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FILMS

Yara Shahidi portrays Olivia Danielson in “Imagine That.” Paramount Pictures (Paramount Pictures / The Spokesman-Review)
Yara Shahidi portrays Olivia Danielson in “Imagine That.” Paramount Pictures (Paramount Pictures / The Spokesman-Review)

Capsule reviews with star ratings are written by critics for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Opening today:

Imagine That

A troubled executive (Eddie Murphy) finds the answers to all his problems in his daughter’s imaginary world. Running time: 1:47

Rating: PG (questionable behavior, language) Hayden: 12:30, 2:45, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45. NorthTown Mall: 12:15, 4, 7, 9:35. Post Falls: 1:24, 3:10, 5:35, 7:55. River Park Square: 11:25 a.m., 1:55, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45. Riverstone: 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:50. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:25, 3:15, 6:55, 9:25. Village Centre: 11 a.m., 1:30, 4:10, 6:40, 9:10.

The Taking of Pelham 123

A dispatcher (Denzel Washington) tries to outwit criminals hijacking a New York subway train. Running time: 1:46

Rating: R (language, violence) Hayden: 12:45, 3, 5:25, 7:40, 9:50. NorthTown Mall: 12:45, 4:30, 7:30, 10:10. Post Falls: 12:55, 3:25, 5:45, 8:10. River Park Square: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:15, 2, 3:50, 4:45, 6:30, 7:30, 9:15, 10:15. Riverstone: 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:05. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20. Village Centre: 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:20, 6:50, 9:30.

Continuing:

17 Again

••• Body-swap fantasy that rests on the sculpted shoulders of Zac Efron, a 17-year-old hoops star inhabited by the spirit of the 37-year-old Matthew Perry. Mildly diverting for adults, but for the teens who are its target audience, Efron’s outside shot is a three-pointer. Running time: 1:42

Rating: PG-13 (language, sexual material, teen partying) Garland: 6.

Angels & Demons

••1/2 Ron Howard’s trimmer follow-up to his bulky “The Da Vinci Code” is a ticking-bomb thriller tightly wrapped in a papal plot and cinched in the ribbons of religion and science. With Tom Hanks as the symbologist teamed with a fetching physicist (Ayelet Zurer) to save the Vatican. Running time: 2:18

Rating: PG-13 (disturbing images, violence) River Park Square: 11:50 a.m., 3, 6:25, 9:25. Riverstone: 1:50, 4:55, 8:05. Spokane Valley Mall: 1, 5, 9:20. Village Centre: 12:15, 3:15, 6:15, 9:15.

The Brothers Bloom

•• This retro-modern curiosity starring Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as two grifter siblings is a scam wrapped in a sham – attractive looking, but hollow. Running time: 1:49

Rating: PG-13 (language, sensuality, violence) River Park Square: 11:15 a.m., 1:50, 4:25, 7:15, 10:05.

Drag Me to Hell

••• Sam Raimi returns to the low-budget gore and gleefully twisted comedy of his “Evil Dead” days, with Alison Lohman starring as a loan officer who gets a curse put on her by an old hag who’s late with her house payments. Finally, a horror movie about the mortgage crisis! Running time: 1:39

Rating: PG-13 (disturbing images, language, horror violence, terror) NorthTown Mall: 1:05, 4:40, 7:55, 10:20. River Park Square: 10:40 a.m., 12:55, 3:15, 6:15, 8:55. Riverstone: 10:15 a.m., 4:35. Spokane Valley Mall: 7:20, 10:25. Village Centre: 1:50, 9:20.

Fast & Furious

••1/2 Vin Diesel returns for the fourth installment of the street racing franchise, which also brings back the rest of the original cast: Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. Vroom, vroom. Running time: 1:47

Rating: PG-13 (drug references, violence, language, sexual content) Garland: 9:55.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

••1/2 A “Christmas Carol” update with Matthew McConaughey as a heartbreaker who behaves badly because he’s protecting a fragile heart and Jennifer Garner as the one gal who’s onto him. An average rom-com, a better-than-average McConaughey movie. Running time: 1:40

Rating: PG-13 (drug reference, sexual content, language)River Park Square: 10:55 a.m., 1:10, 3:35, 6:45, 9:30. Riverstone: 1:50, 4:50, 7:50, 10:10.

