Movie openings and capsule reviews

n "BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA": In this Disney comedy, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua (voice of Drew Barrymore) finds herself lost in the mean streets of Mexico without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique in sight. Affable comedy barks up right tree. — G. Whipp. (PG) 1 hr., 31 mins. B

# "Body of Lies": Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA operative trying to enlist a veteran agent's (Russell Crowe) help when he discovers a link to a terrorist cell. Ridley Scott directs. — G. Whipp. (R) 2 hrs., 8 mins. C+

# "THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS": The young, sheltered son of a Nazi officer learns much about life after the family moves from Berlin to an isolated area near a concentration camp, where he befriends the title character. Poignant and profound. With Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 33 mins. A

# "Burn After Reading": It's Coen brothers-lite, but still sizzles. Two inept gym employees get hold of a CD-ROM containing a CIA operative's memoirs. Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, George Clooney and Tilda Swinton star. Old-school Coens-type farce. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 35 mins. B+

# "CHANGELING": In 1920s L.A., a woman's son is abducted and then returned by police, only she swears he's not her kid. Based on a true story. Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie. Rich atmosphere, technically impressive, but lacks emotional depth and nuance. — D. Germain. (R)
Advertisement
2 hrs., 21 mins. C

# "THE DUCHESS": Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes shine, but the film gets mired in increasingly bathetic suffering. Knightley plays the ravishing Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer, the original "It Girl." Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved she could out-gamble, outdrink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. — B. Strauss. (PG-13) 1 hr., 45 mins. B

# "EAGLE EYE": Too fast for character development, too cluttered, too derivative. A race-against-time thriller with Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as strangers thrown together by a phone call from a woman they've never met. Threatening them and their family, the caller pushes them into increasingly dangerous situations, using technology to control their every move. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 48 mins. C

# "FIREPROOF": In an attempt to save his marriage, a firefighter uses a 40-day experiment known as "The Love Dare." With Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea. (PG) 2 hrs., 2 mins. Not reviewed.

# "Happy-Go-Lucky": A perpetually cheerful woman (Sally Hawkins) tries to maintain a positive outlook despite encountering a host of cynical, bitter and disturbed people, as well as suffering an aggravating back injury. Mike Leigh directs the delightful homage to happiness and optimism. — G. Whipp. (R) 1 hr., 58 mins. B+

# "HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR": The Disney franchise moves to the big screen with the singing, dancing teens (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman) dealing with basketball, a new musical and senior prom. Old-fashioned fun with the "Gee whiz" intact. — R. Moore. (G) 1 hr., 49 mins. C+

# "I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG": Director Philippe Claudel's complex character study/tone poem stars Kristin Scott Thomas, who is sublime as an ex-convict trying to rebuild her relationship with her estranged sister. In French with English subtitles. — M. Lee. (NR) 1 hr., 57 mins. A-

# "MADAGASCAR — ESCAPE 2 AFRICA": The escaped New York City Zoo animals from the original return in an animated tale of a botched escape from Madagascar that lands them on the plains of Africa, where most meet their relatives. Colorful comfort food for kids. — G. Whipp. (PG) 1 hr., 26 mins. B

# "Max Payne": Rockstar Games' antihero Max Payne gets his own movie with this heartless video-game adaptation. Conventional cop-vengeance thriller with a supernatural twist and Mark Wahlberg in the title role as a cop still trying to get over the demise of his family while investigating several murders. Mila Kunis co-stars. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 35 mins. C-

# "PRIDE AND GLORY": Edward Norton and Colin Farrell star in the saga of a multigenerational family of cops, where one relative must investigate another. Strong acting, predictable story, tired genre. — R. Moore. (R) 2 hrs., 5 mins. C+

n "Rachel Getting Married": Anne Hathaway plays a bitter young woman who increases family tensions when she returns home for her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. Jonathan Demme directs the first drama written by Jenny Lumet. A truthful, revelatory celebration of humanity. — G. Whipp. (R) 1 hr., 53 mins. A-

n "RELIGULOUS": Smug, facile mockery of religion by a self-important Bill Maher in this not-so-comic look at organized belief systems around the world. — G. Whipp. (NR) 1 hr., 41 mins. D

