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journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyq- vist) to find out what happened to Van- ger’s favorite niece, Harriet (Ewa Froel- ing), who is presumed to have been mur- dered. No sooner does Mikael start to poke around than he is joined by multiply- pierced computer hacker Lisbeth Salan- der (Noomi Rapace), the tattooed girl of the title. Much of the film’s most critical detective work involves high-tech twists to the shoe-leather approach to PI work, and for once it really works. So many movies today use computers as a modern deus ex machina; in this one, anyone with a laptop can believe it. For fans of the thriller genre, it’s also one heck of a lot of fun. (Unrated, 152 minutes) Contains ob- scenity, violence, grisly crime scene photos, nudity, sex, rape and smoking. In Swedish with English subtitles. At AMC Loews Shir- lington.
BBTHE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
In the second in a series of films based on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling mysteries, we learn a bit more about Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), the computer hacker and avenging angel introduced in the first film. “Fire” manages to reveal more of the old hurts that drive her. Having used her high-tech skills in to help her sometime lover, investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), solve an old murder, she has now fled Sweden, only to find that she has been implicated in a tri- ple homicide, in which one of the victims
BBBHOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON — Michael O’Sullivan
Our hero in this briskly paced computer- animated 3-D film, Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel), is a young Viking who has his hurdles cut out for him. Hiccup’s father, a burly giant named Stoick (voice of Gerard Butler), sports a belt-length red beard and looks as if he begins each day by downing a dozen mead shooters on his way out to slay scaly adversaries. Hiccup develops his own approach to dealing with the dragon threat; he prefers com- munication and attempts to help all scaly creatures find their inner Puff (-the-Mag- ic). With a school assignment hanging over him to slay a dragon, Hiccup instead befriends a potential victim, Toothless. Filmmakers Dean DeBlois and Chris Sand- ers are best known for 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch”; this one is better — and even for those seeing it on a flat screen — funnier. (PG, 90 minutes) Contains sequences of in- tense action and scary images, plus brief mild language. At University Mall Thea- tres.
BBBI AM LOVE
The film opens on a snowy evening in Mi- lan, where the wealthy Recchi family has gathered for the birthday of their elderly patriarch, Edoardo (Gabriele Ferzetti). At a dinner overseen with prim propriety by his daughter-in-law Emma (Tilda Swin- ton), the old man tells the assembled guests that he is handing over the family textile business to his son Tancredi (Pippo
BBJOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK — Mike Clark
The movie begins with the celebration of Rivers’s 75th birthday in 2008 and fol- lows her over the course of a year, looking back at her career. Both her filing cabi- nets filled with jokes and the sprawling staff lend justification to the film’s title, with plays on the comic’s propensity for outrageousness along with her formida- ble work ethic. “She’s an industry,” says one of her employees, noting Rivers’s line of jewelry, books, stand-up dates and TV appearances, including a winning stint on “Celebrity Apprentice.” She is also shown working on a one-woman play, “Joan Riv- ers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Prog- ress.” At one point, Rivers shows the camera a blank page in her appointment book, saying, “I’ll show you fear.” But what exactly is she so afraid of? Perhaps the loss of love that being out of the lime- light would represent. Rivers has long joked about maternal rejection. And in the end, all comics are damaged, as Rivers’s daughter, Melissa, observes. (R, 84 min- utes) Contains lots of crude humor and dirty language. At AMC Loews Shirlington and Landmark’s E Street Cinema.
BBBTHE KARATE KID
The new “Karate Kid” brings fresh life and perspective to the classic tale of perse- verance and cross-generational friend- ship. As Dre Parker, who with his mother, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson), has just moved
the people dropping like flies all around him, but she soon shows herself to be a capable partner. (PG-13, 109 minutes_) Contains action violence, mild obscenity and brief suggestive humor. Area theaters.
BTHE LAST AIRBENDER — M.O.
Noah Ringer plays the title role of Aang, a messianic child with the power to manipu- late all four elements. Meant to be some- thing akin to the young Dalai Lama, Aang is still an avatar in training. Having run away from the monastery where he was being groomed for his role, Aang left before he had mastered control of water, earth and fire. His only real expertise is in the “bend- ing” of air. That means he can stir up mini- tornadoes with his hands, and blast people with puffs of strong wind. Katara and Sokka (Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone), a teen- age earthbender and her brother, team up with Aang to do battle with firebender Zuko. Zuko is hoping to capture Aang so that his people, known as the Fire Nation, can sup- press the Earth, Air and Water tribes. He has been banished by his father, the Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis), until he returns with the prize. (PG, 95 minutes) Contains martial arts and mildly violent action. Area theaters.
