Thursday, June 25, 2009

Now showing at Wood Theater

The Soloist - Tonight, 6 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. (Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr.) Columnist Steve Lopez is at a dead end. The newspaper business is in an uproar, his marriage to a fellow journalist has fallen apart and he can’t entirely remember what he loved about his job in the first place. Then, one day he sees a mysterious figure Nathanial Ayers, pouring his soul into a two-stringed violin. Lopez approaches Ayers as just another story idea in a city of millions, but as he begins to unearth the mystery of this brilliant and distracted street musician sparking an unexpected quest. Lopez embarks on a quixotic mission to change Ayers life. But even as he fights to save Ayers’s life, he begins to see that it is Ayers with his unsinkable passion who is profoundly changing Lopez. Rated PG-13 (thematic elements, some drug use and language), 1 hr 57 mins.
Angels and Demons - Tonight and Saturday, 8:30 p.m.; Friday, 6 p.m. (Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer) When Robert Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra. Embarking on a nonstop hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival. Rated PG-13 (sequences of violence, thematic material, disturbing images), 2 hrs 20 mins.
Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG) - Friday and Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie) California girl Susan Murphy mysteriously turns into a giant and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military captures and holds Ginormica in a secret government compound with other monsters. Their confinement time is cut short when a mysterious alien robot lands on earth and begins storming the country. As a last resort, the motley crew of monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction. Rated PG (sci-fi action, crude humor, mild language), 1 hr 34 mins.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Sunday and Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Monday, 8:30 p.m. (Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds) X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutant, both familiar and new. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of action/violence, partial nudity), 1 hr 47 mins.
Star Trek - Saturday and Monday, 6 p.m.; Sunday and Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto) The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. Rated PG-13 (sci-fi action/violence, brief sexual content), 2 hrs 7 mins.
Upcoming: Not available.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Wood Theater

Now showing—Wood Theater
Obsessed - Tonight, 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. (Beyonce Knowles, Idris Elba) Derek Charles, a successful asset manager who has just received a huge promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marriage to the beautiful Sharon. But when Lisa, a temp worker, starts stalking Derek, all the things he’s worked so hard for are placed in jeopardy. Rated PG-13 (thematic content, some violence, suggestive dialogue, sexual material), 1 hr 42 mins.
Ghost of Girlfriends Past - Tonight and Sunday, 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. (Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner) Connor a notorious photographer has a reputation of loving beautiful women and dumping them when they fall in love with him. Beautiful models and celebrities flock to his studio to get their picture taken, usually in lingerie, and throw themselves at him. His brother is about to get married, and Connor thinks he is making a terrible mistake. Connor tries to talk Paul out of getting married. Then the night before the wedding, Connor is visited by three ghosts, who take him back to his past, present, and his lonely future. They try to discovery the point in time where Connors became this womanizing jerk. Maybe there is still time to change him into a sensitive, feeling, and caring person that he once was, and he may even find his true love. Rated PG-13 (sexual content, language, drug reference), 1 hr 40 mins.
Earth - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 3:30 p.m.; Monday, 6 p.m. (James Earl Jones) Using the sun as a guide, we set out on a truly global journey while watching the movie “Earth.“ On the way, we meet three mothers struggling to bring up their young. In the Arctic a polar bear and her two cubs awaken to the first sunlight of spring. Half a world away, in the heat of the Kalahari, an elephant calf and her mother find water after a danger filled trek across the desert. But they must share the pool with a pride lions. For the final leg of the journey, we follow a humpback whale mother. She must keep her calf safe on their 4000 mile migration from the equator to Antarctica. And so life on “Earth” goes on. A story played out billions of times a day. 365 days a year, as the “Earth” moves through seasons, every living creature bending to the power of the sun. Rated G, 1 hr 30 mins.
Hannah Montana: The Movie - Sunday, 6 p.m. (Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus) Miley Stewart struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona. When Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life- she just might let it. So her father takes the teen home to Crowley Corners Tennessee for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine. Rated G, 1 hr 38 mins.
Angels and Demons - Monday, 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer) When Robert Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra. Embarking on a nonstop hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival. Rated PG-13 (sequences of violence, thematic material, disturbing images), 2 hrs 20 mins.
The Soloist - Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. (Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr.) Columnist Steve Lopez is at a dead end. The newspaper business is in an uproar, his marriage to a fellow journalist has fallen apart and he can’t entirely remember what he loved about his job in the first place. Then, one day he sees a mysterious figure Nathanial Ayers, pouring his soul into a two-stringed violin. Lopez approaches Ayers as just another story idea in a city of millions, but as he begins to unearth the mystery of this brilliant and distracted street musician sparking an unexpected quest. Lopez embarks on a quixotic mission to change Ayers life. But even as he fights to save Ayers’s life, he begins to see that it is Ayers with his unsinkable passion who is profoundly changing Lopez. Rated PG-13 (thematic elements, some drug use and language), 1 hr 57 mins.
Upcoming: The Soloist (PG-13) - June 25, 6 p.m.; June 26, 8:30 p.m.; Angels and Demons (PG-13) - June 25 and 27, 8:30 p.m.; June, 26, 6 p.m.; Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG) - June 26 and 28, 3:30 p.m.; X-Men Origins: Wolverine (PG-13) - June 27, 3:30 p.m.; June 28 and 30, 6 p.m.; June 29, 8:30 p.m.; Star Trek (PG-13) - June 27 and 29, 6 p.m.; June 28 and 30, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Now showing—Wood Theater

