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THE Venice Film Festival of 2008 delivered, by general consensus, the
most disappointing program in many years, a particularly unfortunate
outcome given that the past two years were so strong.

Disgruntled festival-goers not only coped with a collection of below-
par films, but with inadequate internet connections in major hotels, a
mosquito plague of almost biblical proportions and stiflingly hot
weather.

Yet it all started very promisingly with the judiciously chosen
opening night feature,Burn after Reading, which finds Joel and Ethan
Coen in comedy mode after the grim tensions of their previous film, No
Country for Old Men. This is a smart, witty film about Washington
insiders – and some decided outsiders – that starts off with the
dismissal of long-serving CIA operative Osborne Cox (John Malkovich)
for a drinking problem. This event triggers off a series of others
involving Cox’s faithless wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), her federal
marshal lover, Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) and, in another part of
the city, the somewhat clueless Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), and his
fellow employee at the Hardbodies Fitness Centre, Linda Litzke
(Frances McDormand). With the CIA and the Russian embassy involved
with some missing documents that may or may not be of great security
value, the stage is set for some comic, occasionally lethal,
misunderstandings. The film is beautifully scripted and every member
of the large cast, down to the smallest role, is utterly convincing.

But after this bright beginning it was all pretty much downhill,
especially in the competition. The two best films on display were both
out of competition, one of them French and the other Italian. With The
Beaches of Agnes, the matriarch of the French new wave, Agnes Varda,
has made a whimsical, touching and informative autobiography in which
she explores her childhood in Belgium and later (during the war) in
the south of France leading to her work as a photographer in China.
She was involved with the nouvelle vague from the very beginning
because of her friendship with Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, Jean-Luc
Godard and others; and at the age of 26 she directed the first feature
film of the movement, La Pointe-Courte, in 1956.

The film contains excerpts from her features and documentaries and an
expectedly warm portrait of her husband, Jacques Demy (the director of
that masterpiece, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) who died in 1990. Varda
emerges as an indomitable character, as feisty and inquiring at 80 as
ever she was.

First-time feature director Gianni di Gregorio’s Lunch in Mid-August,
which screened in the Critics Week, is also about the elderly. The
director plays Gianni, who lives in a small Rome apartment with his
very demanding 90-year-old mother (Valeria De Franciscis). He needs
the money, so he agrees to look after another old lady for a few days
at the height of summer, but in the end he gets stuck with four of
them, all very much with minds of their own. This is a very small film
but, mainly thanks to the quartet of grand old women, hugely
enjoyable.

Back in the competition, much was expected fromThe Burning Plain, the
first film directed by the Mexican writer, Guillermo Arriaga, whose
screenplays for 21 Grams and Babel, among others, have been so finely
wrought. The mechanics of his work are beginning to show, however, and
The Burning Plain, which tells apparently parallel stories unfolding
in sunny New Mexico and rainy Portland, Oregon, seems contrived. In
desert country, a young girl – well played by Jennifer Lawrence, who
deservedly won the jury’s prize for best young actor – discovers that
her mother (Kim Basinger) is having an affair with a Mexican man. In
the grey and overcast northwest, Charlize Theron plays the super-
efficient manager of a very upmarket restaurant who indulges in casual
affairs with staff and customers alike. It won’t take long for anyone
familiar with Arriaga’s other screenplays to work out the connections
between the two stories. But despite generally strong performances,
the film underwhelms.

The best American film in competition screened on the last day and,
against all odds, won the coveted Golden Lion from the jury headed by
Wim Wenders. Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler takes a basically
familiar story about a fighter long past his prime who unwisely agrees
to a comeback. In films, this kind of story usually features a boxer,
so the wrestling setting provided some freshness, especially in the
behind-the-scenes sequences as opponents plan their mostly scripted
contests. The revelation here is Mickey Rourke, who gives the
performance of his career as burnt-out Randy (aka The Ram), who lives
alone in a trailer, is in love with a stripper (Marisa Tomei) who sees
him mainly as a customer, and who has lost contact with his bitterly
disappointed daughter (the excellent Evan Rachel Wood). The story arc
may be familiar, but Rourke’s performance lifts this tersely made
story of a loser at the end of the road. And The Wrestler was the only
film screened in Venice that had any kind of emotional impact.

Kathryn Bigelow has always staged action scenes very well, but she is
often less effective when it comes to exploring human emotions. Her
new film, The Hurt Locker, centres on a squad of three bomb disposal
experts working on the streets of Baghdad. That this is incredibly
dangerous work is demonstrated in the opening sequence, where Guy
Pearce plays a victim of a bomb triggered by a mobile phone. He is
replaced by the gung-ho Jeremy Renner, and the rest of the film
explores a series of increasingly tense incidents in which he and the
other members of his team become involved. These set-pieces are
powerfully staged – though the hand-held camera is overused – but
there’s too little in the way of character development or narrative.
Bigelow doesn’t even take a position on the conflict, and to introduce
a British officer, played by Ralph Fiennes, for virtually a walk-on
part seems a little indulgent.

Not as indulgent, though, as Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married,
which the usually reliable director has chosen to make in the Dogme
style. Anne Hathaway is rather good as Kym, a disagreeable, self-
centred young woman just out of rehab who arrives at her family home
in time for her sister’s wedding and creates no end of ill-will. No
doubt there are people as selfish and tiresome as Kym, but keeping
company with the character for almost two hours, especially with
Declan Quinn’s queasy camerawork to contend with, is like attending a
wedding where you hardly know anybody and the speeches are
interminable.

Iranian-born Amir Naderi’s Vegas: Based On A True Story is almost
equally annoying; seemingly inspired by Erskine Caldwell’s God’s
Little Acre, it’s about an addicted gambler, played on one monotonous
note by Mark Greenfield, who comes to believe that a fortune in stolen
money is buried under his garden and, despite the initial objections
of his wife (Nancy La Scala) and son (Zach Thomas), he starts digging.
They soon join him in what is clearly going to be a futile exercise.
This is little more than an anecdote; material, perhaps, for a short
film but when extended to feature length it quickly bores.

Two other competitive films worthy of attention came from Russia and
Japan. Alexei German Jr’s Paper Soldier is set in Kazakhstan in 1961,
when Soviet space scientists were about to launch cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin into the stratosphere. The film tells the story of a Georgian
medical officer on the isolated base and his troubled relationships
with his wife back in Moscow and his mistress at the site. It’s
beautifully shot with intricately choreographed camera movements and a
strong feeling for a period undergoing change with the recent fall
from grace of Stalin. The Jury awarded German the best director prize
and also acknowledged the fine photography by Alisher Khamidhodjaev
and Maksim Drozdov with an award for best cinematography.

Then there were the genuinely Third World films, including Ethiopian
Haile Gerima’s well-meaning but rather clumsy and over-extended Teza,
winner of the special jury prize and the best screenplay award, which
was about an intellectual who returns to his native country during the
rule of a repressive Marxist regime.

The Italian and French films were hardly worthy of inclusion, though
they provided the acting awards: Silvio Orlando for the title role of
the annoying parent in Pupi Avati’s Giovanni’s Dad and Dominique Blanc
as a frustrated woman in the pretentious L’Autre.

Finally, it was good to see Japan’s Takeshi Kitano making something of
a comeback, though an overlong one, with Achilles and the Tortoise, a
comedy about an artist who can’t connect to his audience. The film
almost seemed a metaphor for many of the films screened in Venice this
year.

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Staff writers THE Australian competition watchdog said today it would
not oppose BHP Billiton’s proposed takeover of rival mining giant Rio
Tinto.

Mitchell Bingemann TELSTRA chief executive Sol Trujillo says he
single-handedly turned around the ailing telco when he joined in 2005.

ROLLING Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner has given the thumbs up to
a makeover of the Australian edition.

Bernard Lane THE University of New England may move to elect a new
chancellor as early as next month in the long-running leadership
crisis.

Michael Bloomberg will seek to overturn a term limits law so he can
run New York for another four years.

Mark Dodd AN Australian delegation visiting Croatia will today meet
its leaders to press for help in resolving the fate of Britt
Lapthorne.

Paul Kelly, Editor-at-large ROSS Garnaut’s report will be anathema to
the environmental lobby but it focuses on the achievable.

Avril Groom in Milan WITH couture taking a clobbering, shoes and
accessories are now at the pointy end of fashion

Religulous release’s hudson you’re person

Actress Jennifer Hudson was put to the test for her role as a
housekeeper in the 1960s South in the movie “The Secret Life of Bees.”

TORONTO — Viggo Mortensen played the piano in a hotel lobby, John
Malkovich clarified he was here in “Disgrace” (not disgrace), and
questions about the Obama-McCain presidential race proved you can run
but you cannot hide from American politics.

Paris Hilton was live and in a documentary called “Paris, Not France,”
Mark Ruffalo scored a triple play with “The Brothers Bloom,”
“Blindness” and “What Doesn’t Kill You,” and Mickey Rourke emerged as
the Comeback Kid at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The 33rd annual event ended Saturday night with Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog
Millionaire” winning the Cadillac People’s Choice Award.

Based on the novel “Q & A” by Vikas Swarup, it’s the story of an 18
-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who is one question away
from winning 20 million rupees (roughly $438,000 in U.S. dollars) on
India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Fox Searchlight
will release it into theaters in late November.

First runner-up for audience favorite was “More Than a Game,” a
documentary about an Akron high school basketball team that includes
future superstar LeBron James. Second runner-up was “The Stoning of
Soraya M.,” the dramatization of a true story about “honor” killing
starring Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Other winners: best Canadian first feature, “Before Tomorrow,” about
an Inuit woman and her grandson trapped on a remote island; best
Canadian feature, “Lost Song,” a portrait of post-partum depression;
and Diesel Discovery Award, “Hunger,” starring Michael Fassbender as
Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands.

Also, Prize of the International Critics to both “Lymelife,” about
life and Lyme disease in 1970s Long Island, and “Disgrace,” an
adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel starring Malkovich as a professor
in Cape Town whose life falls apart after an affair with a student.

Here is a snapshot of some of the sights and sounds of the festival,
with more to come as the fall movies roll out:

Moviemaking as history lesson: Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who plays
a housekeeper in the 1960s South in “The Secret Life of Bees,” said
she didn’t realize how unaware she was about the civil rights era
until she was hired for this movie.

Then, she immersed herself in history to the point where she was
terrified “because I did so much research that my mind was just
clouded with the South being so horrible and people being lynched and
people being hosed and beaten, crazy stuff like that.”

But when director Gina Prince-Bythewood asked her to meet co-star
Dakota Fanning at a North Carolina store, Hudson complied. Prince-
Bythewood handed Hudson a shopping list and said, “Whatever you do,
don’t hit anyone.” Once she was inside, the all-white employees
treated Dakota like a “queen” and were rude or dismissive to Hudson,
asking her to empty her pockets at one point.

When the actresses went to buy ice cream, the clerk told Dakota, “You
know she can’t be in here, right?” Hudson said, “Did I hear him right?
… I sit down at the parlor and there’s this white man eating his
food and he leans over to the clerk, ‘Can you get this [N-word] out of
here, I’m trying to eat my food.’ And the only thing I can hear was
Gina in my head, ‘Whatever you do, don’t hit anybody. ‘ ”

It had been a set-up, to test their reactions and get them into the
1960s frame of mind, and it worked.

Reminder it’s all in the details: Mickey Rourke’s character in “The
Wrestler” may have a body built on steroids and exercise but he also
has an old-fashioned, oversize hearing aid and a pair of reading
glasses, which lend a touching vulnerability to Randy “The Ram”
Robinson.

Finding religion … or not: Bill Maher and director Larry Charles
(“Borat”) say they didn’t plan for their comic documentary about
religion called “Religulous” to come out in an election year but
consider the timing fortuitous.

“Laughter, I would say, is a good weapon to make points,” said
Charles, whose long graying beard makes him look like an extra from
“The Ten Commandments.” He acknowledged, “This is a hard subject, and
it’s a hard subject for people to hear their beliefs threatened and
questioned — these kind of core beliefs — and by using comedy, it
makes that a more palatable equation.”

But Maher says if you’re religious “you’re defending indefensible,
primitive mythic thinking. If you’re an adult and you still believe
this stuff, I’m sorry, you can’t have it both ways, you’re a rube.
There are just no two ways about it. We all have this imaginary person
in our mind who is somehow this smart person but he’s a religious
person, but he’s never any of us.”

Sorry I missed: Mortensen, here in “Appaloosa” and “Good” and soon to
be seen in “The Road,” playing the piano in the lobby of the Sutton
Place Hotel.

Glad I missed: A New York Post critic whacking Roger Ebert with a
rolled-up program or festival binder. An embarrassed Ebert wrote about
it, explaining how he tapped the person in front of him to signal he
was blocking his view of the “Slumdog Millionaire” subtitles and the
critic swatted back. Ebert’s medical condition has left him unable to
speak, so tapping was his way of communicating.

I was at a press conference when this happened but witnessed cross
words at “The Wrestler” when a man confronted someone who appeared to
be saving a pair of seats, forbidden at jam-packed screenings. No
fisticuffs ensued, just sharp words exchanged in a 580-seat theater
with almost no place left to plop down.

Pittsburgh connections: Gaylen Ross, who starred in “Dawn of the Dead”
and “Creepshow” many years ago, directed a documentary called “Killing
Kasztner,” about Dr. Israel Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who negotiated
with Adolf Eichmann to save Jewish lives.

Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” set largely in
Monroeville, had its world premiere, and “The Hurt Locker” stars Brian
Geraghty, who lived in Pittsburgh from roughly ages 3 to 7 and
attended North Allegheny’s Espe Elementary School.

Wacky questions: “Pride and Glory” director Gavin O’Connor was asked
if he and his twin brother, Greg, were made to dress alike as
children. Keira Knightley was questioned about reports that she
opposed movie-poster enhancement of her breasts and asked if she’d
prefer to have a son or daughter some day, and Ricky Gervais was
quizzed about his imperfect teeth in “Ghost Town.” It turns out
they’re really his.

Religulous movie’s oct film festival

Our crystal ball for fall movie trends is actually a snow globe, which
we consult every year at the Toronto International Film Festival.
That’s where many of the more glamorous year-end releases are
previewed for the world’s critics. Last year, the festival was
the coming-out party for the eventual Academy Award winner for best
picture, the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old
Men.” The Coens were back in Canada last week with their new spy
comedy “Burn After Reading,” just one of more than 300
features in the festival. It’s too early to predict whether any
of them will be Oscar’s date for this year’s homecoming
dance but, based on what we’ve seen, we can ascertain the
following trends in fall film fashions. Dim the lights!

In “Burn After Reading” (opened Friday), John Malkovich is
a malcontent midlevel CIA agent whose tell-all memoir falls into the
feckless hands of health-club employee Brad Pitt.

“Nothing but the Truth” (Dec. 19) is a lightly
fictionalized version of the Valerie Plame case. Kate Beckinsale plays
a reporter who goes to jail rather than reveal the source who leaked
the identity of the spy played by Vera Farmiga.

Jean-Claude Van Damme kicks his laughingstock status upside the head
in “JCVD” (TBD) in which “The Muscles from
Brussels” plays himself, a washed-up action hero who is thrust
into the middle of a real-life hostage situation.

Mickey Rourke is generating Oscar buzz for his poignant performance as
a has-been grappler in “The Wrestler” (TBD), which won the
grand prize at recently concluded Venice Film Festival.

The latter film also marks a comeback for director Darren Aronofsky
(“Pi”), whose time-travel fantasy “The Fountain” was
laughed out of Toronto two years ago.

(Another director who appears to have been resurrected is Jonathan
Demme, the Oscar winner for 1991’s “Silence of the
Lambs.” Since his poorly received remake of “The
Manchurian Candidate” in 2004, Demme has made only a couple
documentaries, but the recovery drama “Rachel Getting
Married” (Oct. 24) has sparked awards buzz for himself and star
Anne Hathaway.)

Two new movies with similar sounding names in the title introduce us
to couples who are clearly made for each other but are wary of taking
the leap. In “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”
(Oct. 3), Michael Cera (“Juno”) and Kat Dennings are teens who meet
and bond on a nightlong search for their favorite band’s secret
gig in New York City.

