Movie Picks 

Films recommended by our reviewers are indicated by an *<.

Angels & Demons (PG-13)

In Ron Howard's movie of Dan Brown's book, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) finds himself whisked to Vatican City, where a murderous, scientifically threatening, religiously confounding conspiracy is afoot. It's all trash. But blasphemy? Hell no. — Jonathan Kiefer

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*Coraline (PG)

Coraline, director Harry Selick's intensely imaginative adaptation of the beloved Neil Gaiman novel, tells the story of a young girl who discovers a portal to an alternate life behind a door in her living room. — Jonathan Kiefer

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Dance Flick (PG-13)

The Wayans brothers return to the big screen with this spoof of dance films about a couple from opposite sides of the tracks who bond through a dance contest. — Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Earth (G)

This documentary based on the Discovery Channel series Planet Earth follows four animal families as they migrate across the globe. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15

Fast & Furious (PG-13)

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam to fight a shared enemy and power exotic cars from California through the deserts of Mexico. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Picture Show

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (PG-13)

In this spin on Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol, a bachelor (Matthew McConaughey) is visited by the ghosts of past relationships as he tries to short-circuit his brother's wedding. — Not reviewed

Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*Gran Torino (R)

Meet Walt Kowalski: Korean War vet, retired autoworker, widower, ornery racist coot. But he's played by Clint Eastwood, in an Eastwood-directed movie, so no matter what kind of bastard Walt is, you know you're probably going to like him. — Jonathan Kiefer

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Hannah Montana: The Movie (G)

As Miley Stewart's days start to be overtaken by the persona of her alter ego Hannah Montana, Miley's father encourages her to return to her hometown to get some perspective on life. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15

The Haunting in Connecticut (PG-13)

A family moves for their son's health, then encounters supernatural happenings, and find out their home was once a mortuary. — Not reviewed

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Hotel for Dogs (PG)

A young boy and girl save stray dogs by hiding them in an abandoned house. — Not reviewed

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I Love You, Man (R)

The latest movie of the Judd Apatow trend about successful, yet friendless Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), who seeks out male companionship before getting married. Unfortunately, the inventive premise is the funniest part of the film. — Scott Renshaw

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Knowing (PG-13)

In this thriller, Nicolas Cage plays a man whose son brings home a piece of paper covered in numbers that seem to predict the dates of natural disasters. — Not reviewed

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (PG)

Director Shawn Levy and screenwriters Robert Garant and Thomas Lennon found an even cooler idea for this sequel to the 2006 film Night at the Museum – the biggest, most diverse museum on the planet comes alive at night – and they squandered it in an even bigger way. — MaryAnn Johanson

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Cinemark 16 IMAX, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (PG)

A security guard (Kevin James) must come to the rescue when a mall is taken over by would-be robbers. — Not reviewed

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Race to Witch Mountain (PG)

Two young aliens are on the run from the American government and an assassin sent from their home planet. A gruff but decent taxi driver (Dwayne Johnson) becomes their reluctant protector. Whatever, at least you can munch popcorn to it. — Jonathan Kiefer

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Rudo y Cursi (R)

Filmmaker Carlos Cuarón reunites Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal to play brothers Beto and Tato, amateur soccer players who get a chance at the big time when they're noticed by a scout. The film is breezy enough — and the boys in the film are still pretty enough — to make this feature a relatively amusing diversion even if it inevitably turns to the sports-movie clichés. — Tricia Olszewski

Kimball's Twin Peak

*Sin Nombre (R)

When a headstrong teenager and a gloomy gangster meet on a train as they attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, it isn't exactly cute. It is, however, one auspicious moment in one young filmmaker's feature debut. — Jonathan Kiefer

Kimball's Twin Peak

*Star Trek (PG-13)

Director J.J. Abrams has been charged with resurrecting Paramount's dormant Star Trek series, which needed a literal facelift. While Trekkies may find it difficult to accept a U.S.S. Enterprise without William Shatner at the helm, Abrams' reboot exists in its own universe, where the next generation of Trek stars proves worth the wait. — Jeff Sneider

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

State of Play (PG-13)

A D.C. reporter (Russell Crowe) investigates the death of a woman who did research for a committee headed by his best friend, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) — who was also having an affair with her. The strong cast and gripping action sequences make the film satisfying popcorn entertainment. — Jeff Sneider

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Sunshine Cleaning (R)

Sunshine Cleaning would be a waste of film if it weren't for Amy Adams who stars as Rose Lorkowski, a single mom who's eking by as a maid when she decides to make some quick cash as a crime-scene scrubber. — Tricia Olszewski

Kimball's Twin Peak

Taken (PG-13)

In addition to kicking ass, Liam Neeson — or, well, his character, ex-spy Bryan Mills — also does a whole lot o' killin'. The reason for his wrath is that his teen daughter has been kidnapped by sex traffickers. — Jonathan Kiefer

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Terminator Salvation (PG-13)

It's 2018 and Skynet, the extremely pro-death-penalty artificial intelligence network, is just about finished scouring humanity from the face of the Earth. Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. Director McG reassembles this franchise of diminishing returns in an approximation of working order, while paying much homage to the earlier three films. — Jonathan Kiefer

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (PG-13)

Tyler Perry plays the fiery grandmother Madea, who gets into trouble with the law after leading police on a car chase. — Not reviewed

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine (PG-13)

This movie provides the backstory for Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), seen before in three earlier X-men features — but this character isn't the same guy. While he's occasionally the familiar wise-cracker, we're mostly watching someone with a completely different psychological make-up. — Scott Renshaw

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown