LITTLE ROCK — 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)
77
CASA DE MI PADRE, R Will Ferrell plays the son of a now-dead rancher who unknowingly gets into a war - in Spanish - with a local drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal) after trying to settle his family’s estate.Subtitled. With Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez; directed by Matt Piedmont. (84 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 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)
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. With Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland; directed by Gary Ross. (142 minutes)
85
THE IRON LADY, PG-13 Meryl Streep plays the title role of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in this bio-pic from director Phyllida Lloyd. (105 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)
80
JOYFUL NOISE, PG-13 Discord between the two lead singers (Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton), compounded by disagreement over a budding relationship between the former’s daughter and the latter’s grandson, threatens to tear apart a small-town-Georgia church choir on the brink of a national competition. (118 minutes)
87
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL, PG-13 The Kremlin has been bombed, the blame has fallen on the Impossible Mission Force and the president, having had to disavow all knowledge of the IMF’s activities, initiates the Ghost Protocol. To clear themselves, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team must uncover the truth via incredible high-tech tricks. (133 minutes)
82
OCTOBER BABY, PG-13 A young 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. With Rachel Hendrix, Jason Burkey, Jasmine Guy, John Schneider; directed by Jon and Andrew Erwin. (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. With Sigourney Weaver, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster; directed by Oren Moverman. (107 minutes)
82
RED TAILS, PG-13 The black pilots of the experimental Tuskegee, Ala., training program waging two wars in 1944 - against enemies overseas and discrimination within the military and back home - finally get the chance to prove themselves in combat. (125 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)
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)
82
UNDERWORLD AWAKENING, R Kate Beckinsale is back as the vampire warrior at the fulcrum of the battle between vampires, Lycans and now humans, which now goes 3-D. (88 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)
76
WE BOUGHT A ZOO, PG A single father and his two children get a fresh start by moving to the most unlikely of places: a zoo, which, with the help of an eclectic staff and many misadventures, they return to its former glory. (126 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)
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 31 on 03/30/2012