originally published February 27, 2008

27 DRESSES

(PG-13) If only the romantic comedy clichés here were more likable or dynamic, this flick, starring Katherine Heigl as an eternal bridesmaid in love with her boss (Edward Burns) who is engaged to her selfish little sister (Malin Ackerman), might have been more than cute. Ends Thursday (Beechwood) Starts Friday (Georgia Square 5)

ALDO LEOPOLD: LEARNING FROM THE LAND

(NR) The award-winning documentary recounts the biography of Wisconsin's premier environmentalist, Aldo Leopold, and the story of how he and his family learned from the land and each other at their weekend retreat, the "Shack." In conjunction with Athens' celebration of Aldo Leopold. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (ACC Library)

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS

(PG) My nostalgic love for the Chipmunks lowered my expectations for the their live-action/ CGI debut, which was a good thing. (George Square 5)

AUGUST RUSH

(PG) Anyone even thinking about seeing this should be sure they believe that music (and love) can conquer all. If not, the tired plot devices that prop up this modern fable about an orphaned musical prodigy will have one wishing to change the station. Shows Friday, 2/29–Sunday, 3/2 (Tate)

BADMAASH #1/FRIGHTMARE

(R) 1998/1983. Flicker’s latest movie night is a double feature. In Badmaash #1, a young man, Gautam Hiraskar (Jackie Shroff), crosses paths with gangster Lalu Seth (Paresh Rawal) and his hoods. Soon, Gautam is caught in a web of deception that forces him to run from the police and Lalu Seth. Frightmare, from writer-director Norman Thaddeus Vance, torments a group of drama students that unleash a world of black magic hurt after stealing the body of their favorite horror star. Shows Monday, 3/3 (Flicker)

BE KIND REWIND

(PG-13) See Movie Pick. (Beechwood)

THE BUCKET LIST

(PG-13) If not for the magnetic allure of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, director Rob Reiner might finally have tumbled to the bottom of moviemaking’s own pit of despair. Hampered by its schmaltzy script, The Bucket List is a road movie for the terminally ill. Ends Thursday (Beechwood)

A CRUDE AWAKENING: THE OIL CRASH

(NR) 2006. Is our dependence on oil steering us on a collision course with geology? Directors Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack think so. A Crude Awakening includes interviews with Colin Campbell, Matt Simmons, Roscoe Bartlett, David Goodstein and many others. The film won awards from festivals in Ireland, Palm Beach, Tahoe (Reno), Bergen, Catalan, Telluride and Zurich. Visit http://www.crudeawakening.org/AboutPeakOil.htm for more information. Sponsored by Students for Environmental Awareness. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (SLC)

DEFINITELY, MAYBE

(PG-13) Writer-director Adam Brooks constructs a nicely inventive way to tell a conventional love story: Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is getting divorced. To help his daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), cope with the impending breakup of her family, he decides to narrate the story of how he met and fell in love with Maya’s mom. Changing the names to make the story more mysterious, Will recounts his life’s three major loves: Emily (Elizabeth Banks), Summer (Rachel Weisz), and April (Isla Fisher). As a romcom, Definitely, Maybe is immensely likable and remarkably uninteresting, weighted down by flimsy political commentary and an anticlimactic romantic reveal. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

(PG-13) 2007. See Movie Pick (Ciné)

DONALD L. HOLLOWELL: AMERICAN FREEDOM FIGHTER

(NR) Dr. Derrick Alridge presents a short documentary film and discussion of the life of Donald L. Hollowell, a prominent lawyer in the civil rights struggle of the 1950's and '60's, who played an important role in the desegregation of the University of Georgia. The film was created by the Unsung Foot Soldiers. Sponsored by the Oglethorpe Democrats. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (Oglethorpe County Library)