Far racier is Kevin Smith’s new comedy “Zack and Miri make
a Porno” (Oct. 31), in which Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks play
penniless roommates who consider filming a sex video to raise some
quick cash.

Two upcoming releases feature sculptures with magical properties. In
Spike Lee’s World War II drama “The Miracle of St.
Anna” (Sept. 26), an American GI believes that the marble head
he finds in Florence and lugs onto the battlefield will protect him
from harm.

In “The Secret Life of Bees” (Oct. 17), a fist-raised
statue of a Black Madonna that is scavenged from a shipwreck provides
spiritual sustenance to beekeeper Queen Latifah.

Strife in the Middle East was covered last year in several Hollywood
dramas, most of which fizzled at the box office. Only two are coming
in the months ahead, and neither directly addresses the political
underpinnings of the war.

“The Hurt Locker” (TBD), the long-awaited return of action
auteur Kathryn Bigelow (“Point Break”), is a thriller about a bomb-
disposal unit in Iraq.

In “The Lucky Ones” (Sept. 26), Tim Robbins, Rachel
McAdams and Michael Pena are furloughed soldiers on a cross-country
road trip, with a significant stop in St. Louis.

It seems that every year, at least one star has multiple movies on the
calendar. This season it’s Greg Kinnear. In “Ghost
Town” (Friday), he plays a philandering husband who is killed in
a bus crash and then haunts dentist Ricky Gervais to set things
straight.

In “Flash of Genius” (Oct. 3), Kinnear stars in the true
story of the inventor who waged a lengthy battle against Detroit
automakers over the patents for the intermittent windshield wiper.
Honest.

Two of the most talked-about films of the fall season are, in a sense,
about distorted vision.

“Blindness” (Oct. 3), adapted from a novel by Jose
Saramago by director Fernando Merielles (“City of God”), is about a
mysterious plague that robs the populace of its sight – and unleashes
the beastliness in human nature.

In “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Oct. 24), Sally Hawkins is a young
London schoolteacher who sees the world through rose-color glasses.

Maybe it’s contagious, because we’re looking forward to
some other autumn movies sight unseen, such as the Western
“Appaloosa” (Oct. 3), Bill Maher’s documentary
“Religulous” (Oct. 3) and Keira Knightley in the bodice
ripper “The Duchess” (Oct. 3).

The operation repo the movie up oct movie

Updated 9/30: Oak Park Library offers voter registration Foreclosure
auctions on the rise in the suburbs Whitelaw’s four touchdowns lead
Hinsdale Central Local dancers lighting up the Chicago stage
Correction

This is typical. Right around the time I start getting used to a
steady diet of hyperbolic action-packed superhero movies and
hyperbolic action-packed R-rated comedies, it’s time to get serious
again.

Hatchet man: John Malkovich in “Burn after Reading.” The film is the
Coen brothers’ first release since their Oscar-winning “No Country for
Old Men.” (Focus Features)

The fall movie schedule has its usual emphasis on wannabe Oscar-
winners, but it also features a healthy number of rude comedies (some
rude, some romantic), epic adventures, cerebral (and not-so-cerebral)
thrillers, tortured romances, inspirational sports bios, animated
family fare — even a western and a war movie or two.

There will be gunfire; there will be explosions. I’m thinking of it as
summer, basically, with occasional time outs to exercise the upper
brow area.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everything’s looking copacetic. Here’s my
entirely subjective and biased assessment of what looks good in the
fall lineup, what looks questionable and what looks wretched from a
mile away.

“Burn after Reading” (Sept. 12) If you thought “No Country for Old
Men” was a trifle on the dismal side, this follow-up film by the Coen
brothers about a couple of fitness-center employees (Brad Pitt,
Frances McDormand) who blackmail a CIA agent (John Malkovich) ought to
restore the balance. It’s undoubtedly dark, but it’s a comedy, and
apparently we get to see Malkovich get all homicidal with a tiny
hatchet. In his bathrobe. Nobody does it better.

“Appaloosa” (Sept. 17) There should be at least one good western every
year — like “3:10 to Yuma” — to keep the flame alive and this one,
featuring Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris as a couple of mercenary
gunfighters hired to clean up a godforsaken town, seems to me to have
the legitimate brand. Harris directs, stepping behind the camera for
the first time since 2000’s “Pollock,” and that’s reason enough to be
hopeful.

“What Just Happened?” (Oct. 3) Director Barry Levinson (“Diner,” “The
Natural,” “Rain Man”) proved he had a knack for scathing satire with
David Mamet’s “Wag the Dog” and this one could prove to be even more
safely within his comfort zone. Robert De Niro stars as a fading
Hollywood producer whose trials include convincing Bruce Willis (as
himself) to shave a shaggy beard for a role. Based on the book by
veteran producer Art Linson (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Fight
Club”) subtitled “Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line.”

“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (Oct. 31) Love him or hate him (I’ve been
known to swing both ways on this issue), at least you know
writer/director Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Chasing Amy”) is good for a
little provocation — when he’s feeling his oats. This libidinous
comedy, about a couple of old friends (Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks)
who decide to make some money by co-starring in a porno movie, sounds
like it might push a couple of interesting buttons.

“Quantum of Solace” (Nov. 7) I was one of the few people on the planet
who wasn’t thrilled by the new, no-nonsense direction 007 took in last
year’s “Casino Royale,” so I’m eager to take a look at this follow-up
to see if I got it wrong — or everyone else did. Daniel Craig returns
in this sequel (the first ever for the Bond series), which picks up
one hour after the last shot in “Royale.” I’m keeping an open mind,
but will somebody please tell me what the title means?

“Australia” (Nov. 26) An old-fashioned epic romantic adventure that’s
all the more interesting coming from the previously ultra-stylized
writer/director Baz Luhrmann (“Strictly Ballroom,” “Romeo + Juliet,”
“Moulin Rouge!”). Nicole Kidman stars with Hugh Jackman as an English
aristocrat who goes to Australia to sell off a family cattle ranch,
falls for a cowboy and runs afoul of attacking Japanese at the start
of World War II.

“Milk” (Nov. 26) I’ve always admired the more narratively
straightforward early films of director Gus Van Sant (“Drugstore
Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho”), but I have to confess that his
recent, more experimental efforts, like “Elephant” and “Paranoid
Park,” have left me a bit cold. I’m hoping this biopic about San
Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn), who
became the first openly gay man to be elected to a major office before
his assassination in 1978, will return Van Sant to his adventurous,
but still accessible, early days. And, of course, this is the kind of
role that kicks Penn into Oscar overdrive — though that’s not
necessarily a good thing.

“Frost/Nixon” (Dec. 5) Peter Morgan, screenwriter for “The Queen,”
wrote this story about the behind-the-scenes maneuverings and
machinations between Richard Nixon (played by Frank Langella) and
English talk show host David Frost (played by ‘Queen’ co-star Michael
Sheen), before the 1977 TV interviews in which Nixon more or less
owned up to complicity in the Watergate scandal. The play was a hit in
London and on Broadway and this seems more likely than most to work
particularly well as a film — since the historical event already took
place on screen.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Dec. 25) Brad Pitt ages in
reverse in this story of man who’s born 80 years old and works his way
backward. It should be worth it just to see how Pitt looks with liver
spots, but there’s likely to be a lot more to work with here, since
“Button” is directed by David Fincher, who previously worked with Pitt
on “Se7en” and “Fight Club.”

“The Women” (Sept. 12) George Cukor’s 1939 comedy (starring Joan
Crawford, Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell) is a catty classic, but
it remains to be seen if this remake, about a rich socialite (Meg
Ryan) who learns her husband is dallying with a younger woman (Eva
Mendes) will have the teeth and claws — and sophistication — of the
original.

“The Road” (Nov. 14) There’s no denying that the movie version of
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel is an exciting prospect, but
undiluted McCarthy can be a bummer indeed — and word is that the
screenplay for “The Road” is nearly 100 percent faithful to the book.
Even so, Viggo Mortensen seems perfectly cast as the father guiding
his son through devastated America after an unnamed apocalypse.

“An American Carol” (Oct. 3) This satire about a cynical Hollywood
director who’s aiming to abolish the Fourth of July holiday seems
worth a look just because it’s a rarity: A comedy that takes a
decidedly conservative political slant. On the other hand,
writer/director David Zucker, who was one of the guys behind
“Airplane!,” “Police Squad” and “The Naked Gun,” has recently sunk to
the level of “BASEketball” and a couple of “Scary Movie” sequels.

“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (Dec. 12) On the up side: We’ve got a
remake of a 1950s sci-fi classic. On the down side: We’ve got a REMAKE
of a 1950s sci-fi CLASSIC. It seems highly unlikely that this will be
able to improve on the original, particularly with Keanu Reeves
starring as the alien who comes to warn the Earth to straighten up its
act or else — and with the threats to the environment taking the
place of nuclear destruction.

“The Spirit” (Dec. 25) It’s hard to think of anything cooler than a
movie version — finally — of Will Eisner’s classic comic book
adventures from the 1940s and ’50s. And you’d think there’s no one
more suited to take a shot at bringing “The Spirit” to life than comic
book superstar Frank Miller (who co-directed “Sin City”). And the cast
is certainly promising, with Samuel Jackson as The Octopus, Scarlett
Johansson as Silken Floss and Evan Mendes as Sand Saref. But it still
remains to be seen if live action can capture that special, well,
spirit, Eisner manifested in his original stories — even green-screen
alternate-reality, “Sin City”-style live action.

“Hound Dog” (Sept. 19) Dakota Fanning plays a troubled 12-year-old
girl who seeks a safe haven in the music of Elvis Presley. But it’s
not safe enough to prevent her from being raped.

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” (Oct. 3) The director of “Scooby Doo” brings
us the tale of a rich, pampered little rat dog, who gets lost in
Mexico and has to sneak back across the border. The chihuahua talks.
Enough said.

“Saw V” (Oct. 24) How many pieces can they carve out of this stale
corpse? David Hackl, second-unit director for “Saw III” and “Saw IV”
takes the reins as a new psycho carries on the legacy of the Jigsaw
killer.

“High School Musical 3” (Oct. 24). I know millions of people love HSM
1 and 2. I know they’re fun, upbeat and wholesome. I know they’re
probably a force for good in the world — comparatively speaking. So
why would I rather gnaw off my toes (speaking of the “Saw” franchise)
than sit through this peppy puppy? Zak Efron and Vanessa Hudgens
return as Troy and Gabriella, singing and dancing their way through
senior year.

“Repo! The Genetic Opera ” (Nov. 7) Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed
“Saw” installments 2, 3 and 4, helms this musical about a biotech
company who finances replacement organs like car loans. the
repossession process is particularly unpleasant. Paris Hilton stars.
Is there no end to the gifts she brings to the world?

