Film clips

— At area theaters

80

ACT OF VALOR, R A cast of real-life, active-duty Navy SEALs races to stop a deadly terrorist plot against the United States, but each time they think they’ve accomplished their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist. (101 minutes)

77

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS - CHIPWRECKED , G Dave (Jason Lee), the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, on a luxury cruise, wind up on an uncharted island which, of course, may not be as deserted as it seems. Animated and live action. (87 minutes)

70

AMERICAN REUNION, R Those madcap American Pie characters return to East Great Falls for their 10-year high-school reunion to reminisce and get re-inspired.With Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Shannon Elizabeth; directed by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg. (113 minutes)

86

BIG MIRACLE, PG A small-town reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) forge an unlikely coalition, including Inuit natives, oil companies and Cold-Warring superpowers, to help save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming Arctic Circle ice. (123 minutes)

87

CHRONICLE, PG-13 Three high school students find learning to control the uncanny powers they’re developing starts to bring out their darker sides. (84 minutes)

86

CONTRABAND, R Mark Wahlberg plays a former New Orleans master smuggler who, to protect his family, is forced back into running millions in counterfeit bills from Panama after his brother-inlaw (Caleb Landry Jones) botches a drug deal. (109 minutes)

85

DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, PG Danny DeVito provides the voice of Dr. Seuss’ ultimate environmentalist, a grumpy forest creature whose story provides the platform for a 12-year-old boy searching for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. Animated. (94 minutes)

83

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, PG-13 Nicolas Cage reprises his role as Johnny Blaze, the devil’s bounty hunter, who might risk everything to team up with the leader (Idris Elba) of a group of rebel monks to save a boy from the devil - and possibly rid himself of his curse forever. (95 minutes)

83

GOOD DEEDS, PG-13 Director Tyler Perry plays a successful, wealthy businessman named, naturally, Deeds, jolted out of his always-do-what’s-expected-of-him routine when he meets a down-on her-luck single mother (Thandie Newton). (129 minutes)

84

THE HUNGER GAMES, PG-13 Jennifer Lawrence plays a teenager in a post-apocalyptic United States picked by the evil capital city to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a nationally televised event of fights to the death until there’s only one survivor. (142 minutes)

80

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, PG In this “follow-up” (guess we can’t call ’em “sequels” anymore) to 2008’s remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth, Dwayne Johnson (playing the new stepfather of a 17-year-old portrayed by Josh Hutcherson) and a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his “beautiful, strong-willed daughter” (Vanessa Hudgens) set out to find the title island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before it sinks into the sea. (94 minutes)

82

MIRROR MIRROR, PG A retelling of the Snow White story, with Julia Roberts as the evil queen and Lily Collins as a princess in exile whom seven rebel dwarfs help fight to reclaim her birthright and win her prince (Armie Hammer). (106 minutes)

82

OCTOBER BABY, PG-13 A college student discovers that she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt, and embarks on a journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her future. (101 minutes)

88

PARIAH, R A teenage girl (Adepero Oduye) is torn between the sheltered life her parents want for her and the lesbian, club-hopping lifestyle she has been pursuing in secret. With Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell; directed by Dee Rees. (84 minutes)

87

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY, G A secret friendship blossoms between a tiny but tenacious 14-year-old (voice of Bridgit Mendler), part of a community of little people living quietly in an undiscovered secret world under the floorboards, and a 12-year-old human (voice of David Henrie). (94 minutes)

88

STAR WARS, EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D, PG Nine year-old Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a Jedi master (Liam Neeson), his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), the Queen of Naboo (Natalie Portman) and floppy-eared Nabooster Jar-Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) battle the Dark Side of the Force, now in 3-D. (131 minutes)

76

THIS MEANS WAR, PG-13 Two top CIA operatives (Chris Pine, Tom Hardy), inseparable partners and best friends until they fall for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon), instead turn their considerable and deadly skills upon each other. (97 minutes)

85

TITANIC 3D, PG-13 Steerage passenger Leonardo DiCaprio and socialite Kate Winslet, “on top of the world” as the prow of the mega-liner heads toward the iceberg, will now come right out of the screen at you in 3-D. With Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill, David Warner, Victor Garber; directed by James Cameron. (194 minutes)

86

21 JUMP STREET, R Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play ex-adolescents who return to high school as youthful-looking undercover cops to investigate a violent drug ring. (109 minutes)

87

THE VOW, PG-13 A newlywed husband (Channing Tatum) endeavors to rewin the heart of his bride (Rachel McAdams) after a car crash wipes out her memory. (104 minutes)

83

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, R Tilda Swinton plays an ambivalent mother whose relationship with her son (Ezra Miller), contentious from his birth, escalates when he commits a heinous act. With John C. Reilly; directed by Lynne Ramsay. (112 minutes)

86

THE WOMAN IN BLACK, PG-13 Daniel Radcliffe plays a widowed young lawyer who, while sorting out the papers of a recently deceased, very eccentric client, begins to uncover the remote village’s tragic secret. (95 minutes)

86

WRATH OF THE TITANS, PG-13 In this Clash of the Titans sequel, Sam Worthington returns as Greek demigod Perseus, a decade after his defeat of the Kraken, once again caught up (now with a 10-year-old son) in the war between the gods and the Titans that threatens to unleash hell on earth. (99 minutes)Movie-rating point system Movies are rated on a scale from 50 to 100. Guidelines for moviegoers:

96-100 Transcendent

90-95

Exceptional

80-89

Better than most to remarkable

70-79

Average

60-69

Awful to mediocre

50-59

Irredeemable

MovieStyle, Pages 33 on 04/13/2012

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