"Angels & Demons": The sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" returns Tom Hanks as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time in Rome trying to solve a mystery involving the kidnapping of four cardinals, a secret sect and a stolen antimatter bomb. It's breezier than "Da Vinci," but dumb as a post. — C. Lemire. (PG-13) 2 hrs., 18 mins. C+
"AWAY WE GO": An honest, humorous and ultimately moving look at the idea of a family growing from two members to three. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play an expectant couple traveling the U.S. in search of the perfect place to raise a family. Sam Mendes directs. — C. Lemire. (R) 1 hr., 30 mins. B+ "BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE": Half-human, half-vampire 400-year-old samurai who looks like she's 16 slays vamps on a U.S. military base in Tokyo when she's sent there by the secret organization that employs her. Live action based on a Japanese anime. After an intriguing start, the peculiar, comic-book-like computer graphics overtake "Blood" and make it look like a video game — D. Zak. (R) 1 hr., 24 mins. C-n "THE BROTHERS BLOOM": An awfully good time: Con artists supreme, the Bloom brothers (Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo) plan a last big job involving a wealthy heiress (Rachel Weisz) in this comedy from writer/director Rian Johnson ("Brick"). — J. Reaves. (PG-13) 1 hr., 53 mins. B+
"Cheri": Stephen Frears ("The Queen") directs this saga of romance and intrigue in Paris in the early 20th century, with Michelle Pfeiffer as an aging courtesan and Rupert Friend as a vain, hedonistic pretty boy with whom she becomes involved. A sumptuous but rarely romantic romance. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 33 mins. C "DANCE FLICK": Few funny bits or characters work. Clunky Wayans Brothers spoof of dance films such as "Step Up." Damon Wayans Jr. plays a street-smart dancer who helps a young woman from the suburbs (Shoshana Bush) achieve her musical dreams. — D. Munro. (PG-13) 1 hr., 23 mins. D "DEPARTURES": Oscar nominee for best foreign language film. An unemployed cellist and his wife travel to the heartland of Japan, where he takes a job preparing bodies to send the dead on their way. Poetic, funny, life-affirming film. In Japanese. — R. Moore. (R) 2 hrs., 6 mins. A "DOWNLOADING NANCY": Maria Bello, Rufus Sewell and Jason Patric star in a dark, unsettling drama: A man searches for the reasons why his wife left him. Meanwhile, she tries to drive off her inner demons via a perverse relationship with a tormented man. (NR) Not reviewed. "DRAG ME TO HELL": Director Sam Raimi returns to his beloved tongue-in-cheek horror genre ("Evil Dead" series) with an original tale of a young loan officer's (Alison Lohman) desperate quest to break an evil curse. Freewheeling, ragged and fresh, its energy and enthusiasm become infectious. — C. Kelly. (PG-13) 1 hr., 39 mins. B+ "EASY VIRTUE": Spirited adaptation of Noel Coward's play is a winning, witty romp through the Roaring '20s where men were men and women were liberating themselves. Jessica Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth star. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 40 mins. B "Eldorado": Atmospheric serio-comic road movie about a lonely, quirky imported-car salesman who agrees to drive the lonely, quirky junkie-crook he finds breaking into his house across Belgium to the home of the young thief's parents. In French with subtitles. (NR) Not reviewed. "FOOD INC.": How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families? Filmmaker Robert Kenner explores our nation's food industry and the government's regulatory agencies. (NR) Not reviewed. "The Girl From Monaco": In this dark French comedy, a rich lawyer gets more than he bargained for when he travels to Monaco to defend a client in a murder trial. A cloying bit of business, rarely very funny and never smart enough to make a solid point, at least about anything we don't already know. In French with English subtitles. — J. Anderson. (NR) 1 hr., 35 mins. C- "THE HANGOVER": "Old School" director Todd Phillips' oft-hilarious, oft-tasteless comedy lacks momentum to carry it through the dead spots. Before marrying, a man (Justin Bartha) goes to Las Vegas with his three groomsmen (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis) for a last blowout, after which the groomsmen awake with no memories, a trashed room and no idea where the groom is. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 40 mins. C+ "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (PG): The best Potter movie since "Prisoner of Azkaban," and the most compelling in terms of exploring honest emotions. Effects dazzle. Film captures the raging teen hormones portrayed in the sixth book, although some scenes are altered or omitted. Still, pared-down telling works beautifully. Genuine sense of dread permeates story of evil Voldemort's growing power and Harry's attempt to thwart him. — C. McCollum. (PG) 2 hrs., 33 mins. A- "THE HURT LOCKER": Winner of the Venice Film Festival Grand Prize, director Kathryn Bigelow's suspense film/character study tracks a bomb-disposal unit at work in Iraq. Jeremy Renner heads an ensemble that includes cameos by Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. Excellent war movie, strongest Iraq war film yet. — C. Lemire. (R) 2 hrs., 10 mins. A- "Ice Age: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS": Scrat, the nonspeaking, saber-toothed squirrel, drives the third film in the animated series about life in the ice age. It's nothing to go nuts over: Manny and Ellie expect their first baby and Sid the sloth tries an unconventional way to start a family. Excellent 3-D. Voice cast includes Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah. — R. Moore. (PG) 1 hr., 32 mins. D "I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER": The coming-of-age comedy takes off after a nerdy high school valedictorian declares his love for a popular cheerleader during his graduation speech. Chris Columbus directs Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust. Miscast, unfunny, filled with bad messages, such as using sex to score beer. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 41 mins. F "IMAGINE THAT": OK family comedy with clever premise and good use of Eddie Murphy's comic strengths. He plays a successful financial executive with little time for his young daughter (Yara Shahidi). When his career starts to plummet, his daughter's imaginary world delivers the solution. Only sappy at the end. — C. Lemire. (PG) 1 hr., 45 mins. C+ "JULIA": Tilda Swinton plays an alcoholic talked into kidnapping a boy and holding him for ransom. Swinton's good but it's almost impossible to care about her irredeemable character. — B. Sharkey. (R) 2 hrs., 18 mins. D+ "LAND OF THE LOST": Will Ferrell stars in this remake of the campy Saturday-morning TV show. Three explorer gets sucked into a land of dinosaurs. Awkward combo of kitschy comedy that's not funny and action that lacks thrills. — C. Lemire. (PG-13) 1 hr., 36 mins. D- "Moon": Sam Rockwell plays an astronaut about to end his three-year stint living in a station on the far side of the moon when a younger, fitter, more businesslike version of himself arrives. Directorial debut of Duncan Jones, David Bowie's son. Upends your expectations about sci-fi, surprises you over and over, keeps you guessing until the end. — C. Lemire. (R) 1 hr., 47 mins. A "My Sister's Keeper": Great acting, brisk storytelling in adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel about an 11-year-old (Abigail Breslin), "engineered" to provide fetal cells and bone marrow for her leukemia-stricken sister (Sofia Vasilieva), who sues her parents (Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric) so she doesn't have to. Brisk-moving, touching, thought-provoking. With Alec Baldwin. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 39 mins. B+n "NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN": A clunky, stumbling film that should be a lot of fun for kids. Many laughs from Ben Stiller's former security guard sparring with characters such as Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams as Stiller's love interest). In the Smithsonian, holding facility for characters (Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt, etc.) from the first film, a pharaoh wreaks havoc after the exhibits come to life. — R. Moore. (PG) 1 hr., 45 mins. C+
"$9.99": Charming, little stop-motion animated film about an unemployed 28-year-old who crosses paths with many eccentrics after discovering a $10 booklet explaining the meaning of life. Voice cast includes Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush. Based on short stories by Etgar Keret. — M. O'Sullivan. (R) 1 hr., 18 mins. B- "The Proposal": To avoid being deported to Canada, a controlling, successful book editor (Sandra Bullock) pretends to be engaged to the assistant (Ryan Reynolds) she's hassled for years. When they go to Alaska to meet his parents, romantic comedy ensues. No surprises but Bullock's back at the top of her game. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 48 mins. C+ "Public Enemies": Johnny Depp as charismatic bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale as top G-man Melvin Purvis turn director Michael Mann's period piece into riveting, rousing entertainment. — R. Moore. (R) 2 hrs., 20 mins. B "THE SONG OF THE SPARROWS": A worker on an ostrich farm outside Tehran is fired and has to move to the city to find work. But urban life transforms his generous and trusting nature — much to the dismay of his family members, who hatch a plan to restore his values. Charming, delicate, sturdy. In Farsi with English subtitles. — L. Kennedy. (PG) 1 hr., 36 mins. B+ "Star Trek": Director J.J. Abrams reboots the film franchise with the crew of the Enterprise in their younger days. Leonard Nimoy appears as an older, time-traveling Spock. Excellent cast (Chris Pine as Kirk; Zachary Quinto as Spock), story, effects. — B. Newman. (PG-13) 2 hrs., 6 mins. A "SUMMER HOURS": Three successful but otherwise very different adult siblings deal with their mother's death in director Olivier Assayas' meditation on changing French traditions. Observant, insightful, feels authentic. With Juliette Binoche. In French with subtitles. — C. Lemire. (NR) 1 hr., 42 mins. B "Surveillance": In this violent psychological drama, two FBI agents track a serial killer with the help of three of his would-be victims — all of whom have different stories to tell. Jennifer Lynch, filmmaker David Lynch's daughter, directs Bill Pulham and Julia Ormond in the "Rashomon"-type crime story whose dark weirdness turns into a surreal blur. — R. Lowman. (R) 1 hr., 38 mins. C "THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3": Taut, exciting, anxiety-laden remake of the 1970s classic with Denzel Washington and John Travolta at the top of their games as, respectively, a New York City subway dispatcher forced to deal with a subway-train hijacking and the criminal mastermind who threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid in an hour. A thriller for our times. — C. Kelly. (R) 1 hr., 46 mins. B+ "The Stoning of Soraya M.": A journalist unravels the story of a rural Iranian woman unjustly accused of infidelity and stoned to death. An old-fashioned melodrama, climaxing with graphic violence, sure to stoke outrage. In Farsi with subtitles and in English. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 56 mins. B "TERMINATOR SALVATION": Good effects, an unpleasant amount of noise, no humanity. In 2018, now-grown-up John Connor (Christian Bale with his monotone "Batman" guttural growl) leads Earth's last humans against the corporation Skynet and its robots, or Terminators. You really need to have seen the first three "Terminator" films to know what's going on. With Sam Worthington. McG directs. — C. Lemire. (PG-13) 1 hr., 54 mins. C "Tetro": After an Italian teenager moves in with his long-estranged older brother in Argentina, the two come together to work out their troubled pasts living with their abusive father. Francis Ford Coppola directs. Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehrenreich and Klaus Maria Brandauer star. Gorgeous, but flounders in artistic angst. — C. Lemire. (NR) 2 hrs., 7 mins. C "Transformers: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN": Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) returns to help the Autobots battle the Decepticons, with help from scantily clad Mikaela (Megan Fox). Michael Bay is back as director. Overly long and stupid with lots of explosions. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 2 hrs., 31 mins. D- "Unmistaken Child": A haunting documentary about the search for the child who's a reincarnated Tibetan master, told through the eyes of his lifelong disciple. In English and in Tibetan, Hindi and Nepali with subtitles. — K. Turan. (NR) 1 hr., 42 mins. A- "UP": A grumpy widower and an accidental young stowaway fly, in a house attached to balloons, to an exotic land with strange birds and talking dogs. Pixar's latest animated triumph may be its most affecting and most visually arresting. — C. McCollum. (PG) 1 hr., 30 mins. A "Whatever Works": A lazy, uninspired Woody Allen comedy with too many long-winded monologues by star Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") in a contrived performance as a misanthropic, self-proclaimed genius who makes a mess of his life until he meets a naive, big-hearted Southern runaway played by Evan Rachel Wood who falls for him despite his crotchetiness. With some funny one-line zingers. — D. Germain. (PG-13) 1 hr., 32 mins. C "Year One": Banished from their primitive village, two lazy hunter-gatherers (Jack Black and Michael Cera) embark on an epic journey through the ancient world. Harold Ramis directs the comedy. Part satire, part "Bathroom Practices of the Bible." Not very good. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 40 mins. D+
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