MOVIES

Movies are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J movie critic Carol Cling (C.C.) are indicated by initials. Other opinions are from wire service critics.

Motion Picture Association of America ratings:

G – General audiences, all ages.

PG – Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 – Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children under 13.

R – Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian.

NC-17 – No one under 17 admitted.

NR – Not rated.

BALLS OF FURY

(C) Goodness, gracious — there’s nothing great about the strained spoof “Balls of Fury,” in which a disgraced table tennis prodigy (Dan Fogler) gets a shot at redemption by competing in a secret tournament hosted by a criminal mastermind (Christopher Walken, hip-deep in broad self-parody). Every Kung Fu cheapie and “Karate Kid” rip-off is evoked through bleary lenses and awkwardly staged sight gags. (90 min.) PG-13; crude and sex-related humor, profanity.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

(B+) You can’t go home again, but amnesiac spy guy Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) keeps trying, racing to uncover the final clues to his past — in New York, where it all began. After too many underwhelming threequels , this one more than lives up to its predecessors, thanks to a top-chop cast (including David Strathairn and Joan Allen) and director Paul Greengrass’ ability to combine exhilarating action with a weighty sense of dread. (114 min.) PG-13; violence, intense action sequences. (C.C.)

THE BRAVE ONE

(C) Jodie’s got a gun: A New York public radio host (Jodie Foster) becomes a pistol-packin’ urban avenger after slimy thugs beat her fiancé to death and leave her for dead in Central Park. Despite Foster’s full-bore intensity (and co-star Terrence Howard’s steady presence as the cop on her case), “The Brave One” proves that artists the caliber of Foster and director Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”) are just as capable of making a soulless revenge thriller as any Hollywood hack. (122 min.) R; strong violence, profanity, sexuality. (C.C.)

DRAGON WARS

(D+) A TV reporter (“Roswell’s” Jason Behr) discovers the strange cause of recent Los Angeles earthquakes: an ancient giant serpent he must battle because the 500-year-old spirit of a warrior dwells within him. Amanda Brooks and “The Office’s” Craig Robinson join veterans Elizabeth Peña and Robert Forster in a futuristic fantasy, inspired by Korean legend, that’s so dismal it doesn’t even register as a guilty pleasure. (90 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of violence and creature action.

EASTERN PROMISES

(B+) Director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen, who brought you 2005’s standout “A History of Violence,” reunite for an intriguing gangster thriller about the Russian mob in London. Naomi Watts (as an inquisitive innocent) and Armin Mueller-Stahl (as a deceptively courtly mob boss) provide striking support, but this is Mortensen’s movie all the way, and once again he and Cronenberg prove kindred spirits, challenging audiences to form their own conclusions — after they’ve delivered more than a few body blows. (100 min.) R; strong, brutal, bloody violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, profanity. (C.C.)

FEAST OF LOVE

(B-) Love is messy — and so is director Robert Benton’s adaptation of Charles Baxter’s novel about couples of varied generations in varied states of crises. It promises more complexity and profundity than it delivers, but the all-star cast — led by Greg Kinnear, Morgan Freeman, Selma Blair, Radha Mitchell and Billy Burke — helps keep things interesting, if not always real. (102 minutes) R; strong sexual content, nudity, profanity.

FEEL THE NOISE

(C) Old story, new beat: After a run-in with local thugs, an aspiring New York rapper (B2K’s Omarion Grandberry) flees to Puerto Rico and the father (Giancarlo Esposito) he never knew, bonding with his teenage stepbrother (“Raising Victor Vargas’ ” Victor Rasuk) and finding his salvation in the musical melting pot of reggaeton, a spicy blend of hip-hop, reggae and Latin beats. Jennifer Lopez produces this acceptable if resolutely average musical drama, which never misses a chance to invoke a “follow your dreams” cliché. (86 min.) PG-13; sexual content and references, violence, drug use, profanity.

THE GAME PLAN

(C) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson acquits himself nicely enough in this overcooked kitsch-fest, in which he plays a preening pro quarterback forced to get over himself when he meets the 8-year-old daughter (adorably bratty Madison Pettis) he never knew he had. Kyra Sedgwick, Morris Chestnut and Roselyn Sanchez co-star in a family-friendly Disney romp that’s as artificial as it is predictable. (110 minutes) PG; mild thematic elements.

GOOD LUCK CHUCK

(D+) Bad luck for the audience: This boorish exercise in high-testosterone low comedy casts Dane Cook as a dentist (Dane Cook) whose former girlfriends always become engaged to other guys. Poor Jessica Alba turns up as a klutzy aquarium penguin specialist who might be his Ms. Right, but even her cutie-pie appeal withers in the face of the sexed-up, dumbed-down humor. (96 min.) R; strong sexual content including crude dialogue, nudity, profanity, drug use.

