Movie Star Poker Movie Reviews

Movie Review Grades: 4 stars = excellent, 3 stars = good, 2 stars = fair, 1 star = poor.

New Releases

CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY: The documentary "Gunner Palace" (PG-13, 89 minutes) takes place in Baghdad's Azimiya Palace; American soldiers live there during the Iraqi war, raiding Baghdad homes to find explosive devices and unseen enemies. "Look at Me" (PG-13, 110 minutes) comes from director Agnes Jaoui ("The Taste of Others"), who wrote both movies with partner Jean-Pierre Bacri; Bacri plays the father of a plump singer who feels the world dismisses her because of her weight. In "Turtles Can Fly" (, PG-13, 95 minutes) Iranian writer-director Bahman Ghobadi takes a heart-wrenching look at Kurdish children struggling to survive on the Iraq-Turkey border, just prior to the U.S. invasion. There's also the annual program of Academy Award Short Film Nominees (not rated, 90 minutes), with three animated movies and four live-action efforts (including both 2004 winners).
DARK WATER: A woman who has been through a bitter divorce and her young daughter (Jennifer Connelly and Ariel Gade) hole up in a run-down apartment that may be haunted. The story comes from a 2002 movie by Hideo Nakata (who did the "Ring" series in Japan); this remake is directed by Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries"). 105 minutes.• PG-13: Mature thematic material, frightening sequences, disturbing images and brief language.
FANTASTIC FOUR: Four astronauts (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans) pass through radiation and gain superpowers. They use those to defeat Dr. Doom, an old acquaintance who has become a deformed megalomaniac with superpowers of his own (Julian McMahon). 105 minutes.• PG-13: Sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content.

