The Grudge

3 1/2 stars (PG-13; 96 min.) Takashi Shimizu’s fifth in a series about a curse emanating from the scene of a violent murder delivers more creep per minute than your average haunted house thriller. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays an exchange student who discovers a bedridden old woman in a messy house with bodies in the attic, a little boy imprisoned in a closet, an amorphous black shape and more scary noises than an episode of "American Idol." You may never go to bed again.—JC

After the Sunset

1 star (PG-13, 90 min.) Director Brett Ratner obviously wants us to think of his film as a modern-day To Catch a Thief. But this tale of a jewel robber who may or may not have retired is hindered by Pierce Brosnan’s robotic manner, Salma Hayek’s inflatable-doll acting style, and a story that rehashes movie capers past without a fresh vision to resurrect them. Woody Harrelson livens things up as an FBI agent trying to prove himself by capturing the bad guy.—ADV

Alexander

2 stars (R, 175 min.) Oliver Stone’s film that takes us from the boyhood of this legendary king (Colin Farrell) with the conniving Mom Olympias (Angelina Jolie) and the battering King Philip (Val Kilmer) to Alexander’s death, is addled by pomposity in everything from the opening titles to the evocation of the characters’ speech; confusing battle scenes where it’s hard to tell who’s on what side; a rushed, incomplete and glossed-over retelling of history and mythology; a shoddy narrative structure with poor use of flashbacks; and insufferable acting. Yet it’s undeniably watchable.—MP

The Aviator

4.5 stars (PG-13; 169 mins.) Long, ambitious, and stunningly beautiful, Martin Scorsese’s retelling of 20 years in the life of Howard Hughes is a soaring success. Leonardo DiCaprio tackles Hughes’ passions—and creeping mental disorders—with ferocious energy and devastating charm. Not since The Age of Innocence has Scorsese conveyed such a sense of controlled chaos and inevitable tragedy.—JC

Blade: Trinity

2 stars (R, 105 min.) Franchise fatigue strikes with a vengeance in this final installment of the Marvel Comics-based series about a hero poised between two worlds and tolerated by neither. Most bored of all is Wesley Snipes, reprising his role as the titular human/vamp hybrid dedicated to vanquishing the undead who move amongst us. Anxiously straining for present-day relevance, writer/director David S. Goyer gives us biological weapons, vampire "cells," and a battle-ready iPod—none of which cohere into an actual plot.—JC

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

No stars (R, 108 min.) Are women really as shallow as director Beeban Kidron’s sequel would have us believe? This time out our insecure, overweight British journalist heroine (Renee Zellweger) is worried that her elegant live-in lawyer boyfriend (Colin Firth) doesn’t really, really love her. She gets in all kinds of "I Love Lucy"-like trouble, including a stint in a Thai jail where she teaches the other prisoners a choreographed Madonna tune. The big question of the movie is, will boyfriend pop the big question? At one point you think yes, but it winds up the guy just wants to know if Bridget will go on a skiing trip. ADV

Christmas with the Kranks

1 star (PG, 98 min.) When their daughter heads off to Peru for Peace Corps duty, Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) decide to celebrate Christmas by going on a cruise and forgo the social and economic pressures that come with the holidays. But then the daughter surprises them with the announcement that she’ll be home Dec. 24, the film’s enticing satire ceases as everyone reverts back to jingle bells mode. The physical yucks feel lifted from other holiday films. Allen comes off constipated; Curtis is without an iota of distinctive identity.—MP

Closer

2 1/2 stars (R, 100 min.) Patrick Marber’s screenplay attempts to three-dimensonalize the two modern couples of his 1999 Broadway hit, and it winds up being a mistake. Dan (Jude Law) is a hopeful novelist who falls for a neurotic stripper (Natalie Portman), before he meets a photographer (Julia Roberts) who has a thing for this dermatologist (Clive Owens). They keep switching partners while remaining emotionally distant. These unlikable characters were amusing on the stage for their repartee. But in director Mike Nicholas’ film we’re asked to believe that the abruptness in their ever-changing romantic allegiances are real. The motivations aren’t fleshed-out enough for us to do that. The words are splendid, but the people aren’t there.—ADV

Everest

4 stars (NR, 44 min.) Co-director David Breashears’ harrowing, 1998 Imax documentary chronicles the disastrous 1996 climbing season, when eight climbers perished in a freak storm on the world’s highest peak. Featuring Jamling Tenzing Norgay, Ed Viesturs. Beck Weathers. Narrated by Liam Neeson.—AA

Faster

3 stars (NR, 103 min.) Mark Neale’s documentary (narrated by Ewan McGregor) about the Motorcycle Grand Prix five-continent world championships during the 2001 and 2002 seasons isn’t structured for maximum dramatic effect. Lots of people will be bored. But it throws you into the world of high-speed motorcross racing so thoroughly that it achieves its kick on its own terms. We get to know about a half-dozen competitors and come to understand why they’re so willing to risk their life for a chance to feel fast.—ADV

Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag

Not reviewed (NR, 45 min.) The film follows Capt. John Stratton, an F-15 Eagle pilot, as he participates in Red Flag exercises, an intense training regimen for U.S. and allied forces.