2:00 pg-13 comedy in tim brown photography

Sunday, 9/7/08A”Air Force One” *** (’97, Suspense) Harrison Ford.
Terrorists hijack the president’s plane. (2:30) (R) TNT 11:30 a.m.”The
Alamo” ** (’04, War) Dennis Quaid. Outnumbered Texans fight to secede
from Mexico. (3:00) (PG-13) AMC 4 p.m.”American Rap Stars” (’02,
Documentary) Behind the scenes with renowned rap musicians. (1:30) (R)
TMC 4:30 a.m.”Apollo 13″ *** (’95, Historical Drama) Tom Hanks. Based
on the true story of the ill-fated 1970 moon mission. (3:00) (PG) SCI-
FI 9 p.m.”Arthur and the Invisibles” ** (’06, Fantasy) Freddie
Highmore. Live action/animated. A boy enters a tiny kingdom. (1:45)
(PG) SHOW 6:30 a.m., 3:15 p.m.”Asteroid” ** (’97, Action) Michael
Biehn. Huge fragments of a disintegrating comet threaten Earth. (4:00)
SCI-FI 2:30 p.m.”The Astronaut’s Wife” ** (’99, Science Fiction)
Johnny Depp. A woman’s husband acts strangely after a space accident.
(2:00) (R) KTLA 3 p.m.”Autism: The Musical” *** (’07, Documentary)
Autistic children work together to create a live musical. (1:35) (NR)
HBO2 6:10 a.m.B”Babel” *** (’06, Drama) Brad Pitt. Strangers’ lives
collide on three different continents. (2:25) (R) TMC 2:05 a.m.”The
Bachelor” * (’99, Comedy-Drama) Chris O’Donnell. A man has 27 hours to
marry in order to inherit $100 million. (2:00) (PG-13) KTLA 1
p.m.”Backbeat” ** (’94, Drama) Sheryl Lee. The Beatles make their
start in 1960-’62 Germany. (1:45) (R) FLIX 2:50 a.m.”Batman” *** (’89,
Action) Jack Nicholson. The Caped Crusader vows to rid Gotham City of
the Joker. (2:30) (PG-13) A&E; 12 p.m.”Becket” **** (’64, Historical
Drama) Richard Burton. King Henry II clashes with his close friend
Thomas Becket. (2:30) (PG-13) TCM 7 a.m.”Being John Malkovich” ***
(’99, Comedy) John Cusack. A man discovers a tunnel that allows people
to become the actor. (1:55) (R) TMC 3:10 p.m.”The Beverly Hillbillies”
** (’93, Comedy) Jim Varney. Jed Clampett and his clan move to
California. (1:35) (PG) ENCORE 2:05 p.m.”Billy Liar” *** (’63, Drama)
Tom Courtenay. A mortuary clerk retreats into a world of fantasy.
(1:40) (NR) FLIX 12:20 p.m., 4:35 a.m.”Blood Work” ** (’02, Suspense)
Clint Eastwood. A former FBI agent searches for a murderer. (2:30) (R)
TNT 6:30 a.m.”Blow-Up” ** (’66, Crime Drama) David Hemmings. A fashion
photographer develops proof of a murder in mod London. (2:00) (NR) TCM
1 a.m.”Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious
Nation of Kazakhstan” *** (’06, Comedy) Sacha Baron Cohen. A foreign
reporter makes a documentary. (1:30) (R) HBO2 10 p.m.”The Bourne
Ultimatum” *** (’07, Action) Matt Damon. Jason Bourne continues to
look for clues to unravel his true identity. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 10:30
a.m.”The Breakup Artist” (’04, Romance-Comedy) Joseph Lyle Taylor. A
man wants his fiancee’s friend to help him end the engagement. (1:30)
(R) SHOW 8:15 a.m.”The Bridge on the River Kwai” **** (’57, War)
William Holden. A British colonel builds a bridge for his Japanese
captor. (3:45) (PG) AMC 6:15 a.m.”The Brothers Grimm” ** (’05,
Fantasy) Matt Damon. Traveling con men probe a magical mystery. (2:00)
(PG-13) KCOP 8 p.m.KUSI 1 p.m.”Bulletproof” * (’96, Action) Damon
Wayans. Assassins dog a cop and a fugitive witness en route to L.A.
(1:30) (R) STARZ 2:20 p.m., 3:15 a.m.”Bulletproof Monk” ** (’03,
Action) Chow Yun-Fat. A martial-arts master finds a protege to protect
a scroll. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 7:30 a.m.”The Butterfly Effect” ** (’04,
Suspense) Ashton Kutcher. A young man travels back in time to change
the future. (3:00) (R) FX 10 a.m.C”Cecil B. Demented” ** (’00, Comedy-
Drama) Melanie Griffith. An actress is taken hostage by anarchistic
cinematic rebels. (1:30) (R) FLIX 11:45 p.m.”Cleopatra” (’12, Drama)
Helen Gardner. Silent. Based on the life of the legendary Egyptian
queen. (2:00) (NR) TCM 9 p.m.”Code Name: The Cleaner” * (’07, Comedy)
Cedric the Entertainer. An amnesiac janitor believes he is a secret
agent. (1:30) (PG-13) MAX 7 a.m.D”D2: The Mighty Ducks” * (’94,
Comedy) Emilio Estevez. The young Ducks take part in the Junior
Goodwill Games. (2:00) (PG) HLMK 9 a.m.”Daddy Day Camp” * (’07,
Comedy) Cuba Gooding Jr. Clueless fathers take charge of a children’s
summer camp. (1:30) (PG) STARZ 7:30 p.m.”Date With an Angel” * (’87,
Romance-Comedy) Michael E. Knight. A disabled angel disrupts the life
of an aspiring composer. (1:50) (PG) FLIX 7:15 a.m.”David” *** (’97,
Drama) Nathaniel Parker. Based on the biblical tale of the youth who
slew Goliath. (3:00) (NR) TBN 7 p.m.”The Deal” (’03, Drama) Michael
Sheen. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown discuss the Labour Party. (1:15)
(NR) HBO2 11:30 a.m.”Dear Prudence” (’08, Mystery) Jane Seymour. A
woman tries to solve a murder mystery during her vacation. (2:00) HLMK
5 p.m.”Death Sentence” ** (’07, Suspense) Kevin Bacon. A man sets out
for revenge after gang members kill his son. (2:00) (R) MAX 8
p.m.”Demolition Man” ** (’93, Science Fiction) Sylvester Stallone. A
frozen cop is thawed out to capture an old nemesis. (2:00) (R) MAX
12:15 a.m.”Diagnosis of Murder” ** (’92, Mystery) Dick Van Dyke. A
doctor tries to clear his patient of murder charges. (2:00) (NR) HLMK
1 a.m.”Disturbia” ** (’07, Suspense) Shia LaBeouf. A troubled youth
suspects his neighbor is a serial killer. (1:45) (PG-13) MAX 4:15
p.m.”Doogal” ** (’05, Adventure) Voices of Daniel Tay. Animated. An
evil wizard would start an ice age. (2:00) (G) TOON 7 p.m.E”8 Mile”
*** (’02, Drama) Eminem. A Detroit man tries to achieve success as a
rapper. (2:30) (R) MTV 12 p.m.”Emma” *** (’96, Drama) Gwyneth Paltrow.
In the 1800s, a matchmaker’s machinations prove disastrous. (2:00)
(PG) SHOW 11:30 a.m.”Enchanted” *** (’07, Fantasy) Amy Adams. Live
action/animated. A fairy-tale princess winds up in contemporary
Manhattan. (1:55) (PG) STARZ 12:25 p.m., 9 p.m.”End of Days” * (’99,
Horror) Arnold Schwarzenegger. An ex-cop must prevent a woman from
bearing the Antichrist. (2:05) (R) ENCORE 10 p.m.”Entrega Inmediata”
(’63, Comedia) Cantinflas. Un humilde cartero se ve implicado en
asunto de espionaje. (1:30) (NR) KVEA 7 p.m.”Escape to Athena” **
(’79, Action) Roger Moore. A motley group of POWs faces the Nazis on a
Greek island. (2:00) (PG) FLIX 2 p.m.”Ever After” *** (’98, Romance)
Drew Barrymore. A courageous scullery maid wins the heart of a prince.
(2:00) (PG) E! 3 p.m.F”Failure to Launch” ** (’06, Romance-Comedy)
Matthew McConaughey. A man’s parents hatch a plan to move him out of
the house. (2:00) (PG-13) TBS 8 p.m., 10 p.m.”A Family Affair” ***
(’37, Comedy) Lionel Barrymore. A judge’s no-choice decision angers a
town. (1:15) (NR) TCM 3 a.m.”Fight Club” *** (’99, Suspense) Brad
Pitt. Men vent their rage by beating each other in a secret arena.
(2:25) (R) HBO2 12:25 a.m.”Firewall” ** (’06, Suspense) Harrison Ford.
A bank security expert battles a criminal. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 6 p.m.”A
Fistful of Dollars” *** (’64, Western) Clint Eastwood. An amoral
gunman works both sides of a divided Western town. (2:30) (R) AMC 1:30
p.m.”Flags of Our Fathers” *** (’06, War) Ryan Phillippe. The men who
raised the flag on Iwo Jima become heroes. (2:15) (R) HBO2 2:50
a.m.”Flight 93″ ** (’06, Docudrama) Jeffrey Nordling. Passengers
revolt against terrorist hijackers on Sept. 11. (2:00) (PG-13) A&E; 5
p.m.”Fools Rush In” ** (’97, Comedy-Drama) Matthew Perry. Pregnancy
pushes one-shot lovers into a difficult marriage. (2:00) (PG-13) TBS
6:45 a.m., 2:30 a.m.”48 HRS.” *** (’82, Action) Nick Nolte. A convict
is temporarily set free to help catch fugitives. (2:00) (R) BRAVO 8
a.m.”The Fraternity” ** (’02, Suspense) Treat Williams. A student
suspects his fraternity is responsible for a campus murder. (2:00) (R)
KABC 1:05 a.m.G”Georgia Rule” * (’07, Drama) Jane Fonda. An
incorrigible teen goes to live with her stern grandma. (2:00) (R) MAX
12:30 p.m.”Ghost” *** (’90, Fantasy) Patrick Swayze. A murder victim
returns to save his beloved fiancee. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 6:30
a.m.”Ghost Rider” ** (’07, Action) Nicolas Cage. A motorcycle stuntman
is a supernatural agent of vengeance. (1:55) (PG-13) ENCORE 12:10
p.m., 8 p.m.”Gidget” *** (’59, Romance-Comedy) Sandra Dee. A girl on
summer vacation chases sun, surf and romance. (1:45) (NR) TCM 7:15
p.m.”GoldenEye” *** (’95, Action) Pierce Brosnan. A weapon’s theft
sends Agent 007 to Russia. (2:30) (PG-13) KCAL 12 a.m.”The Great Raid”
** (’05, War) Benjamin Bratt. A U.S. battalion tries to rescue
prisoners of war in 1944. (3:00) (R) AMC 2 a.m.H”Hairspray” *** (’07,
Musical Comedy) John Travolta. A Baltimore girl becomes an overnight
celebrity. (2:00) (PG) MAX 8:30 a.m.”Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire” *** (’05, Fantasy) Daniel Radcliffe. Voldemort lays a trap for
Harry at the Triwizard Tournament. (3:30) (PG-13) FAM 12:30 p.m.”High
School High” ** (’96, Comedy) Jon Lovitz. An idealistic teacher hopes
to inspire inner-city students. (1:30) (PG-13) ENCORE 6:50 a.m.”The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ** (’05, Science Fiction) Martin
Freeman. A human and his alien friend begin an interstellar journey.
(2:00) (PG) KUSI 11 a.m.”Holiday Heart” *** (’00, Drama) Ving Rhames.
A drag queen shelters a drug addict and her child. (2:00) (R) BET 3
p.m.”Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” ** (’92, Comedy) Macaulay Culkin.
Kevin ends up in New York when he boards the wrong plane. (2:00) (PG)
ENCORE 8:20 a.m., 6 p.m.”Hondo” *** (’53, Western) John Wayne. A
cavalry scout finds a family threatened by an Indian war. (2:00) (NR)
AMC 11:30 a.m.”Hotel de Love” *** (’96, Comedy) Simon Bossell. An old
flame returns to tantalize two fraternal twins. (1:40) (R) TMC 1:30
p.m.I”I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” * (’07, Comedy) Adam
Sandler. Two straight firefighters pose as gay partners for insurance
purposes. (2:00) (PG-13) HBO2 9:30 a.m., 8 p.m.”I, Robot” ** (’04,
Science Fiction) Will Smith. A homicide detective tracks a dangerous
robot in 2035. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 8:30 p.m.”I Think I Love My Wife” **
(’07, Romance-Comedy) Chris Rock. A free-spirited woman makes a man
question the state of his marriage. (1:45) (R) HBO2 12:45 p.m.”I
Vitelloni” *** (’53, Comedy-Drama) Franco Interlenghi. Five young
malcontents in a seaside town refuse to grow up. (2:00) (NR) TCM 11
p.m.”Identidad Desconocida” *** (’02, Suspenso) Matt Damon. Un agente
amnesico esta marcado para morir tras un fracaso. (2:30) (NR) KVEA
8:30 p.m.”Imitation of Life” *** (’59, Drama) Lana Turner. Teenage
daughters complicate two women’s friendship. (2:15) (NR) TCM 5
p.m.”Infected” (’08, Science Fiction) Gil Bellows. Two newspaper
reporters try to stop an alien conspiracy. (2:00) (NR) SCI-FI 12:30
p.m.”Interview With the Vampire” *** (’94, Horror) Tom Cruise. A
vampire recalls the tragic events of his 200-year life. (2:05) (R) TMC
12 a.m.”The Invasion” ** (’07, Science Fiction) Nicole Kidman. An
epidemic of alien origin threatens humanity. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO 2:15
p.m., 12:30 a.m.”Irresistible” (’06, Drama) Susan Sarandon. An
illustrator believes a woman is trying to destroy her family. (2:00)
(R) LIFE 11 a.m.J”The Jazz Singer” ** (’80, Musical) Neil Diamond. A
New York cantor sets out to find success as a pop star. (2:00) (PG)
SHOW 5 p.m.”Juwanna Mann” * (’02, Comedy) Miguel A. Nu”ez. Jr. An ex-
NBA player dresses in drag to join a women’s league. (2:00) (PG-13)
COM 10:30 a.m.K”Knocked Up” *** (’07, Romance-Comedy) Seth Rogen. A
one-night stand has an unforeseen consequence. (2:15) (R) MAX 10
p.m.L”Lake Placid” * (’99, Horror) Bill Pullman. A monstrous crocodile
chomps on villagers in rural Maine. (1:25) (R) MAX 5:35 a.m.”The Last
Trimester” (’06, Suspense) Chandra West. A couple tries to adopt a
baby from a woman who ends up dead. (2:00) (NR) KCOP 5 p.m.KUSI 11:30
p.m.”Lethal Weapon” *** (’87, Action) Mel Gibson. A veteran detective
is paired with an eccentric partner. (2:45) (R) CMT 3 p.m., 8
p.m.”Lethal Weapon 4″ ** (’98, Action) Mel Gibson. Detectives Riggs
and Murtaugh battle Chinese mercenaries. (2:15) (R) HBO2 2:30
p.m.”Live Free or Die Hard” *** (’07, Action) Bruce Willis. America’s
computers fall under attack. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 5:45 p.m.”Living
Death” (’06, Horror) Kristy Swanson. A poisoned man returns from the
grave to exact vengeance. (1:30) (NR) SHOW 4 a.m.”Love Finds Andy
Hardy” ** (’38, Comedy-Drama) Lewis Stone. Andy’s girl returns
unexpectedly from a vacation. (1:45) (NR) TCM 4:15 a.m.”Lucky Number
Slevin” ** (’06, Crime Drama) Josh Hartnett. A man lands amid a war
between black and Jewish crime lords. (2:00) (R) TMC 10 p.m.M”Matlock:
The Court Martial” ** (’87, Mystery) Andy Griffith. Ben defends a
soldier accused of murdering an officer. (2:00) HLMK 11 p.m.”Mr.
Baseball” ** (’92, Comedy) Tom Selleck. Aging New York Yankee gets
traded to Japan. (2:00) (PG-13) KCAL 1 p.m.”Moving McAllister” (’07,
Romance-Comedy) Ben Gourley. A law intern unwisely agrees to do a
favor for his boss. (1:30) (PG-13) TMC 9 a.m., 6:30 p.m.”Mrs. Palfrey
at the Claremont” ** (’05, Comedy-Drama) Joan Plowright. A widow and a
