Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings.
Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.
“27 Dresses”
Romantic comedy **1/2* PG-13. Katherine Heigl stars as not-so-plain Jane, the dependable friend that every bride leans on when that special day comes along. Jane is the ultimate bridesmaid, helping with the planning, the organizing, the cake-arranging, even holding that big gown when the bride must go potty. She is engagingly selfless on other women’s “big day.” “It’s their day, not mine.” It’s not one for the ages, but this comedy suggests a romantic marriage between star and audience that could last and last. (Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel) 107 minutes
“Alvin and the Chipmunks”
Live-action/animated **** PG. It shows us how three singing rodents came to live with that exasperated songwriter, David Seville. That’s a novel touch that makes this kiddie comic franchise worth reviving. The 3-D computer-animated trio is warbling away when we meet them — Daniel Powter’s “Had a Bad Day.” And gathering nuts. Sure enough, the song is prophetic. Their tree is chopped down. It’s a Christmas tree. After a worrisome trip to the city, the smart but nearsighted Simon, the food-fetishist Theodore and the troublemaking lead singer, Alvin, wind up with adman and frustrated composer David Seville.The stuff that works best is the offhand interplay between sassy “tween” chipmunks and their human guardian.(Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel) 90 minutes
“Atonement”
Love, war drama ***1/2 R. Can a career spent in words make up for one devastating utterance? This is one of the quandaries in “Atonement,” Joe Wright’s elegant, elegiac film based on a novel by Ian McEwan. Thirteen- year-old Briony Tallis tells a lie that keeps sister Cecilia and her love, Robbie Turner, apart. Briony’s ugly testimony sets their separation in motion, but World War II makes it interminable. Keira Knightley and James Mc- Avoy are the thwarted beloveds. Saoirse Ronan impresses as 13-year-old Briony. Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave play her as well.”Atonement” is being compared to “The English Patient.” And Anthony Minghella, the director of that Oscar-hoarding Brit love story also set during WWII, even has a cameo. Yet, for all its similar swoon, sweep and eros, “Atonement” is more subtle and achingly substantial. (Kennedy) 123 minutes
“The Bucket List”
Aging dramedy **** PG-13. Two very different men find common ground in cancer and aging in Rob Reiner’s tear-coaxing “The Bucket List.” After being diagnosed with cancer, health-care tycoon Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and auto mechanic- family man Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) become hospital roomies, then friends, who embark on a full-on mission to have no regrets. In a season of star pairings, Nicholson and Freeman prove that sentimental journeys aren’t solely the terrain of chick flicks. The grand pooh-bah of voice- over, Freeman intones at the start “he died with his eyes closed and his heart open.” If that hint doesn’t send you running, then consider putting this comedy about living your dreams — big or deep, pricey or priceless — on your list.(Kennedy) 97 minutes
“Charlie Wilson’s War”
Political dramedy ***1/2 R Mike Nichols’ highly entertaining — only mildly uncomfortable — political dramedy “Charlie Wilson’s War” deals to some degree with Afghan freedom fighters confronting the Red Army in the ’80s. Only the film is oh so all-American. Driven by a true character, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), it can’t help but celebrate Americans’ rogue tendencies and impulsive decency, our love of the rule of the law and our fondness for making an end-run around it. Politically deft writer Aaron Sorkin adapted George Crile’s 2003 investigative yarn about the efforts of Wilson and CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to fund and arm the mujahedeen. Putting Hanks and Julia Roberts (who plays Joanna Herring, Wilson’s sometime paramour and a full-time Cold Warrior) on the screen together for the first time makes “Charlie Wilson’s War” more a smart romp than a political rant. Also featuring Amy Adams. (Kennedy) 97 minutes
“Cloverfield”
Monster mash **** PG-13. “Cloverfield” combines the hand-held camera tricks of 1999 cult hit “The Blair Witch Project” with the nightmarish imprint of 9/11. Four friends try to reach another when Manhattan is rocked by a gigantic creature. Far from perfect, “Cloverfield” Written by Drew Goddard, squanders some nicely established emotional ties in the action chaos and leaps of logic. But for shear visual tenacity, it’s a visceral ride. Warning: Motion sickness bags and Dramamine are not provided by theaters. (Kennedy) 84 minutes
