CINEMA
At The Movies
Opening
Akeelah and the Bee
1/2
A precocious 11-year-old black girl's gift for words takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, pushed on by a forthright, mysterious teacher. Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett and Keke Palmer star in this family drama. Review on Page 21. (PG)
Hard Candy
Ellen Page gives a riveting performance in this provocative and tense psychological thriller about a teenage girl's exacting revenge on a smooth-operating pedophile she first meets on the Internet. Sandra Oh ("Sideways," "Grey's Anatomy") has a small role in the film. (R)
RV
1/2
Robin Williams stars as a dad who rents a gigantic recreational vehicle to take his family on an adventure-filled vacation to Colorado. See review on Thursday's Entertainment page. (PG)
Stick It
A rebellious 17-year-old gets in trouble with the law and is forced back into the world of competitive gymnastics in hopes that she will clean up her act. See review on Friday's Entertainment page. (PG-13)
United 93
A real-time drama about the fourth hijacked plane on 9/11. Feature and review on Pages 4 and 5. (R)
Now Playing
G General audiences.
The Wild
It's not "Madagascar Part II," but rather a computer-animated film about a New York City zoo lion (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) who enlists his friends to escape and search for his cub, who was shipped to the wild. Because the two movies are so similar, and because they've been released so close to each other, "The Wild" comes off as a toothless retread.
PG Parental guidance suggested.
Eight Below
Paul Walker plays a researcher in Antarctica who takes his scientific expedition to recover their pack of sled dogs they left behind more than six months earlier after being caught in a storm. This movie will enthrall youngsters and warm the hearts of dog lovers.
Hoodwinked
1/2
Detectives try to unravel the mystery at Granny's house in a new satirical, animated take on "Little Red Riding Hood." Kids might be entertained by the color and nonstop energy, but adults will see the film is really hackneyed and irrelevant.
Ice Age: The Meltdown
1/2
The animated sequel might as well come with another subtitle: "Featuring Scrat!" The fanged little goof constantly upstages the top-billed talent with his manic antics to secure his precious acorn. The movie is right on par with the 2002 original: brisk, pleasant and loaded with slapstick. Parents may feel they're watching the first "Ice Age" all over again.
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme's latest musical documentary focuses on a two-night stint by the veteran rocker at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, performing music from his earliest years up to his latest album "Prairie Wind." This is a deep and touching piece of work.
The Pink Panther
1/2
Steve Martin plays a variation of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau character in this remake of the 1960s original. The bumbling French detective takes on a mystery involving the death of a soccer coach, a missing diamond ring, and femme fatale pop star. Martin engages in his silliest screen behavior since "The Jerk."
PG-13 Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate from children under age 13.
16 Blocks
1/2
A New York cop (Bruce Willis) must escort a convict (Mos Def) from jail to court, but dangerous forces are out to stop them.
American Dreamz
1/2
Director Paul Weitz's satire is about a TV singing contest's popularity being so great that the president decides to sign up as a guest judge. Like the catchiest pop song, the movie is exuberantly fun, but provides zero substance. Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore star.
The Benchwarmers
1/2
A baseball buffonery comedy, this latest project from producer Adam Sandler packs more pop than you'd expect from a film made up of former "Saturday Night Live" second-stringers (Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Lovitz, plus Jon Heder from "Napoleon Dynamite"). Three grown-up dweebs form a barnstorming team seeking to lay the smackdown on full-rostered youth squads. The movie takes this inherently funny concept and frontloads its best gags, then plays small ball the rest of the way to maintain its dwindling lead.
Firewall
When his family is kidnapped by a ruthless criminal mastermind, a bank security specialist (Harrison Ford) is forced to find a flaw in his own system and steal $100 million. It's a great-looking movie, but this supposed thriller contains little suspense, and Ford, at age 63, is too old for his role.
Phat Girlz
A smart-mouthed, size-plus, aspiring fashion designer (Mo'Nique) tries to find love and acceptance in a world full of "hot-bodied" babes. This is a disarming and, in its own way, delightful vehicle for its star and executive producer.
Scary Movie 4
1/2
The latest sequel has sporadic flashes of comic greatness, but is separated by draggy repetitive sketches that make this movie feel long. It's basically a cross between parodies of "The Grudge" and "War of the Worlds." The details are done perfectly, but the gags are hit-and-miss.
The Sentinel
1/2
"24's" Kiefer Sutherland is protecting the president again, this time hunting down a suspected Secret Service mole (Michael Douglas), who claims he is being framed. The movie delivers modest action at best and the plot is silly.
