Movies

Opening Friday

Chéri In early 20th-century Paris, a courtesan teaches a younger man the art of love. Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, and Rupert Friend star.

Little Ashes The intertwined lives and loves of the young artist Salvador Dalí, filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and writer Federico García Lorca in 1920s Madrid are featured in this biopic.

My Sister's Keeper A teenager takes legal action against her parents after discovering they had an ulterior motive for her conception. Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, and Abigail Breslin star.

The Stoning of Soraya M A man stranded in a remote Iranian village comes across a woman with a harrowing tale of how her niece was stoned to death in this drama about the lack of women's rights in a fundamentalist Islamic society. Farsi with subtitles.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky to take on the Decepticons. Opens Wednesday

Whatever Works Writer-director Woody Allen's latest comedy stars Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David as an eccentric New Yorker who strikes up an unlikely relationship with a younger Southern girl (Evan Rachel Wood).

Excellent (****)

Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.), Steven Rea (S.R.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.) W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Food, Inc. **** Robert Kenner's absolutely alarming documentary examines how the industrialization of the food-making and food- delivery systems over the last fifty years has affected our health and environment. This is advocacy filmmaking at its strongest - and most essential. 1 hr. 33 PG (disturbing documentary images, adult themes) - S.R.

Goodbye Solo Director Ramin Bahrani's film is a wise and soulful study of two very different men - a resilient Senegalese cabbie and a crusty white Southerner nearing life's end. Set in Winston-Salem, N.C., and full of quietly revealing performances, this is beautiful, powerful stuff that speaks to the human condition. 1 hr. 31 No MPAA rating (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Sugar Half Nelson filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck follow a young Dominican pitcher as he joins a single-A team and dreams of playing in the majors. A baseball movie, a stranger-in-a-strange-land movie, a movie about real people facing real challenges in the real world, this is a modest, masterful gem. 1 hr. 54 R (drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Up Buoyant Pixar film about a childless grouch (voice of Ed Asner) and a fatherless boy (Jordan Nagai) who float off to the wilds of Venezuela in a house lashed to helium-filled balloons. It darts unpredictably between comedy and adventure, defying gravity and age. 1 hr. 36 PG (perilous situations, appropriate for those 5 to 105) - C.R.

Very Good (***1/2)

The Merry Gentleman A hit man, a woman on the run from an abusive husband, and a police detective cross paths in this sly, surprisingly sublime noir romance - which also marks the directing debut of its star, Michael Keaton. Actress Kelly MacDonald shines. 1 hr. 50 R (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Pressure Cooker A heart-grabbing, awe-inspiring documentary about a teacher and her students in the culinary arts program at Philly's Frankford High. No need for phony Hollywood uplift, this is the real deal. 1 hr. 39 No MPAA rating (adult themes) - S.R

Star Trek J.J. Abrams' enjoyable reboot of the sci-fi saga takes a refreshing chug from the fountain of youth, imagining what happened When Kirk Met Spock. With Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Leonard Nimoy. 2 hrs. 06 PG-13 (brief sexuality, action violence) - C.R

State of Play A journalist (Russell Crowe) and a politician (Ben Affleck), once college roommates, play hide-and-seek in this enthralling thriller where murder, mystery, and political scandal intersect. With Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, and the ever-resourceful Jason Bateman. 2 hrs. 07 PG-13 (violence, profanity) - C.R

Summer Hours Olivier Assayas' achingly beautiful meditation on inheritance and generational change is wildly different in scope and tone from the French director's recent genre trilogy and Boarding Gate. A mature and ultimately moving look at how three siblings (Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jeremie Renier) come together for the imminent death of their mother. 1 hr. 43 No MPAA rating (adult themes) - S.R.

Also on Screens

The Hangover *** Four guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party, and mayhem and memory loss ensue. A loopy farce from the warped mind that brought you Old School, with a scene-stealing performance from indie comedy dude Zach Galifianakis. Bradley Cooper also stars. 1 hr. 40 R (drugs, drink, profanity, nudity, cartoon violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Land of the Lost ** Will Ferrell stars in this epically silly homage to Sid and Marty Krofft's much-beloved Saturday morning series - a lavish Hollywood redo of a cheesy '70s TV show about three Earthlings transported to a planet of dinosaurs and walking reptiles called Sleestaks. Knuckleheaded comedy ensues. 1 hr. 41 PG-13 (profanity, sexual humor, cartoon violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ** Ben Stiller returns in this knee-jerk sequel to the surprise 2006 family-friendly smash. A super-size rehash - transplanted from New York's Museum of Natural History to the sprawling Smithsonian in Washington - with lots of running around and CG effects. Amy Adams, Robin Williams, and Owen Wilson are among the gang of museum figures come to life. 1 hr. 45 PG (action, comic mayhem) - S.R.

