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Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.
Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings.
“Angels & Demons
Thriller. **. PG-13. Professor Robert Langdon returns to interpret dark signs and obscure symbols in Ron Howard’s latest adaptation of a Dan Brown conspiracy tale. Tom Hanks stars, along with Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor and Armin Mueller-Stahl in a tale that features a dead pope; a murdered physicist; a vengeful secret society called the Illuminati; and a bomb of antimatter pulsing beneath Vatican City. With dialog that is often exposition, “Angels & Demons” might well be the most expensive audio book ever. (Kennedy) 138 minutes
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil”
Rock Doc. ***1/2. Not Rated. Humiliation is a daily fact of life if you’re a 50-year-old headbanger whose band never made it big. You attract 174 fans to an arena that holds 10,000. Your day job is delivering hot food to public schools in the greater Toronto area. “Anvil!” is one of the sweetest, funniest films I’ve seen this year. Also the loudest and most foulmouthed. (Ty Burr, Boston Globe) 90 minutes
“The Brothers Bloom”
Con-Man Romp. ***. PG-13. Writer-director Rian Johnson returns with a film nearly as idiosyncratic as “Brick,” his heralded neo-noir debut set in a high-school atmosphere. Part con-man romp, part screwball comedy, this adventure follows brothers Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) as they reel in their last mark, Penelope. The rub? Bloom is falling for the eccentric. The story’s as willfully wrought as Stephen’s cons without becoming precious. Weisz is warm and disarmingly vivacious as the mark who thinks being a con artist would be a lark. Rinko Kukuchi stars along with Maximilian Schell and Robbie Coltrane. (Kennedy) 109 minutes
“Drag Me to Hell”
Campy Horror. *** 1/2. PG-13. Christine Brown, a bank loan officer competing against a cutthroat colleague for a promotion. When a strange old woman named Mrs. Ganush putters into the bank begging for an extension on her delinquent mortgage. When turned down the old woman seeks revenge. Before long, Mrs. Ganush has placed a curse on the hapless Christine. Unless our heroine can find a way to pass the curse on to someone else, she will soon be enjoying a one-way ticket to hell. (Christopher Kelly, McClatchy Newspapers) 99 minutes
“Earth”
Eco-doc. ***. G. If Disneynature’s first feature seems like a much abridged version of “Planet Earth,” that’s because there’s talent overlap with the celebrated BBC series, starting with directors Alastair Motherwell and Mark Linfield. “Earth” follows a year in the life of three animal families (polar bears, humpback whales and elephants). There are plenty of magnificent close-ups, aerials, slo-mo and time-lapsed footage of other animal kingdom denizens. James Earl Jones lends his rich baritone to the at-times overly didactic script. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“Enlighten Up!”
