James McAvoy, left, and Christina Ricci star in "Penelope," about an heiress born under a curse that will end only when she finds true love.

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Opening today

City of Men ***1/2 — R for violent content, language and some sexuality. Amid Brazilian gang wars, best friends discover things about their dads' pasts that make them angry with one another. Douglas Silva. 110 minutes. Review on Page 11. El Con.

The Other Boleyn Girl ***1/2 — PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images. Sisters compete for the love of King Henry VIII. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson. 115 minutes. Review on Page 15. Park Place, Foothills.

Penelope — PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language. A woman dogged by a family curse tries to make it on her own. Christina Ricci. 102 minutes. El Con, Park Place, Foothills.

Semi-Pro **1/2 — R for language and some sexual content. Will Ferrell plays an owner/coach/player of an American Basketball Association team who tries to help his friends get to the NBA. 90 minutes. Review on Page 12. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Desert Sky, Foothills, Tower, Uptown.

Starting Out in the Evening *** — PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief nudity. A grad student takes an interest in the life and writing of a once successful author. Frank Langella. 111 minutes. Review on Page 14. Loft.

Continuing Friday

Alvin and the Chipmunks ** — PG for some mild rude humor. Jason Lee stars in this adaptation of the animated TV comedy. 91 minutes. Century Park, Park Place.

Army of Darkness ***1/2 — R for violence. Sam Raimi directs this classic 1993 horror/comedy film about a man who battles an army of the undead. Bruce Campbell stars. 81 minutes. Loft.

Atonement ** — R for disturbing war images, language and some sexuality. An imaginative girl falsely accuses her older sister's lover of a crime. Keira Knightley. 123 minutes. El Con.

Be Kind Rewind **1/2 — PG-13 for some sexual references. Men re-enact famous movies to save a VHS rental shop in this quirky comedy. Jack Black. 101 minutes. El Con, Foothills.

Bee Movie *** — PG for mild suggestive humor. An animated film involving a bee angry about human use of honey. Jerry Seinfeld lends his voice. 84 minutes. Gateway, Oracle View.

The Bucket List *** — PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference. Two men who are dying escape from medical care and run down a list of things they need to do before they die. Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman. 96 minutes. Century Park, Park Place, Desert Sky, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

Charlie Bartlett ** — R for language, drug content and brief nudity. A high school student acts like a psychiatrist to serve his high school. Robert Downey Jr. 97 minutes. El Con, Park Place, Foothills.

Charlie Wilson's War ***1/2 — R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use. Based on a true story, an alcoholic, promiscuous congressman persuades the U.S. government to help Afghan fighters fend off Soviet forces. Tom Hanks. 127 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads.

Cloverfield **1/2 — PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images. Five New Yorkers try to survive an attack by a skyscraper-sized monster. Michael Stahl-David. 111 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

Definitely, Maybe *** — PG-13 for sexual content, including some frank dialogue, language and smoking. An ad man has to explain his divorce and relationship history to his 11-year-old daughter. Ryan Reynolds. 110 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly **** — PG-13 for nudity, sexual content and some language. A French magazine editor suffers a stroke that leaves him paralyzed, able to only move his left eyelid. Mathieu Amalric. In French, with subtitles. 112 minutes. Desert Sky, Loft.

Enchanted *** — PG for some scary images and mild innuendo. A princess is banished from a magical cartoon realm into the real world. Amy Adams. 108 minutes. Gateway, Gallagher, Oracle View.

The Eye *1/2 (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — PG-13 for violence/terror and disturbing content. A remake of a Hong Kong horror film. A blind person receives an eye transplant and is plagued with supernatural visions. Jessica Alba. 97 minutes. Century Park, Park Place, Cinemark.

Fool's Gold * — PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language. An estranged couple goes on a hunt for lost treasure. Kate Hudson. 110 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Foothills, Tower, Uptown.

The Golden Compass ** — PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence. A girl travels to rescue a friend in this adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel. Nicole Kidman stars. 114 minutes. Century Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

The Great Debaters *** — PG-13 for depiction of strong thematic material including violence and disturbing images and for language and brief sexuality. A small-town Texas college debate team goes on to challenge Harvard. Denzel Washington. 123 minutes. Crossroads.

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Concert Worlds Concert Tour *** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — G for all audiences. A 3-D film of Cyrus' 2007 concert tour. 100 minutes. El Con, Foothills.

I Am Legend ** — PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. After a biological war, a survivor faces off against mutants. Will Smith stars. 100 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

In Bruges *** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language and some drug use. Two hit men hide out in Belgium after a big job. Colin Farrell. 107 minutes. El Con.

