At The Movies

Opening

Feel the Noise
After a run-in with local thugs, a talented Harlem rapper is forced to hide in Puerto Rico, but finds his salvation in reggaetón beats. (PG-13)

The Heartbreak Kid 1/3
Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers strike gold as they did with "There's Something About Mary" in this updated remake about a newlywed who realizes his dream girl is a nightmare, and falls for another woman on his honeymoon. Review, Page 26 (R)

In the Shadow of the Moon
Between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft voyaged to the moon, and this documentary brings together the surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission that flew there, allowing them to candidly tell their stories in their own words. First-hand testimony is interwoven with remastered archival NASA film footage. Review, Page 27.

The Jane Austen Book Club
In modern-day California, six women find their lives and romances reflected in the six novels of 18th century English author Jane Austen. Review on Page 18. (PG-13)

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
A young man discovers he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting dark forces of unimaginably evil power. (PG)

Now Playing

G

Arctic Tale 1/2
Queen Latifah narrates this kid-friendly mash-up of a production that veers between "March of the Penguins" and "An Inconvenient Truth." The beautifully photographed stories of a polar bear cub and walrus serves as a warning about global warming.

Ratatouille
The latest Pixar film from Brad Bird ("The Incredibles") is a visual feast for the eyes. Children will probably enjoy watching the adventures of a plucky Parisian rat who leaves the colony to pursue his dream of becoming a gourmet chef. But the animation is so lush and intricately detailed that it seems to have been tailored more to grown-up tastes and sensibilities.

PG

Bratz 1/2
Four teenage girls from different backgrounds empower themselves by rejecting their respective high school cliques. Based on the popular doll series, this movie is mind-numbingly vapid and shrill, playing out more like an extended commercial.

The Game Plan
A pro quarterback (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) must learn to juggle his party-and-practice lifestyle with ballet, bedtime stories and dolls when the 7-year-old daughter he never knew existed shows up at his door. The movie is the cinematic equivalent of a family-friendly halftime show.

Hairspray 1/2
The hit Broadway musical based on John Waters' 1988 romp of a movie gets its own screen adaptation. A plus-size girl with a big heart and a passion for dancing dreams of appearing on a local TV dance party in 1960s Baltimore. Director and choreographer Adam Shankman keeps the tone light, the hair high and the pacing snappy.

PG-13

Balls of Fury 1/2
This movie serves up a surprising amount of sports thrills and a good amount of laughter as it chronicles the fable of a disgraced pingpong champ taking a second shot at greatness. It ridicules '80s music, Asian cinema and "Rocky" stories with some winning sight gags and punch lines. "Best pingpong movie ever!"

The Bourne Ultimatum 1/2
Matt Damon returns as an amnesiac secret agent in this kinetic action sequel filled with political resonance. Director Paul Greengrass builds on the first two chapters with a story that is darker and more cynical, as Jason Bourne confronts the truth about who he was before the government brainwashed him into being an assassin.

Daddy Day Camp
This slapdash sequel to "Daddy Day Care" finds Cuba Gooding Jr. taking over Eddie Murphy's role as Charlie Hinton. Hinton now finds himself running a ramshackle day camp he attended as a boy. Richard Gant plays his father, a Marine colonel, who helps toughen up the kids. Gant's charming characterization is syrup poured atop a heaping helping of warrior-jock worship.

Dragon Wars 1/2
A beautiful young woman holds the ancient secret of giant dragons wreaking havoc and destruction on modern-day Los Angeles. It's a laughable fantasy all the way until the final battle sequence, when the movie becomes preposterously fun to watch.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The many fans of the series can take some satisfaction in a sleek, swift and exciting adaptation of J.K. Rowling's longest novel to date, playing like a tense and twisty political thriller. The movie depicts a wizard world riven by factionalism and threatened by inflexible authoritarianism. Devotees of fine British acting can savor the addition of Imelda Staunton to the roster of first-rate thespians moonlighting at Hogwarts.

Mr. Woodcock
The movie is often as juvenile and predictable as its title suggests. Yet this dark comedy about a self-help author plotting revenge on his sadistic former gym coach gets honest laughs because of performances that ring universally true. Kudos to actors Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott and Susan Sarandon.

Rush Hour 3 1/2
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reteam for more high jinks, this time in Paris, in the new installment of the hit buddy cop series. Third time's not the charm, however, as this is a lazy and formulaic action comedy that is neither thrilling nor particularly funny.

