Entertainment

Picasso keeps getting into fights. In fact, he's blind in one eye from one of them. But his girlfriend, Sophie, is always there for him. Mingus, an antisocial moper by nature, loves to bob his head to blues riffs. Pushkin is a single dad. No woman to call his own. Just a nest full of kids. And then there's Connor. Took off for 10 days when his gal, Katharine, died. He's been despondent ever since. They're all regulars at San Francisco's Telegraph Hill, where they come for their usual poison: sunflower seeds.

Q: I am a 43-year-old gay man who was in a relationship with a 35-year-old man for 14 years. In April 2004, he broke up with me and moved out, proclaiming that he is now "straight." Now he's engaged to a 20-year-old girl who has no clue about his past. I have never met her, but I understand that she is quite homely. Her father will be spending about $50,000 to pay for the wedding. My ex and I work for different divisions of the same homophobic company. It is constantly mentioned to me how he has really "turned his life around, he's engaged, getting married, etc.," implying that my life is a mess or something.

Lately, Hollywood has gotten so obsessed with doing big things badly, it may have forgotten how to do small things well. An overdone version of a mediocre TV show, a crashing confab of comic-book heroes – these genres it's mastered. But a gentle little romantic comedy? A small, sweet story of two adults meeting, and parting, and meeting again, and maybe finding love in spite of themselves? That's growing rare, which is why even a mild movie like "Must Love Dogs" can be a bit of a treat.

Everything felt different, as I pulled up to Gonzaga Prep High School for my 20th reunion last Friday. For starters, I drove my car, not one borrowed from my parents. And even though I am 25 pounds (a kind estimate) heavier, I am definitely better looking. Of course, that's not saying much if you saw my senior picture. Full of confidence and without braces, I walked toward campus. And as I saw classmates in the distance, panic set in. I was 17 again, arriving to a mixer on my own. Where was someone I knew to whom I could run?

