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Published: February 28, 2008
OPENING
Bonneville (not reviewed)
Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, a '66 Bonneville and the U.S. countryside star in this road-trip film about a widow taking her husband's ashes to his resentful daughter. 104 minutes (PG; profanity and innuendo)
Diary of the Dead **½
Director George Romero continues to indulge his love of the undead with this story about a group of film students who, while shooting a horror movie (ooh, how meta!), discover real zombies in the woods. 95 minutes (R; violence, gore and profanity)
In Bruges **½
Two hit men (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason) are ordered to cool their heels in a quaint Flemish city after a particularly difficult assignment in London. 107 minutes (R; bloody violence, profanity and drug use)
Penelope ***½
Christina Ricci and James McAvoy star in this modern romantic tale about a woman born under a curse - a pig nose - that can only be broken when she finds true love. See Review, Page 6. 91 minutes (PG; innuendo and profanity)
Semi-Pro **
Will Ferrell takes on yet another pro sport in this film about a one-hit wonder who buys a semi-professional basketball team and tries to turn a group of losers into winners so they can make the leap to the NBA. Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett and Andre Benjamin also star. (Reviewed by Kevin Walker.) See Review, Page 4. 91 minutes (R; crude humor, profanity)
The Other Boleyn Girl **
It's a royal cat fight when two sisters (Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman) compete for the love of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Review, Page 6. 114 minutes (PG-13; mature themes, sexual content and 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.
Starting Out in the Evening (not reviewed)
A graduate student (Lauren Ambrose) convinces a once-celebrated author (Frank Langella) that her thesis on him will put him back in the literary spotlight. 111 minutes (PG-13; brief nudity, sexual content and profanity)
Show times: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Monday through Wednesday
Making Trouble (not reviewed)
Documentary about six legendary Jewish women comics kicks off the 12th annual Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival.
Show times: 7 p.m. Thursday
STILL IN TOWN
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)
Atonement ***½
A girl changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he didn't commit. Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Vanessa Redgrave, Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai star in this sweeping, historical romance. 123 minutes (R; disturbing war images, profanity, sexuality)
Be Kind Rewind **
A man (Jack Black) tries to re-create several famous movies when a plan to sabotage a power plant goes awry and he ends up erasing all the tapes in his friend's (Mos Def) video store. 101 minutes (PG-13; sexual references)
The Bucket List **½
Aphoristic life lessons abound in this contrived but enjoyable film about two terminal cancer patients (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who become unlikely buddies and set out to complete a list of things to do before they die. 97 minutes (PG-13; profanity, sexual references)
Charlie Bartlett ***
A rich kid in a private school attempts to figure out the social hierarchy by acting as a psychiatrist to his misfit classmates - including handing out mood stabilizers from his personal shrink sessions. 97 minutes (R; profanity, drug content 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)
Cloverfield (not reviewed)
An attack on New York City - possibly by a monster - is seen through the video camera of small group of terrified party-goers who just hope to survive the night. 84 minutes (PG-13; violence, terror and disturbing images)
Definitely, Maybe ***
A thirtysomething Manhattan dad (Ryan Reynolds) tries to explain his impending divorce and other past relationships to his precocious 10-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin). 111 minutes (PG-13; sexual content, profanity and smoking)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (not reviewed)
Nominated for four Academy Awards, this movie tells the true story of a magazine editor (Mathieu Amalric) who suffered a stroke that left him completely paralyzed, except for one eye. In French with English subtitles. 112 minutes (PG-13; nudity, sexual content and profanity)
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)
The Eye (not reviewed)
A concert violinist (Jessica Alba), who has been blind since childhood, receives a cornea transplant and is immediately terrorized by frightening images that cause her to seek more information about the donor. 97 minutes (PG-13; violence, terror and disturbing content)
First Sunday (not reviewed)
Two bumbling petty criminals (Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan) decide to burglarize a church, but end up spending the night with the Lord and getting more than they bargained for. It's a comedy, allegedly. 96 minutes (PG-13; profanity, sexual humor and drug references)
Fool's Gold *
Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star in this romantic adventure about a divorced couple who rekindle their relationship while searching for lost treasure they've obsessed over for years. 113 minutes (PG-13; action violence, sexuality, brief nudity and profanity)
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)
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert **½