young writer develop an unlikely friendship. (1:50) (NR) TMC 7:10
a.m.”Music From Another Room” *** (’98, Romance) Jude Law. A man
believes he must marry an acquaintance from long ago. (1:45) (PG-13)
FLIX 6:15 p.m.”My Best Friend’s Wedding” *** (’97, Romance-Comedy)
Julia Roberts. A food critic seeks to sabotage her buddy’s nuptials.
(2:00) (PG-13) TBS 6 p.m.”My Daughter’s Secret” (’07, Drama) Jennifer
Grant. A single mother notices her daughter’s strange behavior. (2:00)
(NR) LIFE 3 p.m.N”The Neon Bible” ** (’95, Drama) Gena Rowlands. A
teenage boy tries to deal with his dysfunctional family. (1:35) (NR)
FLIX 10:45 a.m.”Night at the Museum” ** (’06, Fantasy) Ben Stiller.
Museum exhibits spring to life when the sun goes down. (2:00) (PG) MAX
6 p.m.”The Number 23″ * (’07, Mystery) Jim Carrey. A man becomes
obsessed with a book that seems to be about his life. (1:40) (R) HBO
3:40 a.m.O”Old Yeller” *** (’57, Drama) Dorothy McGuire. Tale of Texas
teen and his stray yellow dog. (1:45) (G) TCM 9:30 a.m.”One Fine Day”
** (’96, Romance-Comedy) Michelle Pfeiffer. Two overstressed single
parents tiptoe around romance. (1:50) (PG) ENCORE 10:20 a.m., 2:30
a.m.”Open Season” ** (’06, Comedy) Voices of Martin Lawrence.
Animated. A mule deer shakes up the easy life of a domesticated bear.
(1:30) (PG) STARZ 6:30 a.m., 3:50 p.m., 4:40 a.m.P”La Palomilla al
Rescate” (’76, Aventura) Hector Ortega. Un grupo de ni”os intenta
rescatar a su maestra secuestrada. (2:00) (NR) KWHY 4 p.m.”The Parent
Trap” *** (’98, Comedy) Lindsay Lohan. Reunited twin girls try to get
their parents back together. (3:00) (PG) HLMK 2 p.m.”Pearl Harbor” **
(’01, War) Ben Affleck. Friends join a war effort after the Japanese
attack Hawaii. (3:00) (PG-13) AMC 7 p.m.”Poetic Justice” ** (’93,
Romance-Comedy) Janet Jackson. A postal worker tries to win a reticent
poet’s affections. (1:50) (R) ENCORE 4:20 a.m.”Pollyanna” *** (’60,
Drama) Hayley Mills. An orphan’s infectious optimism spreads
throughout a town. (3:00) (G) HLMK 11 a.m.”Preaching to the Choir” **
(’05, Comedy-Drama) Billoah Greene. Two brothers from Harlem take
divergent paths in life. (2:00) (PG-13) BET 1 p.m.”Predator” ** (’87,
Science Fiction) Arnold Schwarzenegger. A team is stalked by an
intergalactic trophy hunter. (1:50) (R) MAX 2:50 a.m.”Prick Up Your
Ears” *** (’87, Biography) Gary Oldman. Playwright Joe Orton leads a
flamboyant gay lifestyle. (2:00) (R) FLIX 8 p.m.”Psycho” *** (’60,
Horror) Anthony Perkins. A woman stops at a motel run by mad Norman
Bates. (2:00) (R) TCM 3 p.m.Q”Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” ***
(’75, Drama) Maureen Stapleton. A widow meets a married mailman at a
Bronx dance hall. (1:40) FLIX 5:35 a.m.R”Rambo III” ** (’88, Action)
Sylvester Stallone. Loner Rambo rescues mentor from Soviets in
Afghanistan. (2:00) (R) KTLA 2 a.m.”The Recruit” ** (’03, Suspense) Al
Pacino. A CIA rookie must ferret out a mole within the agency. (2:30)
(PG-13) TNT 9 a.m.”El Regreso de la 4X4″ (’04, Accion) Gerardo
Albarran. Cacique encuentra joyas arqueologicas muy valiosas. (2:00)
(NR) KWHY 8 p.m.”Richie Rich” ** (’94, Comedy) Macaulay Culkin. A
young billionaire crosses paths with a greedy executive. (1:40) (PG)
FLIX 9:05 a.m.”Ringmaster” * (’98, Comedy-Drama) Jerry Springer.
People reveal sordid details on a TV host’s program. (2:00) (R) WGN 8
a.m.”Rocky Balboa” *** (’06, Drama) Sylvester Stallone. Rocky, now
retired, fights the world heavyweight champion. (2:00) (PG) TMC 8
p.m.S”The Salon” ** (’05, Comedy) Vivica A. Fox. The owner of a beauty
salon deals with squabbling employees. (2:00) (PG-13) BET 8 p.m.”Save
the Last Dance” *** (’01, Romance) Julia Stiles. A white teen falls
for a black student who also loves dance. (2:15) (PG-13) TBS 8:45
a.m.”Saving Private Ryan” **** (’98, War) Tom Hanks. U.S. troops look
for a missing comrade during World War II. (3:30) (R) TNT 4:30
p.m.”School for Scoundrels” ** (’06, Romance-Comedy) Billy Bob
Thornton. A professor and a student love the same woman. (1:45)
(PG-13) SHOW 1:30 p.m., 2:15 a.m.”The Seat Filler” (’04, Romance-
Comedy) Kelly Rowland. A man pretends to work in show business while
dating a singer. (1:30) (PG-13) TMC 5:40 a.m.”Secret Admirer” ** (’85,
Comedy) C. Thomas Howell. A love letter falls into the wrong hands and
creates havoc. (1:40) (R) ENCORE 5:10 a.m.”Sex, Lies & Obsession” **
(’01, Drama) Harry Hamlin. Mother must either help her husband or
break up the family. (2:00) LIFE 1 p.m.”The Shaggy Dog” ** (’06,
Comedy) Tim Allen. A top-secret serum turns a workaholic prosecutor
into a canine. (2:00) (PG) DISN 12 p.m.”Shanghai Noon” *** (’00,
Comedy) Jackie Chan. A Chinese guard arrives in 1881 Nevada to rescue
a princess. (1:55) (PG-13) STARZ 1:20 a.m.”Shaun of the Dead” ***
(’04, Comedy) Simon Pegg. An aimless TV salesman and his friend battle
zombies. (2:00) (R) COM 3:30 p.m.”Shooter” ** (’07, Suspense) Mark
Wahlberg. A wounded sniper plots revenge against those who betrayed
him. (2:15) (R) SHOW 12 a.m.”ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway” ***
(’05, Documentary) A filmmaker charts the creation of four Broadway
shows. (2:00) (PG) SHOW 7 p.m.”Sin City” *** (’05, Crime Drama)
Jessica Alba. Sordid characters run amok in a crime-ridden metropolis.
(2:30) (R) SPIKE 1 a.m.”Sins of Rome” ** (’54, Adventure) Ludmilla
Tcherina. Spartacus leads a gladiator revolt against the Romans.
(2:00) (NR) KZSW 12 a.m.”Sky High” ** (’05, Comedy) Michael Angarano.
Two superheroes send their son to a training school. (2:00) (PG) FAM
10:30 a.m.”Soul Survivors” * (’01, Suspense) Melissa Sagemiller. A
college coed is haunted by visions of her dead boyfriend. (1:30)
(PG-13) TMC 10:30 a.m., 5:05 p.m.”Soy el Hijo del Gallero” (’78,
Aventura) Antonio Aguilar. El hijo de un gallero continua con la
venganza de su padre. (2:00) (NR) KMEX 10 a.m.”Spanglish” *** (’04,
Comedy-Drama) Adam Sandler. A housekeeper works for a chef and his
neurotic wife. (2:40) (PG-13) TBS 3:20 p.m., 12 a.m.”Species: The
Awakening” (’07, Science Fiction) Helena Mattsson. A professor
discovers that she is a half-human, half-alien clone. (2:00) (NR) SCI-
FI 12 a.m.”Spider-Man 3″ ** (’07, Action) Tobey Maguire. Peter Parker
falls under the influence of his dark side. (2:25) (PG-13) STARZ 10
a.m., 11 p.m.”Steel” ** (’97, Fantasia) Shaquille O’Neal. Un
superheroe en armadura se enfrenta a un ex compa”ero. (1:30) (PG-13)
KVEA 12 a.m.T”Taking Lives” ** (’04, Suspense) Angelina Jolie. An FBI
profiler helps detectives search for a killer. (2:00) (R) FX 4
p.m.”Tapeheads” ** (’88, Comedy) John Cusack. Would-be producers try
to cash in on the rock video craze. (1:35) (R) FLIX 1:15 a.m.”A
Teacher’s Crime” (’08, Drama) Ashley Jones. A former convict
blackmails his son’s high-school teacher. (2:00) (NR) LIFE 5
p.m.”Thirteen Days” *** (’00, Historical Drama) Kevin Costner.
Americans and Soviets teeter on the brink of war in 1962. (3:00)
(PG-13) TNT 12 a.m.”Tight Spot” *** (’55, Crime Drama) Ginger Rogers.
A gun moll is reluctant to testify against a gangster. (1:45) (NR) TCM
5:15 a.m.”Total Recall” *** (’90, Science Fiction) Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Strange dreams lead an earthling to intergalactic
intrigue. (2:30) (R) SCI-FI 6:30 p.m.”The Triangle” * (’01, Suspense)
Luke Perry. Friends become lost in the Bermuda Triangle. (2:00) SCI-FI
3 a.m.”28 Days” ** (’00, Comedy-Drama) Sandra Bullock. A writer is
forced to come to terms with her addictions. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO 4
p.m.”28 Weeks Later” *** (’07, Horror) Robert Carlyle. A carrier of
rage virus reinfects London. (1:50) (R) MAX 4:40 a.m.”Two Weeks” **
(’06, Comedy-Drama) Sally Field. Four adults gather at the home of
their terminally ill mother. (1:45) (R) SHOW 9:45 a.m.U”Under Fire”
*** (’83, Adventure) Nick Nolte. War tests the lives of three
correspondents in Nicaragua. (2:15) (R) FLIX 4 p.m.”Under the Yum Yum
Tree” ** (’63, Comedy) Jack Lemmon. An amorous landlord plots to
deflower a nubile new tenant. (2:00) (NR) TCM 1 p.m.”Unforgiven” ****
(’92, Western) Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning portrait
of an aged gunman. (2:30) (R) TNT 3 a.m.”United 93″ *** (’06, Drama)
David Alan Basche. A re-creation of the doomed flight plays out in
real time. (2:00) (R) TNT 8 p.m., 10 p.m.V”Virus” ** (’95, Suspense)
Nicollette Sheridan. A doctor finds a conspiracy linked to a lethal
plague. (2:00) SCI-FI 10:30 a.m.”Viva Las Vegas” ** (’64, Musical)
Elvis Presley. A comely swimming teacher revs a race-car driver’s
engine. (1:45) (NR) TCM 11:15 a.m.W”Walk the Line” *** (’05,
Biography) Joaquin Phoenix. The story of music legends Johnny Cash and
June Carter Cash. (3:00) (PG-13) FX 1 p.m.”Waterworld” ** (’95,
Science Fiction) Kevin Costner. A loner navigates a future world.
(2:20) (PG-13) ENCORE 3:40 p.m., 12:05 a.m.”Wayne’s World 2″ ** (’93,
Comedy) Mike Myers. A dead rock star tells Wayne to organize a big
concert. (2:00) (PG-13) COM 1:30 p.m.”We Own the Night” ** (’07, Crime
Drama) Joaquin Phoenix. A nightclub manager tries to remain neutral in
a drug war. (2:00) (R) STARZ 8 a.m., 5:20 p.m.”We Were Soldiers” ***
(’02, War) Mel Gibson. Outnumbered U.S. troops battle the North
Vietnamese. (2:30) (R) TNT 2 p.m.”The Wedding Singer” *** (’98,
Romance-Comedy) Adam Sandler. A 1980s wedding crooner attempts to find
true love. (2:00) (PG-13) VH1 7 p.m.”Weekend at Bernie’s” ** (’89,
Comedy) Andrew McCarthy. Two accountants try to conceal the death of
their boss. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO2 7:45 a.m.”Wendy Wu: Homecoming
Warrior” (’06, Adventure) Brenda Song. A teen learns she is the
reincarnation of a Chinese warrior. (1:40) DISN 9 p.m.”We’re All
Angels” (’07, Documentary) Jason and deMarco are gay lovers trying to
become pop stars. (1:30) (NR) TMC 12 p.m.”Wetherby” *** (’85, Drama)
Vanessa Redgrave. A bizarre suicide puzzles a schoolteacher in rural
England. (1:45) (R) FLIX 10 p.m.”The Whole Nine Yards” ** (’00,
Comedy) Bruce Willis. A former mob hit man becomes a meek dentist’s
neighbor. (1:45) (R) MAX 2:30 p.m.”Wisegal” ** (’08, Docudrama) Alyssa
Milano. A woman’s lover has ties to organized crime. (2:00) (NR) LIFE
7 p.m.Monday, 9/8/08A”A Sangre Fria” (’02, Accion) Fernando Saenz.
Basada en hechos reales. El odio acaba con una familia. (1:30) (NR)
KWHY 11 p.m.”The Abyss” *** (’89, Science Fiction) Ed Harris. An oil-
rig crew must search for a sunken nuclear sub. (2:20) (PG-13) ENCORE
1:30 p.m.”Alexander” ** (’04, Historical Drama) Colin Farrell.
Macedonia’s young king conquers much of the known world. (3:30) (R)
AMC 8 p.m.”Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever” ** (’39, Comedy) Mickey
Rooney. Andy falls for an older woman and almost quits school. (1:30)
(NR) TCM 4:30 a.m.”Arachnophobia” *** (’90, Suspense) Jeff Daniels.
Couple’s new farm has termites and Venezuelan spider. (2:00) (PG-13)
TBS 2:30 a.m.B”Baby Boy” *** (’01, Drama) Tyrese Gibson. A man juggles
womanizing with fighting his mother’s boyfriend. (2:30) (R) BET 8
p.m., 11:30 p.m.”Bachelor in Paradise” *** (’61, Comedy) Bob Hope. A
bachelor explores life in a modern housing development. (2:00) (NR)
TCM 10:45 a.m.”Back to the Future Part II” *** (’89, Science Fiction)
Michael J. Fox. Marty’s time traveling is threatened by a dangerous
rival. (2:00) (PG) HBO2 8 a.m.”Una Bala es Mi Testigo” (’59, Western)
Mauricio Garces. Un forastero venga la muerte del hijo de sus
padrinos. (2:00) (NR) KRCA 9 a.m.”The Black List: Volume One” (’08,
Documentary) Twenty African-American leaders are interviewed. (1:35)
(NR) HBO 11:45 p.m.”Black Snake Moan” ** (’07, Drama) Samuel L.
Jackson. A troubled bluesman takes in a severely beaten woman. (2:00)
(R) SHOW 12 a.m.”Blind Beast” ** (’69, Horror) Eiji Funakoshi. A
kidnapper and his victim explore sadomasochism. (1:30) (NR) FLIX 3:15
a.m.”Bottle Rocket” *** (’96, Comedy) Owen C. Wilson. Three dim Texans
embark on an ill-fated career in crime. (1:35) (R) HBO2 12:30 a.m.”The
Bourne Ultimatum” *** (’07, Action) Matt Damon. Jason Bourne continues
to look for clues to unravel his true identity. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 2
p.m., 10 p.m.”The Brave One” ** (’07, Suspense) Jodie Foster. A radio
host seeks revenge for a brutal attack. (2:05) (R) MAX 6:10
p.m.C”Carlito’s Way” *** (’93, Crime Drama) Al Pacino. An ex-con finds
it hard to escape his former life of crime. (2:30) (R) ENCORE 1:20
a.m.”Casino Royale” *** (’06, Action) Daniel Craig. James Bond plays
poker with a man who finances terrorists. (2:30) (PG-13) SHOW 6
p.m.”Champion” ** (’02, Biography) Yu Oh-seong. Korean boxer Kim Deuk-
gu dies in the ring in 1982. (2:00) (NR) SHOW 12:30 p.m.”Contact” ***
(’97, Science Fiction) Jodie Foster. A scientist seeks alien life in
deep space. (2:40) (PG) STARZ 9:05 p.m.”Countdown” (’96, Suspense)
Lori Petty. Two rival policewomen must work together to nab a bomber.
(1:30) (R) FLIX 6:15 a.m., 3 p.m.D”D3: The Mighty Ducks” ** (’96,
Comedy) Emilio Estevez. Teen hockey players get new school, new name,
new coach. (2:00) (PG) SHOW 10:30 a.m.”The Da Vinci Code” ** (’06,
Mystery) Tom Hanks. A religious mystery could rock foundations of
Christianity. (2:30) (PG-13) ENCORE 3:50 p.m., 3:50 a.m.”Days of
Thunder” ** (’90, Action) Tom Cruise. Upstart stock-car driver goes to
