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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 10, 2008

OPENING TODAY

Hellboy II: The Golden Army ***

He's brash, crude, uncivilized and drinks beer in the shower. What do you expect from a demon from Hell? Good thing he's out to protect us from the boogie men and women (as well as the boogie-non-gender-specific). Stars Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, but the real star is director Guillermo del Toro and the effects team that creates a host of bizarre creatures. 110 minutes (PG-13; sci-fi action and violence, and some profanity)

Journey to the Center of the Earth **½

Brendan Fraser is a scientist (!) who discovers a lost world inside the Earth while searching for his missing brother. This is a remake of the 1959 classic starring Pat Boone and James Mason. It's also in 3D. 92 minutes. (PG; intense adventure action and some scary moments)

Meet Dave (not reviewed)

Eddie Murphy stars as an alien spaceship. That is, an alien spaceship that looks like a normal human being with a crew of microscopic beings. You can read this synopsis through again, but it won't make any more sense. 90 minutes (PG; bawdy and suggestive humor, action and some profanity)

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.

Roman de Gare (not reviewed)

Multiple characters and an ever-shifting timeline keeps viewers on their toes during this thriller about an author (Fanny Ardant) seeking inspiration for her next novel from a serial killer who recently escaped from a nearby prison. In French with English subtitles. 103 minutes. (R; brief language and sexuality)

Show times: 7:30 p.m. today; 2:30, 5, 7:30, and 9:45 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday

Ninotchka (not reviewed)

It's rumored that Greta Garbo actually cracks a smile - OK, she may even laugh - in this film about a stern Russian woman sent to Paris on official business who finds herself attracted to a man (Melvyn Douglas) who represents everything she is supposed to detest.

Show time: Sunday at 3 p.m.; admission is $8

STILL IN TOWN

Baby Mama **½

Tina Fey stars as a successful single woman unable to conceive a child who pins her maternal hopes on working-class surrogate (Amy Poehler) who is more child than adult. 96 minutes (PG-13; crude and sexual humor, profanity and drug references)

College Road Trip (not reviewed)

When an overachieving high school student (Raven-Symone) decides to travel around the country to check out colleges, her overprotective police officer dad (Martin Lawrence) decides to tag along. 83 minutes (G)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian ***

The adventure continues when the Pevensie children return to Narnia, find it in ruins and are compelled to ward off an evil king and restore the rightful heir, Prince Caspian, to the throne. 140 minutes (PG; battle action, violence)

Dinosaurs Alive! (not reviewed)

Audiences get to tag along on a dinosaur hunt with two paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History as they search for fossils in renowned dinosaur hotbeds. Opening in conjunction with "Dinosaurs! The Exhibition" at Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry. 40 minutes (Not rated)

88 Minutes *½

Al Pacino portrays Jack Gramm, a college professor and FBI forensic psychiatrist who receives a death threat saying he only as 88 minutes to live. He must use his training to narrow a list of suspects that includes a disgruntled student, a jilted ex-lover and a serial killer on death row. 108 minutes (R; violence, nudity and profanity)

The Foot Fist Way **

Made on the cheap in just 19 days, this comedy tells the story of an inept, self-involved martial arts instructor (Danny McBride) trying to rebuild his life by fighting anyone who challenges him. 87 minutes (R; profanity and sexual content)

The Forbidden Kingdom **½

Based on a Chinese fable, a teenager discovers a unique weapon in a pawn shop and is transported back in time to ancient China, where he joins a crew of warriors fighting to free the imprisoned Monkey King. Stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li. 113 minutes (PG-13; martial arts action and violence)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall ***

After a devastating breakup with his TV star girlfriend, Peter (Jason Segel) heads to Hawaii on vacation only to find his ex (Kristen Bell) and her new boyfriend staying at the same resort. 112 minutes (R; sexual content, profanity and graphic nudity)

Get Smart *½

Steve Carell ("The Office") steps into the telephonic shoes of bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart who, with vivacious super-spy partner Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), attempts to thwart a nuclear plot by crime syndicate KAOS. 110 minutes (PG-13; rude humor, action violence and profanity)

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk (not reviewed)

Robert Redford narrates this IMAX movie that takes audiences on a river-rafting adventure down the Colorado River with a team of explorers committed to bringing awareness to global water issues. 40 minutes (not rated)

Hancock **

Will Smith plays Hancock, a hard-living superhero who's fallen from favor with the people he's supposed to help. Also stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman. 92 minutes. (PG-13; some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and language)

The Happening **

Director M. Night Shyamalan tries breathing life back into his career with this frightening tale of a schoolteacher (Mark Wahlberg) and his family on the run for their lives as the world descends into chaos and self-destruction. How's that for vague? 91 minutes (R; violent and disturbing images)

