Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
“The Ant Bully”
ANIMATED|**|PG|A stellar cast in the same old hill. Another week, another animated movie with a scorchingly starry vocal cast. This time it’s “The Ant Bully.” With Meryl Streep! Julia Roberts! Nicolas Cage! Produced by … Tom Hanks! Despite the wattage, though, the movie sheds no new light. Structurally, it’s reminiscent of this summer’s superior “Monster House,” with an awkward boy (Zach Tyler Eisen) experiencing adventures and learning to trust what he’d once feared while his clueless parents are on a weekend vacation. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press)|97 minutes
“Cars”
ANIMATION|***|G|Pixar is like the most gifted student in a classroom full of talent. Even its weakest effort has a gleam. “Cars” idles at times. And more than any other of the animation studio’s treats, this toon could easily exist in a live-action, albeit lesser, version. Yet the G-rated ride about Lightning McQueen, a cocky race-car who takes a wrong turn into a dusty burg on Route 66 and gets an attitude tune-up, revs in its final laps. And the carbureted citizens of Radiator Springs are a carlot of fun, especially a battered tow truck with an aw-shucks demeanor named Mater (the voice of Larry the Cable Guy). Whatever you do, stay through the closing credits. (Lisa Kennedy)|116 minutes
“The Da Vinci Code”
THRILLER|** 1/2|PG-13|Not so dark – or gripping – the con of man, it turns out. Ron Howard’s big-screen version of Dan Brown’s mega-selling thriller isn’t nearly as volatile a cocktail of the sacred and the profane. Brown mixed history with conjecture about the life of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene and the founding of the Catholic Church. As Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, Tom Hanks takes too long to deliver the type of performance that makes him such a classic American actor. Audrey Tautou plays French police cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, whose grandfather’s murder sets off the intrigue. Ian McKellen enjoys himself as Sir Leigh Teabing, Holy Grail expert and exquisitely enunciating expositor of way too much back story. (Kennedy)|148 minutes
“The Devil Wears Prada”
DRAMA/COMEDY|***|PG-13|Instead of a gossipy comedy, “The Devil Wears Prada” is more often a fairly sage fable about the price of work. Andy
Sachs (Anne Hathaway), has the enviable position of being fashion editor, Miranda’s (Meryl Streep) newest assistant at Runway. Hers is a job “that millions of girls would kill for.” Or so Andy is told time and again. Andy starts to be changed by her job, but she never calculates. It takes her a long time to understand what working for Miranda might cost her. Around the time Andy is ready to quit and goes whining to Runway’s wiseman Nigel (Stanley Tucci), the movie becomes interesting about ambition, power and fashion – both the art and industry of it. “The Devil Wears Prada” says that fashion is that odd meeting of the seemingly trivial with the pursuit of something that resonates. (Kennedy)|106 minutes
“The Heart of the Game”
DOCUMENTARY|*** 1/2|PG-13|If “The Heart of the Game” doesn’t get your own ticker racing, then check if you still have a pulse. Ward Serrill meant to tell the simple story of an avuncular college tax professor who volunteered to coach a Seattle girls’ basketball team. Instead, he found a seven-year saga of faith, loyalty, race, pregnancy and the true nature of amateur athletics. You wouldn’t believe the finale if you didn’t see it on screen. These girls will make you happy every time you pass a gym and realize a new generation is learning how to scrap for success. (Michael Booth)|98 minutes
“John Tucker Must Die”
TEEN COMEDY|* 1/2|PG-13|Another mean-slutty girls teen comedy with occasional touches of relevance. Brittany Snow plays the new girl in a high school dominated by basketball legend John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe). A group of girls he’s toyed with and dumped decides to break his heart, and the new girl must take on the job. Of course she’ll fall for him and change her mind, and a more deserving boy will be left in the dust. Not much original here, and it’s dragged down by a raunchy menu of sex talk and double entendres, so leave the young kids at home. (Booth)|86 minutes
“Miami Vice”