BLETTERS TO JULIET
Amanda Seyfried seems to be on a one- woman quest to revive the lost art of let- ter writing. Seyfried plays Sophie, a fact-
— M.O.
family. In parallel developments, both man and beast will learn the importance of being true to oneself. (PG, 87 minutes) Contains potty humor, drug references and scary situations. At University Mall Thea- tres.
BBBA MATTER OF SIZE — M.O.
Herzl (Itzik Cohen) is tired of being fat. But he’s even more tired of dieting and his skin- ny-minny nutritionist chastising him for gaining weight. Herzl tells her to keep her di- ets because he has devised his own plan: He’s becoming a sumo wrestler. Herzl per- suades his three best friends to quit the diet club — “They are selling us self-hate here” —and join his fledgling team. Their coach is Kitano (Togo Igawa), a former professional sumo referee and the owner of the Japanese restaurant where Herzl washes dishes for a living. Kitano puts them through difficult workouts and delicious-looking meals as they train for a tournament in Japan. Along the way, the sport becomes more than just “fatsos in diapers and girly hairdos,” as one of Herzl’s friends calls it. It’s a route to self-esteem. (NR, 90 minutes) In Hebrew and Japanese with English subtitles. Con- tains sexually suggestive material and smoking. At the Avalon.
BBBONDINE
This film follows an Irish fisherman named Syracuse (Colin Farrell), who one day pulls up his net to find a woman (Alic-
— M.O.
— Rachel Saslow
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES Mobile Users: For Showtimes - Text Message PREDATORS and your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)
is her parole officer. (The others are a journalist and his girlfriend, both of whom were working with Mikael on an exposé) This pulls Lisbeth back into Mikael’s orbit. But for much of the film, the two remain apart, communicating only via e-mail while Mikael tries to clear Lisbeth’s name and while Lisbeth tries to stay one step ahead of the law. (R, 129 minutes) Contains strong, violent imagery, sex, nudity, obscen- ity and smoking. In Swedish with English subtitles. Area theaters.
BGROWN UPS
This summer male-bonding comedy starring Adam Sandler purports to be about a successful man in his 40s deal- ing with rue and regret with bitter- sweet laughs and maybe a few tears along the way. The film finds Sandler reverting to lunkheaded, lazy-laff form as a Hollywood super-agent named Lenny who reunites with his childhood friends after the funeral of their re- vered basketball coach. Eric (Kevin James), the fat-joke target, drives a Cadillac and has a pretty wife. Kurt (Chris Rock) is a househusband married to a tart-tongued career woman; Rob (Rob Schneider) is a New Age massage therapist married to a much older wom- an; and Marcus (David Spade) is the group’s skeevy-looking Peter Pan. With its lame, guys-doing-guy-stuff humor, “Grown Ups” resembles the such bro- centric action picture “The A-Team,” except that nothing blows up — unless you count a flatulent mother-in-law. (PG-13, 10298 minutes) Contains crude ma- terial, including suggestive references, pro- fanity and male rear nudity. Area theaters. — A.H.
— M.O.
Delbono) and Emma and Tancredi’s eldest son, Edo (Flavio Parenti). Is that a look of alarm that passes across Emma’s face when Edo’s grandfather makes his an- nouncement? And just what events are set in motion when an acquaintance of her son stops by with an impromptu gift? Promising director Luca Guadagnino makes the most of a medium too often straitjacketed into shots of people talking to one another, using it to lead viewers to an entirely new realm of the senses, with unsettling, intoxicating results. (R, 120 minutes) Contains sexuality and nudity. Area theaters.
BBIRON MAN 2
The best thing about “Iron Man” was Rob- ert Downey Jr.’s cheek and expressive- ness. The worst was the hardware. The sequel drowns any potential sophistica- tion in a busy, unfocused clatter of cross- talk punctuated by occasional fender- bender royales. But a terrific villain is a terrible thing to waste — namely Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko, who as the movie opens is working in Moscow on a metallic exoskeleton that will rival Iron Man’s both in technological complexity and destruc- tive throw-weight. When Vanko confronts Tony Stark (Downey) for their first show- down at the Grand Prix in Monaco, it’s clear the film will be propelled by Oedipal psychological issues and struggles with mortality. Aw, who’s anybody kidding? It’s propelled by stuff getting blown up, strafed, consumed by fireballs and blast- ed into oblivion, all of which occurs with the dull sense of due diligence. (PG-13, 126 minutes) Contains sequences of intense sci- fi action and violence, and profanity. At University Mall Theatres.
