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by Inlander Staff & r & Batman Begins -- Visionary director Christopher Nolan (Memento) instills a heightened reality to this telling of the Batman tale -- going back to the boyhood horrors that marred Bruce Wayne, taking in the young adult physical training that shaped him and extending to his attempt to save Gotham City and its inhabitants from villainous ruin. Christian Bale is perfect as Bruce Wayne/Batman, as are Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as a good cop and Cillian Murphy as the demented Scarecrow. Probably too scary for very young kids, but tremendously exciting movie-making for everyone else. (ES) Rated: PG-13





Bewitched -- The idea is a good one: Instead of just doing a movie version of the popular sitcom about a witch who marries a regular guy, this goofy stab at Hollywood is about the people who are making a new version of the series for TV, with Will Ferrell as the actor playing Darren, and Nicole Kidman in the Samantha role. Shirley MacLaine as Endora is the show-stealer, but everyone's game, and most are good. Some of the length and fluff content could be trimmed, but it'll still please crowds. (ES) PG-13





Cinderella Man -- Ron Howard has made a good old-fashioned movie about Depression-era fighter James Braddock, in a terrific portrayal by Russell Crowe. His fighting days were hindered due to bad hands, but he scrapped through, providing for his family (Renee Zellweger plays his wife). Look for another winning performance by Paul Giamatti as his manager, along with some brilliant, brutal fight scenes, and loads of heart. (ES) Rated PG-13





Dark Water -- As with both installments of The Ring, Dark Water grew from the mind of Koji Suzuki (whose novel this film is based on) and Hideo Nakata (who directed The Ring films and wrote the Dark Water screenplay). For being hyped as a horror film, however, Dark Water produces very few, if any, real scares. Although there's an attempt to let the mood of the cinematography and emotions of children do all of the scaring, the result is disappointing. (Brian Everstine) Rated: PG-13





Fantastic Four -- This latest transfer from comic book to film misfires at every step on every level. The plot: Four people have their molecules rearranged after a cosmic storm hits them in outer space, and they come back able to stretch or catch on fire or turn invisible or be ugly. Comic history is rewritten by also placing Victor von Doom onboard. But it's shoddy filmmaking, with hokey effects, a villain that's more angry than villainous, and actors -- especially the pretty but talentless Jessica Alba -- caught standing around waiting to deliver their lines. Anything but fantastic. (ES) Rated PG-13





Fighter Pilot -- What audience does IMAX have in mind for Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag? As we follow Capt. John Stratton, an F-15 Eagle pilot, battling 125 pilots from six nations in the world's largest air war games, the realization settles in that Fighter Pilot works neither as you-are-there documentary, Air Force recruiting film or Top Gun razzle-dazzle. The preparations for and remote monitoring of the fly boys' loop-de-loops are more engaging than the war games themselves -- and that ain't good. (Michael Bowen) Not Rated.





The Goonies -- One of the last great live-action special effects extravaganzas, The Goonies was the feel-good movie of choice in schoolyards back in 1985. A group of kids sets out to find a lost pirate treasure to save their home from an evil suburban developer. It would be the stuff of After School Specials except for Richard Donner's tight and exciting direction, producer Steven Spielberg's taste for lavish enchantment and a cast of kids (including a lean, young Sean "Samwise" Astin!) who are more earnest and convincing than most adults. Midnight Friday and Saturday at the Garland. (MD) Rated: PG





Grand Canyon -- Seen by more than 220 million people and a designated "first stop" at the Grand Canyon Visitor's Center, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets is an IMAX classic. Segments include a wild whitewater rafting trip, a flight over -- and into -- the canyon's crimson and yellow striated depths and a closer look at Lake Powell. History gets its share here, too, as Grand Canyon examines the earliest native cultures of the area as well as the first European explorers to find it. Not Rated.





Herbie: Fully Loaded -- Dear Hollywood, I have been a faithful movie watcher since I was very little. The images, the sounds, the visions and spectacles that you have created have been the stuff of my sleeping and waking dreams. Your brilliance and creativity have fueled my own imagination for decades. Which, I guess, is why I'm writing. I'm worried about you, Hollywood. I'm worried that you're losing steam, that you've run out of fresh ideas. Case in point: you're remaking every movie or TV series that ever made a dollar, just to make more dollars. A remake of Herbie the Love Bug? Seriously? The original was so nice. Why ruin the original with (admittedly hot) freakin' Lindsay Lohan as a NASCAR wanna-be? Why? I used to worship you, Hollywood. Now you're dead to me. (JS) Rated: G





The Interpreter -- Nicole Kidman is a UN interpreter who overhears a plot to assassinate a bad guy African leader. Sean Penn is the FBI agent who checks her out, isn't sure if she's telling the truth and eventually must protect her. The biggest problems with the film are that it's dragged out to near-boredom territory, and there seems to be some sort of emotional wall between the two lead actors that neither one can climb over. An absurd plot turn near the end doesn't help matters. (ES) Rated PG-13





Kicking and Screaming -- Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall and Mike Ditka appear together in a film that sings the praises of kids' soccer and caffeine addiction. Ferrell mucks about in his trademark clueless schmo routine, Duvall is the tough-as-nails old codger, and Ditka is Ditka, which makes Kicking & amp; Screaming roughly as entertaining as watching your neighbor's kid's soccer game. (Marc Savlov) Rated: PG





