ALICE IN WONDERLAND

2-1/2 STARS

Rated PG • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Carmike Fleming Island, Epic Theatre St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Johnny Depp is back in heavy makeup as the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll’s Victorian-era fantasy. With Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL

4 STARS

Rated PG • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Epic Theatre St. Augustine

Jason Lee is back as Dave, along with his furry friends.

AMERICAN LEGACY

2 STARS

Not Rated • 5 Points Theatre

If you thought that “The Big Chill” was the be-all/end-all of movies based on socially awkward reunions prompted by an unexpected funeral, then you haven’t seen John Berka’s “American Legacy.” Raised in Jacksonville, Berka didn’t have the kind of budget that allowed him to cast Kevin Costner as the corpse. Sadly, what the film lacks in funding, it doesn’t make up for with spectacular acting or gripping dialogue.

AVATAR

3-1/2 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Carmike Fleming Island, Epic Theatre St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

An extraordinary visual feast directed by James Cameron. The year is 2154, and humans have traveled to distant moon Pandora, home to the Na’vi tribe. In some ways, little has changed: Humans are still bent on destroying indigenous people and exploiting natural resources.

THE BLIND SIDE

3 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

A homeless youth rises to an NFL career, thanks to support from a wealthy family. Based on a true story.

THE BOOK OF ELI

3 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Eli (Denzel Washington) is a lone warrior traveling desolate, destroyed America. It’s a story about survival and humanity’s preservation, good and bad.

BROOKLYN’S FINEST

3 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Epic Theatre St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Reviewed in this issue.

COP OUT

1/2 STAR

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Shame on Silent Bob. Sure, times are tough and that’s why Kevin Smith agreed to direct a big-budget studio buddy action comedy. But shame on him anyway. Shame on him for betraying everything that he has been as a filmmaker: brash and aggressive, angry but hopeful, and never, ever less than full of heart.

THE CRAZIES

3 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatre St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Reviewed in this issue.

CRAZY HEART

3 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd., 5 Points Theatre

Jeff Bridges is a grizzled country singer who falls for a much younger woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who turns him on to life after years of introversion and self-abuse. Features an acclaimed soundtrack by T-Bone Burnett.

DEAR JOHN

2 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) falls for John (Channing Tatum), an army officer on leave. They decide to marry, but complications ensue. The performances are effective, but this weepy adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel is hit-and-miss.

EDGE OF DARKNESS

2 STARS

Rated R • AMC Regency Square, Cinemark Tinseltown, Hollywood River City

Boston homicide detective Tom Craven (Mel Gibson) witnesses the murder of his daughter, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), in an attack he thinks was targeting him.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

3 STARS

Rated R • Regal Avenues

James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Myers) is a low-level CIA agent who’s called upon to assist Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a field agent who is as profane as he is unorthodox. Reluctant Reese goes along for a white-knuckle ride on his way toward a showdown with the movie’s unexpected villain.

KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK

2-1/2 STARS

Not Rated • AMC Regency Square

This Bollywood rom-com stars Deepika Padukone and Farhan Khan. In Hindi.

THE LAST STATION

3-1/2 STARS

Rated R • AMC Regency Square, Pot Belly’s, Regal Beach Blvd.

Nominated for Academy Awards, Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer shine as Sofya and Leo Tolstoy in a historical drama that depicts the writer’s struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to ascetic morality.

LEGION

1 STAR

Rated R • AMC Orange Park

Paul Bettany stars as Michael, a fallen archangel battling evil forces to save the as-yet unborn savior of mankind.

THE MESSENGER

4 STARS

Rated R • Pot Belly’s

Ben Foster plays Will Montgomery — just back from Iraq, completely cut off from his emotions — who’s assigned a very emotional job: casualty-notification officer. These staggering family encounters affect Will in ways he can barely handle.

NOBODY NOBODY BUT … JUAN!

2 STARS

Not Rated • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square

This charming comedy is about an old Filipino man living in a retirement home Stateside. In Tagalog and Filipino.

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

3 STARS

Rated PG • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Dorky kid Percy (Logan Lerman) finds out he’s the son of Poseidon and suspected of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt. Percy must find the bolt and rescue his mother from the underworld. All in a day’s work.

PRECIOUS

4 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square

Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) is treated as anything but. Finally, when she goes to an alternative school, she meets a teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), who is kind to her.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

2 STARS

Rated G • AMC Orange Park

The animated kids’ movie, set in 1920s Louisiana bayous features voices by Anika Noni, Bruno Campos.

THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY

3-1/2 STARS

Rated PG • AMC Regency Square

An elderly man teaches three adolescent boys about Jesus in the 1970s. Starring Gavin McLeod, Robert Guillaume and Jansen Panettiere.

SHUTTER ISLAND

2 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd., San Marco Theatre

U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) arrive at remote Shutter Island to investigate the escape of a dangerous prisoner/patient from the hospital for the criminally insane. Creepy and atmospheric, yes. Scorsese’s best work? Hardly.

A SINGLE MAN

4 STARS

Rated R • Pot Belly’s, Regal Beach Blvd.

Colin Firth is getting a lot of buzz for his portrayal of a gay man devastated by the death of his lover.

TOOTH FAIRY

3-1/2 STARS

Rated PG • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Dwayne Johnson is a brutal hockey player nicknamed “Tooth Fairy.” When he crushes a little kid’s hockey hopes, he is sentenced to tooth fairy duty as punishment.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

1-1/2 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Regency Square

Werewolves shape-shift, vampires recite Shakespeare and a strong heroine falls in love.

UP IN THE AIR

3-1/2 STARS

Rated R • AMC Regency Square

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a road warrior for a company that handles the nasty work of firing employees.

VALENTINE’S DAY

3 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Amelia Island, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

Attractive L.A. couples battle the stresses of the obligatory lovers’ holiday.

WHEN IN ROME

2 STARS

Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Regal Avenues

Kristen Bell is Beth, a museum curator whose sister is getting married in Rome. When Nick (Josh Duhamel) coaxes her into swimming in the Fontana di Amore, she steals some coins — other men’s wishes.

THE WOLFMAN

2 STARS

Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatres St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd.

The titular wolfman, played by the already hairy Benicio Del Toro, makes his way through Victorian England separating heads from shoulders and yanking innards from abdomens. It’s ultra-violence on the order of George A. Romero.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA

3 STARS

Rated PG • Pot Belly’s

Emily Blunt plays Queen Victoria, who’s in love with Germany’s Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). Director Jean-Marc Vallée’s mid-1800s England is opulent, filled with gray skies and sumptuous gardens.

OTHER FILMS

LAUREL & HARDY SOCIETY

A clip from “Pick a Star” and the shorts “Any Old Port, “The Live Ghost” and “Going Bye-bye” are screened at 4 p.m. on March 13 at Pablo Creek Branch Library, 13295 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville. 246-0312.

THE WARRIORS

The greatest street gang flick ever made shows at 11:30 p.m. on March 12 at 5 Points Theatre, 1028 Park St., Jacksonville. 359-0047.

IMAX THEATER

“Van Gogh: Brush With Genius,” “Sharks,” “Alps: Climb of Your Life” and “Journey into Amazing Caves” are screened at World Golf Village, One World Golf Place, Exit 323 off I-95, St. Augustine. For tickets and show times, call 940-IMAX.

NEW ON DVD

PIRATE RADIO

Based on a true story, this film documents the pirate radio revolution in Britain in the ‘60s. A trawler offshore broadcasts the coolest rock to the ear of fellow pirates inland. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh star.

OLD DOGS

Businessman John Travolta, a free-wheeling bachelor, and Robin Williams, a recent divorcee, are left in charge of 6-year-old twins just as they’re breaking the biggest deal of their lives. What could be more hilarious?

OTHER TITLES AVAILABLE:

“The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day”

“Hachiko: A Dog’s Story”

“Planet 51”

“Precious”

“Up in the Air”