THE EYE

(PG-13) I know I enjoyed the 2002 Hong Kong chiller from The Pang Brothers (The Messengers) on which this Jessica Alba vehicle was based, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why as I watched the remake. It’s not that the horror film about a young violinist (Alba) who begins seeing dead people after a cornea transplant is that awful. The flick from directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud and Gothika scribe Sebastian Gutierrez isn’t bad, but it is boring. Ends Thursday (Carmike)

FOOL'S GOLD

(PG-13) Fool’s Gold is as lazy and dumb as its cartoonish main character, treasure salvager Finn (Matthew McConaughey). McConaughey, an actor who usually wins me over in scene one, is as disappointingly charmless as he is effectively topless. Kate Hudson does what little she can to tone down Finn’s ex-wife Tess’ shrill unlikability, but the rest of the cast are shackled by unnecessary accents. A dud in every way. (Beechwood, Carmike)

HANNAH MONTANA/MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT TOUR

(G) There are only two types of people in the world, those that HAVE to see this flick in its week-long box office run (tweens and parents of tweens) and everyone else. If you don’t know, Hannah Montana is the television alter ego of Achy Breaky Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter, Miley, who has a bestselling album of her own. In 3-D. (Carmike) Ends Thursday (Beechwood)

HOOK

(PG) 1991. Starring Robin Williams as a grown up Peter, Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook, and Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell, Hook has not aged well. An adult Peter returns to Neverland to confront his mortal enemy. P.J. Hogan’s underrated 2003 Peter Pan is far superior. Nominated for five Academy Awards, all for behind the camera achievements. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (Tate)

I AM LEGEND

(PG-13) I Am Legend is another addition to one of my all-time favorite movie sub-genres: the post-apocalyptic survival story. Will Smith plays Robert Neville, a military scientist haunted by his past and his failure to stop a mutating virus. The story was adapted from a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson which has already been turned into two movies. This adaptation wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very good, either. [Alex Moore] Starts Friday (Georgia Square 5)

I HAD AN ABORTION

(NR) 2005. A documentary composed of interviews with a multigenerational sampling of women who have had abortions—some illegal, most since Roe v. Wade. Dr. Kelly Happe, Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and Women’s Studies, will lead a discussion after the film. Sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Studies as part of the Women’s History Month Film Festival. Shows Monday, 3/3 (SLC)

JUMPER

(PG-13) See Flick Skinny. The good aspects of Jumper are few and include Hayden Christensen’s hotness and a neat idea about teleportation powers. The rest of the movie was pure two-dimensional fluff. And yes, it's PG-13 so there aren't even any boobies, cursing or violence. The part of Jumper that undoubtedly pissed me off the most was the fact that a single handgun in the hands of any of the main characters, or, God willing, me, could have ended the movie two hours earlier and spared everyone a lot of unhappiness. [Alex Moore] (Beechwood, Carmike)

JUNO

(PG-13) A frank, funny discussion of family, teenage sexuality and parenting without a hint of the cool irony that typically detaches independent comedies, Juno lives up to all its hype, most of which has deservedly swirled around screenwriter Diablo Cody and actress Ellen Page (Hard Candy). Director Jason Reitman's second feature is as wickedly witty as his first, Thank You for Smoking. Juno’s teenage pregnancy may be the least complicated - and funniest - of all time, yet that youthful optimism is something of which we could use a lot more. Unlike so many independent comedies, Juno isn’t too cool to care. (Beechwood)

LA POINTE-COURTE

(NR) 1955. The UGA Library begins its Women’s Vision Film Series with famed French filmmaker Agnès Varda’s first film. While life goes on in the small fishing village of La Pointe-Courte, a Parisian couple grows tired of one another. La Pointe-Courte was edited by recently deceased Alain Resnais, who directed Last Year at Marienbad. Leanne Finnigan, Media Desk Supervisor at the UGA Libraries Media Department, will briefly introduce the film. Refreshments will be provided. Shows Tuesday, 3/4 (UGA Library)

