MOVIES

These are Maui Scene Editor Rick Chatenever's mini-reviews, excerpts of wire service reviews and previews provided by studios and other sources.

Opening Friday

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" R, 1:51, Kaahumanu 6, Kukui Mall 4 and Front Street Theaters.

Article Photos

Summit Entertainment photo via AP
Brendan Fraser experiences some “Furry Vengeance” up close and personal in this new family comedy.

As though the long nails weren't bad enough, Freddy Krueger does worse things to people when they sleep. This "re-imagined" version of the horror classic casts Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy, who wears gloves with spikes for fingers, and sets off nightmares that turn real for his screaming victims. Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellen Lutz and Clancy Brown co-star; Samuel Baver directs.

"Furry Vengeance" PG, 1:32, Maui Mall Megaplex, Kukui Mall 4 and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.

Like a cartoon that grew up to be a real-life movie, this family comedy stars Brendan Fraser as an ambitious real estate developer who moves his family to Oregon to build a subdivision in the woods. The animals in the 'hood, led by a wily raccoon, don't take too well to his plans, setting off wacky slapstick battles suggesting that two-legged animals are no match for the four-footed sort. Brooke Shields co-stars and Roger Kumble directs, making the cute critters in his cast messengers for environmental protection when they're not getting laughs.

*****

Still playing

"Alice in Wonderland" (3-D) PG, 1:49, Kaahumanu 6.

Whimsical visionary Tim Burton gives a modern and darker spin to Lewis Carroll's beloved Alice, making her a 19-year-old on the brink of marriage. Lured back to Wonderland, with lots also borrowed from "Through the Looking Glass," Alice (nicely done by Mia Wasikowska) is less a confused child than a girl-powered heroine. She matches wits with the familiar menagerie of weirdos - led by Burton favorites Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter - while entertaining doubts about what she's doing here and whether she might be the wrong Alice. Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover and the voices of Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry co-star. While Burton sometimes seems to have Alice confused with Joan of Arc and throws in one big monster as though the Red Queen weren't menacing enough, his "Alice" still strikes a nice balance between whimsy and more tender stuff. His stars all shine, especially Depp who turns the Hatter into a hero with a tender heart, guiding the comedy to more than $300 million already. Despite what other critics might say, it's recommended by this one.

"The Back Up Plan" PG-13, 1:59, Maui Mall Megaplex and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.

Jennifer Lopez plays a woman whose biological clock prompts her to be artificially inseminated, only to meet her perfect match (Alex O'Loughlin) a little later. Alan Poul directs in a sitcomy manner, getting lots of mileage out of pregnancy support groups, breast-feeling challenges, stroller shopping and other situations familiar to those who find themselves with child, one way or the other. Tom Bosley and Linda Lavin co-star.

"The Bounty Hunter" PG-13, 2:06, Kaahumanu 6.

Jennifer Aniston plays the journalistic ex-wife of down-on-his-luck bounty hunter Gerard Butler in this action comedy directed by Andy Tennant. How convenient when he gets assigned to bring her in for jumping bail. How inconvenient when she keeps outfoxing him, raising the eternal question, who wears the handcuffs in this family? Christine Baranski co-stars, but the results fall flat, as the contrived screenplay squanders whatever chemistry the two appealing stars brought to the project.

"Clash of the Titans" PG-13 2:01, Maui Mall Megaplex (in 3-D with a ticket surcharge); ends tonight at Kukui Mall 4 and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.

"Avatar's" Sam Worthington stars as Perseus in this remake of a 1981 cult classic about the mythical gods on Mount Olympus. Basically sharing the characters and storyline of the recent "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," this clash claims it's not that much fun being a god, especially when the humans get uppity. Liam Neeson is Zeus, sending his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to destroy the city of Argos to remind the humans who's in charge. Louis Leterrier directs, but the results are thoroughly disappointing, not bothering to explain the mythological references or even make any sense of the action.

"Date Night" PG-13, 1:27, Kaahumanu 6, Kukui Mall 4 and Front Street Theaters.

Steve Carrel and Tina Fey take the leap from TV, where they top NBC's funny scale, to the big screen for this madcap comedy. They play a New Jersey couple trying to escape the blahs of their relationship with a night on the town in Manhattan. Trying to put a spark in their lives, they get more of an explosion when they are mistaken for blackmailers by a gangster and his goons. Showing up as friends, foes and strange distractions as they flee across the Big Apple are Mark Wahlberg, Ray Liotta, Taraji P. Henson, James Franco and Mila Kunis. Shawn Levy directs. Story is predictable, but the likable stars generate plenty of chemistry and some great laughs.

"Death at a Funeral" R, 1:47, Maui Mall Megaplex and Front Street Theaters.

Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan head the cast in director Neil Labute's remake of the recent black comedy from England. Revolving around the funeral of the patriarch of an extended family, this version moves the story to a family of black brothers in Los Angeles. It turns out to be an occasion where everything that can possibly go wrong does go wrong, from the wrong body in the casket to misadventures with prescription drugs to a little guest with a big secret. The laughs head for the dark, raunchy side, delivered by an all-star cast who thrive in that territory. Peter Dinklage, Regina Hall, Zoe Saldana, scene-stealing James Marsden and a wheelchair-ridden, order-barking Danny Glover co-star.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" PG, 1:48, Kaahumanu 6.