If you couldn't get tickets to the sold-out tour, here's another chance to make good with your kid. The singer and actress performs as herself and character Hannah Montana in this 3-D movie filmed at several venues across the country. 100 minutes (G)
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)
Jumper **
Hayden Christensen stars as a man whose amazing ability to teleport anywhere in the world turns out to be the source of a longtime war between other "jumpers" and those sworn to kill them. Also stars Samuel L. Jackson and Rachel Bilson. 92 minutes (PG-13; intense action violence, profanity and 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 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)
Meet the Spartans (not reviewed)
From the same folks that brought the world "Date Movie" and "Scary Movie" comes a tongue-in-cheek parody of sword-and-sandal epics, featuring Kevin Sorbo and Carmen Electra. 84 minutes (PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity and comic violence)
Michael Clayton ***
George Clooney shows range as a "fixer" at a prestigious New York law firm who copes with mounting professional and personal complications in this smart, cynical thriller. 118 minutes (R; profanity and sexual dialogue)
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)
Persepolis ***½
The story of an outspoken Iranian girl who finds her attitude and outlook on life repeatedly challenged during the Islamic revolution. 95 minutes (PG-13; mature themes, violence, sexual references, profanity and drug content)
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie (not reviewed)
An artifact drags three vegetable friends back to the 17th century where they become unlikely heroes in a battle to rescue a royal family from an evil tyrant - and themselves from living the life of common couch potatoes. 85 minutes (G)
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)
Rambo (not reviewed)
In Thailand, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) assembles a group of mercenaries and leads them to a Burmese village where a group of Christian aid workers allegedly went missing. 93 minutes (R; graphic, bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images and profanity)
Roving Mars (not reviewed)
Imax documentary follows NASA's 2003 Mars rover mission, including footage from the surface of the red planet that takes viewers to another world. 40 minutes (Not rated)
The Savages ***½
Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman co-star in this biting and poignant portrait of siblings caring for the ailing father (Philip Bosco) who abandoned them in childhood. 113 minutes (R; profanity, sexuality)
The Spiderwick Chronicles **
The Grace family (Mary-Louise Parker, Sarah Bolger and Freddie Highmore as twins) inherits a dilapidated estate, where they find themselves pulled into an otherworldly adventure. 96 minutes (PG; violence, peril and scary creatures)
Step Up 2 the Streets (not reviewed)
A rebellious street dancer (Briana Evigan) tries to find her place at a prestigious arts school by forming an eclectic dance crew to compete in an underground dance battle in Baltimore. 95 minutes (PG-13; profanity, suggestive material and brief violence)
Strange Wilderness (not reviewed)
A pair of animal enthusiasts (Steve Zahn and Allen Covert) set themselves up for disaster when they head to the Andes in search of Bigfoot in a desperate attempt to boost the ratings of their failing television series. 87 minutes (R; profanity, drug use, crude and sexual humor)
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)
There Will Be Blood ***½
Daniel Day-Lewis snagged the Golden Globe for best actor this week for his portrayal of a prospector-turned-oil king in this epic tale about family, greed and faith. From director Paul Thomas Anderson. 158 minutes (R; violence, profanity, adult themes)
27 Dresses *½
A woman (Katherine Heigl) wrestles with her always-a-bridesmaid life when her sister announces she's marrying a man (James Marsden) with whom she's secretly in love. 107 minutes (PG-13; profanity, innuendo and sexuality)
Untraceable *½
An FBI agent (Diane Lane) is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. As time clicks down, the cat-and-mouse game gets personal. 110 minutes (R; gruesome violence and profanity)
U2 3D ***
As if Bono's head could get any bigger, now he's on IMAX and in 3-D in a film that follows the boys from Ireland on their "Vertigo" tour through South America and Mexico. 85 minutes (G; profanity, sexual candor)
Vantage Point *½
What really happened during an assassination attempt on the U.S. president is hard to determine when eyewitness accounts of the incident differ greatly. Stars Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver and Forest Whitaker. 90 minutes (PG-13; intense violence and action, disturbing images and profanity)
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins *½
This crisis-of-conscience comedy focuses on an outrageous talk show host (Martin Lawrence) who begins to question his life when he goes home to attend his parents' 50th wedding anniversary - bringing along his reality TV diva fiancee. 114 minutes (PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity and drug references)
Witless Protection (not reviewed)
Larry the Cable Guy stars in another comic misadventure as a small-town sheriff who unwittingly gets involved in a high-profile FBI case. Jenny McCarthy co-stars. 97 minutes (PG-13; crude and sex-related humor)
Listing compiled from Tribune wires and staff reports; Associated Press critics' ratings are out of four stars.
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