Finding Neverland

2 1/2 stars (PG, 106 min.) Director Marc Forster’s lusciously produced bio of James W. Barrie (Johnny Depp) allows us to understand the personal connection between the Victorian playwright/novelist and his writing of Peter Pan. But the film is infuriatingly ambiguous. You never understand what drives this Barrie to hang around four preadolescent boys all day (to the point of destroying his marriage), or what exactly the nature is of his relationship with the boys’ mother (Kate Winslet). It’s okay for a Victorian to suppress issues, but when a filmmaker does it, it’s unforgivable. Julie Chrisite plays a stuffy, proper prig, and, considering her fame as a 1960s social rebel, it’s a delicious Hollywood in-joke.—ADV

Flight of the Phoenix

3 stars (PG-13, 114 mins.) Evacuating a Mongolian oil site, maverick pilot Dennis Quaid crashes, spectacularly, in the Gobi desert. Braving a sandstorm, murderous nomads, and a script filled with adolescent chest-pounding, the survivors try to rebuild the plane. Director John Moore’s remake has a primitive appeal that compensates for its sometimes-inane dialogue.—ADV

Haunted Castle

Not reviewed (PG, 38 min.) Aspiring rock star Jasper Steverlinck visits dead mom’s spooky English mansion and learns that rock ’n’ roll really is the devil’s music, in this 2001 3-D Imax horror flick from Belgian director Ben Stassen.

The Incredibles

5 stars (PG, 115 min.) A dynamic and immensely entertaining computer-animated adventure comedy from Pixar, as inspired as it is inspiring. The Parrs are a quintet living like any other household, except that each of them was born with powers they’re supposed to keep suppressed. They don’t. Pixar has outdone itself with visuals, excitement and human characterizations. With the voices of Craig. T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jason Lee.—MP

Kinsey

4 stars. R, 118 min.) Bravely tackling the man who exploded the myth of vaginal orgasm, director Bill Condon sympathetic and perceptive film about zoologist turned sex researcher Alfred Kinsey seems to liberate Liam Neeson, who crackles from the spires of his ferocious crew-cut to the soles of his Hush Puppies. The film opens with Kinsey at Indiana University, where he is appalled by the sexual ignorance of his students. He begins teaching a groundbreaking course on marriage which leads to a huge impact on a society schooled in moral barbarism. Laura Linney, drabbed down and scrubbed of makeup as his patient wife, is marvelous. —JC

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

3 stars (PG, 108 mins.) For those who like their fairy tales on the creepy side, Jim Carrey’s latest follows three orphans as they try to escape the nightmarish mansion of their villainous uncle. Despite repetitive comedy and a stagnant plot, the movie is redeemed by imaginative imagery and an uproarious Meryl Streep.—ADV

NASCAR: The Imax Experience

2 1/2 stars (PG, 48 min.) Simon Wincer’s flagrant promo flick is expensive entertainment that requires tiresome 3D glasses to watch. But it delivers some of the visceral, ear-shattering excitement of race day. Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland.—AA

National Treasure

3 stars (PG, 100 min.) Nicolas Cage plays an eccentric treasure hunter who can’t convince the FBI that someone is about to steal the Declaration of Independence. So he steals it first. Winds up he was right. So now both the good guys and bad guys are after our star. There’s not much suspense or chase or romance or good acting. (Remember when Cage used to be a real artist?) But the story’s locations take us to historical halls, passageways, ventilation shafts and catacombs that played a major role in our nation’s birth. It’s a fun education trip disguised as a caper movie.—ADV

Ocean Wonderland 3D

Not reviewed (NR, 44 min.) Filmed in the Bahamas and Australia, this Imax doc features rays, sharks, dolphins and other marine life in 3D.