MAD MONEY

(PG-13) Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes star as three women who rob the Federal Reserve. The leads are game, and interweaving a heist movie with themes of female empowerment gone awry and the corporate downsizing of white upper-middle class America is intriguing. Too bad the direction of Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) stinks. (Highway 17 Theatres)

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. Ends Thursday (Georgia Square 5)

ONE MISSED CALL

(PG-13) Based on an unremarkable 2003 film by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer), One Missed Call is a Final Destination/ Ringu mashup that’s actually more solidly constructed, narratively speaking, than many of its peers. Pretty college coeds begin receiving phone calls from their dying future selves and a police detective (Edward Burns) starts to investigate the mysterious deaths. Ends Thursday (Georgia Square 5)

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

(PG-13) Philippa Gregory’s popular Tudor-era historical novel comes to the big screen via a script from the Oscar-nominated writer of The Queen, Peter Morgan. Eric Bana is Henry VIII, seducing and being seduced by the two Boleyn girls, the more famous Anne (Natalie Portman) and sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson). Expect lots of heavy breathing and corseted cleavage. Director Justin Chadwick may have a hard time keeping audiences interested in a tale whose sad ending is so well-documented. Opens Friday (Beechwood, Carmike)

PENELOPE

(PG) Reese Witherspoon produced this modern day fable starring Christina Ricci as a cursed young woman who finds true love with a cardsharp after Prince Charming turns out to be a dud. Also stars James McAvoy and Catherine O’Hara. Opens Friday, 2/29 (Beechwood, Carmike)

PERSEPOLIS

(PG-13) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s film recounts recent Iranian history through the limited but expanding scope of a young Iranian girl. Persepolis depicts Iran with honest, sad resignation at what has transpired in a once proud nation. Pre-revolutionary Iran is drawn as a paradisiacal mixture of Western modernity and Middle Eastern traditionalism. Yet amidst the repression, the main character, Marjane, bubbles with life and energy, creativity and vibrance. How many hundreds of thousands of Iranians also stride confidently through their own insurrectionary Survivor-fueled montage? Persepolis proves there be one at least one. (Ciné)

RAMBO

(R) In the fourth Rambo flick, the tortured killing machine’s retirement in Southeast Asia is interrupted by a group of missionaries who get themselves into a heap of trouble in Burma and force the ridiculously beefy sexagenarian to join a band of mercs on a rescue mission. Boring brutality. Ends Thursday (Carmike)

THE RISE AND FALL OF JIM CROW: PART 4

(NR) 2002. Directed by Academy Award nominee Bill Jersey and Richard Wormser, this four-part documentary explores the history of the legal racial separation that used to exist in the United States. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, narrated Richard Roundtree, won a prestigious Peabody Award and an International Documentary Association Award. Part of the Black History Month Documentary Series sponsored by the African American Cultural Center. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (AAAC)

SEMI-PRO

(R) Will Ferrell is Jackie Moon, owner-coach-player for the ABA’s Flint Michigan Tropics. When the NBA comes looking to merge, Jackie pulls out all the stops to ensure his team of losers makes the final cut. Written by Old School’s Scot Armstrong and directed by Elf producer Kent Alterman, Semi-Pro is Ferrell’s second straight sports comedy. Opens Friday, 2/29 (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES

(PG) The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a series of bestselling books by Terry DiTerlizzi and Holly Black about the Grace siblings, twins Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore) and sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), who discover a fantastical world existing unseen within our own after they move into the creepy old house that belonged to their great granduncle, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). After Jared reads Spiderwick’s field guide to the magical kingdom, his entire family jumps to the top of evil ogre Mulgarath’s (Nick Nolte) hit list. The Spiderwick Chronicles is exhaustingly, not excitingly, filled with dumb complications that keep the plot moving. (Beechwood, Carmike)