Middle school is a major challenge for even well-adjusted kids; for nerds, it's torture 24/7. Zachary Gordon stars in this live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney's illustrated novel as the wisecracking protagonist who turns his geeky misfortunes into a journal, sharing observations, advice and triumphs, even if they're figments of his imagination. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn co-star; Thor Freudenthal directs.

"How to Train Your Dragon" PG, 1:53, Maui Mall Megaplex (3-D, with additional charge) and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas; ends tonight at Kukui Mall 4

Set in Viking days of yore, Jay Baruchel gives voice to a youth named Hiccup, a major disappointment to his dragon-slaying dad, Viking chief Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler). Setting out to gain some respect by slaying a fierce Night Fury dragon, he finds he can't finish that job, either, but instead nurses the wounded creature back to health, names it "Toothless," and figures out how to fly on its back. Like "Avatar" for kids, it features spectacular flying action above the mythical Norse scenery below. Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig and Christopher Mintz-Plasse add their voices to the smart-aleck but touching script, written and directed by "Lilo and Stitch's" Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

"Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D" NR, 1:39, Kaahumanu 6.

Packing in 23 songs from a stadium concert tour across the U.S. in 2009, this project captures the concert experience on the movie screen. Chesney's brand of country has an easy-listening, soft-rock, good-time party feel, supplemented by home movies and interviews highlighting his easy-going outlook offstage to go along with the large-scale production numbers.

"Kick-Ass" R, 2:13, Maui Mall Megaplex and Kukui Mall 4; ends tonight at Front Street Theaters.

Taking aim on movie audiences' obsessions with superheroes and comic-book-style violence, this over-the-top satire features normal but weird characters putting on the capes and getting into the action-hero business. Young Chloe Grace Moretz reportedly shines as an 11-year-old masked vigilante with Nicolas Cage as her wacky dad and Aaron Johnson as the bumbling teen who puts on a wetsuit as the third leg of their trio. Matthew Vaughn directs, heaping on the blood, violence, questionable taste and over-the-top stunts that target family values with reckless abandon.

"The Last Song" PG, 2:02, Maui Mall Megaplex.

Following on the heels of Nicholas Sparks' "Dear John," this one walks the same path, littered with Kleenex, as Miley Cyrus tries to grow out of Hannah Montana territory and into more sullen teendom. She plays a girl still smoldering about her parents' divorce who spends the summer with her dad (Greg Kinnear) at his Georgia beach house where she makes the acquaintance of the just-about-perfect Liam Hemsworth. While Liam finds ways of heating up her cold heart, this being a Nicholas Sparks story, you know better than to expect a happy ending. Bobby Coleman co-stars; Julie Ann Robinson directs.

"Letters to God" PG, 1:50, ends tonight at Kaahumanu 6.

A boy fighting cancer writes letters to God, becoming a source of inspiration to those around him in this Christian-themed adaptation of a true story. Lisa Curtis, Christopher Schmidt, Lyanna Tumaneng, Tanner Maguire, Ralph Waite, Dennis Neal, Robyn Lively and Michael Bolten co-star. Writer Patrick Doughtie shares the directing duties with David Nixon.

"The Losers" PG-13, 1:52, Maui Mall Megaplex and Front Street Theaters.

Adapted from a comic book, the title refers to a good-hearted black-ops team on a secret mission in Bolivia who get in trouble with their CIA boss when they save a bunch of innocent kids. This puts them on his hit list, and they spend the rest of the action-packed adventure - joined by the lovely Zoe Saldana - trying to avoid getting killed while setting matters right back at the agency. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada and Jason Patric co-star; Sulvain White directs the action.

"Nobody Nobody But Juan" NR, 1:50, ends tonight at Kukui Mall 4.

Filipino star Dolphy stars in this comedy playing a former Filipino vaudevillian now living in the U.S. in a retirement home run by his son and daughter-in-law. When his major pleasure in life - watching "Wowowee" on the Filipino Channel - is banned in the home, he sets off on an odyssey to return to his home, and his past. Eddie Garcia, Gloria Romero, Pokwang and Eugene Domingo co-star; Enrico S. Quizon directs in Filipino/ Tagalog.

"Oceans" G, 1:26, Maui Mall Megaplex.

This undersea documentary from "Winged Migration" filmmakers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzard shares the same mix of dazzling, how'd-they-get-that? shots with a powerful emotional message about the amazing sea creatures who share our planet. Pierce Brosnan, who's been doing a lot of good work at the movies lately, narrates this new production from the Disneynature label. It's rated G, but has much to say to everyone in the family as well as the human family. It's movie magic, dedicated to showing us the world as it is. Recommended. (See review in "Making the Scene".)

"The Warlords" R, 1:50, Kaahumanu 6.

Based on a historical tale from the Qing Dynasty, this heroic epic stars Jet Li as a general thrust into a power struggle with three blood brothers. Jinglei Xu, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro co-star. Peter Chan and Wai Man Yip co-direct the costumed period drama and bloody battlefield action.