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Virginia Madsen (left) stars as Agatha Sparrow, and Jim Carrey plays as Walter Sparrow in the movie thriller 'The Number 23.' |
H THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (PG) Does anybody anywhere believe that even the handiest of former pilots could wander out to the barn and build a rocket to put him in orbit? Billy Bob Thornton plays a guy who does just that, with Virginia Madsen as his long-suffering wife in this film that's sweet but totally unbelievable. Rated PG for thematic material, peril and language. [RF]
HHH BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) It doesn't have the special effects the ads portray, but this tale of friendship between two youngsters is a sweet and surprisingly affecting story about the life-changing power of an open mind. AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson are great as youngsters who don't quite fit in. Leslie embraces life by escaping into beautiful fantasies. He's an aspiring artist. Rated PG for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mild language. [RF, RA, M]
HHH BREACH (PG-13) With the masterful Chris Cooper in the role of American secret-selling FBI agent Robert Hanssen, this tale of the agency's effort to catch him in the act is a taut, well-paced battle of wits. Waging that battle with Hanssen is young FBI agent Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe). Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language. [RF, RA]HH GHOST RIDER (PG-13) A film with a hero that has a fiery skull head will be tough for some to accept. But those who can will be rewarded with a comic book tale that succeeds because Nicolas Cage is great in his role as motorcycle-riding, devil-deal-making Johnny Blaze and the Rider. The best scenes are the ones where Cage mixes equal parts of Elvis and Everyman. Rated PG-13 for horror violence and disturbing images. [RF, RA, M]
HH MUSIC AND LYRICS (PG-13) Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore manage to make this tale of a has-been pop star fun. Grant's an over-the-hill '80s pop star who has one chance to return, writing a song for a Britney Spears-type star. Barrymore plays a distraught writer who can spit out lyrics with ease, but is wary of serious relationships. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content. [M] H NORBIT (PG-13) Once upon a time, Eddie Murphy made "The Nutty Professor" and played several different roles, making most of them humorous in a kind-hearted way. But now comes "Norbit," and the only role Murphy plays that's at all decent and funny is the title nerd who gets pushed around. Unfortunately, the horrible and horribly fat woman he portrays, Rasputia, is coarse, gross and painful to watch. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, some nudity and language. [RF, RA, M]HH THE NUMBER 23 (R) For the first 30 minutes or so, this tale of a bizarre book and the fascination it creates with the number 23 grabs you. It's not hard to buy Jim Carrey as a working Joe whose wife stumbles onto a book that gets him fascinated with the number and another man's all-too-similar life. Virginia Madsen, suddenly everywhere, is solid as the wife. But it doesn't deliver the big finish needed. Rated R for violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language. [RF, M]
H RENO 911!: MIAMI (R) Want to know the problem with many movie ads? Too often, the 60-second snippets contain every funny moment in the film. That's the case with this big-screen adventure of the Comedy Central TV show. Sadly, this wouldn't even make a good TV episode, so devoid of humor that it never rises above crude potty and sex jokes. Rated R for sexual content, nudity, crude humor, language and drug use. [RA, M]
HH TYLER PERRY'S DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS (PG-13) While the story of a black father trying to care for his daughter isn't particularly original, director Tyler Perry continues his impressive string of films that mix fun, romance and serious messages. The romance comes when an overachieving lawyer (Gabrielle Union) begins slowly falling for a mechanic/driver (Idris Elba) struggling to keep his children safe. Rated PG-13 for thematic material, drug and sexual content, some violence and language. [RF]
| RF: Regal Cinema Fredericksburg 15, 540/786-4900 RA: Regal Cinema Aquia 10, 540/659-3200 M: Marquee Cinemas, 540/710-0401 Schedules are subject to change. Call ahead to verify locations. |
