“The Golden Compass”
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. PG-13, 1 hour, 54 minutes. Lisa Kennedy
“Over Her Dead Body”
Eva Longoria Parker is Kate, the micromanaging 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. R, 1 hour, 35 minutes. Released today. Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel
“Military Intelligence and You!”
The idea was to re-create a black-and-white, World War II Army training film — clunky dialogue, declamatory acting, suspenseless suspense and all — with a contemporary perspective. Therefore, as the film’s aerial intelligence unit tries to find the hidden location of a Luftwaffe “ghost” squadron, characters and the self-important narrator speak in barely altered buzz phrases from the war on terror. America’s been traumatized since 1 2/7, the Axis are evildoers, the U.S. penchant for attacking enemies whenever we feel like it, regardless of whether they pose a threat to us or not; that kind of stuff. One thing it does do well, though, is blend new footage — mostly of a command center in Italy — and little-known scenes from actual wartime training films. Not rated, 1 hour, 18 minutes. Released today. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