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Memoir **** PG-13. The beautiful truth about Julian Schnabel is that while he was one of those slightly aggravating painter-celebs that rocked the go-go art market of the ’80s, he’s become one of our finest directors. There’s great humility and powerful artistry at work in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Ronald Harwood adapted Jean-Dominique Bauby’s slim, perfect memoir about living encased in his body after a catastrophic stroke. The former French Elle editor dictated the work with blinks and a specially devised alphabet system. Julian Schnabel’s subtitled film, featuring Mathieu Amalric as Jean- Do, shimmers, soars and plunges into the aching wonder of being human. (Kennedy) 114 minutes
“Enchanted”
Comic fantasy **** PG. A celebration of those Disney fantasies where a prince and princess fall in love over the course of a duet and bluebirds sew her wedding dress. Beginning in a world of classic cel animation, the prince and princess give us a full first act in about eight minutes. The wicked Queen hates Princess Giselle and pushes the girl down a well to keep her away from her stepson. The other end of the portal is a modern-day, live-action Times Square. Giselle (Amy Adams) pops through a sewer manhole in a hoop skirt and tiara, eyes agoggle with delight at this strange new land. In a flash she’s gone from the realm of Happily Ever After to a befuddled refugee in Hard Knocksville.(Colin Covert, Star Tribune, Minneapolis) 90 minutes
“The Golden Compass”
Fantasy **1/2* PG-13. In a world of overly long films, this will seem an odd complaint. But Christopher Weitz’s adaptation of the first of Philip Pullman’s alchemic trilogy of science and magic, history and possibility, the absolute power of a religious organization called the Magisterium and the alliances gathered to combat it, feels too brisk. The titular compass is an intricate device that doesn’t suss out true north but points toward symbols that reveal the past, the future, the hidden. One compass remains. One human lives to grasp its mysteries: Lyra (vibrant newcomer Dakota Blue Richards). And a few intend to rob her of it — and rob children of their daemons. Thanks to special-effects whizzes and the actors who lend their voices, the daemons, animal manifestations of human souls, are the film’s coolest and most captivating hook. (Kennedy) 114 minutes
“The Great Debaters”
Uplift drama ***1/2 PG-13. Actor-director Denzel Washington brings the energy and rhythms of a sports flick to a little-known bit of American history in this enjoyable film “The Great Debaters,” about the challenges and triumphs of a small African- American college debate team when it takes on Harvard University in 1935 for the national championship. The film — which stars Washington as Wiley College professor Melvin B. Tolson and Forest Whitaker as James Farmer Sr. — has taken the “inspired by” route and changed USC to Harvard and created a number of composite characters. But from the opening credits carried forth on a pulsing rendition of “My Soul Is a Witness,” the second-time director takes comforting genre conventions and uses them to tell a culturally potent tale. With Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker as future civil right stalwart James Farmer Jr. (Kennedy) 125 minutes
“Hanna Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds”
Concert Film **1/2* G. Little girls will be happy to hear the star perform their favorite songs and thrill to catch a peek of the real Miley backstage – though naturally, the moments are carefully chosen to maintain her well-crafted wholesome image. Hannah Montana is insanely likable and talented, with poise and presence beyond her years. It’s all out there in front of her, and watching the 15year-old on stage and behind the scenes, you just pray that she’ll turn out all right and not get swept away by the insanity of pop-star celebrity. The documentary of the pop star’s 54-city tour also stars the Jonas Brothers, Kenny Ortega and Billy Ray Cyrus. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) 74 minutes
“How She Move”
Dance-off****PG-13. There are enough gritty moods shifts and an anchoring performance by newcomer Rutina Wesley to make Ian Iqbal Rashid’s invigorating feature a cut above other films in which young folk dance their way out of low circumstances. Her sister’s overdose death forces Raya Green to leave her tony boarding school and return to Toronto’s immigrant enclave, the Jane Finch Corridor. For the driven, observant Raya there are only two ways back to Seaton Academy and her dreams of med school: ace a scholarship exam or win a step-dancing contest with a $50,000 prize. Written by Annmarie Morais, “How She Move” spices a known genre with immigrant flavor. Raya’s folk are Jamaican — and we get peeks at the immigrant experience in the hood. Fine supporting performances come by way of Tré Armstrong as Raya’s frenemy, Michelle, and Clé Bennett as the neighborhood’s exploiter with the uplift name of Garvey. (Kennedy)91 minutes
