Ratings as appeared in Beacon Journal film critic and wire-service reviews:♥=Weak
♥♥=Mediocre
♥♥♥=Worth Seeing
♥♥♥♥=Shouldn't Be Missed
Opening Friday
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — mature thematic material, smoking) Kristin Scott Thomas in a strong performance as a woman released from prison after 15 years and returning to live with a sister and brother-in-law who do not greet her warmly. The event in her past is not widely known about in the present, but presents her with a social minefield and employment problems. In French, with English subtitles. 1 hour, 57 minutes.
Cedar Lee
NEW IN TOWN — ♥♥1/2
(PG — language and some suggestive material) Renee Zellweger is a high-powered exec from Miami who flies into tiny New Ulm, Minn., to downsize the food plant. There she meets Blanche Gunderson (Siobhan Fallon Hogan), who talks just like Fargo's Marge Gunderson, and the plant's union rep, Harry Connick Jr., the only eligible man in town, so do the math. 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
OUTLANDER — ♥
(R — vulgar language, violence, gore) An alien spaceship crash-lands in a Viking fjord in the Iron Age, bringing one alien (Jim Caviezel) who appears to be human, and another, the Moorwen, who is a speedy, giant, armored hippo-beetle with fearsome teeth. The local village is suspicious of the outlander until he saves the king (John Hurt) from the Moorwen. Then he leads them into battle, while romance blossoms with the king's daughter (Sophia Myles). A collision of genres, interesting as a curiosity, otherwise preposterous, climaxing with violent and incoherent special effects. 1 hour, 55 minutes.
Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
TAKEN — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references, language) A former secret agent (Liam Neeson) relies on his old skills to save his daughter (Maggie Grace), who is kidnapped during her vacation in Paris. 1 hour, 31 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Garrettsville Cinemas, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
THE UNINVITED — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — violent, disturbing images, sexual content, language, teen drinking) Emily Browning from ''Lemony Snicket'' in a very different role in a well-made horror film about a troubled teenager whose mother died in a fire, and whose father (David Strathairn) is now living with her mother's nurse (Elizabeth Banks). Skillfully constructed, with some genuine scares. 1 hour, 27 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
Playing Friday
through
next week
AUSTRALIA — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — some violence, scene of sensuality, brief strong language) — Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly forms a pact with a stock man (Hugh Jackman) to protect her new property from a takeover plot. 2 hours, 40 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
BEDTIME STORIES — ♥
(PG — mild language) Adam Sandler plays a hotel handyman named Skeeter, fighting it out for a promotion and a girlfriend with the son of the hotel owner. He tells bedtime stories to a niece and nephew, and the stories seem to come true the following day. From Disney with Guy Pearce, Keri Russell, Courteney Cox. 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Jackson Township Movies 10, Linda Theatre, Valley View 24
BRIDE WARS — ♥1/2
(PG — suggestive content, language and some rude behavior) Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway play girlhood friends who made a vow to realize their dreams of both getting married at the Plaza. As adults, they quickly become rivals when their weddings are scheduled at the same place on the same day. 1 hour, 29 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
CADILLAC RECORDS — ♥♥
(R — pervasive language and some sexuality) Chicago's Chess Records roster included Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and Little Walter. A film of the great Chess years, heavy on the music, that stars Beyonce Knowles, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer and Mos Def, with Adrien Brody as the enigmatic Leonard Chess, who gave his musicians shiny new Cadillacs but never a good look at their royalties. 1 hour, 47 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking) — A man is old when he is born and an infant when he dies. Good performances by Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, others. 2 hours, 39 minutes.
Big Picture, Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Linda Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL — ♥1/2
(PG-13 — some sci-fi disaster images and violence) Aliens land on Earth with an important message for its citizens. A remake of the classic 1951 sci-fi film directed by Robert Wise. Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith star in the new version. 1 hour, 44 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
DEFIANCE — ♥♥1/2
(R — violence, language) Based on the true story of a group of Jews in Belarus who defied the Nazis, hid in the forest and maintained a self-contained society while losing only about 50 of some 1,200 members. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell play three of the Bielski brothers, whose defiance was the most successful Jewish resistance. Well-mounted and acted, but loses focus with romantic and personality conflicts. 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
DOUBT — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — thematic material) In a Catholic grade school in 1964, a stern nun (Meryl Streep) rules with severe perfectionism. The new parish priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is gentler and more progressive. A sweet young nun (Amy Adams) suspects something that places them all on a collision course. And the mother (Viola Davis) of the school's only black student faces up to Streep in an unexpected way, in a towering supporting performance. 1 hour, 44 minutes.