Ocean’s Twelve

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 106 min.) A nasty entrepreneur (Andy Garcia) tracks down the crooks who swindled him in 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, and they, plus one, must figure out a way to pay him back. I went into director Steven Soderbergh’s sequel wanting enjoyable junk entertainment, and that’s what I got. With Casey Afleck, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, Carl Reiner, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones.—ADV

The Polar Express

2 1/2 stars (G, 100 min.) Junky filmmaking dressed up in fancy duds. The breathtaking visual images come at you nonstop. But they are put at the service of a story that takes major issues of belief and loneliness and (implied) child abuse and turns them into a Hallmark card. The point seems to be that children, like all good Americans, should believe in capitalism. Scores of dramatic motifs are introduced and then go nowhere, while intriguing characters are given nothing to do. With the voices and rotoscoping of Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks and, in a special appearance as Santa Claus, Tom Hanks.—ADV

Ray

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 152 min.) Jamie Foxx embodies Ray Charles so completely in look, mannerism and speaking voice that he magnetizes our gaze. Unfortunately, Taylor Hackford’s film takes a trite, by-the-numbers approach that ticks off the major plot points of Charles’ life with more thoroughness than imagination. Strong supporting performances by Kerry Washington as the long- suffering wife, and Regina King as his lover and back-up singer.—JC

Red Lights

4.5 stars (NR, 106 mins.) A car crash, a dangerous fugitive, and a tensely married couple effortlessly intersect in Cedric Kahn’s ominous French thriller. En route to collect their two young children from summer camp, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Carole Bouquet find their lives changed forever. Based on the novel by Georges Simenon.—ADV

Saw

3 1/2 stars (R, 100 min.) Two men—a nervy twentysomething photographer (played co-writer Leigh Whannel) and an older cancer surgeon (Cary Elwes)—are imprisoned in a dank and filthy bathroom with no memory of how they came to be there. Between them is a corpse, a gun and a tape recorder. There are clues as to how they can escape. A clock is ticking, a psychopath is lurking. How badly does each of them want to live? Co-writer/director James Wan’s film is more than a stunt yet less than its hype. Though at times muddled and incoherent, its gripping, grisly plot is one of the most ingenious set-ups the serial-killer genre has yet produced.—JC

Seed of Chucky

3 stars (R, 87 min.) There’s virtually no horror here, but If you’re in the mood for some nonsense humor, and have what can be assumed to be a viewer’s typical low expectations, then series creator and debut director Don Mancini’s latest installment about dolls who come murderously to life will likely provide adequate pleasure. B-movie actress Jennifer Tilly does a good-sport turn in spoofing her B-movie-actress image. There are some clever horror film references. And the gore—severed limbs, heads, testicles; you know, the usual stuff—is kept in humorous overabundance.—ADV

Shark Tale

1 star (PG, 90 min.) In a time when computer animation flicks have raised the standard of family-geared entertainment, Shark Tale is just plain lazy, from its derivative premise and unimaginative aesthetic to its witless gags and one-dimensional characterizations. The film essentially pits Oscar, a fish voiced by Will Smith, against a family of Mafia-like sharks, and this opens the stereotype floodgates within seconds of the film’s beginning. Lots of generation-specific references that make the film already feel dated.—MP

Sideways

3 1/2 stars (R, 123 min.) Paul Giamatti, who has something of a lock on crumpled manhood, plays a sad, divorced middle school English teacher who joins his about-to-be married best friend (Thomas Haden Church) on a tour of California wineries. Their bonding agenda turns into a couple of serious hookups with two intelligent women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh). The acting is wonderful, the script, virtually seamless, and Alexander Payne’s direction, full of insights into how people react to their environments and each other. But everything feels just a bit too carefully crafted and frustratingly obvious.—JC

Spanglish

2.5 stars (PG-13, 131 mins.) Supposedly concerned with immigrant fear and the compromises of assimilation, James L. Brooks’ comedy is really a sour study in racial stereotyping. Adam Sandler is appealingly low-key as a husband trying to resist his earthy Mexican housekeeper; Téa Leonie is cruelly mocked as his neurotic, insecure wife. Cloris Leachman plays the most functional alcoholic ever filmed.—JC

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

3 stars (PG, 90 min.) An offspring of the highly successful 1999-2003 TV show "SpongeBob"—think "Pee Wee’s Playhouse" meets "Ren & Stimpy" —retains the original’s broad appeal by balancing butt jokes for the kids with witty one-liners for the adults. Here, our happy-go-lucky yellow sponge gets into trouble when he goes on an ice cream sundae bender after being overlooked for a promotion by his Krusty Krab burger joint boss. You’ll laugh, even if you don’t understand the context.—MP

Reviews by: AA: Anthony Allison; ADV: Anthony Del Valle; JC: Jeannette Catsoulis; MP: Mike Prevatt; RC: Robert Chancey