HALLOWEEN

(D) Musician-turned-director Rob Zombie gets into the spooky spirit early, reincarnating John Carpenter’s 1978 shocker about masked psycho Michael Myers (“X-Men’s” Tyler Mane) — and attempting to fill in the blanks when it comes to the mystery behind his mayhem. That mystery was the very reason Carpenter’s original still stands as one of the scariest movies ever. This isn’t even scary — just another biff-bam-off-with-your- head-ma’am slasher film. (110 min.) R; strong brutal bloody violence and terror, sexual content, graphic nudity, profanity.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

(B-) Familiarity breeds contentment, not contempt, in the bleak fifth chapter of J.K. Rowling’s beloved tales, which finds an authoritarian bureaucrat (smilingly sinister Imelda Staunton) seizing power at Hogwarts magic academy — and casting a suspicious eye on Harry (quietly intense Daniel Radcliffe), who rebels when the powers-that-be doubt that villainous Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned. Not great or wildly imaginative, but good enough to get the job done. (138 min.) PG-13; fantasy violence, frightening images. (C.C.)

THE HEARTBREAK KID

(C-) Watching Ben Stiller squirm usually means major yuks. This time, yuks turn to yuck as Stiller squirms to break free of this strained, lame-brain comedy about a honeymooner who finds his Ms. Right — while he’s honeymooning with someone else. Unlike the scathingly satirical 1972 original, this remake (from “There’s Something About Mary” auteurs Peter and Bobby Farrelly) settles for raunchy slapstick that’s remarkable only for its misogyny — and its lack of true laughs. (116 min.) R; strong sexual situations, nudity, crude humor, profanity. (C.C.)

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH

(B) When his soldier son disappears after returning from Iraq, a retired Army MP (Tommy Lee Jones) investigates with the help of a dogged detective (Charlize Theron). This mournful mystery with topical overtones reflects “Crash” writer-director Paul Haggis’ puppetmaster tendencies; he can’t help but state, restate and overstate his points. Yet Jones’ towering, almost wordless eloquence provides almost makes up for it. (113 min.) R; violent and disturbing content, profanity, sexual situations, nudity. (C.C.)

THE INVASION

(C+) The latest, and lamest, version of the aliens-on-the-loose classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” stars Nicole Kidman as a psychiatrist fighting to stay awake (she’s not the only one) after being infected with a space-spawn virus that turns people into numb, soulless beings. Despite the best efforts of co-stars Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright and Jeremy Northam, this movie feels as though it were made by the kind of pod people the first three “Body Snatchers” movies warned us against. (109 min.) PG-13; violence, disturbing images, terror.

THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

(B-) The six members of the title club, in various stages of romantic crisis and/or denial, gather to discuss Jane Austen’s six beloved novels — and ponder how uncannily their plots reflect their own romantic crises. This cozy, if hardly revelatory, adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler’s own best-selling novel may get a bit cloying, but strong performances from Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits and Hugh Dancy help to counteract the contrivances. (105 minutes) PG-13; mature themes, sexual content, brief profanity, drug use. (C.C.)

THE KINGDOM

(B-) A terrorist bombing at a U.S. compound in Saudi Arabia launches an FBI agent (Jamie Foxx) and his crack investigative team (Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman) on a mission to flex American muscle and find out whodunit. Peter Berg (“The Rundown,” “Friday Night Lights”) directs this kick-butt action thriller with hammer-down intensity, but don’t expect anything remotely resembling piercing insight. (110 min.) R; intense, graphic brutal violence, profanity. (C.C.)

MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY

(C) Rubber-limbed Rowan Atkinson’s back, for what he (mercifully) promises is the final time, as the disaster-prone title character wins a trip to France, where he unwittingly comes between a boy and his father on the way to the Cannes film festival. Like the humble legume from which he takes his name, Mr. Bean is an acquired taste best appreciated in small portions. Those with an appetite for his crashingly predictable slapstick will relish the jaunt; the rest of us will wonder whether this trip was really necessary. (88 min.) G; slapstick violence. (C.C.)

MR. WOODCOCK

(C+) A successful self-help author (Seann William Scott) discovers that he can’t follow his own advice after he returns home to surprise his mother (Susan Sarandon), only to receive an even bigger shock when he encounters her new flame: his former, much despised gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton). “My Name Is Earl’s” Ethan Suplee and “Saturday Night Live’s” Amy Poehler co-star in a fitfully amusing comedy that capitalizes on Thornton’s deliciously subversive talent for tormenting the young. (87 min.) PG-13; crude and sexual content, mature themes, profanity, mild drug references.

RATATOUILLE

(B+) Bon appetit: “Incredibles” writer-director Brad Bird serves up the summer’s tastiest animated treat as Remy, a rat with gourmet sensibilities, teams with a hapless kitchen helper to restore an on-the-skids Paris restaurant to glory. With its all-star vocal cast (including Ian Holm, Janeane Garofalo and, as the restaurant critic from hell, Peter O’Toole) and inventive slapstick routines, “Ratatouille” ranks as a cinematic feast for kids of all ages. (110 min.) G; mild cartoon violence. (C.C.)