MOVIEWHAT IT'S ABOUTDETAILSTIMES AND LOCATIONSOpening today:Must Love DogsA forty-something preschool teacher (Diane Lane) looks to the personals for a change of pace and a relationship, with hilarious results.Running time: 1:38Rating: PG-13 (sexual content) NorthTown Mall: 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:20, 9:40. River Park Square: 12:15, 1, 2:40, 3:30, 5:10, 6:40, 7:45, 9, 10:10. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:40, 4:40, 7:50, 10:25. Post Falls: 12:10, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 8:40. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:35 a.m., 2:10, 4:55, 7:35, 10:10Sky HighThe son (Michael Angarano) of a couple with superpowers (Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston) is sent off to school to find out his own powers, which come in handy when a villain threatens the world -- and his parents.Running time: 1:42Rating: PG (action violence, some mild language)NorthTown Mall: 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:35. River Park Square: 12:25, 1:30, 2:50, 4:30, 5:15, 6:55, 7:35, 9:20, 10:05. Spokane Valley Mall: noon, 2:30, 5, 7:40, 10:10. Post Falls: noon, 2:05, 4:10, 6:20, 8:25. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:30 a.m., 1:55, 4:20, 6:55, 9:45.StealthWhen a computer system goes wild, sending a robot-controlled supersonic jet off to attack the people who invented it, three fighter jocks (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx) are what stands in its way.Running time: 2:01Rating: PG-13 (intense action, some violence, brief strong language, innuendo) NorthTown Mall: 12:15, 12:50, 3, 3:35, 6:20, 7:15, 9:30, 10. River Park Square: 12:25, 1:15, 2:30, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 6:15, 7:05, 8:30, 9:10, 10. Spokane Valley Mall: 1, 1:30, 4, 4:30, 7, 7:30, 10, 10:30. Post Falls: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 12:10, 1:35, 3:40, 4:30, 7:10, 7:30, 10:20, 10:40.Sneak preview Saturday:Jesse McCartney LivePart of a three-concert Summer Break in-theater series, this filmed Jesse McCartney show plays exclusively at the NorthTown Cinemas.Running time: 2:00Rating: Not RatedNorthTown Mall: Sneak preview Saturday at 4 p.m.Opening Monday: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph HillA mostly homeless musician adopts a flock of wild parrots that haunt his San Francisco neighborhood. Director Judy Irving's documentary offers up a moving look at the two sets of animals, human and bird.Running time: 1:23Rating: GThe Met: Monday-Thursday at 5:30 and 8 p.m.Continuing: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D••Lost in an imaginary world of superheroes, this Robert Rodriguez film involves a young boy (Cayden Boyd) who gets a chance to set things right in the real world when he is called to action by his favorite characters – Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley). Running time: 1:35Rating: PG (mild action, some rude humor)Garland: 12:45, 5.Bad News Bears•••In this remake of the 1976 Michael Ritchie film about a youth baseball team of losers, Billy Bob Thornton takes over for Walter Matthau as the down-and-out coach who teaches them – in his own, beery way – how to play the game. The film stays true to its source and is a lot more serious, and slow, than the trailers indicate. Though the baseball action doesn't exactly knock you breathless, it is Billy Bob Thornton at his best, dropping analogies that would make a Hooters waitress blush. And there does end up being a message about what's really important in life, even if it is delivered by the janitor and not the deacon. Sometimes, though, that's who can best separate the important stuff from the stuff that just gets said for the hell of it.Running time: 1:41Rating: PG-13 (pervasive strong language, rude humor, sexual content, alcohol abuse, drug references)NorthTown Mall: 12:40, 3:15, 6:35, 9:15. River Park Square: 1:05, 1:35, 3:45, 4:20, 6:30, 7:05, 9:20, 9:50. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:20, 4:05, 6:55, 9:35. Post Falls: 12:10, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:55 a.m., 3:55, 7:20, 10:15.Batman Begins•••Tortured by having witnessed his parents' murder, rich and brilliant Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) takes off on a quest only to return to become the Dark Knight – a determined vigilante bent on cleaning Gotham City of the criminals who are making it a cesspool of lawlessness. This Christopher Nolan-directed film is a more muted "Batman," one that shows not only how Wayne became obsessed with bats but also how the young heir becomes obsessed his lifelong hatred of crime and those who cause it to happen.Running time: 2:20Rating: PG-13 (intense action violence, disturbing images, thematic elements) NorthTown Mall: 3:10, 6:15. River Park Square: 12:35, 9:05. Spokane Valley Mall: 6:30, 9:40. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:45 a.m., 3:30, 6:40, 9:50.Bewitched••1/2When a former movie star (Will Ferrell) gets a chance at a comeback by starring in a TV remake of "Bewitched," he recruits a co-star (Nicole Kidman) without knowing that she's a real witch. So when she discovers that he and his agent (Jason Schwartzman) are merely using her, he's shocked when she begins casting spells on him. Running time: 1:40Rating: PG-13 (language, sex/drug references, partial nudity)NorthTown Mall: 12:35, 9:20. Coeur d'Alene Discount: 12:35, 3:10, 5:15, 7:15, 9:20.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory•••Five children win precious golden tickets, which allow them to tour the candy factory owned by the mysterious Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp). This Tim Burton remake of the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder updates the musical numbers, and the special effects are clearly better. But is the film better overall? The two are probably about the same, and your enjoyment is going to depend on how well you like the lead actors. Plus author Roald Dahl's twisted vision of childhood.Running time: 1:55Rating: PG (quirky situations, action, mild language)IMAX (Riverfront Park): 9:30 a.m., 12:30, 3:45, 7, 10:15. River Park Square: 2, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:50, 4:50, 7:25, 9:55. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 2:15, 4:50, 7:25, 10:05.The Devil's RejectsAfter escaping the law following their previous series of murders (see "House of 1,000 Corpses"), a band of sadistic killers moves on to fresh, uh, meat, while a lawman stays on their trail.Running time: 1:41Rating: R (sadistic violence, strong sexual content, language, drug use) River Park Square: 2, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:50, 4:50, 7:25, 9:55. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 2:15, 4:50, 7:25, 10:05.Edward Scissorhands•••1/2Tim Burton sees life in much the same way that David Lynch does, namely, exaggerated. But while Lynch tends to see his world through a glass darkly, Burton takes much more of a kid's view. In "Edward Scissorhands" he has made perhaps his most personal statement, about what happens when someone – or something – distinctly different is cast into the web of modern suburbia. The someone he studies is, in typically bizarre Burton fashion, a boy with scissors for hands (sensitively played by teen heart-throb Johnny Depp). Running time: 1:45Rating: PG-13The Shop: Free outdoor movie, Saturday only at dusk, 924 S. Perry St.Fantastic Four••1/2 Marvel Comics presents one of the strangest collections of superheroes ever imagined: one guy (Ioan Gruffudd) who can stretch like rubber and another who turns into fire (Chris Evans), a woman (Jessica Alba) who can disappear at will and a third guy (Michael Chiklis) who … well, they don't call him The Thing for nothing. All of this takes place after five American scientists are subjected to radioactive waves. One of them (Julian McMahon) decides to use his power for personal gain; the others team up to stop him. Running time: 1:45Rating: PG-13 (sequences of intense action, suggestive content) NorthTown Mall: 12:30, 3:05, 6:25, 9:05. River Park Square: 12:20, 3:05, 6:35, 9:15. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:10, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 1:45, 4:40, 7:45, 10:30.Fighter Pilot: Operation Red FlagThis IMAX film follows the exploits of an Air Force officer as he strives to survive Red Flag, an elite training exercise aimed at giving fighter pilots the skills they need to survive air-to-air combat.Running time: :48Rating: Not Rated IMAX (Riverfront Park): 2:45, 9:15.Grand Canyon: The Hidden SecretsA re-release of the 1984 IMAX film re-creating the exploration of the canyon by the earliest settlers to the 1869 trip by American explorer John Wesley Powell.Running time: :35Rating: Not RatedIMAX (Riverfront Park): 11:40 a.m.Grease••1/2Coming in the wake of John Travolta's 1977 hit "Saturday Night Fever," this 1978 adaptation of the stage play was inordinately popular. Travolta plays a tough guy who, after having a summer affair with a goody-goody (Olivia Newton-John), is surprised when she shows up at his high school. Running time: 1:50Rating: PGPavillion Park (Liberty Lake): Free outdoor showing today at dusk.Hustle & Flow••1/2When a Memphis pimp (Terrence Dashon Howard) meets an old friend (Anthony Anderson), he begins to dream that he can rise out of his dead-end existence and use his life experiences to make music.Running time: 1:44Rating: R (sexual content/nudity, language) River Park Square: 1:20, 4:10, 6:55, 9:35.The Island••1/2For the first 45 minutes, "The Island" is a variation on George Lucas' 1971 film "THX 1138." Then for the next 20 minutes, it's that 1976 sci-fi cheapie "Logan's Run." The "THX" part involves an underground lair in which people with cool names such as "Lincoln Six Echo" and "Jordan Two Delta" live a life of luxury, even if they don't have a whole lot of freedom. Some, such as our hero Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) chafe at their restraints, while others are simply content to wait for the lottery, which will decide who gets to go to The Island – a paradise safe from the "contamination" that otherwise threatens them. All is not what it seems, so Lincoln Six and Jordan Two (Scarlett Johansson) make a run for it. Running time: 2:13Rating: PG-13 (intense sequences of violence, action, sexuality, language) NorthTown Mall: 12:25, 3:40, 6:45, 9:50. River Park Square: 12:20, 3:20, 3:55, 6:20, 7:10, 9:30, 10:05. Post Falls: 6:40, 9:15. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): noon, 3:45, 7:15, 10:35.Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events•••Based on the series of books by Daniel Handler, this Brad Silberling movie tells the tale of the orphaned Baudelaire children (Emily Browning, Liam Aiken, Kara Hoffman) who have to endure the guardianship of their distant relative, Count Orlaf (Jim Carrey). Running time: 1:40Rating: PG (thematic elements, children in peril, scary situations, brief language)Garland: Free showing Monday-Thursday at 9:30 a.m.The Labyrinth••1/2There's nothing scarier than David Bowie's smile, and the British rocker's smile (dig those teeth!) comes often in this 1986 Jim Henson-directed fable about a young girl trying to save her brother from The Goblin King (Bowie). The girl, who is played by a 16-year-old Jennifer Connelly, Oscar winner for "A Beautiful Mind," is forced to brave a fiercely complex labyrinth, against the clock, so that she can help her brother avoid his lamentable fate. Running time: 1:41Rating: PGGarland: midnight.The Longest YardWhen an ex-football star (Adam Sandler) gets arrested and thrown into federal prison, his warden (James Cromwell) gives him a choice: play football or do hard time.Running time: 1:54Rating: PG-13 (crude sexual humor, violence, language, drug references)Garland: 7:05. Coeur d'Alene Discount: 12:30, 2:45, 4:55, 7:05, 9:15.Madagascar•••When a group of animals, spoiled while living in the New York Zoo, decide to have a night on the town, they earn themselves a trip back to the wild – and end up in Madagascar. The latest animated effort by the folks at DreamWorks, "Madagascar" plays both to children and adults. Running time: 1:20Rating: PG (mild language, crude humor, some thematic elements)Spokane Valley Mall: 1:35, 3:55. Coeur d'Alene Discount: 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:20, 9:05.March of the Penguins•••Every year the Emperor penguins emerge from the ocean and make a trek across Antarctica to mate. French documentary filmmaker Luc Jacquet and his crew of hardy camera operators capture the ritual in all its poignancy, from the initial march, to the efforts of the fathers to keep the chicks safe