Big Picture, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Shaker Square Cinemas, Valley View 24
FOUR CHRISTMASES — ♥1/2
(PG-13 — some sexual humor, language) A couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day. 1 hour, 22 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
FROST/NIXON — ♥♥♥
(R — some language) The famous 1977 interviews between Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) and David Frost (Michael Sheen), played as a duel with both men troubled by private agendas. Nixon wants both to conceal and reveal. Frost wants to be liked, but he has gambled all his money on wringing a Watergate confession out of Nixon. Begins as an inside look at the TV news business, tightens into a spellbinding thriller. 1 hour, 58 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
GRAN TORINO — ♥♥1/2
(R — language throughout, and some violence) Clint Eastwood directs himself as a cantankerous, racist, retired autoworker who keeps his shotgun ready to lock and load. The movie is about his touchy relationship with the Asians next door, during which he discovers his better nature, but not without a lot of growling. 1 hour, 56 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
HOTEL FOR DOGS — ♥♥
(PG — brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor) Orphaned teens Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) are sent to live with their aunt (Lisa Kudrow), which is just fine with the kids until they meet a stray dog who needs their help. Since their aunt is allergic to dogs, the siblings decide to turn a nearby abandoned house into a canine hostel. But can they kept their secret under wraps as more and more four-legged guests arrive? 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Garrettsville Cinemas, Great Oaks Cinema, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
INKHEART — ♥1/2
(PG — fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language) Brendan Fraser plays a man who has the gift, when reading aloud, of bringing fictional characters to life and trapping living people in the pages of a book. He and his daughter (Eliza Hope Bennett) find a copy of Inkheart, the novel he was reading when her mother was sucked into its pages. Now they compete with demonic spirits freed from its pages at the same time. Ingenious, yes, but it all descends into basic action scenes and skullduggery. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24
LAST CHANCE HARVEY — ♥1/2
(PG-13 — brief strong language) Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are two depressed strangers in London who may have found refuge in each other. A touching scene at a wedding, but their story is diluted by a gratuitous subplot about her mother, and too many montages substituting for dialogue. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA — ♥1/2
(PG — some mild crude humor) Same characters, same challenge: Can wild animals survive in the wild? Our heroes tape together a crashed airplane and try to fly it home, but end up dealing with volcanoes and drought. 1 hour, 29 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
MARLEY & ME — ♥♥
(PG — thematic material, some suggestive content and language) Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play a married couple who find their lives dramatically changed by a not-so-obedient yellow Labrador retriever. The family film is based on the best-selling book of the same name. 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Jackson Township Movies 10
MILK — ♥♥♥1/2
(R — language, some sexual content and brief violence) Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, the first self-identified gay person to win public office in America. Following him from a personal turning point to the leadership of a powerful political and social movement, the film never objectifies him as a hero, but as an ordinary man: kind, funny, flawed, shrewd, idealistic, yearning for a better world. 2 hours, 8 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
MY BLOODY VALENTINE — ♥♥♥
(R — graphic violence, nudity, language) Fans of '70s and '80s horror films will recognize the familiar plot. An isolated community becomes the target of the Miner, a pick-swinging maniac made crazy after being the only survivor of a mining accident. It appeared the Miner was stopped after his first killing spree, but 10 years later, he's back to his old ways. Stars Kerr Smith, Jensen Ackles and Jaime King. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Massillon 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
NOT EASILY BROKEN — ♥1/2
(PG-13 — sexual references and thematic elements) A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple. Based on book by T.D. Jakes. Stars Morris Chestnut and Taraji P. Henson. 1 hour, 36 minutes.
Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
NOTORIOUS — ♥♥♥
(R — pervasive language, some strong sexuality, including dialogue, nudity and drug content) The life and early death of Christopher Wallace, known as the rapper Notorious B.I.G. Another rapper, Jamal (Gravy) Woolard, looks and sounds uncannily like B.I.G. in the title role, as do Antonique Smith as his wife, Faith Evans, and Angela Bassett as his mother, Voletta. Derek Luke is B.I.G.'s manager, Sean (Puffy) Combs. Good music, strong story, subtle message. 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Independence 10, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
QUANTUM OF SOLACE — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content) Following the death of Vesper Lynd, James Bond (Daniel Craig) makes his next mission personal. The hunt for those who blackmailed his lover leads Bond to ruthless businessman Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a key player in the organization that coerced Vesper. Bond learns that Greene is plotting to gain total control of a vital natural resource, and must navigate a minefield of danger and treachery to foil Greene's plan. 1 hour, 46 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
PAUL BLART: MALL COP — ♥1/2
(PG — some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language) Kevin James stars as a fat schlub who transforms himself into an action hero during a hostage situation at a New Jersey mall. Slam-bam slapstick, preposterous, funny, using a Segway like a NASCAR winner. 1 hour, 27 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Garrettsville Cinemas, Great Oaks Cinema, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Highland Theatre, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
THE READER — ♥♥1/2
(R — sex, nudity, language) A postwar German affair between a woman in her 30s (Kate Winslet) and a boy of 15 (David Kross) connects to her past and his future as a cold, frightened man (Ralph Fiennes). Not simply about her past as a Nazi murderer, but about his decision to keep secret information that would be relevant at her trial. 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Big Picture, Cedar Lee, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Montrose 12, Valley View 24
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD — ♥♥
(R — language, sexual content/nudity) Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as a 1950s couple stuck in suburban desperation as undefined yearnings eat at their souls. Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty); based on a 1961 novel by Richard Yates. 1 hour, 59 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE — ♥♥♥
(R — some violence, disturbing images and language) Bridges the two Indias, cutting between poverty and the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The story of an orphan born into a brutal early existence. A petty thief, impostor and survivor, he improvises his way up through the world and remembers everything he has learned. From Danny Boyle, winner of the Audience Award at Toronto 2008. 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24
THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX — ♥1/2
(G) The story involves a big-eared mouse named Despereaux, a sniffy rat named Roscuro and other members of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. It's a joy to look at frame by frame, but the plot is muddled and could involve us more. 1 hour, 34 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
TRANSPORTER 3 — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 —sequences of intense action and violence, some sexual content and drug material) Frank Martin (Jason Statham) puts the driving gloves on for a third mission: to deliver Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he'll have to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina's safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
TWILIGHT — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — some violence and a scene of sensuality) Teenager Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). As it turns out, Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn't fit the typical vampire mold. As their passion reaches dizzying heights, can Edward resist his natural urges and will he be able to defend Bella from his family members who have come for her? 2 hours.
Independence 10, Valley View 24
THE UNBORN — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references — A young woman fights the spirit that is slowly taking possession of her. 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Massillon 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS — ♥1/2
(R — bloody violence, some sexuality) An origins story which reveals the cause of the centuries-old blood feud between the Death Dealers and the Lycans. Lucian (Michael Sheen), a powerful and influential Lycan werewolf, rallies his race in an uprising against the vampire king Viktor (Bill Nighy). Joining Lucian is his secret lover, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), a vampire who empathizes with the Lycans and looks to help free them from slavery.1 hour, 33 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent University Plaza, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
VALKYRIE — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — violence, brief strong language) A meticulous thriller about a conspiracy within the German army to assassinate Hitler. Tom Cruise is perfectly satisfactory in the leading role, as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, and a good supporting cast includes Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson. 1 hour, 54 minutes.
Hickory Ridge Cinema 8, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Valley View 24
THE WRESTLER — ♥♥♥♥
(R — violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use) Mickey Rourke plays the battered, broke pro wrestler Randy ''The Ram'' Robinson, in the performance of his lifetime. Once famous, now making the rounds of shabby New Jersey venues, he's in his 50s and lonely. He tries to reconnect with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and hopes to get something going with a stripper (Marisa Tomei), as Darren Aronofsky's film provides a rare backstage look at how matches are prepared. The sport may be ''fake,'' but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24

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