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay **

Picking up where the last movie left off, the pot-smoking duo (John Cho, Kal Penn) find themselves labeled as terrorists and on the run when they try to sneak a bong onto a flight to Amsterdam. 102 minutes (R; crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, profanity, drug use)

The Incredible Hulk **½

Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner in the latest retelling of the big green guy's life on the run, separation from his girlfriend (Liv Tyler) and the dangers of getting angry. Oscar winner William Hurt portrays Hulk's nemesis, Gen. Ross, part of the military machinery that wants to capture and exploit his power. 114 minutes (PG-13: intense action violence, frightening sci-fi images, brief suggestive content)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull **½

Harrison Ford returns to the screen as our favorite archeologist in this predictable but enjoyable romp about a Soviet plot to harness the power of a mystical crystal skull. Along the way Indy runs into a Communist vixen (Cate Blanchett), a lost love (Karen Allen) and a biker with an attitude (Shia LeBeouf). 126 minutes (PG-13; violence and scary images)

Iron Man ***½

Wealthy industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, and he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil. Also stars Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow. 126 minutes (PG-13; sci-fi action and violence, suggestive content)

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl **½

Aspiring reporter Kit Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) finds adventure and struggle during the Great Depression in this film inspired by American Girl books and dolls. Also starring Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormond and Stanley Tucci. 100 minutes. (G)

Kung Fu Panda ***

Improbably chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, an ungainly panda (voiced by Jack Black) trains to join an elite group of martial artists in this animated family comedy. 91 minutes (PG; martial arts action)

The Love Guru *½

Mike Myers tackles yet another accent in this film as Pitka, a self-help guru who tries to help the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup by reuniting the team's star player with his estranged wife. 88 minutes (PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity, comic violence and drug references)

Made of Honor *½

Patrick Dempsey leaps back to the big screen in this predictable comedy about a man who realizes too late that he's in love with his best friend (Michelle Monaghan), who's just announced her engagement to another man. 101 minutes (PG-13; sexual content and profanity)

Mongol (not reviewed)

Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, this action-adventure movie recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world, including Russia, in 1206. In Mongolian with English subtitles. 126 minutes (R; sequences of bloody warfare)

Nim's Island **½

Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives on a remote island with her scientist dad (Gerard Butler), having adventures similar to books by her favorite recluse author and e-mail buddy (Jodie Foster), who finds her way to paradise when the young girl's dad goes missing. 96 minutes (PG; mild adventure action and profanity)

Sex and the City **½

The continuing adventures of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha from the popular HBO series hit the big screen, picking up four years from where the series ended and may - or may not - include a wedding. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall and Christopher Noth. 148 minutes (R; strong sexual content, graphic nudity and profanity)

Speed Racer *

Day-glo, live-action version of the cheesy '60s Japanese anime series stars Emile Hirsch as Speed, the young hotshot of the Racer family, who gets behind the wheel to take on a corrupt corporate honcho ruining auto racing. Also stars Matthew Fox as Racer X and Christina Ricci as Racer's girlfriend, Trixie. 135 minutes (PG-13; action, violence, profanity, brief smoking)

The Strangers (not reviewed)

A romantic evening goes horribly awry when a couple (Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman) returning home from a wedding is terrorized by three mysterious strangers. 90 minutes (R; violence/terror, profanity)

WALL-E ***½

After more than 100 years doing its lonely work of garbage collecting on Earth, the robot WALL-E discovers his true purpose when a visitor prompts him to pursue adventure elsewhere in the galaxy. This sure-to-be Pixar/Disney classic includes the voices of Fred Willard and Jeff Garlin. 103 minutes (G)

Wanted ***

The life of a cube-dwelling slacker (James McAvoy) is changed when his estranged father is killed and he's recruited by an attractive assassin (Angelina Jolie) to avenge his death. 111 minutes (R; strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality)

What Happens in Vegas **

Two people (Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher) discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery, with one of them winning a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. While trying to undermine each other and get the dough, they fall in love. 99 minutes (PG-13; sexual and crude content, profanity, drug references)

You Don't Mess With the Zohan **

Adam Sandler stars as an Israeli commando who fakes his own death to follow his dream of becoming a hairdresser in New York. Silly and often juvenile, but its heart is in the right place. 113 minutes. (PG-13; crude and sexual content, profanity, nudity)

Young@Heart (not reviewed)

Documentary about a senior citizens chorus that covers songs by bands such as The Clash and Coldplay. What ultimately emerges is a funny and moving testament to the simple things these seniors value: old friendships, new challenges and a little time in the spotlight. 108 minutes (PG; mild profanity)

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

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