Yoga Documentary. ** 1/2. Not Rated. “Enlighten Up!,” Kate Churchill’s breezy documentary, tastes the 31 flavors of yoga practice. Its subject is Nick Rosen, an affable skeptic who appreciates how yoga concentrates him mentally and physically, but very much doubts that the Downward Dog is the path to spiritual attainment. (Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer) 82 minutes
“Every Little Step”
Documentary. *** 1/2. PG-13. A terrific, moving look at the making of “A Chorus Line,” both Michael Bennett’s original production and the 2006 Broadway revival. Directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo follow the audition process for the revivial with agility and tender intelligence. And the movie soothes post “American Idol” partum blues even as it drills deep into the wonder of a singular sensation. (Kennedy) 96 minutes
“Fighting”
Drama. ***. PG-13. Guilt meet pleasure. Director-cowriter Dito Montiel’s popcorn nod to grittier ’70s films stars lovely brute Channing Tatum as a street fighter with heart and Terrence Howard as his hustler-mentor. Keep an eye open for Zulay Henao, who plays the love interest. Watch as Altagarcia Guzmán nearly steals the whole rough-and-tender show as a compact, straight-talking grandmother. (Kennedy) 104 minutes
“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”
Romantic Comedy. ** 1/2. PG-13. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” with Matthew McConaughey as Connor Mead, a won’t-commit heel of a fashion photographer, who goes through supermodels the way banks go through stimulus money. He’s so oversexed and overbooked that he has to break up “in bulk” — three women dumped by conference call. But the wedding of his brother drags Connor Mead back to the family estate, back to where he learned his womanizing ways from his late Uncle Wayne, back to the girl he let get away. Jennifer Garner is perfectly cast as Connor’s first love, the one he fled because she’s on to him. (Roger Moore, Orlano Sentinel) 115 minutes
“The Hangover”
Guy Comedy. **. R. The three leads aren’t the problem. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis work well off each other as decidely different groomsmen who awake to a trashed villa at Caesars Palace with no memory of the night before and no groom (Justin Bartha). So it’s not the leads who are the problem with this bachelor-party gone awry outing. And Todd Phillips of “Old School” fame directs with visual flair. (Though let’s vote the slo-mo shot of a gang walking toward the camera off the island for a spell.) For all its over-the-top antics — a baby, a tiger, a chicken, oh my — the script feels predictable in its drive to offend. (Kennedy) 105 minutes
“The Land of the Lost”
Adventure. **. PG-13. The title doesn’t refer to Hollywood — though perhaps it should. Will Ferrell stars in this ill-conceived (barely amusing) studio redux of Sid and Marty Krofft’s creaky kids series from the ’70s. This time Dr. Rick Marshall’s co-misadventures aren’t his children, but a can-do scientist (Anna Friel) and an edgy hick (Danny McBride). Lizard-type aliens, an ape-person named Chaka and hungry dinosaurs roam. (Kennedy) 101 minutes
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
Re-animated B movie. ***. PG. So what if this animated homage to sci-fi, B-movies raids pop culture’s attic for stuff to wow the kids. What it lacks in originality, it nearly makes up for with winking asides and FX pleasures. From the opening scene, the movie’s 3D tricks inspire oohs, ahhs, and whoas. Reese Witherspoon voices bride-to-be Susan Murphy. Irradiated by meteor gunk, she grows just shy of 50 feet tall (wink). At a top secret facility, she meets fellow misfit monsters B.O.B, Missing Link, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D, and a beguiling grub named Insectosaurus. The battle of the title comes when alien Gallaxhar (and his clones) arrive to plunder Earth. The roster of clever voice talent includes Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Hugh Laurie, Rainn Wilson and Stephen Colbert. (Kennedy) 94 minutes
“My Life in Ruins”
Gal Rom-Com. **. PG—13. Nia Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” fame stars in this too slim comedy about Georgia, a tour guide in need a detailed map to happiness. As a cracking-wise tourist, Richard Dreyfuss provides mile markers and plenty of pointed arrows. She’s missing what the often-mentioned Zorba (most joyous of Greeks) would call kefi. Did we mention tour bus driver Poupi? Beneath that pelt is a man (Greek TV star Alexis Georgoulis) dreamed up by romance novels and underambitious chick flicks. (Kennedy) 96 minutes
“Next Day Air”
Comedy. *. R. Approximately 200 f-bombs carpet this unfunny drug comedy about Leo (Donald Faison), a weed-addled delivery man who sets in motion a guns-drawn showdown when he delivers a package of cocaine to the wrong apartment. Faison of “Scrubs” deserves a better. Yasmin Deliz shows the only promise, as Chita, a stand-by-your-hombre girlfriend. Mike Epps, Wood Harris, and Mos Def also star. (Kennedy) 84 minutes