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) Hayden: 1, 3:10, 5:20, 7:35, 9:40. NorthTown Mall: 12:30, 1:10, 3, 4:15, 5:25, 7:15, 8, 9:45, 10:25. Post Falls: 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8:05. River Park Square: 10:45 a.m., 1, 1:30, 3:45, 4:30, 6:50, 7:20, 9:25, 9:55. Riverstone: 1:05, 2, 4:05, 5, 7:05, 8, 9:40, 10:30. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:45, 1:45, 3:45, 4:45, 6:15, 7:35, 9:15, 10:15. Village Centre: 10:15 a.m., 12:30, 2:45, 5, 7:20, 9:40.

Land of the Lost

••Will Ferrell stars in this lavish Hollywood redo of the cheesy ’70s TV show about three Earthlings transported to a planet of dinosaurs and walking reptiles called Sleestaks. Knuckleheaded comedy ensues. Running time: 1:42

Rating: PG-13 (drug reference, crude and sexual content, language) Hayden: 12:55, 3:05, 5:15, 7:25, 9:35. NorthTown Mall: 12:10, 12:55, 2:40, 3:50, 5:10, 6:45, 7:45, 9:40, 10:15. Post Falls: 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:35. River Park Square: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:15, 1:45, 3:50, 4:20, 6:30, 7:05, 9:10, 9:40. Riverstone: 1:10, 1:45, 4:10, 4:45, 7:10, 7:45, 9:45, 10:20. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:40, 1:40, 3:40, 4:40, 6:10, 7:30, 9:10, 10:10. Village Centre: 11:10 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 1:30, 2:10, 4, 4:40, 6:30, 7:10, 9, 9:35.

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West

Jeff Bridges narrates this big-screen IMAX movie which condenses the three-year Lewis and Clark expedition into 42 minutes. Running time: 42

Rating: G IMAX (Riverfront Park): 11:15 a.m.

Monsters vs. Aliens

••• This goofy computer-animated romp is an amicable amalgam of the vintage sci-fi schlock “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” and Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.” With the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Kiefer Sutherland. Running time: 1:34

Rating: PG (language, crude humor) Garland: 8.

My Life in Ruins

••1/2 Nia Vardalos plays a tour guide in Athens who sheds her stiff academic jargon and stiffer blazer to let go, let live and let love. This follow-up to “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding” might be called “My Slimmed-Down Greek Retreading.” Running time: 1:36

Rating: PG-13 (sexual content) River Park Square: 10:55 a.m., 1:20, 3:55, 6:35, 9:05.

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) Hayden: 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:15, 9:25. NorthTown Mall: 12:50, 4:20, 7:20, 9:55. Post Falls: 12:35, 3:05. River Park Square: 11:05 a.m., 1:40, 4:10, 6:40, 9:20. Riverstone: 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10. Spokane Valley Mall: 1:35, 4:35, 7:15, 9:55. Village Centre: 11:20 a.m., noon, 1:40, 2:15, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: The IMAX Experience

IMAX (Riverfront Park): 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15.

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) NorthTown Mall: noon, 3:30, 6:35, 9:50. Post Falls: 5:30, 8. River Park Square: 10:40 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 1:25, 2:10, 4:25, 5:15, 7:20, 8:05, 10:10. Riverstone: 1:55, 4:50, 7:55. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:50, 3:50, 6:45, 9:40. Village Centre: 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 3:50, 4:20, 6:30, 7, 9:10, 9:40.

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) NorthTown Mall: 12:25, 3:20, 6:55, 10. River Park Square: 10:50 a.m., 1:30, 4:05, 6:55, 9:50. Riverstone: 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:25. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:55, 4, 6:50, 9:35. Village Centre: 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:45.

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) Hayden: 12:40, 2:55, 5, 7:10, 9:15. NorthTown Mall: 12:35, 2:55, 5:15, 7:35, 10:05. Post Falls: 12:50, 3:15, 5:20, 7:30. River Park Square: 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:10, 2:15, 3:45, 4:15, 5, 6:20, 7, 7:45, 9, 9:35, 10:15. Riverstone: 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 9:55. Spokane Valley Mall: 12:30, 1:30, 3:30, 4:30, 7, 10. Village Centre: 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:15, 1:45, 3:30, 4, 5:55, 6:15, 8:15, 8:40.

Up in Disney Digital 3D

NorthTown Mall: 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:30. Riverstone: 1, 4, 7, 9:30. Village Centre: 10 a.m., noon, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9:15.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

•• Hugh Jackman revisits his X-Men role to show how Wolverine came into being in this meaningless mishmash of combat sequences, passable visual effects, Marvel Comics backstory and goofy Liev Schreiber-as-a-villain thespianizing. Running time: 1:48

Rating: PG-13 (language, sexual content) River Park Square: 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 4:40, 7:25, 10. Riverstone: 1:35, 7:35. Village Centre: 11:30 a.m., 4:15, 6:40.