Into the Wild *** — R for language and some nudity. A college grad abandons all his money and possessions to hitchhike to Alaska. Emile Hirsch. 140 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads.

Jumper **1/2 — PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality. An abuse victim discovers he has the ability to teleport, which he uses to track down his mother's killer. Hayden Christensen. 90 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Desert Sky, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

Juno **** — PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language. A teen makes a controversial decision about her unborn baby. Ellen Page. 92 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

The Kite Runner ***1/2 — PG-13 for strong thematic material including the sexual assault of a child, violence and brief strong language. An Afghan immigrant who has spent years in California returns to his homeland. Marc Forster directs. 128 minutes. Crossroads.

Mad Money ** — PG-13 for sexual material and language, and brief drug references. Three Federal Reserve employees plot to steal money that's marked for destruction. Diane Keaton. 104 minutes. DeAnza.

Michael Clayton **** — R for language, including some sexual dialogue. George Clooney plays a law firm's fixer — a handler of dirty work behind the scenes — who must come up with a lot of money quickly due to a failed business and gambling addiction. 120 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets ** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — PG for some violence and action. Treasure hunters seek out a hidden windfall in this sequel. Nicolas Cage. 100 minutes. Park Place, Tower.

No Country for Old Men **** — R for strong graphic violence and some language. A hunter wandering along the Rio Grande stumbles onto dead bodies and millions of dollars. The Coen brothers direct. Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem, best supporting actor Oscar winner, star in the movie, which also took home best-picture and director Oscars. 122 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

Over Her Dead Body *** — PG-13 for sexual content and language. In this romantic comedy, a female ghost messes with her boyfriend's new relationship with a psychic. Eva Longoria Parker. 100 minutes. Gateway.

P.S. I Love You * — PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity. A man dies but leaves his widow messages that help guide her through life. Hilary Swank. 126 minutes. Gateway, Oracle View.

Persepolis ***1/2 — PG-13 for mature thematic material including violent images, sexual references, language and brief drug content. Iranian-born artist and writer Marjane Satrapi tells the animated story of growing up during the Islamic Revolution. In various languages, with subtitles. 95 minutes. Loft.

The Pirates Who Don't Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie ** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — G for all audiences. Mike Nawrocki directs a Christian-themed film featuring talking vegetables. 85 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

Rambo ***1/2 — R for strong graphic bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images and language. Soldier John Rambo comes out of retirement to lead a group of mercenaries to rescue missionaries in Burma. Sylvester Stallone. 93 minutes. Century Park, Cinemark.

The Savages ***1/2 — R for some sexuality and language. A brother and sister settle their differences and care for their sick dad. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney star. 113 minutes. Desert Sky.

The Spiderwick Chronicles **1/2 — PG for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements. Siblings move into a new estate and then are pulled into a fantasy world with magical creatures. 97 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Desert Sky, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

Step Up 2 the Streets ** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — PG-13 for language, some suggestive material and brief violence. An urban dance drama sequel to "Step Up." Briana Evigan. 98 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, Foothills, Tower, Uptown.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ***1/2 — R for graphic bloody violence. This adaptation of a Broadway musical tells the story of a murderous barber. Johnny Depp. 120 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

There Will Be Blood **** — R for some violence. A ruthless prospector determines to strike black gold. Daniel Day-Lewis, a best-actor Oscar winner, leads the film. 158 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Foothills.

27 Dresses *** — PG-13 for language, some innuendo and sexuality. After being a bridesmaid 27 times, a woman bristles as her sister is about to marry the man she loves. Katherine Heigl. 107 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View, Cinemark.

U2 3D *** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — G for all audiences. A presentation of U2's Vertigo tour, in 3-D. 85 minutes. El Con, Foothills.

Untraceable ** — R for grisly violence and torture, and for language. A technologically adept serial killer displays his murders on his Web site, and lawmen track him down. Diane Lane. 100 minutes. DeAnza.

Vantage Point *** — PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language. A presidential assassination is shown from several points of view. Dennis Quaid. 90 minutes. El Con, Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Desert Sky, Foothills, Tower, Cinemark.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep *** — PG for some action/peril, mild language and brief smoking. A boy finds a magical egg that hatches a legendary creature. Ben Chaplin, 115 minutes. Gateway, Crossroads, Oracle View.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins ** (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language and some drug references. Martin Lawrence stars. A successful man leaves L.A. to meet relatives in the Deep South. 114 minutes. Century Park, Park Place, DeAnza, Tower.

Witless Protection * (Star rating derived from Metacritic.com) — PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor. A small-town sheriff tries to stop government agents from kidnapping a woman. Larry the Cable Guy. 99 minutes. Century Park, Park Place, Foothills.

– Phil Villarreal