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)

90 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, G Disney’s 1991 animated hit musical returns to big screens in 3-D. (84 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-in-law (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)

86 FRIENDS WITH KIDS, R The last two singles in a close-knit circle of friends, observing the effect that children have had on their friends’ relationships, decide to have a child together while dating other people. (107 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)

75 GONE, PG-13 A young woman (Amanda Seyfried) is convinced the man who has abducted her sister is the same kidnapper she escaped from a year before. (94 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)

88 JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME, R Jason Segel plays a slacker who still lives with his mother (Susan Sarandon), spends the vast majority of his time smoking marijuana and waiting for some kind of sign that will change his life. With Ed Helms, Judy Greer; directed by Jay and Mark Duplass. (83 minutes)

70 JOHN CARTER, PG-13 Based on the novels by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, with Taylor Kitsch as the title war-weary former military captain whisked away to Barsoom (aka Mars), where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of planetary proportions. (132 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 “fresh and funny” retelling of the Snow White story, with Julia Roberts as the evil queen and Lily Collins as a princess in exile whom seven “courageous rebel” dwarfs help fight to reclaim her birthright and win her prince (Armie Hammer). With Nathan Lane, Mare Winningham, Michael Lerner, Sean Bean; directed by Tarsem Singh. (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)

70 PROJECT X, R Three seemingly anonymous high school seniors succeed, in semi-horrific fashion, in their attempt to finally make a name for themselves by throwing a party no one will forget. (88 minutes)

88 RAMPART, R Woody Harrelson plays a corrupt Los Angeles cop who, after being caught on tape beating a black man, makes one last desperate grab for cash. (107 minutes)

83 SAFE HOUSE, R Denzel Washington plays the CIA’s most dangerous renegade, on the run with his rookie-operative “housekeeper” (Ryan Reynolds) after mercenaries tear apart his South African safe house. (115 minutes)

83 SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, PG-13 Britain’s leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) finds himself trapped into a seemingly impossible task when a consultant (Emily Blunt) approaches him to help a sheik bring the sport of fly-fishing to the desert. With Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked; directed by Lasse Hallstrom. (111 minutes)

85 SILENT HOUSE, R Based on a 2010 Uruguayan film, with Elizabeth Olsen as a young woman sealed inside her family’s secluded lake house with no contact to the outside world, no way out, and events in and around the house becoming increasingly ominous. (86 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)

67 A THOUSAND WORDS, PG-13 Eddie Murphy plays a fast-talking literary agent hoisted with his own petard when his target, a New Age guru, fixes it so he must find some other way of communicating besides speech to save his life. (91 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)

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, involving a spectral woman ... well, you know. (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. With Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson; directed by Jonathan Liebesman. (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 04/06/2012

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