OPENING FRIDAY
HAIRSPRAY (****, PG) Pure fun, from the moment a roly-poly teenager named Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) bounces out of bed and serenades the neighborhood with Good Morning, Baltimore! Circa 1962, she dreams of getting on the local TV teen dance show, but on her way there she gets indignant about how the show is all white except for one day a month. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY (H, PG-13) Adam Sandler and Kevin James play Brooklyn firefighters who pretend they're a couple to receive domestic partner benefits. This sets up a litany of obvious gags and adolescent one-liners, followed by a swift, politically correct embrace of gay culture. Director Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy) wants to have it both ways but never gets either right. It might seem offensive if it weren't so lame. Jessica Biel and Dan Aykroyd also star. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (***, R) In 1984, in the communist-totalitarian state of East Germany, a domestic surveillance specialist (Ulrich Muehe) working for the Stasi bugs the apartment of playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his illustrious leading lady, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). His feelings of envy and disgust begin to crack his professional detachment. Evans
ONGOING
1408 (**, PG-13) John Cusack is the man to watch in this horror thriller based on a Stephen King short story. Augusta Exchange, Aiken, ends today at Evans
ARE WE DONE YET? (PG) Ice Cube returns for this sequel to 2005's Are We There Yet? Masters
CAPTIVITY (R) A top cover girl and fashion model (Elisha Cuthbert) is abducted and tortured. Evans
DISTURBIA (PG-13) A teen living under house arrest becomes persuaded that his neighbor is a serial killer. Masters
EVAN ALMIGHTY (*, PG) There's no movie here - just a concept that holds little promise and can't even deliver on those low expectations. Augusta Exchange, Evans
EVENING (**, PG-13) A highly esteemed group of actresses including Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson comes together for a pretentious pile of goo. Evans
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (PG) The crime-fighting quartet's members learn they are not the only people with superpowers. Augusta Exchange, Evans
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (**, PG-13) Harry is convinced the evil Voldemort has returned but no one will heed his warning, and the Ministry of Magic cracks down, imposing a fearsome new teacher (Imelda Staunton) at Hogwarts. Her name is Umbridge, and she takes plenty. Harry and friends hatch a plot to defend Headmaster Dumbledore from her ravages, in a movie that is darker, more solemn and less whimsical than we expect in the series. Augusta Exchange, Aiken, Evans
HOSTEL: PART II (**, R) Writer-director Eli Roth reprises his 2005 Hostel splatter tale; this time, upscale tourists torture unlucky tourists in a Slovak hostel. Begins Friday at Masters
THE INVISIBLE (PG-13) A teen finds himself in limbo between the living and the dead. Masters
KNOCKED UP (**H, R) If Old School and She's Having a Baby sprinted at each other at full speed and collided in violently comedic-sexual fashion, spawning one outrageous film, the result would be Knocked Up. Augusta Exchange
LICENSE TO WED (PG-13) Romantic comedy with Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, with Robin Williams as the pastor. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (**H, PG-13) Bruce Willis is in classic form as NYPD Detective John McClane, who is once again thrust into a cataclysmic emergency. Augusta Exchange, Evans, ends today at Aiken
MEET THE ROBINSONS (G) An inventor hops in a time machine to track down a thief of one of his inventions in this animated tale. Begins Friday at Masters
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (**H, PG-13) If Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. could see the entertaining action in this third Pirates movie, they'd drop their swords in amazement. Augusta Exchange
RATATOUILLE (**H, G) This might be the first Pixar movie that is so advanced, so sophisticated, it doesn't feel as though it was made for kids. There's some slapsticky physical comedy, but there's nothing silly or childlike about it. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken
SICKO (**H, PG-13) Michael Moore's litany of horrors about the American health care system is likely to strike home with anyone, liberal or conservative, who has had serious illness in the family. Ends today at Augusta Exchange, begins Friday at Evans
SPIDER-MAN 3 (**, PG-13) Often thrilling but never scary, and at times pure camp. Masters
TRANSFORMERS (**H, PG-13) Shia LaBeouf stars as a high school student who gets a used Camaro that is part of an invasion by two groups of battling robots. Opening scenes are exciting and funny, with a lot of stuff that blows up, but the grand finale, with robots battling in special effects, goes on too long. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken
WILD HOGS (PG-13) Four friends (John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen and William H. Macy) take their midlife crisis on the road in an unlikely biker comedy. Masters
JUST FOR KIDS
EVERYONE'S HERO (G) Tuesday and July 26 at Evans
ICE AGE (PG) Tuesday and July 26 at Evans
LAST CHANCE
BLADES OF GLORY (PG-13) Will Ferrell and Jon Heder join forces to compete as pairs figure skaters. Ends today at Masters
BUG (**H, R) A paranoid personality finds his mate, and they race each other into madness, convinced they are being destroyed by bugs. Ends today at Masters
FRACTURE (**H, R) The old, wealthy husband. The young, beautiful wife. The torrid affair. These are the main ingredients of a film that is smart, fast-paced and intriguing. Ends today at Masters
SHREK THE THIRD (PG) When his father-in-law dies, an unwilling Shrek shrinks from becoming the new king of Far, Far Away. Ends today at Augusta Exchange