STEP UP 2 THE STREETS

(PG-13) The limber sequel to 2006’s surprise dance smash, Step Up 2 the Streets is a step down in almost every way. All of the original players have moved up and on; the sequel couldn’t even afford one serious adult actor on par with Step Up’s Rachel Griffiths. Step Up 2 may miss a few moves, but the flick brings it—and by it, I think I mean energy. (Beechwood, Carmike)

SUGAR CANE ALLEY

(PG) 1983. Writer-director Euzhan Palcy’s acclaimed film, based on a novel by Joseph Zobel, follows José and his grandmother as they labor away in the cane fields of Martinique in the early 1930s. Winner of a César Award and two Venice Film Festival prizes. This screening is part of the African Diaspora Film Festival sponsored by the Institute for African American Studies. Shows Thursday, 2/28 (SLC)

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

(R) A dream marriage of material (Stephen Sondheim’s musical in which a serial-killing barber and his landlady sing about meat pies made of man) and artists (Tim Burton and Johnny Depp), Sweeney Todd is bloody perfect. Burton’s gothic version of Sondheim’s horror opera should not be missed. (Georgia Square 5)

U23D

(G) Bono croons and preens like the frontman for one of the world’s biggest bands should. The Edge is as stoically badass as ever; and the rhythm section, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., bring the rock like the undervalued professionals they are. U23D wastes no time on behind the scenes extras, making of BS, or feel good segments on Bono’s humanitarianism. The concert film allows U2 to do what they do better than almost any other band in the world. I don’t know if there’s another non-traditional cinematic experience comparable to U23D waiting in 2008’s still expanding wings. Ends Thursday (Beechwood, Carmike)

VANTAGE POINT

(PG-13) See Flick Skinny. In the ever-expanding genre of action movies for old people, Dennis Quaid is like Arnold Schwarzeneggar in his 80s heyday. The assassination of the President of the United States is seen from six different perspectives, each revealing more “truth” until the audience knows what really happened. What really happened—some convoluted plot involving double-crosses and the very tired specter of Islamic terrorism—is much less interesting than the Rashomon-style manner in which director Pete Travis and writer Barry L. Levy reveal the whys and hows without unnecessarily repeating themselves too much. Vantage Point is a one trick pony. Minus an energetic rally car chase, the flick goes downhill once its unique vantage point becomes generically omniscient. (Beechwood, Carmike)

THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP

(PG) Based on a book by Babe author Dick King-Smith, The Water Horse is the tale of a lonely boy (Alex Etel, Millions) who finds a mysterious egg that hatches into the legendary Scottish sea creature, the Loch Ness Monster. As silly as it sounds. Ends Thursday (Georgia Square 5)

WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS

(PG-13) Welcome home patently offensive, incorrect and insulting visions of the South, particularly Georgia. TV personality Dr. R.J. Stevens (Martin Lawrence) returns home for the first time in years with his fiancée, “Survivor” diva Bianca (Joy Bryant), and his preteen son (Damani Roberts). Lessons are learned; bonds are reforged; Lawrence gets sprayed by a skunk. Roscoe Jenkins will never be welcome in my home. (Beechwood, Carmike)

WITLESS PROTECTION

(PG-13) First, he was a health inspector; then he joined the Army; now Larry the Cable Guy, nee Dan Whitney, is the sheriff of a small town. When Larry sees a well-dressed lady in distress at the hands of four mysterious men in black, he swoops in to save the day. Unwittingly, Larry has kidnapped Madeleine (Ivana Milicevic), the key witness in a Chicago crime trial, and must transport her safely to the Windy City. Larry may have drafted his strongest support yet; costars Jenny McCarthy, Yaphet Kotto, Peter Stormare and Joe Mantegna are a step up from Delta Farce’s DJ Qualls and Bill Engvall (on second thought, are they?), But let’s face it. No one’s going to see this movie—or not see it—based on what I’ve written here. Witless Protection should be classified "for Larry fans only." (Carmike)

Drew Wheeler