CRIME DRAMA|** 1/2|R|There was always a danger that at the end of “Miami Vice” you might ask, why? Why return to a TV series that was so woven into the designer fabric of its cultural moment? Why return unless there was something fresh to say? Writer-director Michael Mann and stars Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell were supposed to be insurance against that question. But Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs’ deep plunge into a drug cartel doesn’t bring a stitch of anything new – or just fun – to a tale about criminals and the cops that get too close. This might be summer’s most frustrating surprise, given Mann’s gift for entertaining us smartly with the power dynamics of masculinity (“Heat” and “Collateral”). Also stars Gong Li. (Kennedy)|132 minutes
“Monster House”
ANIMATION|**|PG|Something untoward is taking place at the house across the street from 12-year-old DJ (Mitchel Musso). Mr. Nebbercracker and his fixer-upper seem to be gobbling kids’ toys with greater frequency as Halloween approaches. What can DJ and friends Chowder and Jenny do? “Monster House” features a brief scene of marital bickering, longer instances of teen-age nihilism and a troubling lesson on personal liberation. Director Gil Kenan and exec producers Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg hoped for funny-scary. But they never pull off that transit between fright to delight and back again. Voice talent includes Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jon Heder.(Kennedy)|80 minutes
“My Super Ex-Girlfriend”
COMEDY|**|R|”My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” lazily directed by Ivan Reitman, is an underachieving comedy that achieves its goals affably affable enough, thanks to a likable cast. Rainn Wilson and Anna Faris play the raunchy friend and unexpected love interest to Luke Wilson’s Matt Saunders. Wanda Sykes squawks the squawk as his overly vigilant boss. Uma Thurman’s Jenny Johnson is a smart, if neurotic, art gallery assistant who, when crisis calls, turns into G-Girl. Turns out, even superheroes need heroes and soon Matt and Jenny are dating. In this bizarro world, superpowers can’t deflect Jenny’s self-doubt or zap the kind of need that acts as kryptonite to a guy’s desire. (Kennedy)|95 minutes
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
ACTION|*** 1/2|PG-13|Disney delivers a rousing, guilt-free action movie for the summer, blowing away the brooding pretenders and extending the joy of the “Pirates” franchise. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are about to wed when they’re put in shackles by a new bad guy: Find Captain Jack Sparrow, or else. Meanwhile, the good, fey Captain (Johnny Depp) has troubles of his own. Seems Davy Jones wants his soul back, and Sparrow may have to pay up on his bargain with the devil. Tour de force action scenes follow, along with some of the snappy humor that made the first “Pirates” such a hit. Long, but never dull. (Booth)|140 minutes
“A Prairie Home Companion”
DRAMEDY|***|PG-13|Welcome to the fictional final night of the decades-old radio broadcast “A Prairie Home Companion.” A Texas conglomerate plans to pave Garrison Keillor’s homespun paradise and put up a parking lot. Joining “PHC” regulars in this sweet, not overly long, goodbye are Johnson sisters Yolanda and Rhonda (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), and cowpoke troubadors Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly). In a wink to the geneaology of Robert Altman flicks, there’s moonlighting detective Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) and a femme fatale in a white trenchcoat played by Virginia Madsen. Altman directs. Keillor, playing a version of himself, wrote this bittersweet trip that mixes mortal melancholy with Midwestern homilies to beguiling effect. (Kennedy)|109 minutes
“A Scanner Darkly”
SCIENCE FICTION NOIR|** 1/2|R|Directors for some reason insist on messing with Philip K. Dick’s distinctive science fiction. Perhaps intimidated by the depth of the material, they try gimmicks, as here with Richard Linklater’s post-filming animation of live action scenes. Makes the movie look like a graphic novel, but to what end? Dick’s take on paranoia inspired by drug use, and also by the government’s ongoing drug war, doesn’t need revision like this to make it more interesting. (Booth)|100 minutes
“Scoop”
