The Dark Knight (PG-13, 140 minutes) Just as Batman (Christian Bale) makes real headway cleaning up Gotham’s streets, with help from a top cop (Gary Oldman) and an aggressive D.A. (Aaron Eckhart), some joker calling himself the Joker (Heath Ledger) decides to mastermind a terrifying criminal rampage. Out comes the heavy artillery—and the moviegoers who don’t usually bother with this superhero silliness but are morbidly curious about the late Ledger’s final full performance. Playing at Regal Seminole Square 4
The Fall (R, 117 minutes) A hobbled stuntman and a precocious youngster dream up a dazzling tale, realized in a film shot across 24 countries. Playing at Vinegar Hill Theatre
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
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 concidering 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. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Journey to the Center of the Earth (PG, 92 minutes) For better or worse, Jules Verne’s seminal adventure novel gets saddled with Brendan Fraser and a digital 3-D update. Juvenile and gimmicky in the extreme, this simple recreation of about five amusement park rides (runaway mine cart, water slide, etc.) still manages to be entertaining in a zippy, Saturday matinee kind of way. It ain’t high art, but kids will enjoy all the things popping out of the screen. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Kung Fu Panda (G, 90 minutes) 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 Downtown Mall 6
Mamma Mia! (PG-13, 108 minutes) On a cute Greek island where she runs a little hotel, a single mom (Meryl Streep) prepares to give her daughter (Amanda Seyfried) away to marriage. Wedding guests include mom’s former bandmates (Julie Walters and Christine Baranski) and the three men who might be her daughter’s dad (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgaard). Romantic mayhem and many ABBA songs ensue. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13, 154 minutes) Brendan Fraser, again enjoying himself as a low-rent Indiana Jones, travels the world in search of adventure, with the wife (Maria Bello) and son (Luke Ford) and brother-in-law (John Hannah) in tow. He finds Jet Li as a resurrected Han emperor who wants to make us all his slaves. That should do, adventure-wise. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Pineapple Express (R, 105 minutes) A stoner (Seth Rogen, shocker) and his dealer (James Franco) run afoul of crooked cops and drug lords and run for their lives. No surprise that Rogen co-scripted and Judd Apatow produced; what makes this action comedy especially intriguing, though, is the director, David Gordon Green, who last gave us Snow Angels—not at all an action-com. Opening Friday
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (PG-13, 117 minutes) The chick-flick adaptations of Ann Brashares’ bestsellers continue apace: One summer, four friends, the pair of jeans they share, and much bittersweet buddy comedy. Opening Friday
Space Chimps (G, 81 minutes) At least you know from its title what this movie is about. Chimpanzee astronauts, including one descended from the original chimp on whom outer space was first tested, travel through a black hole to a planet whose despotic leader they’ve been ordered to oust. The cast includes Andy Samberg, Jeff Daniels, Stanley Tucci, Cheryl Hines and cartoon voice-over maestro Patrick Warburton. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
Step Brothers (R, 95 minutes) Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and their Talladega Nights director Adam McKay regroup for a tale of two pampered, sheltered pals who become feisty when their single parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get married. You know you love it. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Swing Vote (PG-13, 100 minutes) Reviewed here. Playing at Regal Downtown Mall 6
WALL-E (G, 97 minutes) Animation giant Pixar returns with another sure-fire winner. This one’s a sci-fi tale set in the far future. Seems mankind has squandered the Earth’s resources with its rabid consumer addictions. The big blue marble has been abandoned as a junkheap to be tended over by a handful of waste allocation robots (among them, our titular hero). One day, after hundreds of years on the job, WALL-E meets a sleek robot named EVE and goes on a quest across the galaxy to find her—and unwittingly save Earth in the process. The animation is incredible, and damn if that boxy little robot isn’t the cutest thing ever. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6
Wanted (R, 108 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
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (PG-13) Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny at last apparently submit to their destinies as the portrayers of special agents Scully and Mulder, together investigating a possibly paranormal or conspiratorial something or other, complete details of which are perhaps known only to director and series creator Chris Carter. Playing at Carmike Cinema 6