Take the Lead
1/2
Antonio Banderas stars as a former ballroom dancer who volunteers at a public school to teach dance, even though the hip-hop instincts of his students clash, at first, with his methods. With his gentlemanly, romantic manner, Banderas makes a predictable movie more tolerable than it should be.
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion
1/2
The writer/director/actor reprises his grandmother character from last year's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." This time, Perry's Southern matriarch tries to organize a family reunion while caring for a runaway and counseling her nieces through their troubles.
Ultraviolet
Milla Jovovich stars as a genetically altered woman who's trying to protect a boy from a government out to kill him. The movie wants to be a high-concept futuristic thriller, but it's overstyled and incoherent.
R Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Basic Instinct 2
1/2
Sharon Stone reprises her career-making role of Catherine Trammell. The crime novelist is brought in by a Scotland Yard detective following the death of a sports star. The sequel to 1992's overheated sex thriller shows plenty of skin and erotic exercise, but little else to arouse viewers. And Stone is campy and shrill instead of fun and alluring this time 'round.
Casanova
1/2
Heath Ledger stars as the legendary lover who meets his match in the form of a feminist writer, played by Sienna Miller. Director Lasse Hallstrom tries too hard to evoke the complex hilarity of a Shakespearan comedy with this giddy romp.
Friends With Money
Writer-director Nicole Holofcener returns with another femalecentric feature. It's the story of a quartet of longtime friends from west Los Angeles. Three of them are in longtime marriages, while the remaining single one is going through life aimlessly. The film is filled with Holofcener's typically observant dialogue and wry humor, and leaves you wanting more. Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener and Joan Cusack star.
The Hills Have Eyes
A remake of Wes Craven's 1977 cult flick about a family stalked by a group of mutant killers. The script by director Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur makes this remake more like a GOP pro-gun platform plank than a horror thriller.
Lucky Number Slevin
1/2
Part mistaken-identity thriller, part flimflam game, this film stars Josh Hartnett as Slevin, a sap caught in the middle of a mob war between New York's rival crime bosses (Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley). It's an engaging crime romp, and its convolutions will keep audiences guessing.
The Matador
Pierce Brosnan stars as a cynical, washed-up, irresistible cad of a hit man, who befriends a straight-laced businessman (Greg Kinnear) in a Mexico City hotel bar while on a job. It's a breezy, stylish, darkly funny thriller that transcends the clichés of the mismatched-buddy movie genre.
Silent Hill
Yet another video game adaptation, this one features a woman looking for her missing daughter in an abandoned town inhabited by strange creatures. While the movie is compelling in a nightmarish way, it's way too long.
Slither
Residents of a small town are terrorized by an alien plague in the form of bloodthirsty slugs, whose bite transforms people into all forms of mutant monsters. Director James Gunn recycles parts of different horror movies to make a whole new one with lots of goo, lots of gore and quite a few intentional laughs. It's a B-movie delight.
Thank You For Smoking
1/2
This satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his son. Perfectly pitched, every cast member's performance clicks, and Eckhart's character stands as a memorable creation in contemporary cinema.
Tsotsi
Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto, the winner of this year's Best Foreign Film Oscar traces six days in the life of a gang leader who ends up caring for a baby kidnapped during a car-jacking. It's a solid, earnest drama of moral redemption.
Art House | Revival
THE DORIS DUKE THEATRE, HONOLULU ACADEMY OF ARTS
900 S. Beretania St.; $7 general; $6 seniors, students and military; $5 Academy members (532-8768):
The Boys of Baraka
At 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Sunday, 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. May 1, and 1 and 7:30 p.m. May 2. See review on Thursday's Entertainment page.
Shorts on the Rocks
Presented by the Hawaii Pacific University Film Club. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $5 general and $3 students, Academy members.
L'Enfant (The Child)
At 1 and 7:30 p.m. May 3 and 4.
MOVIE MUSEUM
3566 Harding Ave.; $5, $4 members; reservations recommended due to limited seating (735-8771):
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday.
Tristan + Isolde
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Bank
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday.
Seopyeonje
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. May 1.
The Big Lebowski
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. May 4.
"THE HEALING WORLD" FILM SERIES
Spalding Hall Auditorium, University of Hawaii-Manoa; $5 general and $3 for UH students, faculty and staff (223-0130):
Selling Sickness / A Touch of Magic: Treating the Person Inside the Patient
At 5 p.m. Sunday.
Alternative Medicine: An Overview / Holistic Health From Hawaii / World Healing in Hawaii
At 7 p.m. May 4.0