the edge. (2:00) (PG-13) VS. 6 p.m., 9 p.m.”Dazed and Confused” ***
(’93, Drama) Jason London. Teens waste another day in 1976 Austin,
Texas. (1:45) (R) HBO 3:05 a.m.”Dead Again” *** (’91, Mystery) Kenneth
Branagh. An amnesiac may be the reincarnation of a murdered pianist.
(2:00) (R) HBO2 6 p.m.”Death Hunt” ** (’81, Action) Charles Bronson. A
Mountie crosses Canada while hunting a murder suspect. (1:40) (R) HBO2
4:20 a.m.”December Boys” ** (’07, Drama) Daniel Radcliffe. Four
orphans grow up in an Australian outback convent. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO 6
p.m.”Dej”`a Vu” *** (’06, Suspense) Denzel Washington. A time-
traveling agent falls in love with a murder victim. (2:10) (PG-13)
STARZ 3:50 a.m.”Desolation Sound” (’05, Drama) Helene Joy. A woman
learns her husband’s mistress is dead. (2:00) (R) LIFE 1 p.m.”The
Devil Wears Prada” *** (’06, Comedy) Meryl Streep. A recent college
graduate lands a job at a fashion magazine. (2:00) (PG-13) HBO 4
p.m.”Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb” **** (’64, Comedy) Peter Sellers. Stanley Kubrick’s classic
satire of nuclear war. (1:45) (PG) TCM 7:15 p.m.”The Dog Problem”
(’06, Romance-Comedy) Giovanni Ribisi. A troubled man’s therapist
advises him to get a dog. (1:30) (R) SHOW 8:30 p.m.”Doogal” ** (’05,
Adventure) Voices of Daniel Tay. Animated. An evil wizard would start
an ice age. (2:00) (G) TOON 7 p.m.”Down Came a Blackbird” ** (’95,
Drama) Laura Dern. A reporter’s painful past resurfaces while on
assignment. (1:55) (R) FLIX 1:05 p.m.”Drop Dead Sexy” (’04, Comedy)
Jason Lee. Would-be criminals turn to kidnapping and blackmail. (1:25)
(R) TMC 2:45 p.m.E”EDtv” ** (’99, Comedy) Matthew McConaughey. A video
clerk agrees to have his everyday life televised. (2:05) (PG-13) STARZ
11:45 p.m.”8 Mile” *** (’02, Drama) Eminem. A Detroit man tries to
achieve success as a rapper. (2:30) (R) VH1 6:30 p.m.”Elena y Raquel”
(’71, Drama) Hilda Aguirre. Una joven esta embarazada de un novio que
la abandono. (2:00) (NR) KWHY 12 p.m.”Enchanted” *** (’07, Fantasy)
Amy Adams. Live action/animated. A fairy-tale princess winds up in
contemporary Manhattan. (1:55) (PG) STARZ 9:45 a.m.”Evening” ** (’07,
Drama) Claire Danes. A dying woman remembers the great love of her
life. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 8 a.m.”An Extremely Goofy Movie” ** (’00,
Comedy) Voices of Bill Farmer. Animated. Goofy enrolls in college with
his son. (1:30) (G) DISN 8 p.m.F”The Faculty” ** (’98, Horror) Jordana
Brewster. High-school students suspect that their teachers are aliens.
(1:50) (R) ENCORE 9:50 p.m.”The Fifth Element” *** (’97, Science
Fiction) (PA) Bruce Willis. A New York cabby tries to save Earth in
2259. (2:30) (PG-13) TBS 10 a.m., 12 a.m.”Final” ** (’01, Drama) Denis
Leary. A patient tells a psychiatrist that he is from the past. (2:00)
(R) HBO2 4 p.m.”Flash Gordon” * (’80, Science Fiction) Sam Jones.
Earthlings go to Mongo to battle with Ming the Merciless. (1:55) (PG)
ENCORE 6:10 a.m.”Fled” ** (’96, Action) Laurence Fishburne. Two
handcuffed fugitives dodge the law and Cuban mobsters. (1:40) (R)
ENCORE 11:40 p.m.”Flushed Away” *** (’06, Comedy) Voices of Hugh
Jackman. Animated. A pampered pet rat winds up in the sewer. (1:30)
(PG) MAX 6:30 a.m.”Foolish” * (’99, Comedy-Drama) Eddie Griffin. A
comic doesn’t want to trade artistic integrity for fame. (1:30) (R)
TMC 1:30 a.m.”For Da Love of Money” ** (’02, Comedy) Pierre. A man
living in a ghetto finds stolen cash in his back yard. (2:00) (R) BET
10 a.m.”.45″ (’06, Suspense) Milla Jovovich. A woman seeks revenge
against her drug-dealing boyfriend. (1:45) (R) TMC 10:15 p.m.”Full
Moon High” ** (’81, Comedy) Adam Arkin. A teen’s Romanian vacation
leaves him howling at the moon. (1:45) (PG) SHOW 5:30 a.m.G”Geronimo:
An American Legend” *** (’93, Historical Drama) Wes Studi. An Army
lieutenant receives orders to bring in the Apache warrior. (2:30)
(PG-13) AMC 5:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.”Ghost Rider” ** (’07, Action)
Nicolas Cage. A motorcycle stuntman is a supernatural agent of
vengeance. (1:55) (PG-13) ENCORE 8:05 a.m.”A Good Man in Africa” **
(’94, Drama) Colin Friels. A naive British diplomat is assigned to an
emerging nation. (1:40) (R) ENCORE 10 a.m.”Good Neighbor Sam” ***
(’64, Comedy) Voices of Jack Lemmon. Animated. A man plays a lady’s
spouse to help collect an inheritance. (2:15) (NR) TCM 8:30 a.m.”The
Great Raid” ** (’05, War) Benjamin Bratt. A U.S. battalion tries to
rescue prisoners of war in 1944. (3:00) (R) AMC 11:30 a.m.”Guy X” **
(’05, Comedy-Drama) Jason Biggs. A soldier learns about a Vietnam War
cover-up. (1:45) (R) TMC 3 a.m.H”The Hardys Ride High” ** (’38,
Comedy) Lewis Stone. Judge takes Andy and family to Detroit to inherit
$2 million. (1:30) (NR) TCM 3 a.m.”Havana” ** (’90, Romance) Robert
Redford. A gambler begins a risky affair with a Cuban revolutionary.
(2:30) (R) HBO2 11:30 a.m.”Heavens Above!” *** (’63, Comedy) Peter
Sellers. English clergyman is sent by mistake to a snobbish parish.
(2:15) (NR) TCM 5 p.m.”Hollow Man 2″ (’06, Suspense) Christian Slater.
A Seattle detective pursues an invisible killer. (1:45) (R) SHOW 2
a.m.”Hollywoodland” ** (’06, Mystery) Adrien Brody. A detective probes
the mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves. (2:05) (R) MAX 3:35
a.m.”Home Room” ** (’03, Drama) Busy Philipps. Teens cope with the
aftermath of a school shooting. (2:15) (R) TMC 8 p.m.I”I, Robot” **
(’04, Science Fiction) Will Smith. A homicide detective tracks a
dangerous robot in 2035. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 10 a.m.”La Inocente” (’72,
Drama) Lilia Michel. Una joven con problemas mentales esta embarazada.
(2:00) (NR) KRCA 1 p.m.”Interview” *** (’07, Drama) Sienna Miller. A
reporter spends an unusual evening with a starlet. (1:30) (R) STARZ
3:15 p.m.K”Karla Faye Tucker: Forevermore” (’04, Biography) Karen
Jezek. A killer turns to faith as she awaits execution. (2:00) (NR)
TBN 11 p.m.”Kiss Me, Stupid” ** (’64, Comedy) Dean Martin. Songwriter
has floozy pose as wife to please famous singer. (2:15) (PG-13) TCM
2:45 p.m.L”Little Black Book” ** (’04, Romance-Comedy) Brittany
Murphy. A woman interviews her beau’s former girlfriends. (2:30)
(PG-13) FX 10:30 p.m.”Little Einsteins: Rocket’s Firebird Rescue”
(’07, Adventure) Animated. Friends must save Stravinsky’s “Firebird”
from an ogre. (1:00) (NR) DISN 10:30 a.m.”Lover’s Prayer” * (’00,
Drama) Kirsten Dunst. A young man becomes infatuated with an alluring
neighbor. (1:50) (PG-13) FLIX 11:15 a.m., 4:45 a.m.”Lucky You” **
(’07, Drama) Eric Bana. A poker player sets his sights on winning a
world championship. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 9:30 a.m.M”M*A*S*H: Goodbye,
Farewell, Amen” *** (’83, Drama) Alan Alda. The men and women of the
4077th prepare to leave Korea. (3:00) HLMK 5 p.m.”Material Girls” *
(’06, Comedy-Drama) Hilary Duff. A scandal strips sibling cosmetics
heiresses of their fortune. (1:45) (PG) SHOW 7:15 a.m., 4:15
p.m.”Meatballs” ** (’79, Comedy) Bill Murray. A camp counselor leads
misfits in pranks. (1:35) (PG) TMC 6 a.m.”The Messengers” * (’07,
Horror) Kristen Stewart. A sinister darkness descends on a rundown
farm and its new tenants. (1:35) (PG-13) STARZ 11:40 a.m.”A Mighty
Wind” *** (’03, Comedy) Bob Balaban. Folk singers reunite to pay
tribute to a legendary promoter. (2:00) (PG-13) COM 4:30 p.m.”The
Minus Man” *** (’99, Drama) Owen Wilson. A serial killer selects
victims who apparently want to die. (2:00) (R) SHOW 3:45 a.m.”Mr.
Jealousy” ** (’97, Romance-Comedy) Eric Stoltz. A man sees green over
his new girlfriend’s old lover. (1:45) (R) FLIX 9:30 a.m., 6:15
p.m.”Mr. Woodcock” ** (’07, Comedy) Billy Bob Thornton. A man learns
his mother plans to marry his evil former gym teacher. (1:30) (PG-13)
HBO2 10 a.m., 9:30 p.m.”Multiplicity” ** (’96, Comedy) Michael Keaton.
Scientifically created duplicates complicate a man’s life. (2:00)
(PG-13) HBO 6 a.m.”My Darling Clementine” *** (’46, Western) Henry
Fonda. Wyatt Earp and comrades face a showdown at the O.K. Corral.
(2:00) (NR) AMC 4:45 a.m.N”The Namesake” *** (’06, Drama) Kal Penn. An
American deals with his family’s East Indian traditions. (2:15)
(PG-13) HBO 11:45 a.m.”Nearing Grace” ** (’05, Drama) Gregory Smith. A
teen in 1978 New Jersey falls under a bewitching classmate’s spell.
(1:45) (R) SHOW 2:30 p.m.”North to Alaska” *** (’60, Western) John
Wayne. Prospector brings French girl to partner in gold-rush Alaska.
(2:45) (NR) AMC 2 a.m.”The Number One Girl” (’05, Action) Tony
Schiena. Carnage ensues when a martial artist judges a beauty pageant.
(1:30) (R) TMC 4:45 a.m.O”Only Two Can Play” ** (’62, Comedy) Peter
Sellers. A rural librarian has a fling with a board member’s wife.
(2:00) (NR) TCM 11 p.m.”Out West With the Hardys” ** (’38, Comedy)
Lewis Stone. The Hardy family takes a vacation trip out West. (1:30)
(NR) TCM 6 a.m.P”Pancho Lopez” (’57, Comedia) Manuel Palacios. Un
hombre enga”a a su tio diciendo que lo asaltaron. (2:00) (NR) KWHY 9
a.m.”The Party” ** (’68, Comedy) Peter Sellers. A bumbling actor is
mistakenly invited to a posh party. (2:00) (NR) TCM 1 a.m.”Pearl
Harbor” ** (’01, War) Ben Affleck. Friends join a war effort after the
Japanese attack Hawaii. (3:00) (PG-13) AMC 2:30 p.m.”Premium” ** (’06,
Comedy-Drama) Dorian Missick. A struggling actor tries to win back his
ex-lover. (1:40) (R) TMC 11:30 a.m.”Puccini for Beginners” ** (’06,
Romance-Comedy) Elizabeth Reaser. A writer gets caught in a bisexual
love triangle. (1:30) (NR) SHOW 9 a.m.R”Ricochet” ** (’91, Action)
Denzel Washington. An escaped killer plots against the man who put him
away. (1:45) (R) HBO 1:20 a.m.”The Rookie” ** (’90, Action) Clint
Eastwood. A young detective teams up with a two-fisted veteran cop.
(2:05) (R) MAX 1:30 a.m.S”Sahara” *** (’43, War) Humphrey Bogart. Nazi
troops harass an Allied tank crew in the Sahara. (2:00) (NR) AMC 6
a.m.”A Scanner Darkly” *** (’06, Action) Voices of Keanu Reeves.
Animated. An undercover cop must spy on his housemates. (1:45) (R)
HBO2 2:35 a.m.”Seven” *** (’95, Suspense) Brad Pitt. A killer
dispatches his victims via the Seven Deadly Sins. (2:15) (R) STARZ
4:45 p.m.”Sex Games Cancun 4″ (’06, Adult) A compilation of episodes
from the erotic series. (1:30) (NR) MAX 12 a.m.”Shanghai Noon” ***
(’00, Comedy) Jackie Chan. A Chinese guard arrives in 1881 Nevada to
rescue a princess. (2:00) (PG-13) STARZ 1:15 p.m.”Shaun of the Dead”
*** (’04, Comedy) Simon Pegg. An aimless TV salesman and his friend
battle zombies. (2:00) (R) COM 8 a.m.”Shrek the Third” ** (’07,
Comedy) Voices of Mike Myers. Animated. Shrek and friends look for the
true heir of Far, Far Away. (1:45) (PG) MAX 8:15 p.m.”Smiling Fish &
Goat on Fire” *** (’00, Romance-Comedy) Derick Martini. Brothers have
tumultuous relationships in Los Angeles. (1:45) (R) TMC 9:45 a.m.,
6:20 p.m.”Smokey and the Bandit” *** (’77, Comedy) Burt Reynolds. A
bootlegger burns rubber to evade a stubborn sheriff. (1:40) (PG)
ENCORE 6:20 p.m.”Spider-Man 3″ ** (’07, Action) Tobey Maguire. Peter
Parker falls under the influence of his dark side. (2:30) (PG-13)
STARZ 6:10 a.m.”The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not an Option” * (’00,
Action) Treat Williams. Ex-mercenary Thomasson squares off against
neo-Nazi cadets. (1:55) (R) USA 2:05 a.m.”Summer Lovers” ** (’82,
Romance) Peter Gallagher. An American college couple and a Frenchwoman
share a villa on a Greek island. (1:45) (R) FLIX 1:30 a.m.”Sweet and
Lowdown” *** (’99, Comedy-Drama) Sean Penn. An arrogant musician casts
aside the woman who loves him. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO2 2:15
p.m.”Switchback” * (’97, Suspense) Dennis Quaid. An FBI agent helps a
Texas sheriff nab a serial killer. (2:00) (R) MAX 10 a.m.T”Talladega
Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” ** (’06, Comedy) Will Ferrell. A
NASCAR driver has a new rival. (1:50) (PG-13) ENCORE 11:40 a.m., 8
p.m.”Tell Me No Lies” (’07, Suspense) Kelly Rutherford. A woman
suspects her rebellious teenage daughter is in trouble. (2:00) (NR)
LIFE 9 p.m.”The Thing About My Folks” ** (’05, Comedy-Drama) Peter
Falk. A man and his father bond during a road trip. (1:50) (PG-13)
HBO2 6:10 a.m.”13 Going on 30″ *** (’04, Romance-Comedy) Jennifer
Garner. An uncool girl magically becomes a successful adult. (2:30)
(PG-13) FX 8 p.m.”This Filthy World” ** (’06, Documentary) Filmmaker
John Waters performs his stand-up routine. (1:30) (NR) FLIX 12
a.m.”The Thomas Crown Affair” *** (’99, Suspense) Pierce Brosnan. An
art thief steals an insurance investigator’s heart. (2:30) (R) BRAVO
11 p.m., 1:30 a.m.”Touch and Go” ** (’86, Drama) Michael Keaton. A
hockey star becomes involved with an impoverished mother. (1:45) (R)
FLIX 7:45 a.m., 4:30 p.m.”Transformers” *** (’07, Action) Shia
LaBeouf. Two races of robots wage war on Earth. (2:30) (PG-13) HBO 9
p.m.”Triumph of the Spirit” *** (’89, Docudrama) Willem Dafoe. Nazis
force Greek boxer Salamo Arouch to kill at Auschwitz. (2:15) (R) FLIX
9:45 p.m.”El Tuerto de la Sierra” (’02, Accion) Hugo Stiglitz. Un
hombre tuerto se enfrenta a su hermano por una herencia. (1:30) (NR)
KWHY 8 p.m.U”U-571″ ** (’00, Suspense) Matthew McConaughey. GIs try to