State of Play - Tonight, 6 p.m. (Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck) U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party.  All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out. Rated PG-13 (some violence, language including sexual references, brief drug content), 2 hrs 7 mins.

Crank:  High Voltage - Tonight, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. (Jason Statham, Amy Smart) Hitman Chev is kidnapped by a mysterious Chinese mobster. He later wakes up to discover his heart has been surgically removed and replaced with a battery-operated ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity in order to work. After escaping from his captors, Chev is on the run again, this time from the charismatic Mexican gang boss El Huron and the Chinese Triads. Rated R (frenetic strong bloody violence, crude/graphic sexual content, nudity, pervasive language), 1 hr 25 mins.

Race to Witch Mountain - Friday, 3:30 p.m. (Dwayne Johnson, Ciaran Hinds) A taxi driver gets more than get bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways. Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they’re also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets. Rated PG (sequences of action/ violence, frightening/ dangerous situations, thematic elements), 1 hr 37 mins.

Obsessed - Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m.; Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. (Beyonce Knowles, Idris Elba) Derek Charles, a successful asset manager who has just received a huge promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marriage to the beautiful Sharon. But when Lisa, a temp worker, starts stalking Derek, all the things he’s worked so hard for are placed in jeopardy. Rated PG13 (thematic content, some violence, suggestive dialogue, sexual material), 1 hr 42 mins.

Monsters Vs. Aliens - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, 6 p.m. (Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie) California girl Susan Murphy mysteriously turns into a giant and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military captures and holds Ginormica in a secret government compound with other monsters. Their confinement time is cut short when a mysterious alien robot lands on earth and begins storming the country. As a last resort, the motley crew of monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction. Rated PG (sci-fi action, crude humor, mild language), 1 hr 34 mins.

Hannah Montana: The Movie - Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus) Miley Stewart struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona. When Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life- she just might let it. So her father takes the teen home to Crowley Corners Tennessee for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine. Rated G, 1 hr 38 mins.

Ghost of Girlfriends Past - Monday, 6 p.m. (Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner) Connor a notorious photographer has a reputation of loving beautiful women and dumping them when they fall in love with him. Beautiful models and celebrities flock to his studio to get their picture taken, usually in lingerie, and throw themselves at him. His brother is about to get married, and Connor thinks he is making a terrible mistake. Connor tries to talk Paul out of getting married. Then the night before the wedding, Connor is visited by three ghosts, who take him back to his past, present, and his lonely future. They try to discovery the point in time where Connors became this womanizing jerk. Maybe there is still time to change him into a sensitive, feeling, and caring person that he once was, and he may even find his true love. Rated PG-13 (sexual content, language, drug reference), 1 hr 40 mins.