from the winter storms. It's an enjoyable effort, which should appeal to all ages –though the attack by the sea lions might be a bit much for the very young. The only real flaw in the film is the absence of any dangers posed by man. Global warming, say, or pollution of the waters from which the penguins draw their sustenance. Running time: 1:20Rating: G (violent images) River Park Square: 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:25, 6:50, 9:20.Monster-In-LawJennifer Lopez meets the perfect man (Michael Vartan), but does not get along with his mother (Jane Fonda).Running time: 1:42Rating: PG-13 (sex references, language)Coeur d'Alene Discount: 12:55, 3, 5:05, 7:10, 9:10.Mr. & Mrs. Smith••1/2John (Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) Smith live humdrum lives on the surface. But each one holds a secret from his/her spouse: He/she is an assassin. Problems arise, though, because each is working for a competing governmental agency, and life gets particularly exciting when they are assigned to kill each other. Running time: 1:35Rating: PG-13 (sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content, brief strong language)NorthTown Mall: 6:30, 9:10. River Park Square: 1:10, 6:50. Spokane Valley Mall: 3:40, 9:50. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 11:50 a.m., 3:50, 6:45, 9:40.Mystery of the NileA team of explorers takes us on a 114-day expedition to navigate the Nile, "from source to sea," in this IMAX production directed by first-time filmmaker Jordi LlompartRunning time: :45Rating: Not RatedIMAX (Riverfront Park): 6 p.m.The Perfect Man•Hilary Duff plays a teen who, tired of her mother (Heather Locklear) moving them around in her search for a man, concocts a fictional perfect man. Trouble arises when mom wants to meet the real guy (who is based on a character played by Chris Noth). Running time: 1:38Rating: PG (mildly suggestive content)Garland: 2:50.Racing StripesA young girl (Hayden Panettiere) defies her father (Bruce Greenwood) and trains a zebra to race against horses.Running time: 1:24Rating: PG (mild crude humor, language)Garland: Free showing today only at 9:30 a.m.Rugrats: The Movie••1/2The principals of the popular Nickelodeon television show have to fend for themselves when they get lost in the woods. This leads to a number of adventures, from the need to ford raging rivers to coping with a hungry wolf and, in the lexicon of toddlerhood, the necessity of changing poopy diapers. There's cuteness here that may turn off some adults, but it's likely to entertain the very young.Running time: 1:22Rating: GSpokane Valley Mall: Free showing Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.Sahara••1/2"Sahara" has all the ingredients necessary for a two-hour trip into pure escapism, and it uses most of them well. Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn play buddies in search of a Civil War ironclad that, so the legend goes, went down bearing a cargo of Confederate gold. Went down in Africa, that is. Running time: 2:07Rating: PG-13 (action violence)Coeur d'Alene Discount Cinemas: 12:50, 3:30, 6:15, 8:50.Shark Tale••1/2Oscar (voice by Will Smith) becomes an accidental shark killer, but to keep the deception alive he has to partner with a shark (Jack Black) whose manners are milder than his vegetarian diet. In the process, he must fend off the attempts at revenge from the head shark (Robert De Niro), the advances of a slinky opportunist named Lola (Angelina Jolie) and realize for himself that he needs to be with his "best friend" Angie (Renee Zellweger). Average in all respects, this DreamWorks production is a decent enough view for children. Running time: 1:30Rating: PG (mild language, crude humor)Spokane Valley Mall: Free showing Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m.Sin City ••1/2What director Robert Rodriguez has put on the screen here is, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel series of the same name, a ride for the senses. Rodriguez has blended three of Miller's short tales, all of which are set in a mythical noirish city of tough guys and tougher dames, a place where antiheroes are common and corruption is the norm. Running time: 2:03Rating: R (violence, nudity, sexual situations, profanity)Garland: 9:30.Star Wars: Episode III – Return of the Sith•••1/2"Revenge of the Sith" tells the story of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) who, seduced by the dark side of the Force, succumbs to the will of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDirmid), betrays his love Padme (Natalie Portman) and helps hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights, including his master Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Yoda. Running time: 2:20Rating: PG-13 (sci-fi violence, intense images)Spokane Valley Mall: 12:30, 6:40. Coeur d'Alene Discount: 12:45, 3:25, 6:05, 8:45.War of the Worlds••••If you can suspend your disbelief with this Steven Spielberg adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel about aliens invading the Earth you're likely to enjoy yourself. Tom Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a self-absorbed crane operator who, while babysitting his two resentful children over the weekend, must protect them as best he can against tripod-walking killing machines. Running time: 1:56Rating: PG-13 (frightening sequences of sci-fi violence, disturbing images) NorthTown Mall: 12:55, 3:30, 6:50, 9:25. River Park Square: 1:25, 4:05, 6:45, 9:30. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:50, 4:10, 7:10, 10:05. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 1:50, 4:45, 7:40, 10:25.Wedding Crashers•••Two guys (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson) who crash wedding parties to score with single women find their lives complicated when love, in one form or another, comes knocking. The film is hilarious in the first half, and merely funny in the second. But Vaughn and Wilson never let down, especially Vaughn. And if you like him, you're likely to enjoy this very offbeat attempt to update the modern romantic comedy.Running time: 1:59Rating: R (sexual content/nudity, language) NorthTown Mall: 12:10, 2:55, 7:10, 9:55. River Park Square: 12:30, 3:25, 4, 6:25, 9:25, 9:55. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:40, 4:20, 7:20, 10:20. Riverstone (Coeur d'Alene): 12:20, 4, 7, 10.