steal an encryption device from a German sub. (2:05) (PG-13) STARZ 7
p.m.V”The Virgin of Juarez” (’06, Drama) Minnie Driver. A reporter
befriends a woman who sees the Virgin Mary. (1:30) (R) TMC 12 a.m.”Von
Ryan’s Express” *** (’65, War) Frank Sinatra. Air Force colonel and
British major seize Nazi prison train. (2:30) (NR) AMC 8
a.m.W”Waitress” ** (’07, Comedy-Drama) Keri Russell. A pregnant
waitress wants to leave her controlling husband. (2:00) (PG-13) HBO 2
p.m.”Walk, Don’t Run” *** (’66, Comedy) Cary Grant. In overcrowded
Tokyo, a woman shares her flat with two men. (2:00) (NR) TCM 12:45
p.m.”Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior” (’06, Adventure) Brenda Song. A
teen learns she is the reincarnation of a Chinese warrior. (1:40) DISN
12 p.m.”We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story” *** (’93, Fantasy) Voices of
John Goodman. Animated. Friendly dinosaurs visit kids in New York.
(1:30) (G) TOON 10 a.m.”What Lies Beneath” ** (’00, Suspense) Harrison
Ford. A housewife is swept up in a spirit’s supernatural revenge.
(2:10) (PG-13) MAX 4 p.m.”William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet” ***
(’96, Romance) Leonardo DiCaprio. Two youths from rival families share
a doomed love affair. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 12 p.m.”Without a Paddle” **
(’04, Comedy) Seth Green. Three friends embark on a calamitous canoe
trip. (2:00) (PG-13) SPIKE 9 p.m.”The Woods” (’05, Horror) Patricia
Clarkson. Girls at a remote boarding-school start disappearing. (1:35)
(R) TMC 1:10 p.m.”The World of Henry Orient” *** (’64, Comedy) Peter
Sellers. Two teens chasing a vain pianist get to know their parents.
(2:00) (NR) TCM 9 p.m.”The World’s Fastest Indian” ** (’05, Biography)
Anthony Hopkins. Motorcyclist Burt Munro tries to set a record for
speed. (2:10) (PG-13) TMC 7:35 a.m., 4:10 p.m.Y”Your Friends &
Neighbors” ** (’98, Comedy-Drama) Amy Brenneman. Sexual politics
affect six urbanites. (1:45) (R) FLIX 8 p.m.Tuesday,
9/9/08A”Alexander” ** (’04, Historical Drama) Colin Farrell.
Macedonia’s young king conquers much of the known world. (3:30) (R)
AMC 4:30 p.m.”Anaconda” * (’97, Suspense) (PA) Jennifer Lopez. A huge
snake stalks a film crew in the Brazilian jungle. (2:00) (PG-13) TBS 3
a.m.”Andy Hardy Meets Debutante” ** (’40, Comedy) Mickey Rooney. Andy
sets his sights on a glamorous New York debutante. (1:30) (NR) TCM 3
a.m.”Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary” ** (’41, Comedy) Lewis Stone.
Andy’s so busy with his secretary, he flunks a final. (1:45) (NR) TCM
4:30 a.m.”Arachnophobia” *** (’90, Suspense) Jeff Daniels. Couple’s
new farm has termites and Venezuelan spider. (2:00) (PG-13) TBS 10
a.m.”ATL” ** (’06, Comedy-Drama) Tip “T.I.” Harris. Four Atlanta teens
face challenges. (2:30) (PG-13) BET 7:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.”The
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” *** (’74, Drama) Cicely Tyson. A
110-year-old black woman reflects on her eventful life. (1:55) FLIX
6:05 p.m.B”Back to the Future Part III” *** (’90, Science Fiction)
Michael J. Fox. Marty McFly visits the Old West to save the imperiled
Doc. (2:00) (PG) HBO2 8 a.m.”Badge of Silence: Maniac Cop 3″ * (’92,
Horror) Robert Davi. The undead patrolman avenges a wounded police
officer. (1:30) (R) FLIX 3:30 a.m.”Batman & Robin” * (’97, Action)
(PA) Arnold Schwarzenegger. The dynamic duo returns to take on an icy
villain. (2:30) (PG-13) TBS 12:30 a.m.”Bedazzled” ** (’00, Comedy)
Brendan Fraser. A lovesick man sells his soul to the devil for seven
wishes. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO 6:15 a.m.”Bells Are Ringing” *** (’60,
Musical Comedy) Judy Holliday. An answering-service employee falls for
a charming client. (2:15) (NR) TCM 9:15 a.m.”The Big Kahuna” ** (’99,
Drama) Kevin Spacey. Three salesmen discuss life and work at a Kansas
convention. (1:35) (R) MAX 2:35 a.m.”Big Momma’s House 2″ * (’06,
Comedy) Martin Lawrence. An FBI agent reprises his disguise, posing as
a heavy nanny. (2:00) (PG-13) FX 8 p.m.”Big Top Pee-wee” ** (’88,
Comedy) Paul Reubens. Circus star’s troupe down on Pee-wee Herman’s
strange farm. (1:25) (PG) MAX 1:40 p.m.”Black and White” ** (’99,
Drama) Scott Caan. Privileged white teens explore the black hip-hop
culture. (1:45) (R) HBO2 4:15 a.m.”The Blair Witch Project” ** (’99,
Horror) Heather Donahue. An unknown entity stalks three lost film
students. (1:30) (R) TMC 6:30 p.m.”Blazing Saddles” *** (’74, Comedy)
Cleavon Little. Gucci-saddlebagged Sheriff Bart teams up with the
drunken Waco Kid. (2:15) (R) CMT 3:45 p.m., 10:30 p.m.”Bloodsport” *
(’88, Adventure) Jean-Claude Van Damme. A Westerner wins a martial
arts competition in Hong Kong. (2:00) (R) VS. 6 p.m., 9
p.m.”Bordertown” (’07, Mystery) Jennifer Lopez. An American reporter
probes the murders of women in Mexico. (2:05) (R) SHOW 7:55 p.m.”Las
Braceras” (’81, Comedia) Maritza Olivares. Una joven intenta vengar la
muerte de su hermana y su padre. (1:30) (NR) KWHY 11 p.m.”Brigadoon”
*** (’54, Musical) Gene Kelly. A Scottish village comes alive one day
every 100 years. (2:00) (G) TCM 1:15 p.m.”The Brothers Solomon” *
(’07, Comedy) Will Arnett. Two socially inept siblings look for mates.
(1:40) (R) STARZ 6 a.m., 5:10 p.m.C”Cabin in the Sky” ** (’43,
Musical) Ethel Waters. Emissaries from heaven and hell vie for a
gambler’s soul. (1:45) (NR) TCM 3:15 p.m.”Cadena de Mentiras” (’55,
Comedia) Resortes. Un hombre se hace pasar por otro para cobrar una
herencia. (2:00) (NR) KRCA 1 p.m.”Caffeine” * (’06, Comedy) Mena
Suvari. Couples reveal secrets at a London coffeehouse. (1:30) (R) TMC
9:45 a.m.”Candyman 3: Day of the Dead” * (’99, Horror) Tony Todd. The
hook-handed monster pursues his descendant. (1:35) (R) MAX 4:45
p.m.”Can’t Stop the Music” * (’80, Musical) Valerie Perrine. A pseudo-
autobiography of disco’s “The Village People.” (2:05) (PG) FLIX 9
a.m.”Canvas” ** (’06, Drama) Joe Pantoliano. A father and son
construct a sailboat in their driveway. (1:45) (PG-13) TMC 6:15
a.m.”Carrington” ** (’95, Docudrama) Emma Thompson. Painter Dora
Carrington’s life with writer Lytton Strachey. (2:05) (R) FLIX 8
p.m.”Cherry Crush” (’07, Drama) Nikki Reed. Jordan finds trouble after
meeting Shay. (1:30) (R) TMC 5 p.m.”Chicken Run” *** (’00, Comedy)
Voices of Mel Gibson. Animated. Fowls flee from a British farm. (2:00)
(G) TOON 10 a.m.”Children of Men” **** (’06, Science Fiction) Clive
Owen. Infertility threatens mankind with extinction. (1:55) (R) HBO
12:30 a.m.”City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold” *** (’94,
Comedy) Billy Crystal. Mitch and friends ride out in search of hidden
treasure. (2:00) (PG-13) ENCORE 6 p.m.”Comandante Cuerno de Chivo”
Jorge Reynoso. Un poderoso mafioso siente a su organizacion en
peligro. (2:00) (NR) KWHY 9 a.m.”The Comebacks” * (’07, Comedy) David
Koechner. An unlucky football coach takes over a misfit college team.
(1:30) (PG-13) MAX 10:30 a.m., 10 p.m.”Cops and Robbers” ** (’73,
Comedy-Drama) Cliff Gorman. Policemen sync Wall Street caper with
ticker-tape parade. (1:45) (PG) TCM 11:15 p.m.”Copying Beethoven” **
(’06, Historical Drama) Ed Harris. A copyist bonds with composer
Ludwig van Beethoven. (1:45) (PG-13) SHOW 2:30 p.m.”The Cotton Club”
*** (’84, Musical) Richard Gere. A musician escorts a gangster’s moll
in late-1920s Harlem. (2:10) (R) ENCORE 1:50 a.m.”The Couple” ** (’04,
Drama) Martin Landau. A man makes a deal to save his family from the
Nazis. (2:00) (PG-13) SHOW 8:30 a.m.”Coyote Ugly” * (’00, Romance-
Comedy) Piper Perabo. A struggling songwriter cuts loose in a rowdy
New York bar. (1:50) (R) STARZ 3:20 p.m.D”Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-
Round” *** (’66, Crime Drama) James Coburn. A man syncs an airport
heist with a Soviet premier’s visit. (2:00) (NR) TCM 7 p.m.”Dej”`a Vu”
*** (’06, Suspense) Denzel Washington. A time-traveling agent falls in
love with a murder victim. (2:15) (PG-13) STARZ 6:45 p.m.”The Descent”
*** (’05, Horror) Shauna Macdonald. Six spelunkers encounter hungry
underground predators. (1:45) (R) TMC 12 a.m.E”Eagle vs. Shark” **
(’07, Comedy) Loren Horsley. Live action/animated. Social misfits have
a strange relationship. (1:30) (R) STARZ 2:30 a.m.”8 Mile” *** (’02,
Drama) Eminem. A Detroit man tries to achieve success as a rapper.
(2:30) (R) VH1 2 p.m.”8 Seconds” ** (’94, Docudrama) Luke Perry. An
Oklahoma youth becomes rodeo champ in 1987. (1:45) (PG-13) ENCORE 4:15
p.m.”Employee of the Month” ** (’06, Comedy) Dane Cook. Two store
clerks vie for a coveted award. (1:55) (PG-13) SHOW 6 p.m.”Evan
Almighty” ** (’07, Comedy) Steve Carell. God commands a newly elected
congressman to build an ark. (1:40) (PG) MAX 3:05 p.m.”Ever After” ***
(’98, Romance) Drew Barrymore. A courageous scullery maid wins the
heart of a prince. (2:00) (PG) E! 8 p.m.”An Extremely Goofy Movie” **
(’00, Comedy) Voices of Bill Farmer. Animated. Goofy enrolls in
college with his son. (1:30) (G) DISN 12 p.m.F”Flyboys” ** (’06,
Historical Drama) James Franco. Americans volunteer for the French
military in World War I. (2:20) (PG-13) TMC 8 p.m.”The Flying
Scotsman” ** (’06, Docudrama) Jonny Lee Miller. A cyclist enters a
championship race with a homemade bike. (1:45) (PG-13) SHOW 4:15 p.m.,
4:15 a.m.”For All Mankind” *** (’89, Documentary) Jim Lovell. NASA
footage of Earth and the moon set to words and music. (1:25) (NR) FLIX
6:35 a.m., 3 p.m.”For One Night” (’06, Drama) Raven-Symone. A teen
crusades against segregated proms at her high school. (2:00) (NR) LIFE
1 p.m.”From the Hip” ** (’87, Comedy-Drama) Judd Nelson. A legal
maverick defends a professor accused of murder. (1:55) (PG) FLIX 11:05
a.m.G”Geronimo: An American Legend” *** (’93, Historical Drama) Wes
Studi. An Army lieutenant receives orders to bring in the Apache
warrior. (2:30) (PG-13) AMC 2 p.m.”Get a Clue” (’02, Comedy) Lindsay
Lohan. Students sleuth the disappearance of their English teacher.
(1:35) DISN 8 p.m.”Ghostbusters” *** (’84, Comedy) Bill Murray. Ghost
fighters battle ghouls in a Manhattan high-rise. (2:30) (PG) VH1 7:30
p.m.”Ghostbusters II” ** (’89, Comedy) Bill Murray. A long-dead
Carpathian warlock attempts to return to Earth. (2:30) (PG) VH1 10
p.m.”The Good Thief” *** (’02, Crime Drama) Nick Nolte. A veteran
thief takes part in a plan to steal priceless art. (2:00) (R) HBO2
4:30 p.m.”A Good Year” ** (’06, Romance-Comedy) Russell Crowe. A
London banker inherits his uncle’s vineyard in Provence. (2:00)
(PG-13) HBO2 10 a.m.”The Great Escape” **** (’63, War) Steve McQueen.
Allied POWs stage a daring escape from a Nazi prison camp. (3:45) (NR)
AMC 10:45 p.m.H”Head Above Water” ** (’96, Comedy) Harvey Keitel. A
vacationer’s former boyfriend winds up dead in her bed. (1:30) (PG-13)
MAX 9 a.m.I”The Iron Giant” *** (’99, Fantasy) Voices of Jennifer
Aniston. Animated. A boy befriends a gentle, 50-foot robot. (1:30)
(PG) MAX 7:30 a.m.J”Jam” (’06, Drama) Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Tensions
rise among travelers during a traffic jam. (1:30) (NR) SHOW 1 p.m.”The
Jane Austen Book Club” *** (’07, Drama) Maria Bello. The love lives of
six people resemble the author’s works. (1:50) (PG-13) STARZ 11
p.m.”Judge Hardy and Son” *** (’39, Drama) Mickey Rooney. A woman’s
illness brings her family closer together. (1:30) (NR) TCM 6
a.m.K”Kicking It” ** (’08, Documentary) Soccer bring about a change in
the lives of homeless people. (2:00) (NR) ESPN2 6 p.m.L”The Last Big
Thing” *** (’96, Comedy) Dan Zukovic. A misanthrope interviews and
insults aspiring celebrities. (1:45) (R) TMC 11:15 a.m.”Last Dance” **
(’96, Drama) Sharon Stone. A clemency worker tries to save a woman
awaiting execution. (1:45) (R) TMC 3:15 a.m.”Las Leandras” (’68,
Comedia) Rosario Durcal. Una escuela de se”oritas es confundida con un
burdel. (2:00) (NR) KWHY 12 p.m.”The Legend of Bagger Vance” *** (’00,
Drama) Will Smith. A mystical caddy helps an ex-golfer regain his
swing. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 1:45 p.m.”The Life and Times of Hank
Greenberg” *** (’99, Documentary) Hank Greenberg. The Jewish baseball
player defies anti-Semitism. (1:35) (PG) FLIX 4:30 p.m.”Light in the
Piazza” *** (’62, Drama) Olivia de Havilland. A mentally challenged
woman’s mother faces a hard decision. (1:45) (NR) TCM 7:30
a.m.”Lightning Jack” ** (’94, Comedy) Paul Hogan. A mute townsman tags
along with a mildly famous outlaw. (1:40) (PG-13) MAX 12 p.m.”Little
Black Book” ** (’04, Romance-Comedy) Brittany Murphy. A woman
interviews her beau’s former girlfriends. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 10
a.m.”Live Free or Die Hard” *** (’07, Action) Bruce Willis. America’s
computers fall under attack. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 10 a.m., 8:30 p.m.”The
Lost City” ** (’05, Drama) Andy Garcia. Revolution shatters a Cuban
club owner’s family. (2:25) (R) TMC 2:35 p.m.”Love and a Bullet” **
(’02, Action) Treach. A hit man falls in love with his employer’s
girlfriend. (2:00) (R) BET 10 a.m.M”The Magnificent Seven” *** (’60,
Western) Yul Brynner. A man in black recruits hired guns to defend
Mexican villagers. (2:45) (NR) AMC 8 p.m.”The Man in the Iron Mask” **
(’98, Adventure) Leonardo DiCaprio. Ex-musketeers attempt a bloodless
coup against their king. (2:20) (PG-13) ENCORE 8:10 a.m.”Martian
