originally published November 7, 2007

2 DAYS IN PARIS

(R) 2007. The directorial debut of actress Julie Delpy is another cinematic mash note to the City of Lights. French photographer Marion (Delpy) and American interior designer Jack (Adam Goldberg, “Entourage”) travel to Paris, home to Marion’s parents, to rescue their relationship, but flirtatious exes, photographing binges, interfering parents and small French condoms keep getting in the way of their romantic revival. (Ciné)

30 DAYS OF NIGHT

(R) If only the passing horrific exhilarations of the uneven big-screen adaptation of Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s simple, eerie graphic novel could be sustained, the film could be the vampire genre’s new gold standard. As Barrow, AK, is plunged into its annual month of darkness, Eben and Stella Oleson (Josh Hartnett and Melissa George) lead an ever-shrinking roster of survivors against a horde of ravenous vampires. (Beechwood); Ends Thursday (Carmike)

AMERICAN GANGSTER

(R) See Movie Pick. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE BANQUET

(NR) 2006. Loosely adapted from Hamlet, The Banquet details the royal conflicts between the Emperor (Ge You), his new Empress (Zhang Ziyi) who happens to have been married to the old Emperor, and the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu). The Banquet features choreography by the acclaimed Yuen Wo-Ping (Kill Bill, The Matrix, numerous Jet Li flicks). Part of the International Film Festival. Shows Wednesday, 11/7 (UGA SLC)

BEE MOVIE

(PG) See Movie Pick. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE BRAVE ONE

(R) The Brave One dares to question vigilantism’s godlike arrogance more than any film in the genre’s history. Radio personality Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) simultaneously rebuilds and loses herself to an empowering killing spree after her fiancé is murdered. Directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game). Starts Friday (Georgia Square 5)

DAN IN REAL LIFE

(PG-13) While advice columnist Dan Burns (Steve Carell) has all the answers for his readers, the widower can’t quite get the hang of raising three daughters - teen Jane (Alison Pill), tween Cara (Brittany Robertson) and lovely little Lilly (Marlene Lawston) - and himself. Carell’s subtle talent for turning inner pathos into hilarious outer pain saves this film. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

(R) Wes Anderson has never met a situation he couldn’t mock a teensy bit more, but in The Darjeeling Limited, he encounters the genuine emotion he’s avoided in his twee masterpieces. Anderson tones down the irony during the “spiritual journey” taken by the damaged Whitman brothers - Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (co-writer Jason Schwartzman) - to deal with their father’s death, as well as each other. (Beechwood)

DAZED AND CONFUSED

(R) Director Richard Linklater’s stoner fave is a look at the last day of school in 1976. With the now familiar faces of Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Renée Zellweger, Milla Jovovich and Adam Goldberg. Thursday, 11/8 (Tate)

DEBUT

(R) A high-school senior rejecting his Filipino heritage questions his decisions while his family celebrates his sister’s 18th birthday. Also known as The Mercado Family Debut, director Gene Cajayon’s dramedy won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Hawaii International Film Festival and the Jury Award for Best Dramatic Narrative Feature from the San Diego Asian Film Festival. Part of the International Film Festival. Shows Monday, 11/12 (UGA SLC)

DRAGON WARS: D-WAR

(PG-13) Based on a Korean legend, Dragon Wars is absolutely ludicrous, a bunch of “What the hell?” exposition about monsters destroying L.A., strung together by cheapo FX. (Highway 17 Theatres)

DREAMS OF DUST

(NR) The dusty dreams of writer-director Laurent Salgues’ Rêves de poussière belong to Mocktar, a Nigerian peasant seeking work in the gold mines of Burkina Faso. After discovering the gold rush ended 20 years earlier, Mocktar seeks not only to survive, but also to better the life of widowed mother Coumba and her daughter. Dreams of Dust was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic World Cinema. Part of the ACC Library’s iFilms series. Thursday, 11/8 (ACC Library)

FRED CLAUS

(PG) The bitter, underachieving older brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti), Fred (Vince Vaughn), moves to the North Pole and jeopardizes the jolly old elf’s entire operation. Though directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), expect a family-friendly holiday spirit. With Miranda Richardson, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates and Kevin Spacey. Opens Friday (Beechwood, Carmike)