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION

(C) “Resident Evil” meets “Mad Max” in a post-apocalyptic fake Vegas reclaimed by the desert (created by Oscar-winning “Pan’s Labyrinth” production designer Eugenio Caballero in Mexicali, Mexico), where Alice (Milla Jovovich, yet again a butt-kicking dynamo) leads the charge against the deadly virus still threatening humanity. Returnees Oded Fehr and Mike Epps join newcomers Ali Larter, Spencer Locke and Ashanti in this been-there, done-that zombie smackdown. (95 min.) R; strong horror violence, nudity.

RETURN WITH HONOR: A MISSIONARY HOMECOMING

(C+) Las Vegan Tracy Garner writes, produces and co-stars in this hokey but heartfelt drama about a Mormon missionary (earnest Javen Tanner), returning to Utah following two years of missionary work in Southern Nevada, who faces a new spiritual quest after he’s nearly killed in a car crash. Garner’s clunky dialogue and cardboard characters (including the one he plays) don’t help, but Tanner’s portrayal earns the movie points for sincerity. (103 minutes) PG; brief violence, mild sexual references and profanity.

RUSH HOUR 3

(C-) After taking Las Vegas by storm in “Rush Hour 2,” detectives Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) head to Paris, where they tangle with Chinese Triads in another formulaic odd-couple-cop-buddy romp that’s equal parts dinner-theater revue and live-action Saturday-morning cartoon — a whirring, soulless pop product for those who don’t expect much more from a movie beyond cheap laughs and frantic diversion. (91 min.) PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language.

THE SEEKER: THE DARK IS RISING

(C) Ho-hum hocus-pocus: A young man (Alexander Ludwig) discovers he’s the last in a line of immortal warriors dedicated to battling the forces of the Dark — and time-trips from the past to the future and back to follow the clues leading him to a showdown that could determine the world’s very future. Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Christopher Eccleston, Gregory Smith and Jonathan Jackson co-star in this adaptation of Susan Cooper’s Newberry Award-winning books; director David L. Cunningham keeps things moving right along, but it’s still malarkey. (94 minutes) PG; fantasy action, scary images.

SHOOT ‘EM UP

(B-) Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti lend loads of grace and dashes of gravitas to this willfully outrageous action spoof in which Owen is a carrot-chomping gunslinger protecting an orphaned baby from Giamatti and his armies of assassins. Writer-director Michael Davis’ amiably pointless goof on amiably pointless action movies is so casually ludicrous it would be tough to swallow without its crafty stars, who almost convince us there’s something at stake, although they — and we — know better. (87 min.) R; violence, profanity, sexual content.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

(B+) “An Inconvenient Truth” collides with Springfield’s fun-tastic five in their raucously impudent big-screen debut, which piles up the “D’oh” as Homer faces the worst screw-up of a disaster-filled life — and tries to save the world from suffering the consequences. Series creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening huddle with nine co-writers to winning effect; the usual suspects (Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer) raise their voices in blissful contentiousness. (87 min.) PG-13; irreverent humor.

SUPERBAD

(C+) When their booze-soaked party plans go awry, inseparable high school seniors (“Arrested Development’s” Michael Cera and “Knocked Up’s” Jonah Hill) face the comic consequences in a raucous, super-raunchy celebration of teen angst and lust that tempers its arrested-development comedic approach with glimmers of genuine insight. It would have been better — and funnier — if you could laugh with “Superbad” as easily as you laugh at it. (112 min.) R; pervasive crude and sexual content, profanity, drinking, drug use, fantasy/comic violence — all involving teens. (C.C.)

SYDNEY WHITE

(C) Definitely Dopey: “Snow White” goes to college as a tomboy freshman (“Hairspray’s” bouncy Amanda Bynes) ditches her conniving sorority sisters to find a new home with seven “Revenge of the Nerds”-worthy outcasts in an extravagantly unsubtle Greeks-vs.-geeks romp, a carnival of ethnic and social stereotypes rising up against the lily-white status quo. (90 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual humor, partying.

3:10 TO YUMA

(B) All aboard: In post-Civil War Arizona, a downtrodden rancher (Christian Bale) joins a posse escorting a wily outlaw (Russell Crowe) to the prison-bound title train, setting up a psychological as well as literal showdown. This rip-snortin’ remake of the 1957 original (which also inspired director James Mangold’s 1997 update “Cop Land”) isn’t the second coming of the Western, dang it, but the dynamic duo of Crowe and Bale demonstrates how satisfying it can be to watch two men — one good, one bad, yet with more in common than either imagined — facing off in a life-or-death test of their true mettle. (117 min.) R; violence, profanity, sexual references. (C.C.)

TRANSFORMERS

(B-) Rock-’em, sock-’em robots: The mechanical title characters have more personality than the flesh-and-blood ones in a big-screen version of the ’80s cartoon hit, in which dueling robot aliens bring their extra-terrestrial war to Earth, where a goofy teen (adorkable Shia LaBeouf) unwittingly possesses the key to the conflict. Overlong, overblown, over-everything, but the muscle-car ‘tude and eye-popping effects trigger miles of smiles.. (144 min.) PG-13; intense sci-fi action violence, sexual humor, profanity. (C.C.)