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Published: May 8, 2008
OPENING
Redbelt **
Playwright David Mamet wrote and directed this story about a mixed-martial arts instructor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who refuses to participate in prize bouts, until circumstances force him to consider entering such a competition. Review, Page 6. 99 minutes (R; strong 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. Review, Page 4. 135 minutes (PG-13; action, violence, profanity, brief smoking)
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. Review, Page 6. 99 minutes (PG-13; sexual and crude content, profanity, drug references)
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)
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 Visitor ***
A lonesome widower (Richard Jenkins) finds his mundane existence shaken when he befriends a pair of illegal immigrants who've taken up residence in his apartment while he was out of town. 108 minutes (PG-13; brief strong profanity)
Show times: 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. today; 3, 5:15, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday; 3, 5:15 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
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)
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)
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)
Deception *½
A mundane accounting consultant (Ewan McGregor) is introduced to a mysterious sex club by charismatic, womanizing lawyer (Hugh Jackman) and soon finds himself a suspect in a murder and a multimillion-dollar heist. 108 minutes (R; sexual content, profanity, violence and drug use)
Drillbit Taylor **
Three boys tired of being picked on by the school bully seek protection by placing an ad for a bodyguard in Soldier of Fortune magazine. A homeless guy (Owen Wilson) answers the call, and hilarity in the vein of Judd Apatow (this film's producer), ensues. 102 minutes (PG-13; crude sexual references, bullying, profanity, partial nudity and drug references)
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who **½
From the beloved children's book, Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey) hears a cry for help coming from a speck of dust and is determined to help the people - no matter how small. Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler also are featured voices. 88 minutes (G)
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)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (not reviewed)
In this documentary, Ben Stein (best known as the teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off") goes toe-to-toe with Darwin's biggest fans in an attempt to expose the prejudice against those who believe in God's role in creation. 112 minutes (PG; disturbing images and smoking)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Leatherheads **
Oscar winners George Clooney and Renee Zellweger trade quick banter in this lightweight romantic comedy about a struggling football team in the 1920s that drafts a war hero and college standout (John Krasinski) who may not be all he's cracked up to be. 114 minutes (PG-13; profanity)
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)
Married Life (not reviewed)
A twisted tale set in the 1940s about an adulterous man (Chris Cooper) plotting his wife's death instead of putting her through the humiliation of a divorce. Also stars Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams and Patricia Clarkson. 90 minutes (PG-13; sexuality)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day **½
A frothy comedy about a spinster ex-governess (Frances McDormand) who helps an effervescent actress-singer (Amy Adams) juggle her three beaus in pre-World War II London. 93 minutes (PG-13; partial nudity and innuendo)
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)
Never Back Down (not reviewed)
Attempting to fit in at a new high school, Jake (Sean Faris) is drawn into an underground fight club where he finds a mentor - a mixed martial arts veteran (Djimon Hounsou). 106 minutes (PG-13; mature themes, intense violence, sexuality and profanity)
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)
Prom Night (not reviewed)
This remake of a 1980 thriller stars former Tampa resident Brittany Snow as a young woman whose prom is made memorable when a horrible secret from her past comes back to haunt her in the form of a sadistic, vengeful killer. 88 minutes (PG-13; violence and terror, sexual material, underage drinking 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)
Shine a Light **½
Director Martin Scorsese turns his lens toward the legendary Rolling Stones for a documentary focusing on two concerts at New York's Beacon Theater from the band's 2006 "A Bigger Bang" tour. The film also includes historical and behind-the scenes footage and interviews. 122 minutes (PG-13; profanity, drug references and smoking)
Shutter (not reviewed)
After a photographer (Joshua Jackson) and his girlfriend (Rachael Taylor) are involved in a tragic auto accident, they begin to notice ghostly figures in the backgrounds of their photos. Creepy, huh? 85 minutes (PG-13; terror, disturbing images, sexual content and profanity)
Smart People **½
A brilliant professor (Dennis Quaid), who has difficulty navigating the ups and downs of life, is flummoxed when his freeloader brother (Thomas Haden Church) moves in; he finds himself attracted to a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker); and he's challenged by his acid-tongued daughter (Ellen Page). 90 minutes (R; profanity, drug use and 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)
Street Kings *½
A veteran L.A. police officer (Keanu Reeves), still grieving the loss of his wife, is forced to defend himself against the "cop culture" when he's accused of killing a fellow officer. Also stars Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. 107 minutes (R; strong violence and profanity)
Superhero Movie (not reviewed)
A man (Drake Bell) bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly becomes the world's newest and likely most inept crime-fighter in this sendup of superhero movies. Also stars Leslie Nielsen, Tracy Morgan and Sara Paxton. 85 minutes (PG-13; crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and profanity)
10,000 B.C. (not reviewed)
A young mammoth hunter (Steven Strait) leads an army across a vast desert, battles saber-toothed tigers and prehistoric predators and unearths a lost civilization in his quest to rescue the woman he loves (Camilla Belle) from a warlord. 109 minutes (PG-13; intense action and violence)
21 **
A fact-based tale about a professor (Kevin Spacey) who takes a group of card-counting MIT students to Las Vegas to break the bank, but they run into trouble when a Sin City security chief (Laurence Fishburne) catches on to their blackjack scam. 123 minutes (PG-13; violence, sexual content, partial nudity)
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (not reviewed)
A woman (Angela Bassett) who has never met her father, packs up her kids and heads to Georgia for his funeral where she meets her new family - the crass, fun-loving Browns. And yes, Tyler Perry appears as Madea. 100 minutes (PG-13; drug content, profanity, sexual references, mature themes and brief violence
Under the Same Moon (not reviewed)
A poignant tale about the journey of a 9-year-old Mexican boy (Adrian Alonso) who crosses the U.S.-Mexico border in an attempt to find his mother (Kate Del Castillo), who left him with his grandmother years ago to find a way to provide for him in America. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. 109 minutes (PG-13)
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)
Listing compiled from Tribune wires and staff reports; Associated Press critics' ratings are out of four stars.
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