The Longest Yard -- While this new remake is considerably toned down in terms of both the 1974 original's freewheeling (and hilarious) vulgarities and grim prison violence, director Peter Segal and star Adam Sandler show at least a full understanding of what made the rough-and-tumble original so appealing. Sandler takes over for Reynolds as former pro footballer Paul Crewe, disgraced in a point-shaving debacle and current resident of a Texas penitentiary. Once incarcerated, Crewe is forced by a sadistic warden to recruit the worst of the worst for a Guards versus Cons football match. (Marc Savlov) Rated: PG-13





Mad Hot Ballroom -- Director Marilyn Agrelo brings us dozens of 10-year-olds in her documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, a wildly enjoyable look at the fifth-grade ballroom-dance competition held annually in New York City. By focusing on three schools -- PS 150 in trendy Tribeca, PS 112 in Bensonhurst, and PS 115 in Washington Heights -- and their quests for the top prize, Agrelo paints a warm-hearted, hilarious picture of the city's riches: its ethnic diversity, its fervent support of the arts and, beautifully, its investment in children. (Melissa Levine) (Playing at the Met Cinema through July 20 at 5:30 pm and 8 pm)





Madagascar -- Through odd circumstances, four pampered animal pals at the Central Park Zoo (voices of Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith) end up on the title island, with no food, no caretakers and no idea what to do. And a huge populace of goofy lemurs doesn't help. Funny sights for the kids, funny dialogue for the adults and an insane performance by Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) as Julian, king of the lemurs. (ES) Rated PG





Monster-in-Law -- The only reason this doesn't get a "turkey" is because of Jane Fonda's truly funny performance as the title character. She disapproves of her surgeon son (Michael Vartan) falling for his multi-careered new girlfriend (Jennifer Lopez), and she will go to any devious lengths to split them up. That's where the funny stuff comes in. But Fonda acts insanely large circles around ever-smiling Lopez (a very limited actress), and Vartan is stuck with a badly written part that makes his character look incredibly na & iuml;ve and uncaring. Bad moviemaking, filled with cliches. (ES) Rated PG-13





Mr. & amp; Mrs. Smith -- Beyond its relentless gunfights and car chases -- so many bullets are fired, it feels like a full-blown war -- the only thing Mr. & amp; Mrs. Smith offers its audience is the attractive onscreen union of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. John and Jane Smith are a married couple of hired assassins who have managed to keep their similar occupations concealed from one another until a double-booked hit pits them against each other. The film toys with role reversals and marital therapy, but in the end it falls flat because there's (ironically) no real relationship to work out. (Cole Smithey) Rated: PG-13





Mystery of the Nile -- The cinematography is gorgeous, but this isn't one of IMAX's best efforts. Pasquale Scaturro and Gordon Brown are to be commended for successfully completing a previously impossible feat -- running the entire Nile River -- but the whole thing starts to feel like an episode of Survivor. Still, it's pretty to watch and carries a few IMAX moments. Not Rated





Rebound -- As predictable as a sunrise, this Mighty Ducks/Bad News Bears clone is also entirely inoffensive, lacking even the basic profanities usually associated with Martin Lawrence, who plays a legendary basketball coach who -- as punishment for an on-court meltdown -- is sent to coach the losing-streakers at his old junior high. Rebound is never really much more than what it would appear, but director Steve Carr, who helmed the similarly predictable Daddy Day Care, keeps things moving, both on and off the court, with the sort of light, sweet humor you're not likely to find in too many other summer movies. (Marc Savlov) Rated: PG





Sin City -- The coolest movie of the year is also the most visionary and the most violent -- though the violence is too outrageous to be offensive. There's also loads of wild action, a stunningly stylized look, and a perfect adaptation of Frank Miller's twisted graphic novel into an insane film. There are three intertwining stories about the denizens of the title locale, with Bruce Willis as a retiring cop, Benicio Del Toro and Clive Owen as bitter, dangerous enemies, a whole gaggle of very tough hookers (Rosario Dawson, Devon Aoki and more) along with plenty of digital magic. Don't overlook Mickey Rourke in a career-high role as the big bruiser Marv. (ES) Rated R





Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith -- George Lucas hits his stride with the final chapter. He neatly ties the six films together, ending it on the planet Tatooine, where Episode IV begins. This thing opens with 20 relentless minutes, presents a superb performance by Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine, and, for you lightsaber fans, offers multiple thrilling battles with the flashy weapons. Excellent effects all the way through, with a mostly solid story. (ES) Rated PG-13





War of the Worlds -- Steven Spielberg's dream project works on every level but one of the most important ones: the ending. But uncalled-for sappiness aside, this is a terrific piece of filmmaking, with gigantic, often feverishly grisly visual effects sitting comfortably next to a character study of a man (Tom Cruise) who, while trying to figure out how to survive an attack by creatures who are bent on destroying mankind, also must become the father he never was. Wild, believable visuals, a New York nod to 9/11, and solid acting from Cruise. Not to be missed. (ES) Rated PG-13