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
Animated. * 1/2. PG. Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) has to become the sidekick of Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), who has faked his resume to get hired as a security guard and rescue his buddies from “Night at the Museum” (2006). What has happened, see, is that the Museum of Natural History is remodeling. They’re replacing their beloved old exhibits, like Teddy Roosevelt mounted on his horse, with ghastly new interactive media experiences. His friends are doomed to go into storage at the National Archives, part of the Smithsonian Institution. (Roger Ebert) 105 minutes
“Outrage”
Documentary. ***. PG-13. Documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick is outraged when closeted gay politicians vote against gay marriage, against the right of gays to adopt, and against funding for HIV/AIDS. Despite its title, “Outrage” is calm, riveting and provocative, taking pride in officials who come out and and taking aim at those who remain closeted. (Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer) 90 minutes
“Sleep Dealer”
Sci-fi. ***. PG-13. Jacking in to computer consoles and crossing virtual borders for work is a central theme in Alex Rivera’s smart futuristic debut feature set in Mexico. As in the best sci-fi, the future is strange and familiar. Memo Cruz is forced by a tragedy to leave his family and puebla for work at a hi-tech factory. In Tijuana he makes a friend and is unknowingly hunted by a nemesis. Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela, Jacob Vargas deliver warm and troubled performances as three people bound by technology. Partially in Spanish, with English subtitles. Exclusive playing at CinemaLatino and worth the trip. 777 Peoria St., 888-588-CINE (Kennedy)90 minutes
“Star Trek”
Sci-fi Adventure. *** 1/2. PG-13. J.J. Abrams — a master in his own television universe with “Lost” — has beamed onto screens a prequel worthy of the wit and grit of Gene Roddenberry’s 1960s television series. Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock head a fresh cast of dopplegangers — if not physically, in spirit. Summer’s popcorn pleasures have their official launch with this rousing, goofily moving adventure, set in a time — as much as a space-time defying ride can be — when Kirk and Spock were Starfleet Academy rivals. Also onboard: Karl Urban, Zoë Saldana, and Simon Pegg. Eric Bana brings fine menace to his role as Romulan Nero. (Kennedy) 126 minutes
“Summer Hours”
Family Drama. *** 1/2. Not Rated. If in this season of noisy multiplex fare you yearn for space to hear the lasting truths of cricket whine and bird chirp, human sorrow and hope, see Olivier Assayas’ lovely family drama. Frédéric, Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) and Jérémie must decide what to do about their great uncle’s art collection when their mother dies unexpectedly. More, the trio must decide what will become of their childhood home, a rambling haunt in a village not far from Paris. A drama like this could easily go over the top with the siblings at operatic cross purposes. Instead, with the help of Charles Berling as Frédéric — a brooding, sentimental economist — Assayas celebrates the tender over the contentious. French with English subtitles. (Kennedy) 102 minutes
“Terminator Salvation”
Action Sequel. **. PG-13. The year, 2018. Resistence leader John Connor must decide if a cyborg (who believes he’s human) can be trusted to save the teen who will become the rebel leader’s father. Yes, “Terminator” returns with its space-time tease about past, future and Apocalypse. And the right tensions (about what makes us human) are in this fourth installment, starring the ever grim Christian Bale as Connor. Only director McG and the writers never achieve the sweet combo of humane story, indelible characters and visceral action that made the first two “Terminators” unforgettable. Aussie Sam Worthington plays Marcus, Skynet’s advanced cyborg assassin. (Kennedy) 115 minutes
“Up”
Animated. *** 1/2. PG. A codger and a kid take us up-up-and-away in a house carried aloft by balloons in this buoyant tale about aging and adventure, youth and sweet wisdom. Ed Asner and newcomer Jordan Nagai soar as retired balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen and Wilderness Explorer Russell. Directed by Pete Docter, “Up” screens in 35mm and Digital 3D. Regardless the format, it’s the multidimensional storytelling that endears and endures. Bob Peterson (codirector and cowriter) provides howlingly amusing riffs as Dug, a dog with a collar that translates his thoughts into speech. Christopher Plummer also stars. (Kennedy) 96 minutes