Child” ** (’07, Drama) John Cusack. A single man adopts a youngster
who claims he is from the Red Planet. (2:00) (PG) HBO 6:30 p.m.”Mary
and Joseph: A Story of Faith” ** (’79, Drama) Blanche Baker. Based on
Mary and Joseph’s marriage before Christ’s birth. (2:30) TBN 11
p.m.”Meet the Parents” *** (’00, Comedy) Robert De Niro. A man spends
a disastrous weekend with his lover’s family. (2:00) (PG-13) HBO 4:30
p.m.”Meet Wally Sparks” * (’97, Comedy) Rodney Dangerfield. A TV
celebrity pulls an outrageous stunt to save his show. (1:50) (R) HBO
2:55 a.m.”A Mighty Wind” *** (’03, Comedy) Bob Balaban. Folk singers
reunite to pay tribute to a legendary promoter. (2:00) (PG-13) COM 8
a.m.”Mixed Blood” ** (’85, Crime Drama) Marilia Pera. Hispanic gangs
battle to control the New York drug trade. (1:45) (NR) FLIX 1:45
a.m.”Moli”`ere” *** (’07, Comedy-Drama) Romain Duris. A French
playwright and actor tries to coach a wealthy man. (2:05) (PG-13)
STARZ 11:10 a.m.”Money Plays” (’98, Crime Drama) Roy Scheider. A
prostitute schemes with her casino-employed boyfriend. (1:45) SHOW
6:45 a.m.”The Mummy” *** (’99, Adventure) Brendan Fraser. A mummy
seeks revenge for a 3,000-year-old curse. (2:10) (PG-13) ENCORE 10:30
a.m., 8 p.m.N”No Way Out” *** (’87, Suspense) Kevin Costner. The
Secretary of Defense makes a Pentagon aide lead a spy manhunt. (2:00)
(R) ENCORE 11:50 p.m.”North to Alaska” *** (’60, Western) John Wayne.
Prospector brings French girl to partner in gold-rush Alaska. (2:45)
(NR) AMC 9 a.m.O”Odds Against Tomorrow” *** (’59, Crime Drama) Harry
Belafonte. Racial tension festers among gang members planning a heist.
(2:00) (NR) TCM 1 a.m.”Off the Black” *** (’06, Comedy-Drama) Nick
Nolte. A young ballplayer befriends a dying umpire. (1:35) (R) TMC 1
p.m.”Office Space” ** (’99, Comedy) Ron Livingston. A white-collar
worker rebels against corporate drudgery. (1:30) (R) HBO2 6:30
p.m.”Only the Strong” * (’93, Drama) Mark Dacascos. Martial arts set
to music straighten out bad teens. (1:40) (PG-13) MAX 6:20 p.m.”La
Orilla de la Tierra” (’94, Drama) Luis Felipe Tovar. Dos hombres
buscan un tesoro que han visto solo en sue”os. (2:00) (NR) KRCA 9
a.m.P”The Patriot” *** (’00, War) Mel Gibson. A man and his son fight
side by side in the Revolutionary War. (2:45) (R) HBO2 12 p.m.”The
Pledge” *** (’01, Drama) Jack Nicholson. A detective promises to find
a young girl’s murderer. (2:10) (R) HBO2 1:50 a.m.”Prick Up Your Ears”
*** (’87, Biography) Gary Oldman. Playwright Joe Orton leads a
flamboyant gay lifestyle. (1:55) (R) FLIX 10:05 p.m.”Primeval” * (’07,
Suspense) Dominic Purcell. A news team hunts a giant crocodile in
Africa. (1:40) (R) ENCORE 2:35 p.m., 10:10 p.m.R”Redline” * (’07,
Action) Nathan Phillips. An ace driver enters the world of illegal
drag racing. (1:40) (PG-13) STARZ 12:50 a.m.”The Replacements” **
(’00, Comedy) Keanu Reeves. Misfit substitutes take the field during a
football strike. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 8 p.m.”Ronin” ** (’98, Action)
Robert De Niro. Five espionage specialists must find a special
briefcase. (2:15) (R) SHOW 2 a.m.”Royal Wedding” *** (’51, Musical)
Fred Astaire. Sibling dancers at Britain’s royal nuptials both find
love. (1:45) (NR) TCM 11:30 a.m.S”The Sand Pebbles” *** (’66,
Adventure) Steve McQueen. Politics and the tide hold a U.S. gunboat in
1926 China. (4:00) (PG-13) AMC 2:30 a.m.”The Sasquatch Gang” (’07,
Adventure) Jeremy Sumpter. Friends find possible signs of Bigfoot.
(1:35) (PG-13) STARZ 9:35 a.m.”Second in Command” (’06, Action) Jean-
Claude Van Damme. An officer must protect a U.S. ambassador from
insurgents. (1:55) (R) USA 2:05 a.m.”Sex Games Cancun 3″ (’06, Adult)
A compilation of episodes from the erotic series. (1:30) MAX 11:30
p.m.”She Gets What She Wants” ** (’02, Comedy) Piper Perabo. A Texas
cheerleader squares off against an exchange student. (1:30) (PG-13)
SHOW 10:30 a.m.”The Shell Seekers” (’06, Drama) Vanessa Redgrave. A
woman travels to the island of Ibiza to visit her daughter. (2:00)
(NR) HLMK 9 p.m.”The Shootist” *** (’76, Western) John Wayne. People
pester old, dying gunfighter. (2:15) (PG) AMC 11:45 a.m.”Silk” * (’07,
Drama) Keira Knightley. A married smuggler meets an intriguing woman
in Japan. (1:50) (R) MAX 4:10 a.m.”Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes
Back” **** (’80, Science Fiction) Mark Hamill. Luke Skywalker, Han
Solo and Princess Leia face Darth Vader’s wrath. (3:00) (PG) SPIKE 9
p.m.”Stolen Sex Tapes” (’02, Adult) A highly paid anchorwoman faces
blackmail. (1:30) (R) TMC 1:45 a.m.”Storm Catcher” * (’99, Action)
Dolph Lundgren. A falsely discredited pilot uncovers a conspiracy.
(1:35) (R) MAX 1 a.m.”Stranger Than Fiction” *** (’06, Comedy) Will
Ferrell. A mentally unstable IRS auditor hears an author’s voice in
his head. (1:55) (PG-13) ENCORE 12:40 p.m., 4:50 a.m.”The Substitute
3: Winner Takes All” * (’99, Drama) Treat Williams. An undercover
mercenary tackles musclebound college jocks. (1:40) (R) HBO 4:45
a.m.”Sunday Driver” (’05, Documentary) Lowrider enthusiasts drive cars
with lowered suspensions. (1:00) (R) SHOW 12 p.m.T”Talladega Nights:
The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” ** (’06, Comedy) Will Ferrell. A NASCAR
driver has a new rival. (1:50) (PG-13) ENCORE 6:20 a.m.”The Thing
Called Love” ** (’93, Drama) River Phoenix. An aspiring musician seeks
her fortune in Nashville, Tenn. (2:00) (PG-13) HBO2 6 a.m.”13 Going on
30″ *** (’04, Romance-Comedy) Jennifer Garner. An uncool girl
magically becomes a successful adult. (2:30) (PG-13) FX 5:30 p.m.”The
Thomas Crown Affair” *** (’68, Adventure) Steve McQueen. A self-made
millionaire masterminds the perfect bank heist. (2:00) (R) TCM 5
p.m.”El Tigre Enmascarado” (’51, Aventura) Luis Aguilar. Un hombre
promete vengar la muerte de su hermano. (1:30) (NR) KWHY 8 p.m.”To
Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” ** (’95, Comedy) Wesley
Snipes. Three drag queens breathe new life into a Midwestern town.
(1:55) (PG-13) STARZ 7:40 a.m.”Topkapi” **** (’64, Suspense) Melina
Mercouri. A woman and her lover conspire to steal a priceless dagger.
(2:15) (NR) TCM 9 p.m.”The Tripper” * (’06, Horror) Jaime King. A
Ronald Reagan-obsessed killer stalks concertgoers. (1:40) (R) TMC
10:20 p.m.”The TV Set” *** (’06, Comedy) David Duchovny. A man
struggles to maintain creative control of his TV pilot. (1:30) (R)
SHOW 12:30 a.m.U”Under the Volcano” *** (’84, Drama) Albert Finney.
Ex-wife of alcoholic ex-British consul joins him in 1938 Mexico.
(2:00) (R) FLIX 1 p.m.W”A Walk in the Clouds” ** (’95, Romance) Keanu
Reeves. Two people fall in love while pretending to be married. (1:45)
(PG-13) HBO2 2:45 p.m.”We Own the Night” ** (’07, Crime Drama) Joaquin
Phoenix. A nightclub manager tries to remain neutral in a drug war.
(2:05) (R) STARZ 1:15 p.m., 9 p.m., 4:50 a.m.”Wetherby” *** (’85,
Drama) Vanessa Redgrave. A bizarre suicide puzzles a schoolteacher in
rural England. (1:45) (R) FLIX 12 a.m.”What Planet Are You From?” *
(’00, Comedy) Garry Shandling. An alien is sent to Earth to have sex
with a human female. (1:50) (R) MAX 5:40 a.m.”White Coats” * (’04,
Comedy) Peter Oldring. Inexperienced interns try to keep a hospital
functioning. (2:00) (R) COM 4:30 p.m.”The Wicker Man” * (’06, Horror)
Nicolas Cage. A lawman finds sinister forces at work on a secluded
isle. (1:45) (PG-13) HBO 8 a.m.”Wise Blood” *** (’79, Drama) Brad
Dourif. A backwoodsman turns to fire-and-brimstone preaching. (1:45)
(PG) TMC 8 a.m.X”XChange” ** (’00, Science Fiction) Stephen Baldwin. A
terrorist hijacks a man’s body. (2:00) (R) SCI-FI 3 a.m.Y”Yellow Sky”
*** (’48, Western) Gregory Peck. Outlaw and gang find tomboy and
grandfather in ghost town. (2:15) (NR) AMC 6:45 a.m.Wednesday,
9/10/08A”Advise and Consent” *** (’62, Drama) Henry Fonda. Senators
fight dirty over president’s man. (2:30) (NR) TCM 5 p.m.”After Hours”
*** (’85, Comedy) Griffin Dunne. A man is plunged into the crazy world
of lower Manhattan. (1:40) (R) MAX 7:40 a.m.”Along Came Polly” **
(’04, Romance-Comedy) Ben Stiller. A jilted newlywed finds solace with
another woman. (2:00) (PG-13) USA 10 p.m., 2 a.m.”Alpha Dog” ** (’06,
Crime Drama) Bruce Willis. A teenage drug dealer kidnaps a junkie’s
younger brother. (2:05) (R) MAX 3:30 p.m., 1:05 a.m.”Ambicion y
Muerte” Una familia de mafiosos intenta apoderarse de todo. (2:00)
(NR) KRCA 1 p.m.”Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid” ** (’04,
Suspense) (PA) Johnny Messner. Explorers encounter monstrous snakes in
Borneo. (2:00) (PG-13) TBS 3 a.m.”Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble” **
(’44, Comedy) Lewis Stone. College student Andy can’t tell his
girlfriend from her twin sister. (2:00) (NR) TCM 4:45 a.m.”Andy
Hardy’s Double Life” ** (’42, Comedy) Lewis Stone. Andy proposes to
his girlfriend and her swimmer friend. (1:45) (NR) TCM 8 a.m.”Angel
Eyes” ** (’01, Drama) (PA) Jennifer Lopez. A policewoman meets a man
who saw his family die in an accident. (2:00) (R) TBS 1 a.m.”The
Astronaut Farmer” ** (’07, Drama) Billy Bob Thornton. A space-obsessed
rancher builds a rocket in his barn. (1:45) (PG) HBO 10 a.m.B”Back to
Back: American Yakuza 2″ ** (’96, Action) Michael Rooker. An ex-cop
and a Japanese mobster become unlikely partners. (1:45) (R) FLIX 4:30
p.m.”Backbeat” ** (’94, Drama) Sheryl Lee. The Beatles make their
start in 1960-’62 Germany. (1:50) (R) FLIX 8 p.m.”Bala Perdida” Varios
hombres compiten por el amor de una muchacha huerfana que trabaja en
la botica del pueblo. (2:00) KWHY 12 p.m.”Barnyard: The Original Party
Animals” ** (’06, Comedy) Voices of Kevin James. Animated. Animals
play while the farmer is away. (1:40) (PG) TMC 7:20 a.m., 7
p.m.”Batman & Robin” * (’97, Action) (PA) Arnold Schwarzenegger. The
dynamic duo returns to take on an icy villain. (2:30) (PG-13) TBS 10
a.m.”Batman Returns” ** (’92, Action) Michael Keaton. The Catwoman and
the Penguin join forces against Batman. (2:15) (PG-13) HBO 11:45
a.m.”Big Momma’s House 2″ * (’06, Comedy) Martin Lawrence. An FBI
agent reprises his disguise, posing as a heavy nanny. (2:00) (PG-13)
FX 5 p.m.”Bird on a Wire” ** (’90, Romance-Comedy) Mel Gibson. Thugs
chase a federal witness and his ex-lover cross-country. (2:00) (PG-13)
HBO 2 p.m.”The Black Widow” * (’05, Suspense) Giada Colagrande. A
woman hires a man to stay with her in her scary abode. (1:40) (PG-13)
TMC 1:10 a.m.”Blood Diamond” *** (’06, Adventure) Leonardo DiCaprio.
Two men join in a quest to recover a priceless gem. (2:30) (R) MAX
7:30 p.m.”Born to Defense” (’86, Action) Jet Li. A war veteran battles
occupation forces in his village. (1:45) (R) SHOW 3 a.m.”The Bourne
Ultimatum” *** (’07, Action) Matt Damon. Jason Bourne continues to
look for clues to unravel his true identity. (2:00) (PG-13) MAX 9:20
a.m., 10 p.m.”The Boxer” ** (’97, Drama) Daniel Day-Lewis. A former
boxer attempts to fight in war-torn Belfast. (2:00) (R) HBO2 10:30
a.m.”Bridge to Terabithia” *** (’07, Fantasy) Josh Hutcherson. Two
youths create an imaginary world filled with magical beings. (1:40)
(PG) ENCORE 12:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 3:20 a.m.”Brown’s Requiem” ** (’98,
Crime Drama) Michael Rooker. A part-time private eye uncovers a
welfare-check scam. (1:45) (R) FLIX 1:20 p.m.”Bubble Boy” * (’01,
Comedy) Jake Gyllenhaal. A plastic-encased guy goes cross-country to
stop a wedding. (1:25) (PG-13) ENCORE 6:45 a.m., 6:35 p.m.C”El Caifan
del Barrio” (’86, Comedia) Adalberto ‘Resortes’ Martinez. El mejor
bailarin del barrio seduce a todas las mujeres. (1:30) (NR) KWHY 11
p.m.”Can’t Stop the Music” * (’80, Musical) Valerie Perrine. A pseudo-
autobiography of disco’s “The Village People.” (2:05) (PG) FLIX 5
a.m.”Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie” ** (’80, Comedy) Cheech Marin. Two
potheads roam L.A. to find the “perfect high.” (1:40) (R) ENCORE 12
a.m.”City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold” *** (’94, Comedy)
Billy Crystal. Mitch and friends ride out in search of hidden
treasure. (2:00) (PG-13) ENCORE 10:30 a.m.”Coneheads” ** (’93, Comedy)
Dan Aykroyd. The “Saturday Night Live” aliens adjust to life on Earth.
(1:30) (PG) HBO2 6 a.m.”Coogan’s Bluff” *** (’68, Crime Drama) Clint
Eastwood. An Arizona deputy goes to New York to extradite a criminal.
(2:15) (R) AMC 3 p.m.”Courage Under Fire” *** (’96, Drama) Denzel
Washington. Officer reviews medal candidacy of female helicopter
pilot. (2:00) (R) HBO 1:55 a.m.”The Courtship of Andy Hardy” ** (’42,
Comedy) Mickey Rooney. Andy dates a girl whose parents are divorcing.
(1:45) (NR) TCM 3 a.m.”The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (’05, Fantasy) Edward
Furlong. A resurrected ex-convict seeks revenge against Satanists.
(2:00) (R) SCI-FI 3 a.m.”The Culpepper Cattle Company” ** (’72,
Western) Gary Grimes. A teenager comes of age during a difficult
cattle drive. (1:35) (PG) MAX 4:45 a.m.D”Dan in Real Life” *** (’07,
Romance-Comedy) Steve Carell. An advice columnist falls in love with
his brother’s girlfriend. (1:40) (PG-13) STARZ 11 p.m.”Disney’s The
Kid” ** (’00, Comedy) Bruce Willis. An image consultant magically
encounters his younger self. (1:45) (PG) STARZ 3 p.m.”Dracula: Dead
and Loving It” ** (’95, Comedy) Leslie Nielsen. Mel Brooks’ p