Recent Releases

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL IN 3-D: Writer-director Robert Rodriguez listened to his young son spin a yarn about young superheroes who get an Earth boy to save their home planet, then slapped it onscreen without worrying about continuity, character, narrative or pacing. The 3D effects work adequately -- the movie is "flat" on Earth, three-dimensional on threatened Planet Drool -- if unimaginatively, and Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley have positive energy as the title characters. 92 minutes.• PG: Mild action and some rude humor.
BATMAN BEGINS: Director Christopher Nolan, working from a script he wrote with David Goyer, follows "Memento" and "Insomnia" with the finest comic-book adaptation of the last 25 years. (I'd put it narrowly ahead of the first "X-Men.") Christian Bale plays obsessed Bruce Wayne, who goes on a seven-year journey to channel his anger and comes back as the vengeful Caped Crusader; Katie Holmes is the assistant D.A. who won't let herself fall in love with him; Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are canny Alfred the butler and Lucius Fox, Batman's armorer; and Liam Neeson plays the mentor who wants Batman to wipe evil away in an Old Testament fury. Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe are a bit low-powered as villains Scarecrow and Ra's Al-Ghul, but the film beautifully blends suspense, action, humor and drama. Even Gary Oldman is in top form, giving a restrained performance as Sgt. (and commissioner-to-be) Gordon. 142 minutes.• PG-13: Intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements.
BEWITCHED: Nicole Kidman is enchanting as Isabel Bigelow, a witch who vows to give up her powers and live like a mortal -- until she's cast as Samantha by TV writers remaking the classic comedy "Bewitched." Then she finds herself confronted with a vain, has-been actor (Will Ferrell) who needs to learn humility (and, of course, falls in love with her). Funny and fresh at first, then the usual fluff. Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine, Jason Schwartzman and Kristin Chenoweth give it extra zest. 102 minutes.• PG-13: Some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity.
CINDERELLA MAN: James J. Braddock, who went on relief during the Depression to feed his wife and kids in New Jersey, came from nowhere to win the heavyweight boxing championship in 1935. Director Ron Howard and his writers sentimentalized this beautifully simple story, inventing fake incidents and laying the melodrama on thickly, when the truth would have been better. But they got the period atmosphere right, and Russell Crowe (who's a decade too old) plays the title role with dignity, warmth and humanity. Paul Giamatti shines as his ferocious but good-hearted manager; Renee Zellweger whines as the champ's wife. 144 minutes.• PG-13: Intense boxing violence and some language.
FIGHTER PILOT: This IMAX film, the latest addition to Discovery Place's schedule, follows pilots from the western world as they go through sophisticated training maneuvers at an Air Force base in Nevada. Canadian director Stephen Low has no axes to grind about politics or warfare; he simply wants to show the exhilaration of piloting a machine that can fly 600 mph just over the desert's looming rocks and the cunning needed to outwit the "enemy." There's a slight hint of danger, too; these guys know that, even in practice, a mistake could be fatal. • NR (nothing objectionable).
HERBIE: FULLY LOADED: A would-be NASCAR driver (Lindsay Lohan) puts the magical Volkswagen beetle through its paces for the sixth time. Harmless, conventional, passably acted fun for the undemanding. The cast includes Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton. 101 minutes.•
GHOWL'S MOVING CASTLE: Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (who directed the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away") returns with a complex story more easily interpreted by the heart than the mind. It's about a teenager who befriends a wizard and is punished by a jealous witch, whose spell makes a crone of the girl. She becomes the wizard's housekeeper in his mobile abode, joining an extended family that includes a fire demon, a silent scarecrow and a boy apprentice. Gorgeous visuals and imagery from Europe, Asia and Great Britain enhance the story, which is mostly about the ways we help each other learn compassion and maturity. 119 minutes.• PG: Frightening images and brief mild language.
LAND OF THE DEAD: Director George Romero finishes the zombie tetralogy he began in 1968 with "Night of the Living Dead." This time, survivors of the zombie plague live in a walled enclave, with the creatures outside getting smarter and more disgruntled. Romero combines grim humor, stylish horror and a blunt attack on right-wing America in a simple but capable manner. Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento and Eugene Clark star. 93 minutes.• R: Pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use.
THE LONGEST YARD: An entertaining remake of the 1974 original, missing some of the grit and drama but equaling the first one in crass humor. A former NFL quarterback (Adam Sandler), sent to a federal prison for car theft, puts together a team of inmates at the request of the warden (James Cromwell), who wants to give his guards' team someone to play. The practice game becomes symbolic and attracts national attention, with years of rage built up on both sides of the field. Burt Reynolds (the QB in the first one) comes back as a coach, and Chris Rock plays the savvy Caretaker, who shows the quarterback the ropes of prison life. Beware the language and situations, if you're taking a preteen: This should have earned an R. 120 minutes.• PG-13: Crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references.
MADAGASCAR: Four animals from the Central Park Zoo get sent to Africa, where they're shipwrecked on the coast of a lush island. The zebra, giraffe and hippo are thrilled, but the starving lion -- who has always thought of them as best friends but now sees them as dinner entrees -- has a crisis of conscience. DreamWorks has crammed this movie with pop culture references targeting audiences young and old, plus a message about standing by your friends no matter how they behave. The main voices come from Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Ben Stiller, with Sacha Baron Cohen as a manic lemur. 85 minutes.• PG: Mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements.
MR. AND MRS. SMITH: Amiable, overlong fun, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married hit people assigned to slay each other. Can you believe professional killers could maintain an arsenal of weapons on their suburban property for six years without realizing they're in the same line of work? If so, you'll have no trouble with the script. (But why not watch "Prizzi's Honor" instead?) Jolie tries hard, Pitt coasts in second gear, and you get only a hint of the real-life romance that allegedly affected his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. 112 minutes.• PG-13: Sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content and brief strong language.
REBOUND: Martin Lawrence plays a formerly successful college basketball coach who has a public meltdown and is demoted to leading a squad of middle schoolers. Directed by Steve Camp ("Daddy Day Care," "Dr. Dolittle 2.") 87 minutes.• PG: Mild language and thematic elements.
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS: Ideal if you're in the target audience of teen girls, clunky if you're not. Four 16-year-olds from Maryland find a magical pair of blue jeans that miraculously fit their different body types, bringing good fortune to each; they share the pants over one summer, finding love in different ways. The story construction is pure fantasy on most levels, and one of the situations is wildly implausible, but the girls are sweet. Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn star. 119 minutes.• PG: Thematic elements, some sensuality and language.
STAR WARS: EPISODE III -- REVENGE OF THE SITH: An honorable conclusion to the saga, better than the two that preceded it but not worthy to stand with parts four through six. The main strengths are the story itself, with Anakin moving toward the Dark Side of the Force and finally accepting his role as Darth Vader; the sly performance of Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine, who woos Skywalker to evil; and Ewan McGregor's calm Obi-Wan Kenobi. The main weaknesses are George Lucas' maudlin, mawkish writing and (surprisingly) inattention to detail, and Hayden Christensen's scowling monotony as Anakin. Natalie Portman has been relegated to the background as ill-fated Padme. 140 minutes.• PG-13: Sci-fi violence and some intense images.
WAR OF THE WORLDS: (opens Wednesday) A single father (Tom Cruise) tries to save his kids (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) during an invasion by aliens in this Steven Spielberg adventure. Miranda Otto and Tim Robbins also star. 117 minutes.• PG-13: Frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images.