CRIME COMEDY|***|PG-13|More confection than perfection, Woody Allen’s new comedy “Scoop” often delights. Headed for the hereafter, Fleet Street scribe Joe Strombel gets the tip of a lifetime on the identity of London’s Tarot Card Killer. But how does a journalist floating to Hades get a story in the headlines? Well, this one finds an unlikely medium in one Sondra Pransky, an American journalism student on vacation. Writer-director Allen plays, Splendini the cheesy magician who accidently facilitates their meeting, and reluctantly helps Scarlett Johansson’s Sondra. It may be lite, but it’s the right fluff for summer. (Kennedy)|96 minutes
“Superman Returns”
ACTION|***|PG-13|Turns out there’s not a lot left to say about Superman, even though he’s been gone from the big screen for nearly 20 years. Director and co-writer Bryan Singer does a serviceable job of recreating the Superman mythology for a new generation, but there’s not much spice here or personal style to revive a comic book franchise the way “Batman Begins” did last summer, or “Spider-Man” did in summers previous. Brandon Routh alternates between imitating Christopher Reeve and trying hard not to imitate him, so it’s impossible to forget Reeve’s iconic role in the franchise. A good action movie, not a great one. (Booth)|148 minutes
“You, Me and Dupree”
COMEDY|**|PG-13|Two triangles clang in this slight comedy starring Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson. Making up the first are Carl, bestfriend and unwanted houseguest Dupree and new wife Molly. Carl, Dupree and Molly’s formidable father (Michael Douglas) comprise the second. Like many quasi-romantic comedies these days, the core relating takes place between the fellas. And the latter threesome speaks to ongoing conflicts of the young American male. Think of slacker Dupree (Wilson) as the potential trump card that wins in the game of life. At least that’s the fantasy being hawked here. After a preview screening someone said: “That Owen Wilson, what a fool.” She’s right. When he’s firing on all cylinders, Wilson plays the trickster catalyst with charming lassitude. Now if only his accidental sage can find a fable worthy of his goofball wisdom. (Kennedy)|95 minutes
GIANT SCREEN
“Greece: Secrets of the Past”
IMAX: The story of a 21st-century Greek archaeologist who is uncovering the secret history of his ancient ancestors|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
“The Human Body”
IMAX: A look at the everyday functions that keep us alive|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
“Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France”
IMAX: The true story of two elite cyclists, Australian Baden Cooke and French teammate Jimmy Casper, as they compete in the legendary race|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
Wildlife Experience IWERKS: The museum presents “Lost Worlds” and “Dolphins” on its 45-by- 60-foot screen|$4.95-$7.95; free 2 and under|10035 S. Peoria St., 720-488- 3300, wildlifeexperience.org|PARKER
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Film on the Rocks 2006
W|The Denver Film Society presents the annual outdoor film festival continuing with “King Kong.” Live music with two bands and live comedy from ComedyWorks is offered before each film. Gates open at 6 p.m., music begins at 6:30 p.m., movies begin at dusk, approximately 8:45 p.m. $10, $8 in advance, $44 Film Fun Pack|866-464-2626, redrockson line.com, denverfilm.org| MORRISON
Films on Fillmore
TH|The free outdoor movie series continues Thursday with “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.” Participants are welcome to bring a picnic dinner, blankets and lawn chairs. Free seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Rental chairs are available for $2. Movies begin at dusk. The series continues Thursdays through Aug. 24| Fillmore Plaza, East Second Avenue and Fillmore Street, 303-394-2904, cherrycreeknorth.com
Flicks on the ‘Fax Film Series
SA|The movie series offers family films Saturday nights through Aug. 12. The free series continues with “Coach Carter.” Films begin at sunset. Blankets and lawn chairs welcome. Refreshments available. No alcohol or dogs. Pre-show activities include crafts and trivia games |Fletcher Plaza, 9898 E. Colfax Ave., 303-326-8804, auroragov.org| AURORA
Truth & Lives Documentary Series
TU|The Denver Public Library presents a special film series of documentaries Tuesdays through Sept. 12. The free series, offered in connection with the library’s Fresh City Life Series, continues Tuesday with “Hybrid” (2000), 6:30-9 p.m. The film is unrated|Denver Public Library, B2 Conference Center, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, 720-865-1206, denverlibrary.org/fresh