“I Am Legend”
Apocalyptic drama **** PG-13. Robert Matheson’s 1954 sci-fi novel about the last man standing after a pandemic has been given the close-up treatment twice. “The Last Man on Earth” starred Vincent Price. The ’70s cheese treat “The Omega Man” featured Charlton Heston. So Will Smith’s presence as military virologist Robert Neville represents a fine ratcheting up of star power. And Smith is utterly watchable. Good thing. He’s in nearly every scene: talking to himself or his stunning German shepherd companion, making nice with store mannequins, or singing along to Bob Marley.The desolate New York City director Francis Lawrence and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie envision makes for an impressively eerie spectacle. But something’s missing. And we don’t just mean the entirety of Earth’s population. Wwhat should be shattering is often merely intriguing. Grief is entirely too hushed. While this may be good for a PG-13 rating, it makes “I Am Legend” a muted undertaking with a suspect resolution. (Kennedy) 100 minutes
“Juno”
Adoption comedy **** PG-13. Sure, you could think four stars a bit much for this comedy about what happens when 16-year-old Juno MacGuff learns she’s pregnant by boyfriend Paulie Bleeker. But that’s one star for director Jason Reitman, who brings a loving and deft sense of timing to the movie. One star for screenwriter Diablo Cody, whose debut heralds a major talent. One star for Ellen Page. The Canadian’s snap-crackle stop-on-a-dime embodiment of our precocious hero is the breakout performance of the year. And that last star? It’s for a pitch-perfect ensemble that includes J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno’s folks, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the adoptive-parents-to-be, and Michael Cera as the excruciatingly dear boy who done the deed. (Kennedy) 91 minutes
“The Kite Runner”
Literary drama **** PG-13. The movie adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s much-loved best seller “The Kite Runner” does decent, if sometimes ham-fisted, service to the novel’s troubled characters, surefire themes and evocation of the tragic fate of Afghanistan over the past 20 years. The story breaks down into three basic sections. In 1970s Kabul, privileged Amir (remarkable Afghan child actor Zekiria Ebrahimi) is expert at a game in which kite flyers vie to cut one another’s strings but otherwise is an unassertive wimp. His best friend is the family servant’s son Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, ditto on the remarkable front), who chases down the fallen kites Amir wins and fights for his pal’s honor. This gets Hassan in trouble with some neighborhood bullies, who mete out a terrible punishment that Amir secretly witnesses. (Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News) 122 minutes
“Mad Money”
Caper comedy **1/2* PG-13. “Mad Money” features the likable odd squad of Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes, co-workers who figure out a way to steal — lots — from a Federal Reserve bank where cash goes to meet its shredder. Director Callie Khouri (writer of the great “Thelma & Louise,” director of the not-so-great “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”) recognized something potentially divine inThis film combines the goofball sisterhood of high-strung Keaton and take-no-mess Latifah. Not as venal — or as ingenious — as Showtime’s pot- dealing dramedy “Weeds,” “Mad Money” nevertheless leaves us pondering the ways audiences abet amorality tales. The heist comedy banks on the notion we’ll want the gals to succeed and lets us off the hook by starting out with their failure. Ted Danson also stars.(Kennedy) 104 minutes
“National Treasure: Book of Secrets”
Action-adventure **1/2* PG. “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” is another treasure-hunt travelogue, an “Amazing Race” through pseudo- archaeology and history. This time the Lincoln assassination is revisited. A Gates family ancestor was involved, something to do with a “Playfair cipher,” a coded message. Cut to the present day, when the Gates family name is dragged through the mud by a Southerner (Ed Harris) with an ax to grind. Maybe the Gates ancestor planned Lincoln’s murder. (Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel) 124 minutes
“No Country for Old Men”