# "ROCKNROLLA": Guy Ritchie directs this clever, well-played and confidently presented crime caper that's also self-indulgent, overplotted and excessively violent at times. Tom Wilkinson looks like he's having great fun playing a bungling gang leader who calls the shots in London's underworld. Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges co-star. — B. Strauss. (R) 1 hr., 54 mins. B

# "ROLE MODELS": After destroying company property, two energy-drink salesmen (Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott) are ordered to spend time working with two of the toughest subjects in a mentoring program. One kid (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) os socially inept, the other (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a foul-mouthed stereotype. It's a jarring blend of light comedy with an offensive, lame and painful attempt at humor. With Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks. — R. Bentley. (R) 1 hr., 41 mins. C-

# "SAW V": More torture, torment and blood as the struggle to maintain Jigsaw's legacy continues. Will it never end? With Tobin Bell, Julie Benz, Costas Mandylor. (R) Not reviewed.

# "The Secret Lives of Bees": Good mix of race with the usual Southern chick-flick gumbo but still a fried-green-magnolias stew with endless honey metaphors. Set in 1964, it's about a 14-year-old (Dakota Fanning) haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape loneliness and a troubled relationship with her father, she flees with her housekeeper (Jennifer Hudson) to a town that holds the secret to her mother's past, and is taken in by three sisters/beekeepers. — B. Strauss. (PG-13) 1 hr., 50 mins. C+

# "SOUL MEN": Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac play legendary soul singers who agree to take part in a reunion show honoring a late colleague, even though the two haven't spoken to each other in two decades. Poorly plotted, vulgar road-trip comedy. — B. Strauss. (R) 1 hr., 43 mins. D+

# "STRANDED: I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE MOUNTAINS": Gonzalo Arijon's documentary presents a compelling look at surviving members of the Uruguay rugby team whose plane crash-landed in the Andes in 1972, forcing them to feed off the bodies of the dead as they fought to stay alive in the cold for two months. In Spanish with English subtitles. — K. Turan (NR) 2 hrs., 6 mins. A-

# "SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK": Writer Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich") makes his directorial debut with a surreal saga of a Schenectady theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whose life is falling apart when he's awarded a "genius" grant and decides to use the money to stage a massive theater piece. The story's so intricate and intellectually ambitious that it's befuddling. — B. Strauss. (R) 2 hrs., 4 mins. C+

# "TELL NO ONE": Francois Cluzet plays a pediatrician who awakes from a coma to find his wife has been murdered. The nifty suspense thriller is based on a Harlen Coben novel. In French with subtitles. — R. Lowman. (NR) 2 hrs., 5 mins. B

# "W." (PG-13): Oliver Stone plays it safe with this conservative biopic of George W. Bush. Josh Brolin excels as the prez. — B. Strauss. (PG-13) 2 hrs., 9 mins. B-

# "ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO": This romantic comedy about best friends (played by Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks) who decide to make an adult film is a slow-footed, dully shot and edited raunch-fest whose star's (Rogen) comic style clashes with writer-director Kevin Smith's. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 40 mins. C-

Opening today
# The following movies are scheduled to open today in the Bay Area: "GOOD DICK" (R): Marianna Palka is the writer, director and co-star of this offbeat independent film about a romance between an oddball fan of erotic videos and the loser clerk (Jason Ritt) who falls for her.
# "JCVD" (R): A satire of the life of movie hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, known throughout the world as the "Muscles From Brussels." Jean-Claude finds himself out of money, fighting for custody of his daughter and losing every good action role to Steven Seagal.
# "QUANTUM OF SOLACE" (PG-13): It's Bond, James Bond, with Daniel Craig back as 007 in this sequel to "Casino Royale," 2006's reboot of the franchise. Marc Forster ("The Kite Runner") directs.
# "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" (R): An 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai is one question away from winning a fortune on India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" when he's arrested on suspicion of cheating and, to prove his innocence, tells his life story to a sympathetic police officer. Directed by Danny Boyle. Opens Wednesday. (See review at ContraCostaTimes.com or InsideBayArea.com.)
# "THE WORLD UNSEEN" (NR): A lesbian romance set in 1950s South Africa, at the height of apartheid.

Source: mercurynews.com