The tim brown ideo minutes kennedy comedy

Dark lark. ***1/2. R. Brad Pitt and George Clooney star and one could
fear too much chuminess from Joel and Ethan Coen’s zippy comedy about
secrets, lies and an errant computer disk two gym employees Chad and
Linda (Pitt and Frances McDormand) attempt to turn to their advantage.
Instead the brothers’ departure from the brutal terrain of “No Country
for Old Men” provides a crisp belt of Beltway absurdism. John
Malkovich is furiously amusing as Osborne Cox, an intelligence analyst
who up and quits the CIA when his role is downgraded. That disk has
his notes for a memoir. Tilda Swinton plays Ozzie’s wife. She’s
carrying on an affair with U.S. Marshal Harry Pfarrer (Clooney).
“Burn” is a juggling act of mistaken identities and misjudged
reactions. One of the funniest miscalculations comes when shake-down
numbskull Chad gets popped in the nose by Ozzie. Ouch. (Kennedy) 95
minutes

Superhero action. PG-13. ****. More than any other recent comic-book
hero flick, Christopher Nolan’s tour de force sequel provides an
enduring, unsettlingly bleak fable of our moment. The theme of the
lawman’s reliance on those outside the law to take down those who know
not the rule of law beats at the bruised heart of this flick.
Christian Bale’s modulated presense as sour billionaire Bruce
Wayne/Batman finds competetion in the performances of the late Heath
Ledger and Aaron Eckhart as the Joker and D.A. Harvey Dent. Maggie
Gyllenhaal proves a superior Rachel Dawes, Wayne’s beloved who’s
fallen for Dent. Ledger’s portrayal of the scarred, face-painted arch-
villain is uncanny and kitch-proof, even when he dons a dress. An evil
clown has taken the sensitive actor’s place. He’s not a Bozo but an
even creepier character than the E-Trade baby springs for. (Kennedy)
152 minutes

Action/Thriller. **. R. Of all the Z-movies in the Roger Corman
catalog, they had to remake “Death Race 2000.” But if the original
“Death Race,” with its murderous road-rally drivers who take down
pedestrians for “points,” seemed darkly prophetic when it came out in
1975, the new one feels ripped from the pages of tomorrow’s TV Guide.
Jason “Stick Shift” Statham is Jensen Ames, an ex-driver framed for
his wife’s murder. He winds up on Terminal Island, the prison where
the worst of the worst are held. And there he’s given the choice:
Drive, or else. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 105 minutes

Space cartoon. ***. G. “Fly Me to the Moon” is the last and least of
the animations of summer, a good-looking, nostalgic but underanimated
and thinly scripted child’s-eye view of that ancient history known as
the Apollo program. The story: A group of young flies living on Cape
Canaveral in the 1960s tries to join the Apollo 11 crew and fly to the
moon. The kids concoct spacesuits, a plan to sneak into the capsule,
an excuse to tell their parents. They think the flights last only a
few minutes. Meanwhile, some sneaky Russian flies (Tim Curry does a
voice) are out to foil the mission. (Roger Moore. Orlando Sentinel) 80
minutes

Drama. ****. R. When Ray Eddy quietly weeps in the opening moments of
“Frozen River,” the tears follow age lines formed by worry, poverty
and cigarettes. Ray, played by Melissa Leo in one of those career-
defining performances, has two children, a crummy part-time job that
won’t cover expenses and a husband who has just run off with all her
meager savings — again. She’s earned the right to cry. But she
has one dream: a new double-wide, insulated against the upstate New
York cold, a home for her two sons, Ricky, 5, and T.J., 15. (Roger
Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 97 minutes

Haunted comedy. ***1/2. PG-13. Bertram Pincus DDS hasn’t much use for
the living and even less for the dead. Indeed, Pincus DDS is such a
bitter pill, there are times you wonder if David Koepp’s comedy about
the dour doctor and the deceased cad who enlists his earthly help to
help wreck his widow’s new relationship stands a ghost of a chance of
pulling off the transformations it hints at. But Koepp, who co-wrote
the screenplay with John Kamps, has delivered a gem of a movie. Ricky
Gervais, Greg Kinnear and Téa Leoni are terrific working the
pain and pleasures of comedy. Kristen Wiig is impossibly funny as the
surgeon who must explain to Pincus that well, yes, something happened
during a routine medical procedure: he died. (Kennedy) 103 minutes

Thriller. ***1/2. Not rated, but for mature audiences. A triangular
romantic comedy until we discover that all three of the lovers are
hurtling headlong to self-destruction. At the center of everything is
Gabrielle Deneige, a peppy young blond who does the weather at the
local TV station. A bookstore in Lyon and holds a signing for the
best-selling author Charles Saint-Denis. Also at the event is a
spoiled local rich kid, Paul Gaudens. The three central characters are
in an emotional fencing match, and Gabrielle lacks a mask. (Roger
Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) 114 minutes

Superhero action. PG-13. ***1/2. Played with finesse by Will Smith,
damaged superhero Hancock shows scant signs of shaking off his bitter
moods. The unkempt L.A. denizen is sleeping it off on a bench when a
major freeway shootout transpires. Signs of Hancock’s disenchantment
range from alcohol abuse to rank personal hygiene to sorry
interpersonal skills with regular folk. His don’t-give-a-damn
rejoinders tip the movie’s PG-13 rating toward R. A typically clumsy
intervention by the super-gifted bum leads to an intervention of a
different sort, and sends this action-FX ride in surprisingly humane
directions. (Kennedy) 92 minutes

Animated comedy. **. PG. Malaria is where every lad can dream of
opening his own lab, having his own comely milkmaid girlfriend or
diabolical mad scientist moll. Unless he has a hunch on his back and
is named “Igor.” John Cusack plays an Igor with a dream, to be his own
evil genius someday. But he is tied to the clumsy Dr. Glickenstein
(John Cleese, terrific). Still, if Igor can get his pet project into
the annual Evil Science Fair and win, it’ll be a big win for Igors
everywhere. But “Igor” is chatty and dull, a bit too reliant on
innuendo for a kids’ film. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 80 minutes

Rorschach Drama. **1/2. PG-13. Samuel L. Jackson’s once good cop makes
for a very bad neighbor in this drama about an interracial couple
moving next door to 30-year LAPD veteran Abel Turner (Jackson).
Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington are the young couple excited about
their new home. But all is not right and as the distant hills burn
with California brush fires, the story smolders. Washington is
especially interesting as the sort of character we haven’t seen
onscreen: a quasi-bohemian African American woman. Neil LaBute directs
David Loughery and Howard Korder’s screenplay that challenges
generation attitudes about race by flipping the script on whether this
is or isn’t a film about interracial relationships, black bigotry,
abusive of authority, or all of the above. “Lakeview Terrace” is most
intriguing when it simmers with interpersonal tensions. Once those
tensions are set ablaze in a final-act escalation, it falters.
(Kennedy) 106 minutes

Musical redux. ** 1/2. PG-13. Fans of the ABBA musical will likely
bring a happy sense memory of the play with them into the multiplex.
That will be all they need to be off and humming along to this story
of a daughter on the cusp of marriage, her mother and the three men
who may be her father. Those hoping to be wowed by what is a
tantalizing, grown-up cast — Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan,
Christine Baranski — are in for choppier waters. But you can’t
accuse Streep and Co. of not being super troupers. They sing. They
dance. Only too often, it seems like exertion when play should be the
thing. Instead theater director Phyllida Lloyd has made “the play the
thing.” One of the three creators of the onstage smash, LLoyd has
little sense of cinema’s less-is-more powers. Not to say she’s
delivered a dud or a dirge. Far from it. It’s just that “Mamma Mia!”
feels like a souvenir program: something to revive the feelings you
had watching the stage performance. (Kennedy) 108 minutes

Offbeat drama. ****. R. “Mister Foe,” improbably but beautifully,
balances creepiness and tenderness as perfectly as young Hallam Foe
teeters on the pitched roofs of Edinburgh while he’s spying on a
pretty young woman he’s seen in the street. 17-year-old Hallam
believes his late mother was murdered by his new stepmother, Verity.
Hallam may have an Oedipal attachment, but that doesn’t obviate the
fact that he’s still a kid trying to find a place in his own fractured
family and, beyond that, in the world. (David Wiegand, San Francisco
Chronicle) 95 minutes

Tomb Raider redux. **. PG-13. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,”
the third installment in the kin-of-Indy franchise, finds the son of
explorer Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) on his own archaeological dig
in China in search of the tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Alex (Luke Ford)
is tempting a disaster in digging for him. If the emperor (Jet Li) is
revived and his army of terra-cotta warriors called forth, well you
know the action-fantasy drill. (Kennedy) 111 minutes

Action comedy. ***. R. This action comedy finds customer Dale (Seth
Rogen) and toasted dealer Saul (James Franco) on the lam from a drug
kingpin and his cop accomplice (Gary Cole and Rosie Perez). A process
server with a bag of tricks and some odd costumes in the trunk of his
car, Dale thought he was just going to deliver a subpoena. Instead he
witnesses a gang murder. He panics, tosses his smoldering joint. It’s
funny, sad, and very careless. It’s also got a strange joy to it.
(Kennedy) 112 minutes

Dark Family Dramedy. ***1/2. R. “Red Roses and Petrol,” boasts its
share of moments — I’m thinking especially of the point when one
of the characters snorts two lines of his father’s ashes, mistaking
them for cocaine. Those ashes are the remnants of Enda, tyrannical
father and an unfaithful husband, who has bequeathed to his family a
lifetime’s worth of grievances. But between its extraordinary
performances and some of the most inventive cursing I’ve ever heard
(all in a creamy Irish brogue), this film deserves its own place in
the sun. (Michael Hardy, Boston Globe) 97 minutes

Young chick flick. ***. PG. The girls are linked by an usual pair of
blue jeans. The embroidered, sequined denim fit each girl perfectly.
Over the course of a summer, the pants are passed from character to
character with powerful effect. This sequel finds the quartet half-
heartedly committed to the ritual of the pants and pursuing new goals
after their first year of college. Their are no slackers here: Tibby
attends New York University, artist Lena goes to Rhode Island School
of Design, Blake is studying at Brown and Carmen is a Yalie. But in a
film that depends as much on chemistry as individual effort, the
sisterhood of the pants remains strong. (Kennedy) 111 minutes

Animated comedy. G. ***. “Chimps,” from the animation studio that gave
us “Valiant,” is one of those cartoons parents won’t mind sitting
through while little Miss or Mister 8-and-under chuckles at the cute
talking primates. And chuckle they will. With adorable critters and
icky monsters and oodles of potential toy accessories (to say nothing
of a video game tie-in), this movie looks for that sweet spot in every
7-year-old’s heart for chimpanzees and movies about them. And the
script manages the occasional wisecrack or movie lovers’ inside joke
to keep the grown-ups awake, too. (Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel)
81 minutes.

French thriller. Not rated. *** 1/2. What a terrific pas de deux of
withholding and revelation Guillaume Canet’s adaptation of Harlan
Coben’s novel (co-written by Philippe Lefebvre) is. The thriller
balances a story of upended love with a mystery that wields power till
the very end. Eight years after the death of his wife, still-grieving
pediatrician Alexandre Beck (Francois Cluzet) comes under suspicion
when two bodies are unearthed near the site of wife Margot’s brutal
murder. At the same time, Alex receives an anonymous email showing a
woman who looks like his wife caught on a surveillance camera. What
gives? Cluzet resembles a Gallic Dustin Hoffman circa “Marathon Man”
— and not just because he leads the police on a fantastic foot
chase. The dark-haired actor has a moving intensity. “Tell No One” is
rich with intriguing characters: a thug who dotes on his hemophiliac
toddker, a skeptical police shrink, a wealthy senator who employs
Alex’s sister. Canet avoids the nighttime hours of noir. Better, he
hasn’t much use for femmes fatales, though there is a chilling
hitwoman. Marie-Josee Croze does her part to make us yearn for Margot.
Kristin Scott-Thomas provides fine ballast as Alex best friend and
sister in law. Helene. Nathalie Baye gives a nicely fierce turn as the
lawyer Helene hires for Alex. (Kennedy) 125 minutes

Political thriller. ***. PG-13. Globe-trotting political thriller
“Traitor” begins with a tender moment between a father and a son as
they pore over the Koran and later as they ponder their moves on a
chessboard. Violence and loss leave an imprint on the sensitive boy
who grows up to be the protagonist. Thrillers that avoid insulting our
intelligence are not as common an occurrence as they should be. Don
Cheadle is Samir. The son of an Islamic holy man and an American
mother, he was born in Sudan but raised in the U.S. When we meet him,
the special-ops explosives expert is hawking Cemtex to some bad actors
in Yemen. Whether Samir is a devout Muslim or a purveyor of mayhem, or
both, provides the tension at the heart of the film, which at once
takes belief seriously and scrutinizes it. (Kennedy) 90 minutes

Train thriller. ****. R. A worldly “bad-girl” wife, a naive husband,
two too-chatty strangers, drugs, Russian cops and a very long train
ride — that’s a combo Alfred Hitchcock would be happy to call
his own. “Transsiberian” is a paranoid, chilling train trek that
borrows freely from the best Hitchcock pictures to give us that rare
adult summer thriller. Woody Harrelson is Roy, the rube hardware-store
owner from Iowa whose church has just finished a help-kids outreach in
China. Emily Mortimer is Jessie, his onetime “bad-girl” wife, a
photographer, a smoker and probably a little wilder than Roy can
handle. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 111 minutes

War flick parody. ** 1/2. R. The disaster-beset war flick within Ben
Stiller’s action comedy is not the only bungle in the jungle taking
place when five actors are stranded and believe the cameras are still
rolling. No, those aren’t extras. They’re a drug gang. Stiller
improbably stars as a has-been action hero Tugg Speedman. Jack Black
overplays Jeff Portnoy whose chief complaint is the lack of illicit
substances to abuse. As Aussie method actor Kirk Lazarus (who
underwent a procedure to make him appear African American), Robert
Downey Jr. seems to be working in a different, better movie. Stiller
and cowriters Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen had the makings of a wry
satire about the pampered insularity of Hollywood denizens. Instead
they settled for an above par parody movie with some sub-par gags
about disability. In spoofing war movies and their disconnect with
real combat, “Tropic Thunder” seems even more clueless. Thanks to
Downey and Tom Cruise, there are a few incandescently insane set-
pieces: Lazaruz argues racial authenticity with Alpa Chino, an African
American rapper-turned-actor. And Cruise’s performance is reminiscent
of his chilling turn in “Magnolia.” He’s nearly unrecognizable beneath
the balding-hairy guy get-up and yet… (Kennedy) 107 minutes

Romantic Travelogue. *** 1/2. PG-13. They are best friends and in
matters of the heart like night and day. And Woody Allen teases their
contrasts when he sends sensible Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and yearning
Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) to Barcelona for a summer where they
flirt with pleasure and minor disaster. Javier Bardem and
Penélope Cruz are vibrant as a painter and his volatile and
talented ex-wife. They are catalysts in the women’s deeper if
confounded appreciation of “Catalan Identity” (Vicky’s masters
thesis). Agile and warmly sexy, Allen’s romp is a study in how a place
and its denizens, familiar enough but distinctly different, upend what
one knows about oneself. Patricia Clarkson adds texture as Judy, who
along with her husband, puts the duo up for their adventure. An amused
Allen adds to his wry treatise on character contrasts — American
and Meditteranean, pragmatic and romantic — Vicky’s
fiancé arrives shirt tucked in his khakis, laptop at the ready.
(Kennedy) 97 minutes

Animated. ***. G. “Finding Nemo” director Andrew Stanton returns with
a vivid and rather dystopian fable set in the future. Little, curious
Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class aka WALL*E stacks garbage
skyscraper-high centuries after humans have departed for space. When
sleek probe EVE arrives in search of vegetation, the lonesome bot
falls, hard, then follows. On a cruise-style spaceship, hefty pampered
humans could use some shaking up. After a bleak start that might have
gotten sci-fi author Philip K. Dick’s seal of approval, “WALL*E” finds
its rousing, hopeful groove without ever sacrificing its far-from
artificial intelligence. (Kennedy) 97 minutes

Declawed comedy. *1/2. PG-13. The best intentions don’t always lead to
the best films. The long-awaited version of George Cukor’s 1939
classic (based on Claire Booth Luce’s Broadway hit) has a impressive
roster of stars: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes and Jada Pinkett
Smith flips the script dramatically. And Diane English, “Murphy Brown”
creator turned first-time film director, should be lauded for wanting
to rescue the original from its negative ideas about female
friendship. Here Ryan plays the morally upstanding Mary Haines, whose
husband has strayed. Bening is Sylvia, Mary’s frenemy is now her best
friend. Debra Messing and Smith fill out Mary’s clique of love. Eva
Mendes is the knockout perfume hawker who KOs the Haines marriage
(Joan Crawford did the damage in 1939). Original gossip girl Hedda
Hopper referred to “The Women” as “that feminine kennel.” And it was
the kind of bitchfest that has given drag queens yards of fabric to
work with. This version wields little razor-sharp repartee. Still, you
don’t have put it up against Cukor’s film to find it lacking.
Ironically, a television series beat English to the punchline. The
women of “Sex and the City” made this “Women” late to the party.
(Kennedy) 104 minutes