Originally created 09/01/05

Mini-reviews



THEATERS, RATINGS

Reviews without star ratings are from critics other than Roger Ebert. Listings are subject to change. Call theaters for times. For an online movie guide, see augusta.com/movies.

COMING FRIDAY

A SOUND OF THUNDER (PG-13) Time-traveling dinosaur hunters disrupt the course of history. Based on Ray Bradbury's classic story. With Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley. Augusta Exchange

THE CONSTANT GARDENER (HHHH, R) A British diplomat's wife is found slain along with an African man at a remote crossroads. Is the death just a crime of violence, or is it connected to her questions about the way drug companies test their products on poor Africans? Based on the novel by John Le Carre and directed by Fernando Meirelles, this is an uncommonly good thriller. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, with Danny Huston, Hubert Kounde, Bill Nighy and Pete Postlethwaite. Augusta Exchange and Evans

THE TRANSPORTER 2 (PG-13) The ultra-able deliveryman (Jason Statham) comes out of retirement to pursue kidnappers. Aiken and Evans

UNDERCLASSMAN (PG-13) Eddie Murphy, your legacy is safe. Sure, you've moved away from the fast-talking, smart-mouthed shtick that helped catapult you to stardom in 1980s movies such as 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop, and into warmer, fuzzier family fare. Seeing young Nick Cannon feebly pilfer your act only makes us miss you more. Augusta Exchange and Evans

ONGOING

bad news bears (HHH, PG-13) Billy Bob Thornton as a drunken has-been minor league pitcher who coaches a Little League team of losers. Begins Friday at Augusta Village and Masters

BEWITCHED (HH, PG-13) Will Ferrell plays a has-been movie star who signs for a TV retread of the sitcom Bewitched. He insists on an unknown for the Samantha role and discovers Nicole Kidman in a bookstore, because she has that famous nose-twitch thing. Masters and Augusta Village

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (PG) Johnny Depp plays Willy Wonka, and his Finding Neverland co-star Freddie Highmore plays Charlie Bucket. With Tim Burton directing, it's got to be worth tasting. Augusta Exchange, ends today at Aiken and Evans

CINDERELLA MAN (HHH, PG-13) Russell Crowe gives another strong performance in the story of boxer Jim Braddock, who was washed up after a hand injury but fought back from poverty to win the heavyweight title from the dreaded Max Baer. Augusta Village

CRASH (HHHH, R) Interlocking stories of whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops and criminals, the rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless, all defined in one way or another by racism. With particularly strong performances by Matt Dillon, Terence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock and Don Cheadle. Masters and Augusta Village

DARK WATER (HHH, PG-13) Jennifer Connelly, newly separated, moves with her small daughter (Ariel Gade) to a dark apartment in a grim building on New York's Roosevelt Island. The hallway seems like a tunnel of horror, and why does the stain on the ceiling seem to have a life of its own? Begins Friday at Masters

DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO (NO STARS, R) Deuce Bigalow (Rob Schneider) makes a living prostituting himself. How much he charges, I'm not sure, but the price is worth it if it keeps him off the streets and out of another movie. Augusta Exchange

FANTASTIC FOUR (H, PG-13) Four scientists are transformed by a mysterious star storm into beings with superpowers. Begins Friday at Masters and Augusta Village, ends today at Augusta Exchange

FOUR BROTHERS (HHH, R) A sweet little old lady is gunned down, and her four adopted sons (two black, two white) meet at her funeral and vow revenge. Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

GUESS WHO (PG-13) Ashton Kutcher is called upon for embarrassing antics in this re-envisioning of the 1967 classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Ends today at Augusta Village

HERBIE: FULLY LOADED (HH, G) Lindsay Lohan rescues Herbie, the original love bug, from a junkyard and ends up piloting it in a NASCAR race against a nasty opponent (Matt Dillon). Masters and Augusta Village

LADIES IN LAVENDER (HH, PG-13) Judi Dench and Maggie Smith play sisters who share a cottage on the Cornwall coast, where life is peaceful until a dark and handsome stranger (Daniel Bruhl) washes ashore on a dark and stormy night. Who is this man? Evans

