by Inlander Staff & r & & r & Cars -- Like every one of the six previous features Pixar has delivered, Cars is smart, snappy, entertaining cinema. And like every one of those six previous features, it's grounded in fundamentally strong storytelling -- you know, the kind of thing that's not supposed to matter all that much any more in movies. It's funny, warm and charming, yes -- but it's also wise in a way that's almost enough to make you want to weep. (SR) Rated G
Click -- Dude's a workaholic who doesn't have time for anything, least of all his family. Luckily he finds a remote that can control time. Time's the only problem, see -- it's not like his priorities or anything. Kate Beckinsale is even hotter as a mom than as a werewolf hunter. Rated PG-13
The Da Vinci Code -- If there's one thing we like more than sadomasochistic arch-conservative albino assassins, it's sadomasochistic arch-conservative albino assassins trying to cover up Christianity's darkest secret: that Jesus and Mary Magdalene made babies together. Such a bizarre and wonderful coincidence, then, that Dan Brown would write almost that exact book and Ron Howard (breaking from his usual routine of edgeless heartstring-tuggers) would direct the screen adaptation. Rated PG-13
The Devil Wears Prada -- A strong, subtle (but not too subtle) and often comic performance by Meryl Streep as a magazine editor from hell almost saves this biting satire on the fashion industry. But a weak, one-dimensional portrayal of the new kid in town by ever-smiling Anne Hathaway mars the film. The beautiful people sure look good all gussied up in the newest styles, but they're almost all snakes, and there's hardly anyone to root for. (ES) Rated PG-13
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift -- You want action? You won't see much more of it, short of a sci-fi special effects extravaganza. This kicks into gear -- literally -- in the opening minutes, with a tale of a troublemaking fast driver (Lucas Black) who's given a choice: Go to jail or go to Tokyo to live with his dad ... which he does, only to get caught up with the Mob and even wilder street races and chases. Lots of adrenaline. (ES) Rated PG-13
Greece: Secrets of the Past -- Continuing their long tradition of making learning fun, the folks at IMAX bring us Greece, wherein you get to "see how the island of Santorini was formed and how the island's volcanic eruption, one of the biggest explosions in Earth's history, occurred. Follow a team of archeologists piecing together the puzzles of ancient history and learn how the field of archeology has progressed. Travel to Athens and see how computer graphic imaging can restore the Parthenon to its original glory. Trace some of our modern society's customs -- democracy, medicine, athletics and theatre back to their roots in the Golden Age of Greece." Unrated
An Inconvenient Truth -- The film humanizes Al Gore, which allows a film about our impending death to global warming to transcend the statistics-and-cute-animals mire of most environmental documentaries. But Gore, the non-android, plays a supporting role here, as narrator of the world's biggest psychological conflict: America's better judgment versus her destructive vices. It's a fine, simple film, and an entertaining one. Let's hope somehow it'll be a mindset-changing one, too. (LB) Rated PG
The Lake House -- An interesting idea gets turned into a mess of a movie, running out of steam a third of the way in, then plodding on to a sentimental ending. Too bad, because the story of Kate (Sandra Bullock) and Alex (Keanu Reeves), sharing a long distance and very romantic letter-writing relationship -- even though he's in 2004 and she's in 2006 -- should have been Twilight Zone-intriguing, But despite good acting, the film is pedestrian and repetitive, and nothing is ever made -- or explained -- of its quirkiness. (ES) Rated PG
Little Man -- The Wayans Brothers come with their most contrived movie idea yet. Revolving around a relatively new technique that allows CG wizards to put men's heads on the bodies of children, Marlon Wayan's head plays a two-foot tall cat burglar (though he's all man, we can assure you) who has to stash a diamond in a lady's purse to avoid capture by the police. To retrieve it, he must masquerade as a baby placed on the woman's doorstep. Good thing her husband (Keenan Ivory Wayans) shoots blanks. Rated PG-13
Nacho Libre -- Roly-poly Jack Black plays a friar and cook in a Mexican monastery by day, and the masked wrestler of the title by night. A side plot gives him a terrible crush on a nun. The film, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) has hilarious moments to spare, but it's also quite sweet without being sappy. And Black, along with some actual masked pros, puts on some cool wrestling moves. (ES) Rated PG
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest -- Cast, director and writers are back for the midsection of the raucous trilogy about Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), William Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). This time, everyone is after Sparrow, including the ghostly Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) who wants to, you know, swallow his soul. Great comic acting mixes with big-time adventure. Depp overdoes it to perfection, and all is set up beautifully for next year's conclusion, which will feature Keith Richards as Depp's dad. (ES) Rated PG-13
Superman Returns -- The Man of Steel (Brandon Routh) has been away from Metropolis (and Earth) for five years on a personal journey. When he returns, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is still angry that he left without saying goodbye, and Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is beginning an evil capitalistic plot. Director Bryan Singer (the first two X-Men films) mixes wild, effects-driven action with a story of great emotional proportions. The film, despite a couple of gaffes, is, um, super. (ES) Rated PG-13
Wired to Win -- It's the Tour de France in grand Imax pseudo-scientific fashion. Follow racers through the grueling, 20-plus stage road race and watch, through the magic of computer graphics wizardry, how their brains react. Unrated
X-Men: The Last Stand -- The Last Stand suffers from a muddled plot and falls short of the laser focus that X2 had. The proliferation of subplots and internecine soap-opera stuff ends up burying the main thrust of the film underneath a pile of weepy people problems, but the film also provides developments far more momentous than petty hormonal drama. (DW) Rated PG-13
You, Me and Dupree -- You, Me and Dupree is a sitcom that subsists on Owen Wilson's ever-boyish projection of an innocence that has overstayed its welcome long into adulthood. As Dupree, Wilson plays the best friend to his pal Carl (played with easy humility by Matt Dillon). Carl and his newlywed wife Molly (Kate Hudson) live under the shadow of her possessive father Mr. Thompson (Michael Douglas), who doubles as Carl's real estate tycoon boss. A hilarious dinner table scene with the four main characters spikes the movie into a stratosphere of humor beyond its otherwise predictable restraints. (CS) Rated PG-13