Films
Capsule reviews with star ratings are written by reviewers for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Opening today
(500) Days of Summer
After his lover (Zooey Deschanel) dumps him, a writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) tries to figure out where their relationship went wrong. Running time: 1:35
Rating: PG-13 (language, sexual material) River Park Square: 10:30 a.m., 12:45, 3, 5:20, 7:45, 10.
A Perfect Getaway
Honeymooning hikers (Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn) find trouble in paradise. Running time: 1:37
Rating: R (graphic violence, language, sexual references, drug use) NorthTown Mall: 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8, 10:35. River Park Square: 11:35 a.m., 2:25, 4:45, 7:35, 10:05. Riverstone: 12:25, 3:55, 7:45, 10:20. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:10, 2:35, 5:10, 7:30, 10:20. Village Centre: 12:15, 2:40, 5, 7:20, 9:40.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The G.I. Joe team uses the latest technology in its battle against a mysterious organization. Running time: 1:47
Rating: PG-13 (violence) Hayden: 12:15, 3:15, 6:15, 9:05. NorthTown Mall: 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20. Post Falls: 12:45, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55. River Park Square: 10:30 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 1:10, 2:10, 3:50, 4:50, 6:45, 7:35, 9:35, 10:20. Riverstone: 12:15, 4, 4:30, 7, 7:30, 10, 10:35, 12:45. Spokane Valley Mall: 11:30 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:30. Village Centre: 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:30, 2:15, 4, 4:45, 6:30, 7:15, 9, 9:45.
Julie & Julia
A woman (Amy Adams) tackles all 524 recipes in the classic “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child (Meryl Streep). Running time: 2:04
Rating: PG-13 (language, sensuality) Hayden: 12:10, 2:50, 6:35, 9:10. NorthTown Mall: noon, 3:55, 7, 9:50. River Park Square: 10:40 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:30, 3:15, 4:20, 6:30, 7:25, 9:20, 10:05. Riverstone: 12:10, 3:30, 6:45, 9:45. Spokane Valley Mall: 11:45 a.m., 2:45, 7, 9:45. Village Centre: 11:15 a.m., 1:40, 4:15, 7, 9:35.
Tyson
Former boxer Mike Tyson reflects on his life in and out of the ring. Running time: 1:30
Rating: R (language, sexual references) River Park Square: 10:35 a.m., 12:55, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 10:10.
Continuing
Aliens in the Attic
Vacationing youths battle an invading force of tiny aliens bent on conquering the world. Running time: 1:26
Rating: PG (violence, language, suggestive humor) Hayden: 12:20, 2:20. NorthTown Mall: 11:05 a.m., 1:55, 4:10, 6:30, 9:40. Post Falls: 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15. River Park Square: 10:55 a.m., 1:05, 3:25, 5:40, 7:45, 10. Riverstone: 12:55, 3:40, 7:10, 9:35. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:30, 2:40, 5, 7:10, 9:25. Village Centre: 11:15 a.m., 1:15, 3:15, 5:10, 7:10, 9:10.
The Collector
A desperate thief finds that the house he planned to break into is rigged with deadly traps. Running time: 1:28
Rating: R (language, sadistic bloody violence, sexuality/nudity) River Park Square: 7:10, 9:40. Riverstone: 9:40. Spokane Valley Mall: 9:40.
Dinosaurs Alive!
Dinosaurs from the Triassic to the Cretaceous period come to life on the giant IMAX screen. Running time: :40
Rating: Not rated IMAX (Riverfront Park): 11 a.m., 12:15, 1:30, 2:45.
Funny People
••• Adam Sandler stars as a famous funnyman not unlike … well, Adam Sandler in Judd Apatow’s ambitious comic meditation on death, celebrity, sex, buddydom and the stand-up biz. With Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Aubrey Plaza and Jason Schwartzman. Running time: 2:26
Rating: R (crude sexual humor, language, sexuality) Hayden: 6:05, 8:55. NorthTown Mall: 11:15 a.m., 12:15, 2:50, 4:05, 6:45, 7:20, 10, 10:30. Post Falls: 1:20, 4:20, 7:20. River Park Square: 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:30, 3:05, 6:30, 7, 9:45, 10:15. Riverstone: noon, 12:30, 3:15, 3:45, 6:35, 7:15, 10:15, 10:30. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:15, 3:20, 6:55, 10. Village Centre: 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45.