FRESH LOOK FESTIVAL PREVIEW

(NR) A fundraiser and preview of the upcoming "Fresh Look" Athens International Film Festival for Children and Youth. See Calendar! for more info. Shows Wednesday, 11/14 (Ciné)

THE GAME PLAN

(PG) Professional football player Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) has only one thing in mind - winning a championship ring - until his daughter, sweet little Peyton (Madison Pettis), is left on his doorstep. Kids will love The Game Plan for two hours and promptly forget it; parents could do worse. (Carmike)

GONE BABY GONE

(R) Adapted by director Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard, Gone Baby Gone is a morally draining film about Boston P.I. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck), who was hired to find a four-year-old girl but instead unearths the truth that morally complicates the situation far beyond simple child abduction. The elder Affleck gets everything right and a strongly nuanced Casey Affleck anchors this tough little film. Ends Thursday (Beechwood)

HALLOWEEN

(R) Rob Zombie’s reimagining (for lack of a better term) of John Carpenter’s slasher classic redesigns the entire concept of a remake. Halloween is the franchise’s best effort in nearly 30 years, and a fitting addition to Zombie’s brief, promising filmmaking career. (Highway 17 Theatres)

HELVETICA

(NR) This unusual documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture recounts the controversial existence of the uniform typeface, Helvetica, celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Reviewers say filmmaker Gary Hustwit has woven a fascinatingly insightful and engaging narrative from the humorous vociferousness of the font’s defenders and detractors. Helvetica sounds like the cinematic equivalent of writer Mark Kurlansky’s histories of Salt and Cod. Helvetica has screened at several high profile festivals including SXSW and SILVERDOCS. In conjunction with Flagpole's 20th anniversary celebration. Starts Friday (Ciné)

INTO THE WILD

(R) Sean Penn (Mystic River) directs this narrative based on the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who, upon graduating from Emory in 1992, abandoned his life and gave away his savings and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. With Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone, Katherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and William Hurt. Opens Friday (Beechwood)

JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS

(PG) Already a three-time award winner at the Venice Film Festival, Jonathan Demme’s cinematic chronicle of former President Jimmy Carter’s book tour for the controversially-titled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid should make a run at an Oscar as well. Man from Plains paints a complex, sympathetic portrait of the moral, measured Georgian who, though too nice to be president, has proven to be the best ex-president this nation has ever seen. Crisscrossing the country (and eventually the world), Carter faces challenges from all fronts, former allies and friends as well as longtime critics, as he continues his personal, political and professional peace-making mission. The film can be uncomfortable as it tensely builds toward an expected confrontation that never comes. All the while, Carter remains respectfully resolute - and Demme courteously absent, save for his cameras - in the face of derision unlike any he was subjected to in numerous political campaigns. A moving, honest document of a truly decent human being, Jimmy Carter Man from Plains remains above the political fray despite its decidedly partisan leanings; the film is obviously pro-peace and pro-Carter. Plains, Georgia, has every right to be proud. Ends Thursday (Beechwood)

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

(PG-13) A movie with a sex doll as one of its main characters? Sounds like the making of another gross-out sex comedy or maybe even a porn. But Lars and the Real Girl is neither of those things. Lars (played by the always amazing Ryan Gosling) is a man struggling to cope with his troubled childhood and his feelings of overwhelming loneliness by purchasing an anatomically correct doll from the Internet. The doll is warmly received into Lars' community and helps him amend his damaged psyche. A great script keeps the film from becoming too absurd, providing for laughs throughout. But the exceptional performances (Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer) are what keep the audience interested and intrigued. Lars and the Real Girl is a unique love story, strange and sweet. [Maggie Summers] (Beechwood)

LAUGH FACTORY

(NR) Yuck it up to 100 minutes of never-before-seen stand-up comedy from the world-famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood, CA. Part of a series of Thursday night comedy events at the theater. Shows Thursday, 11/8 (Carmike)