The Proposal *** This romantic lark - do you call it a rom-romp? - features Sandra Bullock as a prickly boss and Ryan Reynolds as her human pincushion of an assistant. She wants a green card, he wants a promotion, so they make a deal. With Betty White. 1 hr. 47 PG-13 (exotic dancing, mild profanity, sexual references) - C.R.

The Taking of Pelham 123 **1/2 Denzel Washington (the good guy) and John Travolta (the bad) star in a whooshing, backspinning remake of the 1974 hostage drama in which a villainous gang takes control of a New York City subway car, holding its passengers hostage. Tense negotiations and some ugly killing ensue. 1 hr. 46 R (profanity, violence, intense action, adult themes) - S.R.

Year One **1/2 Jack Black and Michael Cera play primitive hunter-gatherers with very modern vocabularies and senses of humor. They wander through Old Testament scenarios in this lean but resourceful comedy. 1 hr. 35 mins. PG-13 (language, adult themes, cartoonish violence) - D.H.

Theater

Reviewed by critics Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.), Howard Shapiro (H.S.), and Toby Zinman (T.Z.).

New This Week

Spring Awakening (Academy of Music) A century-old play about adolescent angst gets a rock overlay. Opens Tuesday.

Continuing

1776 (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival) It was a very good year for independence (and musicals). Through July 5.

Avenue X (11th Hour Theatre Company) A passionate, interesting musical about racism in Brooklyn in 1963, sung entirely a cappella by an ensemble of excellent actors with gorgeous voices. Ends today.

- T.Z.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre) Three talented guys turn the Bard upside down and inside out in a spoof that's become a classic free-for-all. Through next Sunday. - H.S.

Doubt: A Parable (People's Light & Theatre Company) John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play gets a perfunctory and stiff treatment, though Ceal Phelan's Sister Aloysius tries to create sparks out of all that dead wood. Through next Sunday - W.R.

Forbidden Broadway's Greatest Hits (Walnut's Independence Studio) Four talented performers mock Broadway's greatest hits: If you know your shows, you'll have a hugely entertaining evening. Through next Sunday. - T.Z.

Fully Committed (Montgomery Theatre) Tony Braithwaite plays four dozen parts. Through July 11.

Grey Gardens (Philadelphia Theatre Company) Based on the true story of "Little Edie" and "Big Edie," reclusive eccentrics who were related to the Kennedys, PTC's production of this musical doesn't fulfill expectations created by the wildly praised Broadway production. Through next Sunday. - T.Z.

Honk! (Theatre Horizon) This bright musical adaptation of "The Ugly Duckling" features fine performances and a depth parents too will enjoy. Through July 2.

- W.R.

Little Lamb (InterAct Theatre Company) A new play about a white gay man adopting a black baby and the social and religious issues this raises. The characters are stereotypes, the plot is illogical, and the production requires that we sit through several tedious sermons. Through next Sunday. - T.Z.

Nunsense (Hedgerow Theatre) Catastrophe strikes the Little Sisters of Hoboken! Through next Sunday.

Oklahoma! (New Candlelight Theatre) This dinner-theater production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic succeeds with a combination of pluck and good country cheer. Through July 25. - W.R.

The Producers (Walnut Street Theatre) A jolly if tame revival of Mel Brooks' outrageous show about two guys trying to produce a Broadway flop. The actors in minor roles provide the most fun. Through July 17. - T.Z.

Respect: A Musical Journey of Women (Act II Playhouse) Women's 20th-century trials and tribulations get little respect in this slapdash revue notable only for Danielle G. Herbert's performance. Through next Sunday. - W.R.

Video

Confessions of a Shopaholic ** Cutup Isla Fisher is a stitch in this Devil Wears Prada knockoff about the overspender who lands a column for a business magazine. With Hugh Dancy, John Goodman, and Joan Cusack. 1 hr. 40 PG (mild language, thematic elements) - C.R.