LITTLE ROCK — At area theaters 78 AMELIA, PG Hilary Swank plays aviator Amelia Earhart and Richard Gere plays her partner and eventual husband, publisher George Putnam. With Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen; directed by Mira Nair. (120 minutes) 77 ASTRO BOY, PG A young robot with incredible powers, created by a brilliant scientist, learns the joys and emotions of being human and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Animated. With voices of Freddie Highmore, Charlize Theron, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane; directed by David Bowers. (94 minutes) 86 THE BOYS ARE BACK, PG-13 Clive Owen plays a man who must raise his two sons alone after the untimely death of his second wife. With Emma Booth, Laura Fraser, George MacKay; directed by Scott Hicks. (104 minutes) 90 BRIGHT STAR, PG English poet John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, start a passionate and forbidden affair in 1818 London.With Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Thomas Sangster, Kerry Fox; directed by Jane Campion. (119 minutes) 87 THE BURNING PLAIN, R Charlize Theron plays a restaurant manager whose cool, professional demeanor takes a hit when a Mexican stranger confronts her with her mysterious past and she finds herself linked to a variety of disparate characters, all of whom are grappling with their romantic destinies. (90 minutes) 85 CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY, R Michael Moore takes a documentary look at the impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans and the world. (127 minutes) 88 CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT, PG-13 When a 16-year-old and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, a vampire turns the youngster into something, well, bloodthirsty. With John C.Reilly, Chris Massoglia, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek; directed by Paul Weitz. (120 minutes) 88 CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, PG A geeky scientist invents a device that causes food to rain from the sky. Animated. (81 minutes) 75 COUPLES RETREAT, PG-13 Four Midwestern couples on a group-rate vacation to a tropical island discoverthat the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. (107 minutes) 68 THE FINAL DESTINATION, R Bobby Campo plays the guy whose horrific premonitions of others’ gruesome deaths keep coming true. With Shantel VanSanten; directed by David R. Ellis. (82 minutes) 85 G-FORCE, PG Highly trained guinea pigs are the secret weapons in a government espionage program. Animated. (90 minutes) 80 G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, PG-13 The elite G.I. Joe team uses ultramodern spyware and military weaponry to fight a corrupt international arms dealer. (118 minutes) 88 GOOD HAIR, PG-13 In this semidocumentary, Chris Rock, seeking the answer to his daughter’s question, “Daddy, why don’t I have good hair?”, discovers that hair is a big business that doesn’t always benefit the black community. With Maya Angelou, Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long; directed by Jeff Stilson. (105 minutes) 75 I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, PG-13 Madea turns over three troublemaking teens to their nightclub singer aunt, who is not interested in or prepared to take care of them. (113 minutes) 90 INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, R Jewish-American soldiers and a German actress plot acts of retribution and go on a mission to take down Nazi leaders. (153 minutes) 76 JENNIFER’S BODY, R A gorgeous cheerleader is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a small Minnesota farming town, leaving it up to her “plain Jane” best friend to stop her and destroy the source of her evil transformation. (102 minutes) 70 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, R Gerard Butler plays a family man who, years after his wife was murdered during a home invasion, begins to take revenge on the prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) and others who allowed one of her killers to get off lightly. (108 minutes) 75 LOVE HAPPENS, PG-13 A widower(Aaron Eckhart) writes a book about grieving that transforms him into a hugely popular self-help celebrity. (109 minutes) 89 MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT, PG Kenny Ortega’s documentary glimpse into the final days of Michael Jackson, compiled from an estimated 80 hours of rehearsal and behind-thescenes footage of Jackson preparing for his 50 sold-out London shows, plus interviews with collaborators and close friends. (121 minutes)86 9, PG-13 In a future where the world’s machines have decimated the human population before being largely shut down, a group of small creations must outwit and fight against a marauding mechanized beast. Animated. (79 minutes) 75 PANDORUM, R Two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no memories of who or where they are or what they’re doing there. Then they find out they’re not alone. (108 minutes) 89 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, R A young, middle-class couple move into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house and become increasingly disturbed by a possibly demonic presence that is most active in the middle of the night. (99 minutes) 70 SAW VI, R Jigsaw kills more people. With Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell; directed by Kevin Greutert. Colonel Glenn 18, Breckenridge Village 12, Chenal 9, Riverdale 10, Lakewood 8, Tinseltown. (120 minutes) 87 SHORTS, PG An 11-year-old who lives in the town where the country’shottest do-it-all gadget is manufactured gets knocked in the head by a rainbow-colored rock that appears to have even more power than the gadget. (97 minutes) 70 THE STEPFATHER, PG-13 In this remake of a 1987 film, a young man just back from military school begins to suspect that his mother’s seemingly loving new boyfriend could be hiding a dark side. (101 minutes) 78 THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, PG-13 Clare (Rachel McAdams) loves time-traveler Henry (Eric Bana) even though he disappears without warning. (108 minutes) 90 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, PG Based on the book by Maurice Sendak, it’s the story of a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as he longs for a kingdom to rule. (94 minutes) 88 WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, R Robin Williams plays a failed author who has settled for becoming a poetry teacher who turns his obnoxious son into an overnight folk hero after a tragedy. (99minutes) 88 ZOMBIELAND, R Two guys trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies have to decide which is worse: being eaten or having to rely on one another. (81 minutes)Movie-rating point system Movies are rated on a scale from 50 to 100. Guidelines for moviegoers:

96-100 Transcendent

90-95 Exceptional 80-89 Better than most to remarkable 70-79 Average 60-69 Awful to mediocre 50-59 Irredeemable

MovieStyle, Pages 44 on 11/06/2009

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