QUICK FLICKS

OPENING

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)

Noelle (not reviewed)

A cold, impatient Catholic priest (David Wall) arrives in a tiny fishing village just before Christmas to shut down the dying parish. But things take a turn when he becomes entangled in the lives of the village's eccentric characters. 90 minutes (PG; fighting)

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.

I'm Not There **

See Still in Town. 135 minutes (PG; profanity, sexuality and nudity)

Show times: 7:30 today, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

Miracle on 34th Street

A man claiming to be Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) gets a job playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must prove he really is the jolly old elf. 96 minutes. (G)

Show times: 3 p.m. Sunday

STILL IN TOWN

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)

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)

August Rush

1/2

A musical prodigy (Freddie Highmore) uses his talent (and help from a stranger played by Robin Williams) to search for his parents (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), who he's never met. 112 minutes (PG; mild violence and profanity)

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)

Bella (not reviewed)

An ex-professional soccer player (Eduardo Verastegui) goes to work in a restaurant and finds himself drawn to a waitress (Tammy Blanchard), who recently learned she is pregnant. 100 minutes (PG-13; disturbing images)

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)

The Bourne Ultimatum ***½

Amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) gets closer to answering some burning questions about his murky past in this third installment of the series based on Robert Ludlum's novels. Despite the requisite car chases and fistfights, this is the rare action movie with a brain. 110 minutes. (PG-13; violence and intense action)

The Brave One **½

Jodie Foster channels Travis Bickle in this vigilante story of a woman who goes on a killing spree after thugs attack and kill her fiance (Naveen Andrews of "Lost"). 108 minutes (R violence, profanity, sexuality)

The Comebacks (not reviewed)

A comedy that spoofs the best inspirational sports movies including "Rocky," "Remember the Titans," and "Field of Dreams." 84 minutes (PG-13; sexual content, some drug use)

Dan in Real Life **

A widowed advice columnist (Steve Carell), struggling to raise his three daughters, complicates his life by falling for a woman (Juliette Binoche) who turns out to be his brother's girlfriend. 95 minutes (PG-13; innuendo)

The Darjeeling Limited **

Three disgruntled brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman) set off on a train trip across India to find themselves, renew their bond and make peace with their self-involved parents. 91 minutes (R; profanity)

Death at a Funeral **

Matthew Macfadyen ("Pride & Prejudice") tries to keep his sanity when chaos reigns and secrets are threatened to be revealed at his father's funeral. Frank Oz directs this British farce. 90 minutes (R; profanity, drug content)

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 Game Plan **

The Rock stars as a quarterback living the bachelor lifestyle until he discovers he has a 7-year-old daughter from a one-night stand. 110 minutes (PG)

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)

The Heartbreak Kid **

Days into his honeymoon, a man (Ben Stiller) discovers his new bride is a nightmare and begins wooing another - the girl of his dreams. 115 minutes (R; strong sexual content, crude humor, profanity and drug use)

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'm Not There **

Unconventional biopic of Bob Dylan in which six different actors - including Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere - play characters based on the legendary singer. 135 minutes (PG; 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 Kingdom **½

A team of FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper) travel to Saudi Arabia to determine who was behind a massive, deadly bombing at an American oil-company compound in Riyadh. 110 minutes (R; intense sequences of graphic brutal violence and profanity)

Lions for Lambs **½

Three perspectives on America's war effort in Afghanistan and Iraq converge in this dialogue-heavy film starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who also directed. 90 minutes (R; war violence and profanity)

Love In The Time of Cholera *½

Based on the Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez's novel, a man bides his time for years while awaiting the day he can finally be with the woman he loves. 138 minutes (R; sexual content, nudity and brief profanity)

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)

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)

Mr. Woodcock (not reviewed)

A self-help author (Seann William Scott) returns to his hometown to find his mom has fallen for his arch enemy - a junior high school gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) who tormented him mercilessly. 87 minutes. (PG-13; crude humor, sexual content, profanity, drug references)

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)

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)

No Reservations **½

Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a hotshot New York chef, has her carefully scheduled life thrown into disarray when a young niece, played by Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), comes to stay. Things only go more askew when Kate falls for a hunky sous chef, played by Aaron Eckhart. 103 minutes. (PG; sexuality and profanity)

Ratatouille ***

A young rat with culinary aspirations and a cook desperate to keep his job team up to create the best ratatouille in Paris in this animated family film by Disney Pixar. Cast of voices includes Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Peter O'Toole and Janeane Garofalo. 110 minutes. (G)

Saw IV (not reviewed)

Demented killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) returns to inflict more pain and also target the last police officer to touch his case, SWAT commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent). 108 minutes (R; grisly violence, torture and profanity)

Superbad ***

A raucous comedy that follows one night in the lives of two co-dependent high school seniors (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) trying to score beer and girls before going their separate ways and onto college. 92 minutes. (R; profanity, drug use)

Things We Lost in the Fire ***

A recent widow (Halle Berry) invites her husband's troubled friend (Benicio Del Toro) to live with her and her two children. As he turns his life around, he helps them cope with and confront their loss. 113 minutes (R; drug content and profanity)

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)

3:10 to Yuma ***½

A rancher (Christian Bale) and an outlaw (Russell Crowe) form an unlikely alliance in this remake of the 1957 cult classic from director James Mangold ("Walk the Line"). 117 minutes (R; violence and profanity)

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)

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)

Why Did I Get Married? (not reviewed)

Big-screen adaptation of Tyler Perry's stage play about a marriage that's put to the test when a sexy young temptress enters the mix. 113 minutes (PG-13; mature themes, sexual references and profanity)

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