Getting visible is not so easy for me. I find myself analyzing choices and moving rather cautiously toward decisions to be a public advocate for equality. I wrote in late June about getting involved, in some way or another, with the local gay rights movement, and at one moment find myself inspired to volunteer and at another moment fearful. Thoughts swirl endlessly in my head. If I volunteer with a group like Inland Northwest Equality, will my family, friends and co-workers interpret it as militancy? Will I become the girl whose life is consumed by being gay?

When Reel Big Fish found mainstream acceptance with "Turn the Radio Off" in 1996, John Christianson was in college and Bill Denton was barely in high school. I guess you could say the album changed both of their lives, forever. Hits such as "Take On Me," "She Has a Girlfriend Now" and "Beer" struck a chord with the two. Almost 10 years later, Christianson's playing trumpet in the band, and Denton, well, still digs the album.

You know the old joke about military intelligence being an oxymoron? Well, "Stealth" proves it. This slice of military unintelligence is about three top-level Navy fighter pilots (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx) and the computer-piloted fourth plane in their squadron, which has more personality than any of them. Eventually, the computer-piloted plane becomes a killing machine in a way that's supposed to recall the inhuman horror of HAL going nuts in "2001," but that's a lot closer to the inane banter of "Knight Rider."

The cat is one of the most popular pets in the United States. How much do you know about the furry feline? 1. How many teeth does the average adult cat have?

BrewsFest is a 'hometown' show for Seattle's Taildraggers Although Tim "Too Slim" Langford now calls Seattle home, Spokane is where he went to high school, dismantled a band and formed Too Slim and the Taildraggers.

Here's Rob Zombie's little ha-ha to the film critics: The most obnoxious character in "The Devil's Rejects," about a white-trash family of homicidal maniacs, is a movie reviewer. That critic didn't get the last word, but the rest of us do – and we did after Zombie's first horror flick, 2003's "House of 1000 Corpses," to which this is sort of a sequel.

Why are child-sex offenders worse than killers? Because they prey exclusively on the most defenseless among us, devastating lives that barely have begun. And while killers don't create new killers, molesters too often pass their sickness on to the very children they attack, perpetuating a terrible cycle of victimization. That's why it's so troubling to see community outrage over the Groene abductions and killings channeled into such weak halfway measures as passage of the federal legislation known as Dru's Law. Named in memory of slain North Dakota college student Dru Sjodin, the act would create an online database of state sex-offender registries.

Age: 23 Born: Spokane; splits time between Spokane and Bellingham, when she attends Western Washington University.

It's amazing how one phone call can devastate a family, yet at the same time be the miracle seven other families have been waiting for. A young man, 25 years old, dies unexpectedly from an aneurism. Left behind are his new wife and baby son. I'm on the side of the one, extended family, which received that devastating news. The seven families, whose loved ones were given another chance, you will read about in a bit. But first you need to meet the hero, because without him, no miracle could have taken flight. His name was Tyler, and he was my cousin.

Typical. Time magazine film critic Richard Corliss was asked to rank his choices for guilty-pleasure viewing, and fourth on the list is "Les Diaboliques," Henri-George Cluzot's 1955 mystery thriller about infidelity, treachery and murder.

Q : I've met a wonderful guy, and after three dates, things are really clicking. I have one small problem: He's one of those guys who looks like he dressed in the dark. When can I begin to make suggestions about his clothing without killing the relationship?