Movie guide
KEY: Four stars means superior; three stars means good; two stars means average; one star means poor. D for drug use, L for language, N for nudity, S for sexual situations or references, V for violence. Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald film critic, unless otherwise noted.
Picks
"The Bourne Ultimatum" -- Matt Damon's slick action sequel delivers the goods. Reviewed by Matt Arado. (PG-13) V. 111 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"The Darjeeling Limited" -- Three estranged brothers try to find their mom in India. (R) L, S. 91 minutes.3 stars
"Death at a Funeral" -- Stiff Brits bury a stiff -- with comic results. (R) D, L. 90 minutes. 3 stars
"Eastern Promises" -- David Cronenberg's thriller about the Russian mob and a nurse with an incriminating diary. (R) L, N, S, V. 100 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Gone Baby Gone" -- Boston detectives track a missing girl. (R) D, L, V. 115 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Hairspray" -- Plump Baltimore girl (Nikki Blonsky) sings for tolerance of blacks and plus-sizes in this joyful musical with John Travolta in drag. (PG) 115 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" -- Harry leads rebel wizards to stop You-Know-Who. The darkest and most confusing in the Potter series. Still entertaining. (PG-13) V. 139 minutes. 3 stars
"Into the Wild" -- Sean Penn's drama based on the Chris McCandless story. (R) L, N. 140 minutes. 3 1/2
"The Jane Austen Book Club" -- Six people's lives parallel characters in Austen's books. Smart, engaging. (PG-13) D, L, S. 105 minutes. 3 stars
"Lars and the Real Girl" -- Ryan Gosling falls for a life-size doll. At the Century Centre, Chicago. (PG-13) S. 97 minutes. 3 stars
"Michael Clayton" -- George Clooney kicks dramatic butt as a fixer for a huge legal firm. Thoughtful. Tough. (R) L. 119 minutes. 4 stars
"Mr. Bean's Holiday" -- Rowan Atkinson wins a trip to France! What fun! (G) 88 minutes.3 stars
"My Kid Could Paint That" -- Doc explores a 4-year-old Jackson Pollock. At the Music Box Theatre, Chicago. (PG-13) L. 82 minutes. 3 stars
"No Reservations" -- Chefs Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart cook up a tasty and tasteful romance. (PG) 105 minutes. 3 stars
"Ratatouille" -- An animated rat cooks up a cinematic dessert in this delightful Pixar production. (G) 110 minutes. 4 stars
"Rendition" -- Political drama tortures U.S. abduction practices. (R) L, V. 122 minutes. 3 stars
"The Simpsons Movie" -- D'oh! It's really good! Reviewed by Ted Cox. (PG-13) L, N. 86 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Superbad" -- Supergood raunchy teen comedy. (R) D, L, S, V. 112 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"3:10 to Yuma" -- Farmer Christian Bale brings Wild West outlaw Russell Crowe to justice. (R) L, V. 117 minutes.3 stars
"Waitress" -- A woman tries to escape her trapped, small-town life. (PG-13) L, S. 107 minutes. 4 stars
Passables
"Across the Universe" -- A visually audacious but unsatisfying musical using Beatles songs. (PG-13) D, L, N. S. 129 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" -- Moody, well-acted, but slow look at how Ford (Casey Affleck) killed the outlaw (Brad Pitt). (R) S, V. 160 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"The Brave One" -- Jodie Foster goes Charles Bronson on us in Neil Jordan's pro-vigilante drama. (R) L, S, V. 122 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" -- Cate Blanchett reprises her role as the Virgin Queen in this historical drama. Reviewed by Pam DeFiglio. (PG-13) N, S, V. 115 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"The Game Plan" -- The Rock gets rolled by a daughter he didn't know about. Associated Press review. (PG) 110 minutes. 2 stars
"The Heartbreak Kid" -- Ben Stiller finds true love on his honeymoon -- with another woman. Crude and comic. (R) D, L, N, S. 116 minutes. 2 stars
"Ira & Abby" -- Pessimistic guy and optimistic girl marry for worse. At the Century Centre, Chicago. (R) L, S. 101 minutes. 2 stars
"The Kingdom" -- FBI agents kick terrorist tushie in Saudi Arabia. (R) V. 110 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Mr. Woodcock" -- Seann William Scott tries to stop Billy Bob Thornton's sadistic coach from dating Mom. (PG-13) D, L, S. 87 minutes. . .½
"Reservation Road" -- Chilly drama about a hit-and-run dad and his guilt. At the River East 21, Chicago. (R) L. 102 minutes. 2 stars
"Sleuth" -- A novelist and an actor play deadly cat-and-mouse. At the Century Centre, Chicago, Evanston CineArts 6 and Renaissance Place in Highland Park. (R) L. 86 minutes. 2
"Stardust" -- Screwy fantasy inhabited by cannibalistic witches, a cross-dressing pirate and a drab young hero. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro ham it up. (PG-13) V. 125 minutes. 2 stars
"Sydney White" -- A cute reimagining of the Snow White story set on a college campus and starring Amanda Bynes. Reviewed by Jamie Sotonoff. (PG-13) L, S. 108 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Things We Lost in the Fire" -- Benicio Del Toro and Halle Berry star in a tearful Oscar bait tragedy. (R) D, L. 118 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Transformers" -- The 1980s toys become action stars. Reviewed by Matt Arado. (PG-13) L, S, V. 144 minutes. 2 stars
"We Own the Night" -- Well-acted crime drama cops out with dialogue, plot. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg star. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 117 minutes. 2 stars
Pits
"Broken" -- Heather Graham meets psycho Jeremy Sisto in what resembles a student film. At the Century Centre, Chicago. (R) L, S. 97 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
"The Final Season" -- Sports movie hits the cliches out of the ballpark. (PG) 113 minutes. 1 star
"Good Luck Chuck" -- Raunchy, incoherent comedy starring charmless Dane Cook as a dentist cursed to have constant sex, but not true love. With Jessica Alba. (R) L, N. S. 96 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
"Rush Hour 3" -- Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return as cops in this Tuckered-out action sequel. (PG-13) L, V. 91 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
"The Ten Commandments" -- Cheap, lifeless animation and a miscast Christian Slater as Moses make this a "Shall Not Witness" movie. (PG) 88 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
"30 Days of Night" -- Vampires infest Alaska. Reviewed by Jeff Pizek. (R) L, V. 113 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
Unpreviewed
"The Comebacks" -- A send-up of sports movie cliches. (PG-13) D, S. 84 minutes.
"Dragon Wars" -- Reincarnated lovers must stop dragons from destroying Los Angeles. (PG-13) V. 107 minutes.
"Feel the Noise" -- A rapper hides in Puerto Rico with the father he never knew. (PG-13) D, L, S, V. 87 minutes.
"Resident Evil: Extinction" -- Milla Jovovich kicks more zombie butt in a video-game-based thriller. (R) N, V. 94 minutes.
"Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour" -- A teen (Rissa Walters) encounters paranormal activity. (PG) 81 minutes.
"The Seeker: The Dark is Rising" -- A boy learns he's an immortal warrior. (PG) 94 minutes.
"Why Did I Get Married?" -- Tyler Perry's comedy about a husband being tested by a vixen. (PG-13) L, S.118 minutes.
Preview
"Dan in Real Life" -- Steve Carell falls for his bro's girlfriend. Previews Saturday. See ads for showtimes and venues. (PG-13) L, S. 98 minutes.