Western parable **** R. There’s blood. But nothing’s simple in Joel and Ethan Coen’s exquisite adaptation of “No Country for Old Men.” The brothers match Cormac McCarthy’s novel of grit and demise — of the good, the bad and the vast in-between of the American West — shot-for-shotwith this spare beaut about a Texan, a satchel of drug money, and a monstrous killing machine who goes by the name Anton Chigurh. The performances from the leads find complementary turns by lesser-known folk. Tommy Lee Jones provides weary wisdom as Sheriff Bell. Josh Brolin does wonders with moral ambiguity as Llewelyn Moss, finder and keeper of $2 million. Javier Bardem unnerves as Chigurh. Kelly Macdonald nears kindlyperfection as Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean. Is “No Country” great art? Sure feels like it. At the very least, the Coens have delivered one of 2007’s finest films. (Kennedy) 122 minutes
“The Orphange”
Horror **** R. The director’s camera emphasizes the stately beauty of an old orphanage where Laura spent part of her girlhood before she was adopted. The rocky seaside setting is treacherous but also gorgeous. One can see why Laura wanted to return to start a center for disabled children. “The Orphanage” contains jolts and gruesome moments. But most of the time, the film unsettles in quieter, more encompassing ways, its horrific qualities derived from implication instead of imagery. (Carla Meyer, McClatchy Newspapers) 100 minutes
“Over Her Dead Body”
Romantic comedy *1/2**R. Eva Longoria Parker is Kate, the micro-managing bride-to-be who is comically killed on her wedding day. She shows up in the afterlife with “unfinished business.” But she’s too busy complaining about her situation to get all the details on that business. Thus, when she’s sent back, “haunting” her groom-to-be, she’s not sure what she’s supposed to do. Parker didn’t have much to work with and doesn’t really commit to what little there is. “Over Her Dead Body” didn’t give her enough scenes to be responsible for “carrying” the movie. A mere two costumes and two hairstyles and a few weekends of work was all it cost her. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 95 minutes
“Persepolis”
Animated wonder***1/2PG-13. Young Marji emulates Bruce Lee, listens to the Bee Gees and advocates for — then against — the Shah of Iran. When her uncle returns from political exile, she’s smitten. When he’s killed in prison by Islamic revolutionaries, she’s broken. Marjane Satrapi’s Oscar-nomintated adaptation of her graphic novels about her childhood in Tehran and an adolescence abroad is one of the finest memoirs to make it to the big screen. Elegantly rendered in rich blacks, grays and ivories by Satrapi, codirector Vincent Paronnaud and art director Marc Jousset, “Persepolis” is a primer in recent Iranian history as well as a reminder just how bound our cultural-creative lives are to the political fortunes and misfortunes of our nations. The film is warmed tremendously by the voice talents of Gabrielle Lopes, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Simon Abkarian and the captivating Danielle Darrieux as Marjane’s grandmother. French with English Subtitles. (Kennedy)95 minutes
“The Savages”
Tragicomedy ***1/2 R. When the father they haven’t seen for years is diagnosed with vascular dementia, Wendy wistfully asks her brother Jon, “Maybe Dad didn’t abandon us, maybe he just forgot who we were?” When she and Jon become caregivers for the father who didn’t care much for them, she hopefully asks her sibling if the place he has found for Dad is “nice.” Tamara Jenkins’ mordant, poignant family portrait of adult children and their geriatric parents navigates the rough waters of that middle passage when it’s sink or swim time. Superbly acted by Laura Linney as Wendy, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Jonand Philip Bosco as their fading father, “The Savages” is a movie of absurdist humor, brutal realism and dementia. (Carrie Rickey, The Philadelphia Inquirer) 113 minutes
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon
Barber of Fleet Street”
Musical mayhem ***1/2 PG-13. No sentiment goes unbloodied in Tim Burton’s exuberantly dark adaptation of Stephen Sondhiem and Hugh Wheeler’s Tony Award-winning musical. Johnny Depp stars (and sings better than decently) as the titular barber who slits the throats of his clients, then sends their bodies tumbling down a chute to be ground and baked into Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies. Helena Bonham Carter plays the love-sicko Mrs. Lovett. Alan Rickman takes seriously the nasty work of Judge Turpin, the moral hypocrite who robbed Todd (nee dear Benjamin Barker) of wife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is his jugular Todd whets his shiny razors and sharp need for. (Kennedy) 117 minutes
“Teeth”