LIONS FOR LAMBS

(R) Actor-director Robert Redford may have ingested box office hemlock - a serious post-9/11 political film - in his first picture since 2000’s underwhelming The Legend of Bagger Vance. A presidential hopeful (Tom Cruise), a reporter (Meryl Streep) and a college professor (Redford) collide over the lives of two young soldiers (Crash’s Michael Peña and Antwone Fisher’s Derek Luke) who were injured while fighting in Afghanistan. Written by The Kingdom’s Matthew Michael Carnahan. Opens Friday (Beechwood, Carmike)

MARTIAN CHILD

(PG) See Flick Skinny. Even John Cusack knows most of his films aren’t that good. The tremendously likable actor confesses to have made only 10 good films, and Martian Child is not number 11. Having lost his wife, bestselling science fiction author David Gordon (Cusack) adopts a young boy, Dennis (Bobby Coleman), who believes he’s from Mars. Martian Child illustrates the difficulties faced when raising a disturbed child; no matter how sweet Dennis is (Coleman is all puppy dog eyes and halting uncertainty), the young man has some serious issues to sort out. Max director Menno Meyjes’ film, adapted by Seth Bass and Jonathan Tolins from acclaimed science fiction author David Gerrold’s semi-autobiographical short story, delivers its lecture of acceptance with far too cloying obviousness and a climax that veers sharply into the dead man’s curve of Movie of the Week melodrama. Cusack is as genuine as ever, but he’ll never be strong enough to overpower the sickly sweet aroma wafting off a film like this. This warm and fuzzy flick exists for anyone who thought K-PAX was too cynical. (Beechwood, Carmike)

MICHAEL CLAYTON

(R) George Clooney tailors his sleek image into the designer mystery of a bag-man called on to clean up his firm’s dirtiest messes. Writer-director Tony Gilroy (the Bourne franchise) crafts a labyrinthine legal maze that never gets so twisty the viewer can’t find his way out. That Michael Clayton is as smooth as its star should surprise no one. Ends Thursday (Beechwood)

MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY

(G) I truly adore Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson), though I found his 1997 feature debut underwhelming. The sequel finds the near-silent bumbler on holiday in the south of France where he ends up being the sensation of the Cannes Film Festival. (Georgia Square 5)

MR. WOODCOCK

(PG-13) When self-help author John Farley (Seann William Scott) returns to his hometown, he discovers his mother (Susan Sarandon) is engaged to his nemesis, sadistic gym teacher Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). Director Craig Gillespie delivers a movie that has more of an independent spirit than its dumb dude comedy trailer betrays. Ends Thursday (Georgia Square 5)

THE NANNY DIARIES

(PG-13) The Nanny Diaries isn’t bad; it’s bland. If Annie Braddock’s (Scarlett Johansson) adventures in nannying are meant to be a satirical look at the irresponsible child-rearing of Manhattan’s upper crust, they tug too much at the heartstrings. Starts Friday (Georgia Square 5)

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3-D

(PG) 1993. What a grand new tradition is Disney’s annual re-releasing of the 3-D version of Nightmare. After visiting Christmas Town, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, gets the bright idea of giving Santa Claus the night off. Ends Thursday (Carmike)

OBSESSION: RADICAL ISLAM'S WAR AGAINST THE WEST

(NR) This film peers inside the teachings that have incited global jihad. Using footage from Arab television and interviews with Daniel Pipes, Steve Emerson, Alan Dershowitz, a former PLO terrorist, and a former Hitler Youth Commander, director Wayne Kopping’s Obsession seeks to find the parallels between Nazis, today’s radicals, and the West’s response to both threats to global security. This screening, sponsored by Dawgs for Israel, will be accompanied by a discussion. Shows Wednesday, 11/7 (UGA SLC)

P2

(R) After working late on Christmas Eve, a businesswoman (Rachel Nichols) is terrorized by a sadistic security guard (Wes Bentley). Co-written by Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur. Opens Friday (Beechwood, Carmike)

PLAGUES AND PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA

(NR) 2004. The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers returns with Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea. Cult filmmaker John Waters narrates this award-winning chronicle of the Southern California body of water. Co-director Chris Metzler will be present. Shows Wednesday, 11/7 (GMOA)

