes when she is chosen to dance on a popular 1960's television show. Christopher Walken, Zack Efron, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer and Brittany Snow also star. 107 minutes. (PG; profanity, suggestive content and teen smoking)

Hitman (not reviewed)

Based on a popular video game, Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) is an assassin who carries out high-profile hits for a group called The Agency. 100 minutes (R; graphic violence, profanity, sexuality and nudity)

I Am Legend **½

A scientist (Will Smith) has his hands full battling carnivorous mutants in an eerily empty New York City while trying to reverse the effects of the virus that wiped out mankind. 100 minutes (PG-13; intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence)

In the Valley of Elah **½

Vietnam vet Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) joins forces with a police detective (Charlize Theron) to discover what happened to his son, a soldier who goes AWOL after returning from Iraq and is later found dead. 120 minutes (R; violent and disturbing content, profanity, sexuality and nudity)

Into the Wild ***½

Actor Sean Penn wrote and directed this film about the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man who leaves his middle class existence for an adventure in Alaskan wilderness. 150 minutes (R; profanity and nudity)

The Kite Runner **½

Based on a best-selling novel, this story of fathers, sons, friendship and betrayal is set against the backdrop of the last days of Afghanistan's monarchy and the atrocities of the Taliban reign. 122 minutes (PG-13; adult themes, violence and profanity)

Margot at the Wedding **

Sibling rivalry hits a fever pitch in this tale about razor-tongued Margot (Nicole Kidman) wreaking havoc at her unassuming sister's wedding. 97 minutes (R; sexual content and profanity)

The Mist ***

Thomas Jane ("The Punisher") stars in this thriller about residents trying to fend off monsters that hide in a fog that engulfs their town. Marcia Gay Harden also stars. 127 minutes (R; violence, terror, gore and profanity)

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium *½

The 243-year-old owner (Dustin Hoffman) of a strange, yet wonderful toy store enlists the help of an eager young manger (Natalie Portman) to keep his Emporium going. 93 minutes (G)

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (not reviewed)

The DNA of a 3,000-year-old mummy may help researchers gain insight into human genetics and new medical treatments. 40 minutes (not rated)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets *½

Nicolas Cage returns as archaeologist Ben Gates, who goes on a search for the missing pages of John Wilkes Booth's diary after his family is linked to the assassination of President Lincoln. 124 minutes (PG; some violence and action)

No Country for Old Men ****

A man (Josh Brolin) stumbles across a drug deal gone bad, takes $2 million and sets off a violent chain reaction that includes a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) and a psychopathic bounty hunter (Javier Bardem). Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen ("Fargo"), based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. 122 minutes (R; graphic violence and profanity)

The Perfect Holiday (not reviewed)

Romance blossoms when a girl asks a department store Santa Claus (Morris Chesnut) to pay her lonely single mother (Gabrielle Union) a compliment. 96 minutes (PG; brief profanity, suggestive humor)

P.S. I Love You *½

Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler star in this holiday weeper about a widow who learns her late husband has left her a list of tasks intended to ease her grief and help her start a new life. 126 minutes (PG; sexual references and brief nudity)

Rush Hour 3 *½

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan return to cash big, fat paychecks in the unnecessary third installment of this buddy-cop franchise. 91 minutes. (PG-13; action violence, sexual content, nudity and profanity)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ***

A musical thriller about an ex-convict (Johnny Depp) who seeks revenge by killing his barber shop customers and giving them to an accomplice (Helena Bonham Carter), who turns them into meat pies. 117 minutes (R; graphic bloody violence)

This Christmas (not reviewed)

The Whitfield family (Chris Brown and Loretta Devine, among others) brings a lot of baggage home when they gather for the holidays. 117 minutes (PG-13; comic sexual content and violence)

Underdog (not reviewed)

A laboratory mishap gives a beagle superpowers. Jason Lee ("My Name is Earl") voices the floppy-eared pooch who fights crime and sniffs butts. Kids and grownups are sure to find big laughs in this live-action Disney flick. 84 minutes. (PG; rude humor, mild profanity and action)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ***

In this comedic send-up of "Walk the Line," we're introduced to Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly), a hardscrabble musician who marries repeatedly, has more than 20 children, gets hooked and unhooked to drugs, becomes a national icon and eventually earns the love of a good woman (Jenna Fisher). 96 minutes (R; sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and profanity)

We Own the Night **

Joaquin Phoenix plays a black-sheep brother from a family of policemen who runs a nightspot from which Russians operate their drug business in 1980s New York. His cop-brother (Mark Wahlberg) and cop-dad (Robert Duvall) try to enlist him to spy on his clientele, forcing Phoenix's prodigal son to choose between crime and justice. 117 minutes (R; strong violence, drug material, profanity, sexual content and brief nudity)

Listing compiled from Tribune wires and staff reports; Associated Press critics' ratings are out of four stars.

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