LITTLE ROCK — At area theaters

80

ACT OF VALOR, R A cast of real life, active-duty Navy SEALs race to stop a deadly terrorist plot against the United States, but each time they think they’ve accomplished their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist. (101 minutes)

77

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS - CHIPWRECKED, G Dave (Jason Lee), the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, on a luxury cruise, wind up on an uncharted island which, of course, may not be as deserted as it seems. Animated and live action. (87 minutes)

70

AMERICAN REUNION, R Those madcap American Pie characters return to East Great Falls for their 10-year high-school reunion to reminisce and get re-inspired. (113 minutes)

87

BULLY, PG-13 Director Lee Hirsch spends a year in the lives of five students who deal with public torment and humiliation daily, focusing on the effects of bullying on their families and their developing sense of self-worth. (94 minutes)

86

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, R Five friends go to a remote you know what, you know where. Bad things happen, but, with Joss Whedon doing the screenplay, they happen with a twist. (95 minutes)

83

CHIMPANZEE, G In the long tradition of Disney nature documentaries, directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield take us deep into the African forests and introduce an adorable baby chimp named Oscar and his entertaining approach to life. (78 minutes)

87

CHRONICLE, PG-13 Three high school students find learning to control the uncanny powers they’re developing starts to bring out their darker sides. (84 minutes)

86

CONTRABAND, R Mark Wahlberg plays a former New Orleans master smuggler who, to protect his family, is forced back into running millions in counterfeit bills from Panama after his brother-in law (Caleb Landry Jones) botches a drug deal. (109 minutes)

87

CORIOLANUS, R Ralph Fiennes makes his directorial debut and plays the title character in this Shakespearean adaptation, a former Roman general who discovers that being a successful politician is a lot harder than fighting off the city’s enemies and quelling internal unrest. With Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain. (122 minutes)

83

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, PG-13 Nicolas Cage reprises his role as Johnny Blaze, the devil’s bounty hunter, who might risk everything to team up with the leader (Idris Elba) of a group of rebel monks to save a boy from the devil - and possibly rid himself of his curse forever. (95 minutes)

84

THE HUNGER GAMES, PG-13 Jennifer Lawrence plays a teenager in a post-apocalyptic United States picked by the evil capital city to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a nationally televised event of fights to the death until there’s only one survivor. (142 minutes)

89

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, PG Sushi lovers the world over make pilgrimages to a tiny 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant in Tokyo operated by 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef, but whose son has so far been unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow. Directed by David Gelb. (81 minutes)

80

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, PG In this “follow-up” (guess we can’t call ’em “sequels” anymore) to 2008’s remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth, Dwayne Johnson (playing the new stepfather of a 17-year-old portrayed by Josh Hutcherson) and a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his “beautiful, strong-willed daughter” (Vanessa Hudgens) set out to find the title island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before it sinks into the sea. (94 minutes)

73

LOCKOUT, PG-13 Guy Pearce plays a falsely convicted ex-government agent whose one chance at obtaining his freedom lies in the dangerous mission of rescuing the president’s daughter (Maggie Grace) from rioting convicts at an outer-space maximum security prison. (95 minutes)

70

THE LUCKY ONE, PG-13 Zac Efron plays a Marine sergeant who searches for the unknown woman in the photograph he credits for keeping him alive over three tours of duty in Iraq. With Taylor Schilling, Jay R. Ferguson, Riley Thomas Stewart, Adam LeFevre, Blythe Danner; directed by Scott Hicks. (101 minutes)

82

MIRROR MIRROR, PG A retelling of the Snow White story, with Julia Roberts as the evil queen and Lily Collins as a princess in exile whom seven rebel dwarfs help fight to reclaim her birthright and win her prince (Armie Hammer). (106 minutes)

82

OCTOBER BABY, PG-13 A college student discovers that she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt, and embarks on a journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her future. (101 minutes)

70

PROJECT X, R Three seemingly anonymous high school seniors succeed, in semi-horrific fashion, in their attempt to finally make a name for themselves by throwing a party that no one will forget. (88 minutes)

83

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, PG-13 Britain’s leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) finds himself trapped in a seemingly impossible task when a consultant (Emily Blunt) approaches him to help a sheik bring the sport of fly-fishing to the desert. (111 minutes)

87

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY, G A secret friendship blossoms between a tiny but tenacious 14-year-old (voice of Bridgit Mendler), part of a community of little people living quietly in an undiscovered secret world under the floorboards, and a 12-year-old human (voice of David Henrie). (94 minutes)

87

THINK LIKE A MAN, PG-13 Four guys, whose love lives are shaken up after the women they are pursuing buy comedian Steve Harvey’s best-selling book of that title and start taking his advice to heart, conspire to turn the tables by using the book’s insider information. With Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union; directed by Tim Story. (122 minutes)

76

THIS MEANS WAR, PG-13 Two top CIA operatives (Chris Pine, Tom Hardy), inseparable partners and best friends until they fall for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon), instead turn their considerable and deadly skills upon each other. (97 minutes)

67

A THOUSAND WORDS, PG-13 Eddie Murphy plays a fast-talking literary agent hoisted with his own petard when his target, a New Age guru, fixes it so he must find some other way of communicating besides speech to save his life. (91 minutes)

62

THE THREE STOOGES, PG Larry, Curly and Moe become involved in an oddball murder plot and star in a phenomenally successful TV reality show while trying to the save the convent where they were left as infants. (92 minutes)

85

TITANIC 3D, PG-13 Steerage passenger Leonardo DiCaprio and socialite Kate Winslet, “on top of the world” as the prow of the mega-liner heads toward the iceberg, will now come right out of the screen at you in 3-D. With Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill, David Warner, Victor Garber; directed by James Cameron. (194 minutes)

86

21 JUMP STREET, R Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play ex-adolescents who return to high school as youthful-looking undercover cops to investigate a violent drug ring. (109 minutes)

89

UNDEFEATED, PG-13 Documentary directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin look at an inner-city Memphis high school’s 2009 football season. (110 minutes)

87

THE VOW, PG-13 A newlywed husband (Channing Tatum) endeavors to rewin the heart of his bride (Rachel McAdams) after a car crash wipes out her memory. (104 minutes)

86

WRATH OF THE TITANS, PG-13 In this Clash of the Titans sequel, Sam Worthington returns as Greek demigod Perseus, a decade after his defeat of the Kraken, once again caught up (now with a 10-year-old son) in the war between the gods and the Titans that threatens to unleash hell on earth. (99 minutes)

Movie-rating point system Movies are rated on a scale from 50 to 100. Guidelines for moviegoers:

96-100

Transcendent

90-95

Exceptional

80-89

Better than most to remarkable

70-79

Average

60-69

Awful to mediocre

50-59

Irredeemable

MovieStyle, Pages 35 on 04/27/2012