The Simpsons Movie 1/2
The movie about America's favorite TV cartoon dysfunctional family works hard and hilariously to include all thing that the TV series has come to mean -- celebrity guest stars, jabs at corporate parent Fox, and the continued foolishness of Homer Simpson ("Spider-Pig! Spider-Pig! ..."). It also uses the big, wide screen to stretch out a bit jokewise, both literally and figuratively.

Sydney White
Part fairy tale, part college comedy, totally unoriginal and a tad offensive, this stars Amanda Bynes as a new student who starts a rebellion against the school's oppressive Greek establishment with the help of seven dorks. Bynes delivers a bright, quirky portrayal, but she's hindered by a weak script.

Transformers
Michael Bay's feature based on the popular line of 1980s toy action figures is a screeching-metal, smash-and-crash, extreme-action movie lover's dream come true. It's also a wildly absurd fantasy and far more fun than it ought to be. The movie's all about the sheer visceral charge of mechanics in motion.

R

2 Days in Paris
The metabolism of Julie Delpy's biting romantic comedy runs full tilt when a New York couple take a European vacation in an attempt to reinfuse their relationship with romance. Her examination of modern love among the almost young and still restless is bracingly hard-headed.

3:10 to Yuma 1/2
This remake of a famous Western from 50 years ago brings together two of today's most compelling actors, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. The two star in this intense standoff between law and disorder set after the Civil War. The movie addresses the sacrifices of soldiers and the ruthlessness of greed, with its center being the relationship between the rancher, who believes in doing what's right, and the outlaw, who believes in doing what is right for him.

The Brave One
Jodie Foster is pretty amazing as the woman who becomes a gun-toting vigilante in pursuit of the thugs who murdered her fiancé. She plays the role with a fierce conviction, even when playing someone torn up by self-doubt, and she absolutely lifts the movie over its problematic humps.

The Brothers Solomon H
Will Arnett and Will Forte star as good-hearted but socially inept brothers trying to grant their dad's dying wish for a grandchild. Squandering its impressive cast with poorly directed gags, this is a one-joke movie stretched well beyond its limits.

Death Sentence 1/2
This trite revenge thriller sends mixed messages, with stylized action scenes that glorify violence and tragic turns of plot that condemn street justice. Kevin Bacon stars as a family man-turned-equalizer, waging war against the thugs who killed his teenage son.

Eastern Promises
In David Cronenberg's latest film, Naomi Watts plays a London midwife who looks into the death of a patient, putting her in the sights of a ruthless Russian mobster (Viggo Mortensen). The film is both brutally violent and breathtakingly human, although tantalizingly too short.

Feast of Love 1/2
Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Radha Mitchell star in this overstuffed melodrama about the intertwining life, love and attraction that take place in and around a Portland, Ore., coffeehouse.

Good Luck Chuck
Jessica Alba and Dane Cook star in this obnoxious and ugly-looking movie about a guy stuck in a pattern of cursed relationships -- all the women he sleeps with marry the next guy they date. He develops a reputation as a good luck charm, as women line up for a quickie. But he tries to change things when he meets the girl of his dreams, a beautiful if accident-prone penguin specialist.

In the Valley of Elah 1/2
A former MP sets out in search of his missing son, reported AWOL on his first weekend back after serving in Iraq. "Crash's" Mike Haggis helms this almost painfully powerful drama, featuring terrific performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon.

The Kingdom 1/2
An elite U.S. counterterrorism team investigates a deadly attack on an American housing compound in Saudi Arabia. Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner star in this "CSI"-type movie that offers basic characters, simple messages, gruesome details and a bit of slick, slam-bang action.

Resident Evil: Extinction 1/2
Milla Jovovich returns as the superhuman Alice who, along with old allies and new survivors, goes on a mission to eliminate the deadly virus that threatens to make every human being a zombie. Not exactly dull but never interesting either, the movie has no weight because there's no characterization or emotion, just slick mayhem.

NR

Memories of Tomorrow 1/2
In this award-winning Japanese film, Western audiences more familiar with Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe playing a samurai will be surprised with his extraordinary performance as a man with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He plays a hard-charging, midlevel salaryman whose world crumbles along with his brain.

Art House | Revival

MOVIE MUSEUM
3566 Harding Ave.; $5, $4 members; reservations recommended due to limited seating (735-8771):

10 Canoes
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday.

A Man of Principle (Cóndores no Entierran Todos los Días)
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Method (El Método)
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Monday.

Rigoletto
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Oct. 11.

DORIS DUKE THEATRE
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 S. Beretania St.; $7; $6 seniors, students and military; $5 academy members (532-8768):

Coeurs
At 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Shutka Book of Records / Preacher With an Unknown God
At 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Oct. 11.