Movies

Opening Friday

Bottle Shock This drama based on actual events looks at the Napa Valley wine industry and the shocking 1976 Paris tastings at which California wines knocked off the French favorites. Opens Wednesday

Boy A A young man (Andrew Garfield) is released from a juvenile prison where he has spent much of his life, convicted of murdering another child. He has no idea of what to expect in the outside world.

Fly Me to the Moon This 3D animated family feature follows three young flies who stow away on the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the moon. Christopher Lloyd, Robert Patrick, Nicollette Sheridan and Tim Curry provide voices; real Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin makes a cameo.

Hell Ride Motorcyle gangs and their rival leaders go at it in this thriller starring Larry Bishop and Dennis Hopper.

Man on Wire This documentary looks at the 1974 "artistic crime of the century," the tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers by Philippe Petit.

Pineapple Express Seth Rogen stars as a lazy stoner who must run for his life, along with his dealer, (James Franco) after witnessing a murder. Opens Wednesday

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 After high school, the four members of the sisterhood have all gone their separate ways but distance won't break their special bond. America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively all reprise their original roles. Opens Wednesday

Very Good (***1/2)

American Teen The class of 2006 at Warsaw Community High School is the subject of Nanette Burstein's appealing and unexpectedly moving documentary. 1 hr. 35 PG-13 (profanity, sexual candor, underage drinking) - C.R.

The Edge of Heaven A near-perfect, heartbreaking, suspenseful story about the connections between strangers, families, and cultures. German-Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin explores big themes - and even gets in some taut political thriller elements - in this beautifully shot, beautifully acted pic, set in Bremen, Hamburg and Istanbul. No MPAA rating (sex, nudity, violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Encounters at the End of the World Director Werner Herzog's impressive first documentary since Grizzly Man looks at the natural beauty of Antarctica and the scientists who live there in the most rugged of conditions. 1 hr. 39 G - C.R.

The Fall A dazzling fantasy, a dark fairy tale about suicide and broken hearts, this labor of love from top commercials director Tarsem is set in the early 20th century, and takes flight from an L.A. hospital ward to literally circumnavigate the globe. A celebration of cinema, of old-fashioned storytelling and spectacle, it stirs the soul. 1 hr. 56 R (violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Hancock Will Smith stars as a problem-plagued, screwup superhero in this dark, funny, rollicking tale of rehabilitation, redemption, and really cool special effects. With Jason Bateman and an awesome Charlize Theron. 1 hr. 33 PG-13 (profanity, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Iron Man Fast. Funny. Deliriously entertaining. As a hybrid of Howard Hughes and Hugh Hefner, Robert Downey Jr. delights as billionaire Tony Stark, playboy/inventor/

businessman, who realizes that U.S. soldiers are casualties of the weapons he has designed to protect them. 2 hrs. 06 PG-13 (sexual innuendo, violence) - C.R.

Mongol An Eastern Western, and a historical epic of epic proportions, tracing the rise of Genghis Khan from nomadic boy prince to warrior leader. Rife with bloody battles, galloping steeds, and the beautiful faces of a cast hailing from Central Asia, China and Japan, the film is great cinema, great fun. 2 hrs 04 R (violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Tell No One Adapted from Harlan Coben's 2001 best seller, this is one terrific mystery, equal parts haunting love story and nimble thriller. Yup, it's French, but if you're subtitle-phobic, don't be: It's wildly exciting, and among the more satisfying movies out there. 2 hrs. 05 No MPAA guide (violence, profanity, nudity, adult themes) - S.R.

Also on Screens

Mamma Mia! ** You'll smile! You'll wince! (Sometimes both at the same time.) Meryl Streep's debut as a knockabout physical comedian, Amanda Seyfried's breakout role as her daughter, who doesn't know which of Mom's three exes is Dad, and wall-to-wall ABBA songs. With Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. 1 hr. 48 PG (risque situations) - C.R.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ** Brendan Fraser is back (but Rachel Weisz isn't) in the second sequel to the ersatz Indiana Jones hit. The cliche-laden hodgepodge of period-piece chopsocky takes place in 1947 China, where an evil 2000-year-old emperor has returned to life, requiring everyone to run around, shout and fight. With Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh - and Maria Bello as Weisz replacement. 1 hr. 53 PG-13 (violence, action, adult themes) - S.R.

Step Brothers *** Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play deadbeat grownups forced to share a house, and a bedroom, when their respective parents (Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen) marry. Happily imbecilic, and pretty raunchy, comedy ensues. 1 hr. 38 R (profanity, prosthetic body parts, sexual content, comic mayhem, adult themes) - S.R.

Swing Vote *** Kevin Costner as a boozy loser who, because of a voting-machine malfunction in a deadlocked state, can pick the winner of the presidential election. A political satire perfectly calibrated to the national mood and to its revitalized star. 1 hr. 59 PG-13 (gratuitous profanity, but otherwise family-friendly) - C.R.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe ** A convoluted, unconvincing mishmash of hot-button social issues thrown into a murky stew by X-Files creator Chris Carter. Agents Mulder and Scully - David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson - tag along with a psychic ex-priest, looking for missing women. Dogs bark, crows squawk, the plot sickens. 1 hr. 44 PG-13 (violence, profanity, disturbing imagery, adult themes) - S.R.

Theater

New This Week

Shakespeare's R&J (Mauckingbird Theatre Company) An all-male Romeo and Juliet set in a boys boarding school. Previews tonight, opens Wednesday.

Continuing

Cyrano de Bergerac (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival) The story of a man whose nose overshadows his life gets the sizzle and soul it deserves - sterling performances by Greg Wood as Cyrano and Allison McLemore as Roxane, inspired direction by Dennis Razze. Ends today. - H.S.

King Lear (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival) The Sopranos-meets-Tarantino interpretation of the great tragedy is inconsistent, but still shows that Shakespeare is more gangsta than the gangsters. Ends today. - W.R.

Les Miserables (Walnut Street Theatre) Just because the Walnut has created its own new production doesn't mean it's much different from what audiences have loved for decades. Few new insights here, but few will mind. Ends today. - D.P.S.

Niagara Falls (Quince Productions/Shubin Theatre) This play about an absent gay brother's effect on his sister's wedding has potential, but it's unfulfilled. Ends today. - W.R.

There Goes the Bride (Hedgerow Theatre) This comic look at nuptial madness is Hedgerow's seventh annual summer farce by Brit Ray Cooney. Through Aug. 31.

Video