— A.H.
to Beijing, Jaden Smith brings a soulful, searching sense of vulnerability to a kid who comes under attack from bullies on his first day in town. After a particularly brutal beat-down, Dre is defended by his apartment house caretaker, a quiet intro- vert named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). When Han — who turns out to be a kung fu mas- ter — goes up against the kids who have been terrorizing Dre, he does so largely with defensive moves that wind up literal- ly tying the belligerents into knots. While the filmmakers invite viewers to wince and cheer during the film’s increasingly painful fight scenes, they make sure to soften the blows with wise tutorials in self-discipline, respect and balance. (PG, 132 minutes) Contains bullying, martial- arts action violence and some mild profani- ty. Area theaters.
BBBKNIGHT AND DAY — M.O.
Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) is, in his own words, good at what he does. A master of hand-to-hand combat who can put a bul- let exactly where he wants it, he’s also unfailingly polite. It’s no wonder June Ha- vens (Cameron Diaz_) falls for him when they meet on a flight. He’s cute, charm- ing, smart and almost freakishly compe- tent. Too bad that trouble, in the form of gun-toting government agents and an arms dealer’s ruthless henchmen, is fol- lowing him — and now her — all over the globe. The film follows Roy and June as they bounce from country to country, all while Roy is trying to protect a nebbishy inventor and keep his top-secret invention out of the wrong hands. As an ordinary woman caught up in a world of jet-setting espionage, Diaz makes a delicious co- medic and romantic foil to Cruise’s Roy. Yes, at first she’s a little freaked out by
— A.H.
checker for the New Yorker who dreams of becoming a writer. While vacationing in Italy, she wanders into the House of Ju- liet, a place where the lovelorn leave let- ters seeking advice from Shakespeare’s tragic heroine. Although Sophie hasn’t figured it out yet, she herself is among the heartbroken. Her fiance just isn’t that into her. Left on her own, Sophie naturally gravitates to the Miss Lonelyhearts at the House of Juliet. After Sophie finds an old letter written in 1957 by a British teen- ager named Claire who had fallen in love with an Italian boy named Lorenzo Barto- lini, she takes it upon herself to reply. Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) soon shows up with grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) to find Lorenzo, inspired by Sophie’s let- ter saying that when it comes to love, it’s never too late. (PG, 105 minutes) Contains crude language and smoking. At AMC Courthouse Plaza.
BMARMADUKE
Set in Southern California, where Marma- duke’s family has moved from Kansas, this story follows two threads. The first has to do with doggy politics: whether the pedigreed dogs at the park are better than the mutts, which apparently include Marmaduke. (There’s a reference to him being a mixed breed.) He tangles with Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland), the park’s al- pha male, while flirting with Bosco’s girl- friend, a collie named Jezebel (singer Fer- gie of the Black Eyed Peas), even as Mar- maduke ignores the scruffy mutt who really loves him (Emma Stone). Mean- while, Marmaduke’s owner (Lee Pace) must negotiate the office politics of the organic dog food company he works for, trying to please a demanding boss (Wil- liam H. Macy)without alienating his own
— M.O.
ja Bachleda) inside. She speaks English, and shies away from other people, prefer- ring not to be taken to the hospital, but to recover in a remote shack outside of town. Calling herself Ondine, the woman seems not of this world. She sings strange music to the fishes, bringing Syr- acuse unprecedented luck. A divorced, recovering alcoholic and perpetual misfit, he finds a kindred spirit in Ondine. His daughter Annie (Allison Barry) speculates that Ondine is a silkie, a mythological creature that is part seal and can some- times shed its skin and live among hu- mans. When a stranger (Emil Hostina) shows up, Annie believes it is Ondine’s sil- kie husband. Syracuse doesn’t know what to think. But he does know that he’s fall- ing in love with Ondine and doesn’t want her to leave. (PG-13, 102 minutes) Contains some obscenity, scenes of violence and a car crash, sensuality and drug content. At Cin- ema Arts Theatre.
BBB1⁄2 PLEASE GIVE
Writer-director Nicole Holofcener’s singu- lar brand of observant wit and aching ten- derness pours forth in this film, a wry, wistful portrait of contemporary urban manners. Catherine Keener plays Kate, who owns an upscale vintage home fur- nishings store. Kate spends her days scavenging the homes of the deceased, looking for mid-century pieces to sell in her shop. Kate and her husband plan to expand their home to the apartment next door once its tenant passes away. The tenant, an unpleasant elderly lady named Andra (Ann Guilbert), is tended by her de- voted granddaughter and, once in a while,
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— M.O.
THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010
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