MADAGASCAR (HH, PG) Four animals are stars at the Central Park Zoo: Alex the Lion (voice by Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). Marty dreams of escape. One of his attempts leads to all four being returned to the wild in Madagascar. Masters, Augusta Village and Big Mo

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (HHH, G) A documentary by Luc Jacquet and team follows the penguins of Antarctica through unimaginable conditions to document their life cycle. Augusta Exchange and Evans

MONSTER-IN-LAW (PG-13) Can Jennifer Lopez stand up to Jane Fonda? Most people will bet on Ms. Fonda. Augusta Village

MR. AND MRS. SMITH (HHH, PG-13) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie go into marriage counseling when their romance starts to subside. What neither one knows is that they're both professional assassins assigned to kill each other. Masters and Augusta Village

MUST LOVE DOGS (HH, PG-13) John Cusack and Diane Lane are two of the most likeable actors in the movies. Alas, their movie is pleasant, sedate, subdued and sweet, but there is not a moment of passion or suspense in it. Ends today at Augusta Exchange

REBOUND (HH, PG) Martin Lawrence plays a college basketball coach demoted to coaching middle school. Augusta Village

RED EYE (PG-13): Rachel McAdams stars as a hotel manager on an overnight flight seated next to a man (Cillian Murphy) who threatens to kill her father (Brian Cox) unless she switches a key Homeland Security official to a different room at her hotel to facilitate an assassination plot. Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

SKY HIGH (PG) It's not easy being the offspring of superheroes, even if those superheroes are played by Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. Aiken, ends today at Augusta Exchange and Evans

STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH (HHH, PG-13) A return to the classic space opera. Augusta Village

SUPERCROSS (PG-13): Sibling rivals, still mourning their father's mysterious death, enter the Supercross racing competition. Ends today at Augusta Exchange and Evans

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL IN 3-D (HH, PG) Cayden Boyd stars as a classroom dreamer whose fantasies come to life. Masters, ends today at Augusta Village

THE BROTHERS GRIMM (PG-13) Starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, this is not your grandparents' Brothers Grimm. Director Terry Gilliam presents the duo as con artists who finally have to prove their mettle. Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

THE CAVE (PG-13) Thrill-seeking cave explorers make shocking discoveries when they dive into a cave deep in a Romanian forest at the site of a ruined abbey. Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (H, PG-13) Lame retread of the TV series. The good ol' boys deliver moonshine for Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), outrun Sheriff Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and battle "the meanest man in Hazzard County," Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

THE GREAT RAID (HHH, R): A realistic war drama based on the true story of a 1945 raid by U.S. Army Rangers and Philippine guerrillas, who attacked the Japanese POW camp at Cabanatuan and rescued more than 500 Americans. Augusta Exchange and Evans

THE LONGEST YARD (HHH, PG-13) Adam Sandler stars as a has-been pro quarterback, sent to prison. There he finds himself leading a team of convicts against a team of guards. Augusta Village, ends today at Masters

THE SKELETON KEY (HH, PG-13) Kate Hudson signs up as a private caregiver for an old man (John Hurt) who can't talk after a stroke but sure wants to tell her something. Augusta Exchange and Evans

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (HHH, R): Steve Carell stars as Andy Stitzer, who doesn't just ride his bike to work, he signals his turns. His buddies (Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen) discover he's a virgin and determine to end his drought. Augusta Exchange, Aiken and Evans

UNDISCOVERED (PG-13) Ashlee Simpson, Peter Weller and Carrie Fisher are among the stars in this tale of people trying to succeed in L.A.'s show-business jungle. Evans, ends today at Augusta Exchange

VALIANT (R): The filmmakers behind this animated tale expend a flutter of feathered energy. Yet laughs are scarce and little of the action resonates. Augusta Exchange and Evans

WAR OF THE WORLDS (PG-13) Tom Cruise stars as bad things happen to good people in a Martians attack. Fortunately, the invaders overstay their welcome. Big Mo

WEDDING CRASHERS (R) Solid buzz surrounds this comedy with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn taking advantage of other people's celebrations. Augusta Exchange, Big Mo and Evans