G-Force
•• Disney’s 3-D dud about a team of high-tech guinea pig spies is a perpetual motion machine of meaningless action, as a squad of elite rodents tries to thwart a housewares industrialist’s plan of world domination. A mix of CG and live action, with real humans Bill Nighy and Zach Galifianakis, and the voices of Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Sam Rockwell and Tracy Morgan. Running time: 1:28
Rating: PG (rude humor) Hayden: 1, 3:10, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15. Post Falls: 1:10, 3, 5:10, 7:10. River Park Square: 10:35 a.m., 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:05, 2:30, 4:40, 7:05, 9:30. Village Centre: 11 a.m., 12:50, 3.
G-Force in Disney Digital 3D
NorthTown Mall: 11:30 a.m., 2:15, 4:50, 7:15, 9:30. Riverstone: 12:35, 3:25, 6:50, 9:30. Village Centre: 12:10, 2:20, 4:30, 6:45, 8:50.
The Goonies
The Oregon Coast never looked better, and Richard Donner never played to children more effectively, than in this 1985 film about a gang of young losers – “Goonies,” they call themselves – who end up following clues that lead to long-buried pirate treasure. Running time: 1:51 Rating: PG Garland: midnight.
The Hangover
••• Four guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party, and mayhem and memory-loss ensue. A loopy farce from the warped mind that brought you “Old School,” with a scene-stealing performance from indie comedy dude Zach Galifianakis. Running time: 1:39
Rating: R (nudity, language, sexual content, drug material) NorthTown Mall: 7:50, 10:25. River Park Square: 11:45 a.m., 2:10, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45. Riverstone: 1:10, 4:20, 7:35, 10:10. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:40, 3, 5:25, 7:50, 10:10. Village Centre: 5, 7:20, 9:30.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
••• Slower and talkier than its predecessors, but not in a bad way, “HP6” is a bubbling cauldron of hormonal angst as Harry, Hermione and Ron contend with Draco, the Death Eaters and the evil Professor Snape and with their respective amorous urges. Like a high school romance, only with wands, spells and potions. Running time: 2:33
Rating: PG (language, sensuality, scary images, violence) Hayden: noon, 3, 6, 9. NorthTown Mall: 11:20 a.m., 2:40, 6:35, 9:55. Post Falls: 1:05, 4:10, 7:25. River Park Square: 11 a.m., 1, 2:15, 5:30, 7, 9:15. Riverstone: 1:15, 6:30, 9:55. Spokane Valley Mall: 11:50 a.m., 3:15, 6:35, 9:50. Village Centre: 11:20 a.m., noon, 2:30, 3:10, 5:40, 6:20, 8:50, 9:30.
The Hurt Locker
•••1/2 Kathryn Bigelow’s riveting and profoundly tense war movie, set in Baghdad in 2004, follows the members of a bomb squad as they go looking for IEDs, looking to stay alive. Far and away one of the strongest of the films to come out of the Iraq conflict. Running time: 2:07
Rating: R (language, war violence) River Park Square: 10:50 a.m., 1:40, 4:35, 7:30, 10:20.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
•• Call it “The Crass Menagerie,” this attempt to wring every last nickel from the animated series about a clan of prehistoric animals. Running time: 1:34
Rating: PG (peril, rude humor) NorthTown Mall: 11:55 a.m., 2:30, 5:15. River Park Square: 11:35 a.m., 1:50, 4:10. Riverstone: 12:40, 4:05, 7:05. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:20.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D
Village Centre: 12:20, 2:20, 4:40, 6:50, 9.
Marley & Me
After they adopt an obstreperous dog, a couple (Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson) learns lessons in love from their cuddly canine. Dog lovers should take extra hankies. Running time: 1:56
Rating: PG (language, suggestive content) Garland: 9:30 a.m.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
•• Ben Stiller returns in this knee-jerk sequel to the surprise 2006 family-friendly smash, a super-sized rehash transplanted from New York’s Museum of Natural History to the sprawling Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., with lots of running around and CG effects. Amy Adams, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson are among the gang of museum figures come-to-life. Running time: 1:45
Rating: PG (language) Garland: 12:10, 5:05.