RATATOUILLE

(G) Remy the rat (Patton Oswalt) dreams of being a top chef. Garbage boy Linguine (Lou Romano) doesn’t want to lose another job. Together they become the gastronomic sensation of Paris. Ratatouille again proves Pixar is king. Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles). (Georgia Square 5)

RUSH HOUR 3

(PG-13) Rush Hour 3 is a pleasant enough diversion that never achieves the giddy fun of the first two installments. RH3 displaces Chris Tucker’s Detective James Carter and Jackie Chan’s Chief Inspector Lee in the City of Lights, where they must bring the Chinese Triad to its knees. (Georgia Square 5)

SALAAM BOMBAY!

The first feature film by acclaimed Indian director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) tells the heartrending story of the many children roaming the streets of Bombay trying to survive. Winner of Cannes’ Audience Award and Golden Camera. Sponsored by International Student Life and Asha Athens. Wednesday, 11/14 (UGA SLC)

SAW IV

(R) Since the first sequel, Saw has lived up to its gruesome reputation; unlike Hostel, Saws II-IV haven’t swaggered into town like they were swinging the biggest pair of brass ones and wussed out when the time came to show them. Dead as a hobnail, Jiggy’s up to his gaming ways, giving old pal Detective Eric Mathews (Donnie Wahlberg), two cops and two feds the choice to live or die. The series may not be scary anymore, but Saw IV amps up the gore from the get-go. Even with a chronology too tangled to sort out when the game is over, Saw IV proves there are more miles left in this premise than anyone ever thought possible. (Beechwood, Carmike)

SEA MONSTERS: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE

(NR) Carmike hosts its first National Geographic Giant Screen 3-D film, a documentary about prehistoric sea creatures. Photo-realistic, high-resolution computer graphics with a run time of 40 minutes. Narrated by Liev Schreiber. (Carmike)

SICKO

(PG-13) Michael Moore returns with his most mature, least partisan, still tremendously one-sided polemic yet. Moore uses damning denial after damning denial, incriminating death after incriminating death, to convince the 250 million insured Americans that insurance companies care more about the bottom line than whether the purchaser of their service flatlines. The screening accompanies the launch of UGA’s new student-run magazine, Stand Up, and will be followed by a discussion on universal health care. Monday, 11/12 (UGA SLC)

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES

(PG) Special screenings of select episodes from the classic sci-fi series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Call the theater for more information. Tuesday 11/13 (Beechwood)

SUPERBAD

(R) The super-raunchy all-night adventures of best buds and lovable losers Seth (Michael Cera) and Evan (Jonah Hill) as they seek beer and sex was waiting for the ribald, heartfelt guidance of producer Judd Apatow, the writer-director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Superbad captures the life and travails of the geeky - read normal - high-school male. Friday, 11/9 & Sunday, 11/11 (Tate)

TRACKING THE GORILLA

(NR) The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Inc. hosts the debut screening of Diane M. Campese’s documentary about the 8-Track Gorilla. See Threats & Promises and Art Notes for more info. Shows Friday, 11/9 (ATHICA)

UNDERDOG

(PG) Underdog attempts to make the concept of the silly '60s cartoon so acceptably realistic and scientifically believable that it becomes boring and trite. This will only please the wee ones. (Georgia Square 5)

WHY DID I GET MARRIED?

(PG-13) Tyler Perry’s latest film furthers the multi-hyphenate’s brand of over-dramatized pap. The marital dirty laundry of four couples is aired during a week-long sojourn in the Colorado mountains. Why Did I Get Married? is humanly engaging despite any number of cinematic flaws. Ends Thursday (Beechwood, Carmike)

WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY

(R) Zia (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous, Saved!) slashes his wrists and wakes up in the afterlife. Everything is drabber, everyone more depressed, in essence, the afterlife is just like this life, only shittier. Zia hooks up with Eugene (Shia Whigham) and a ragtag group forms as they go on a road trip in search of his dead ex. Wristcutters' quirky morbidity should appeal to fans of Wes Anderson and the like. [Margaret Moore] Ends Thursday (Ciné)

Drew Wheeler