Movies playing in town
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG, 140 minutes) The Pevensie kids return to the magical land of Narnia, only to find that 1,000 years have passed since their last visit, leaving Narnia a far different place than it was before. Wouldn’t you know it, an evil general has taken over the land and it’s up to our pubescent crew to restore the true heir, tousle-haired hunk Prince Caspian (Stardust’s Ben Barnes), to the throne. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R, 111 minutes) Up-and-comer Jason Segel (Knocked Up, “How I Met Your Mother”) pens and stars in this latest anti-romantic comedy addition to the increasingly large Judd Apatow canon. Segel plays a sad sack musician whose TV star girlfriend (TV star Kristen Bell) breaks up with him. In an attempt to get over it, he jets off to a resort in Hawaii, only to run smack dab into the ex and her new, clueless rock star boyfriend. There’s a fair amount of raunch here, but a decent amount of sentiment as well, placing it well above Drillbit Taylor, but slightly below Superbad. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Get Smart (PG-13, 110 minutes) The old TV show remakes just keep coming. Here, Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway take over as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, one bumbling, one sexy secret agent who must join forces to stop the evil organization KAOS from destroying the world. The film does have fun resurrecting a lot of the original jokes and props–although how many people actually remember them is a legitimate question. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Hancock (PG-13, 92 minutes) Will Smith stars as the world’s only superhero. Unfortunately, his random acts of heroism, resulting in lots of collateral damage, mean he’s extremely unpopular. Drunk, bitter and mostly invulnerable, our hero tries to turn his life around after saving a public relations man (Jason Bateman) with a plan. Action, drama and a little comedy combine in this rather original take on comic book mythology. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
The Happening (R, 91 minutes) For better or worse, M. Night Shyamalan (The Village, Lady in the Water and, so long ago, The Sixth Sense) is back with an R-rated environmental horror film. Mark Wahlberg is the head of a family who tries to survive a bizarre global crisis, which has all of humanity going nuts and committing mass suicide. At least the script is more of a straightforward thriller, far less twisty than Shyamalan’s gimmicky previous works. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (PG-13, runtime TBA) Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his evil-smashing cohorts are back. This time, the mythical world of elves and fairies is considering a rebellion against humanity in a bid to rule the Earth. Guess it’s up to one reformed demon, a pyrokinetic and a fishman to save the day. Thankfully, writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) is back in charge of this fantasy-heavy comic book adaptation. Opening Friday
The Incredible Hulk (PG-13, 114 minutes) Forget that last angst-filled Ang Lee outing. The green goliath gets a reboot with lots more action and Edward Norton in the lead role. This version combines the original comic book with the old TV series, casting Dr. Banner as a wandering outcast hunted by the government—that is until they need him to help rid New York City of mad Russian mercenary-turned-monster The Abomination (Tim Roth, another fine casting choice). Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (PG-13, 120 minutes) It’s been a few years since the last adventure—for us as well as for Indy. It’s now the ’50s and our aging adventurer is called upon to engage in one last globe-hopping trek. Teaming up with a James Dean wannabe (Shia LaBeouf) and his ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy travels to South America to foil an evil Soviet plot. Seems the Russkies are trying to get their hands on a mysterious collection of ancient crystal skulls that might (possibly, maybe, who knows?) hold proof of extraterrestrial life. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Iron Man (PG-13, 126 minutes) Marvel Comics brings another superhero to life. Robert Downey Jr. headlines as billionaire playboy Tony Stark, a military industrialist who is kidnapped by Middle Eastern terrorists and forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident. Escaping his captors, he decides to use this new technology to fight evil as the invincible Iron Man. Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges help round out the cast. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (G, 91 minutes) The much-beloved history-centric doll line comes to life on the big screen, no doubt enchanting thousands of doll-mad 9-year-old girls. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) is our gal Kit, a plucky pre-teen living in her parents’ rooming house in Depression-era Cincinatti. Apparently, there’s a murder mystery. And a bunch of guest stars (Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, Chris O’Donnell, Stanley Tucci, Jane Krakowski). Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Kung Fu Panda (PG) Jack Black provides the voice for a CGI panda whose lazy ways must be reformed when his peaceful valley is invaded by the forces of evil. To help fulfill his destiny, our chubby, reluctant hero is trained by a group of animalistic martial arts masters (among them: Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and Dustin Hoffman). Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
The Love Guru (PG-13, 88 minutes) Mike Myers returns with a new character, a kooky American raised in India who returns to the United States to break into the lucrative self-help business. His first challenge is to settle the romantic troubles of a star hockey player and his estranged wife. …Um, didn’t Homer do the same thing on “The Simpsons” a few years back? Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
Meet Dave (PG, 90 minutes) Dave is a weird guy. Maybe it’s because he’s not a guy, but a man-sized (and man-shaped) spaceship piloted by a crew of miniature aliens who have been sent to Earth to study the human race. Eddie Murphy plays both the ship and it’s tiny captain, who threatens to sideline the mission by falling in love with a human (Elizabeth Banks). Opening Friday
Mongol (R, 120 minutes) From Kazakhstan comes this Academy Award-nominated epic recounting the early life of Mongolian prince Temudjin (Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano), who grew up to be a guy named Genghis Khan. The film moves at a sometimes rapid pace, hop-scotching almost 30 years in just over two hours. But this is no dry history lesson. With its revenge-fueled storyline, exotic setting and blood-spewing battle scenes, this rousing biopic plays like Lawrence of Arabia crossed with Conan the Barbarian. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
Sex and the City (R, 135 minutes) Four years after the popular TV series went off the air, “Sex and the City” returns as a feature film. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are all back dressing in outrageous outfits and discussing their sex lives over cocktails. How did we ever get along without this? Seriously, this one’s for fans only. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
The Strangers (R, 107 minutes) Milking the phoney “based on a true story” line for the umpteenth time in horror movie history, newby writer/director Bryan Bertino presents an atmosphere-soaked thriller about a couple (Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler) staying at an isolated vacation home who are terrorized by three random, mask-wearing assailants. This one’s all slow-building tension, so don’t go expecting a whole lot of plot. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
WALL-E (G, 97 minutes) Reviewed here. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Wanted (R, 110 minutes) Mark Millar & J.G. Jones’ hit comic book series gets (loosely) adapted to the big screen. James McAvoy (Atonement) stars as an apathetic office drone who finds he’s the heir to a secret society of super-powered assassins whose mission it is to shape the fate of the world by shooting a whole lot of people. Wisely or unwisely, the film dumps the costumed superhero angle of the book. Still, the cast (including Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp) is impressive and the action propulsive. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
What Happens in Vegas (PG-13, 99 minutes) Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher play a couple of Sin City revelers who wake up after a night of debauchery to find out they took part in a drunken marriage ceremony. A quickie divorce is in the offing—that is until the newlyweds discover that they also won a fortune playing a slot machine. Naturally, they do their utmost to make each other’s life hell in order to get their hands on that money. Naturally, they find time to fall in love over the course of the film. Screenwriter Dana Fox adds a touch of War of the Roses to her previous rom-com The Wedding Date and calls it a day. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (PG-13) Adam Sandler is a deadly Israeli Mossad agent who fakes his own death so he can re-emerge in New York City and live out his dream of becoming the world’s greatest hair stylist. Ooooh-kay. Bottom line: You’d better love Adam Sandler movies (goofy voices, sappy love stories, stupid Rob Schneider cameos and all) to put this one on your list. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6