for April 4

  • The Ruins

    Based on the book, horror film set in Mexico

  • Nim's Island

    Family fantasy starring Jodie Foster

  • Leatherheads

    George Clooney plays early football.

  • 1 . ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS:

    This one made a ton of money at the box office over Christmas, but it’s strictly kid stuff as live action is combined with CGI animation to bring Alvin, Simon, and Theodore to life. Jason Lee plays David Seville, whose real name was Ross Bagdasarian, creator of the Chipmunks recordings in the late 50s. Cute, but wears thin for adults. Rated G.

  • 2. SWEENY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET:

    Tim Burton directs Johnny Depp in this Oscar-nominated film that brings the Broadway musical to the screen. I love Depp, think the world of Burton’s work, but I think they both missed the mark in a big, big way here. The look is great, but this is one musical that just doesn’t work as a movie. Rated 14A.

  • 3. RESURRECTING THE CHAMP:

    An interesting, if somewhat uneven story about a sportswriter (Josh Hartnett) who learns that a homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) that he encounters actually may have been a ranked heavyweight boxer in a bygone era. This is a “title shot” for the writer who has been struggling with small, unimportant assignments, and it could change the life of the former boxer too … but the lesson here for all journalists – the three most important things you can do in the profession: check your facts, check your facts, and then, check your facts. Rated PG.

  • Rick´s Pick: Resurrecting the Champ:

    If you don’t like boxing, focus on this as a journalism story. It’s based on actual events and an actual newspaper story, although some of the facts have been fiddled with.
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976):
For an outstanding film about journalism, this one cannot be beaten. Robert Redford produced, and stars as Bob Woodward, one half of the reporting team that broke the story that brought down the Nixon White House. Exceptional movie by any standard. Dustin Hoffman co-stars.

  • Run Fat Boy Run

    A reasonably funny comedy in which a guy tries to get his girl back by running a marathon

  • 21

    Kevin Spacey is good in this based-on-fact story of Las Vegas card-counters, but it’s draggy in spots

  • Stop-Loss

    Ryan Phillippe’s best performance ever in a disturbing Iraq war film

  • Superhero Movie

    Strictly for the Scary Movie/Airplane audience – some funny bits, but pretty silly!