Orphan
••• This beautifully shot chiller from “House of Wax” helmer Jaume Collet-Serra is one of the best entries in the psycho-demon-child-from-hell subgenre. With a perverse plot twist at the end and a creepy turn by 12-year-old actor Isabelle Fuhrman, “Orphan” will keep you on tenterhooks from the first to last shot. Running time: 2:03
Rating: R (disturbing violent content, language, sexuality) NorthTown Mall: 10:40. River Park Square: 9:50. Village Centre: 9:20.
The Proposal
••• This romantic lark (do you call it a rom-romp?) features Sandra Bullock as a prickly boss and Ryan Reynolds as her human pincushion of an assistant. She wants a green card, he wants a promotion, so they make a deal. With Betty White. Running time: 1:48
Rating: PG-13 (language, nudity, sexual content) NorthTown Mall: 12:20, 4:20, 7:25. River Park Square: 11:10 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55. Riverstone: 12:05, 3:20, 6:40, 9:25. Spokane Valley Mall: 2:25, 7:25, 9:55. Village Centre: 11 a.m., 4, 9:10.
Public Enemies
G-man Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) vows to nab notorious criminal John Dillinger (Johnny Depp). Running time: 2:20
Rating: R (gangster violence, language) River Park Square: 11:40 a.m., 6:50.
Star Trek
•••1/2 J.J. Abrams’ enjoyable reboot of the sci-fi saga takes a refreshing chug from the fountain of youth, imagining what happened when Kirk met Spock. With Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy. Running time: 2:06
Rating: PG-13 (sexual content, violence) Garland: 2:25, 7:15. Village Centre: 1:30, 6:30.
Terminator Salvation
••1/2 Man and machine can’t seem to get along in this sci-fi shoot-em-up, the fourth installment in the “Terminator” series. The year is 2018 and the mood is post-apocalyptic, with Christian Bale as John Connor, the resistance fighter leading the battle against the evil Skynet and its relentless robot army. There are a few moments of self-referential humor, but generally the tone is solemn, severe, sermonistic. Running time: 1:56
Rating: PG-13 (violence, language) Garland: 9:50.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
•• Michael Bay’s follow-up to his entertaining 2007 film is bigger, longer and louder – but in this case, more is less. Charismatic Shia LaBeouf and saucy Megan Fox reprise their roles as the teenagers caught up in an alien blood feud between 20-ton iron giants. Running time: 2:29
Rating: PG-13 (drug material, crude and sexual material, violence, language) IMAX (Riverfront Park): 3:45, 7, 10:15. NorthTown Mall: 11:45 a.m., 3:15, 6:55, 10:15. River Park Square: 3:20, 9:55. Riverstone: 1:05, 4:25, 7:50. Spokane Valley Mall: 11:35 a.m., 2:55, 6:50, 10:05. Village Centre: 11:45 a.m., 3, 6:20.
The Ugly Truth
•1/2 Career woman meets caveman in this unfunny comedy starring Katherine Heigl, the tightly wound, loveless producer of a morning TV show, assigned to produce segments for randy relationship guy Gerard Butler, who says that men cant evolve. Running time: 1:35
Rating: R (language, sexual content) Hayden: 12:30, 2:45, 5:05, 7:20, 9:30. NorthTown Mall: 11:35 a.m., 2:10, 5:05, 7:45, 10:05. Post Falls: 1, 3:10, 5:30, 7:35. River Park Square: 10:45 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:15, 4:55, 7:15, 9:30, 10:15. Riverstone: 1, 4:15, 7:40, 10:25. Spokane Valley Mall: noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:15, 9:35. Village Centre: 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:20, 9:40.
Up
•••• Buoyant Pixar film about a childless grouch (voice of Ed Asner) and a fatherless boy (Jordan Nagai) who float off to the wilds of Venezuela in a house lashed to helium-filled balloons. It darts unpredictably between comedy and adventure, defying gravity and age alike. Running time: 1:29 Rating: PG (peril) River Park Square: 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 4:30, 7:05. Spokane Valley Mall: 11:55 a.m.