Teen Horror Film R. “Teeth” is a dark, gory and hilarious sendup of contemporary prudery, teen horror films, Christian abstinence programs, rampant cultural misogyny, latent gynophobia and an ancient mythology that plays serial castration for laughs. Gleefully perverse as it is, “Teeth” is, at its core, a coming-of-age story about a girl coming to terms with her sexuality. Her sexuality just turns out to be a bit compromised. (Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times)87 minutes
“There Will Be Blood”
Historical drama **** R. Based loosely on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil! “There Will Be Blood” lives up to the metaphorical promise of its title. Dark liquid pools beneath the oil derricks in this turn-of-the-century drama. Miner- turned-oilman Daniel Plainview’s own come- to-Jesus moment provides jaw-dropping theater. Is his salvation the show of shows or a true example of being overwhelmed? After all, by the time he kneels before the Church of the Third Revelation congregation, Plainview has experienced a great deal of loss. Yet “There Will Be Blood” becomes a diabolically commanding film once the unholy alliance of oilman and preacher is forged. (Kennedy) 158 minutes
“Untraceable”
thriller**1/2*R. While she may (or may not) save the day as FBI agent Jennifer Marsh, the ever-watchable Diane Lane can’t rescue “Untraceable” from being a sullied undertaking. Gregory Hoblit directs this thriller that wants its to have its gruesome kills and moralize about them too. A murderer streams his sadism online, starting with a kitten. Goodbye Kitty! The more visitors to the faster the demise. Lane and Colin Hanks (yes, of that bloodline), partners in cyber-crime solving in Portland, begin piecing together the seemingly random horror. When they do, the killer takes a lethal interest in them. (Kennedy)100 minutes
“The Walker”
Thriller **1/2* R. The middle-aged, impeccably coiffed and tailored son of the South, played by Woody Harrelson, may pick up occasional commissions as a real estate agent in Washington, D.C. but — as a police detective explains when Carter becomes a person of great interest in a murder — his true vocation is that of a “walker.” Such is the name for handsome men who squire the well-connected ladies of the Beltway hither (fundraiser) and yon (yawn-inducing soirée) while their husbands broker power. Lynn, the wife of a senator (Willem Dafoe) and the socialite closest to Carter, drags him into her drama when her lover is found brutally murdered. (Kennedy) 108 minutes
“War/Dance”Documentary ***1/2PG-13. The Uganda-set film goes for all kinds of lovely, “Out of Africa”-style visuals and snazzy editing effects. When their main subjects — adolescents who have either seen their relatives killed or been forced to commit murder themselves by the insane Lord’s Resistance Army rebel movement — describe their trauma, they sometimes sound a little too rehearsed (or not enough), even in their tribal language. “War/Dance” finds an excellent balance between dark and light.(By Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News)105 minutes
“The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep”
Children’s fantasy **1/2* PG. This is fantasy is built around an adorable, puppyish digital rendering of the Loch Ness monster. The baby Nessie, named “Crusoe,” is so realistic and the setting, World War II rural Scotland, so vivid that it more than makes up for a story that seems silly if not overfamiliar. This is “Free Willy” with a wee accent, y’see. It’s about the son of a housekeeper and groundskeeper on a Scottish estate who finds a barnacle-encrusted egg on the seashore, sees it hatch and then tries to raise the cuddly creature as his own. Dad’s off fighting the war. Mom (Emily Watson) is busy running the house. Little Angus (Alex Etel, very good) needs a friend. (Kennedy) 105 minutes
GIANT SCREEN
IMAX — Denver Museum
of Nature & Science
Hosting “The Alps,” John Harlin III’s quest to climb the infamous North Face of the Eiger, and “The Living Sea,” an examination of the world’s oceans. Dates, times vary. Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009,
IWERKS — The Wildlife
Experience
The museum presents “Australia: Land Beyond Time” on its 45-by-60-foot giant screen. $4.95-$7.95, free 2 and younger. 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker, 720-488-3300,
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Boulder International Film
Festival (BIFF)
The 2008 festival offers 50 films and 20 filmmakers with a special focus on adventure and politics, Feb. 14-16. Times and tickets vary. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, 303-7867030, ,
International Film Festival
A variety of films through April 19. Days, times and tix vary. Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus, 303492-1531,
Jewish Film Festival
Offers a variety of films from Israel and American-made documentaries, through Feb. 16. Times and tickets vary. Mizel Arts & Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., 303-316-6360,