Earth - Wednesday, 6 p.m. (James Earl Jones) Using the sun as a guide, we set out on a truly global journey while watching the movie “Earth.“ On the way, we meet three mothers struggling to bring up their young. In the Arctic a polar bear and her two cubs awaken to the first sunlight of spring. Half a world away, in the heat of the Kalahari, an elephant calf and her mother find water after a danger filled trek across the desert. But they must share the pool with a pride lions. For the final leg of the journey, we follow a humpback whale mother. She must keep her calf safe on their 4000 mile migration from the equator to Antarctica. And so life on “Earth” goes on. A story played out billions of times a day. 365 days a year, as the “Earth” moves through seasons, every living creature bending to the power of the sun. Rated G, 1 hr 30 mins.

Upcoming: Obsessed (PG-13) - June 18, 6 p.m.; June 19 and 20, 8:30 p.m.; Ghost of Girlfriends Past (PG-13) - June 18 and 21, 8:30 p.m.; June 19 and 20, 6 p.m.; Earth (G) - June 19, 20 and 21, 3:30 p.m.; June 22, 6 p.m.; Hannah Montana: The Movie (G) - June 21, 6 p.m.; Angels and Demons (PG-13) - June 22, 8:30 p.m.; June 23 and 24, 6 p.m.; The Soloist (PG-13) - June 23 and 24, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Now showing—Wood Theater

Fighting - Tonight, 6 p.m. (Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard) Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur has come to New York City with nothing. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden sees that he has a natural talent for street fighting. Rated PG-13 (intense fight sequences, some sexuality, brief strong language), 1 hr 45 mins.

Fast and Furious - Tonight, 8:30 p.m. and Monday, 6 p.m. (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker) When a crime brings them back to L.A., former rivals Dom Toretto and Brian O’Conner have to work together to outmaneuver a common enemy. Rated PG-13 (drug references, language, intense sequences of violence, intense sequences of action, sexual content), 1 hr 47 mins.

Hannah Montana: The Movie - Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus) Miley Stewart struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona. When Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life- she just might let it. So her father takes the teen home to Crowley Corners, Tennessee, for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine. Rated G, 1 hr 38 mins.

Race to Witch Mountain - Friday and Sunday, 6 p.m. (Dwayne Johnson, Ciaran Hinds) A taxi driver gets more than get bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways. Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they’re also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets. Rated PG (sequences of action/ violence, frightening/ dangerous situations, thematic elements), 1 hr 37 mins.

State of Play - Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck) U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party.  All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out. Rated PG-13 (some violence, language including sexual references, brief drug content), 2 hrs 7 mins.

Monsters Vs. Aliens - Saturday, 6 p.m. and Sunday, 8:30 p.m. (Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie) California girl Susan Murphy mysteriously turns into a giant and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military captures and holds Ginormica in a secret government compound with other monsters. Their confinement time is cut short when a mysterious alien robot lands on earth and begins storming the country. As a last resort, the motley crew of monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction. Rated PG (sci-fi action, crude humor, mild language), 1 hr 34 mins.

Crank:  High Voltage - Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, 6 p.m. (Jason Statham, Amy Smart) Hitman Chev is kidnapped by a mysterious Chinese mobster. He later wakes up to discover his heart has been surgically removed and replaced with a battery-operated ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity in order to work. After escaping from his captors, Chev is on the run again, this time from the charismatic Mexican gang boss El Huron and the Chinese Triads. Rated R (frenetic strong bloody violence, crude/graphic sexual content, nudity, pervasive language), 1 hr 25 mins.

Upcoming: State of Play (PG-13) - June 11, 6 p.m.; Crank:  High Voltage (R) - June 11, 12 and 13, 8:30 p.m.; Fighting (PG-13) - June 4, 6 p.m.; Fast and Furious (PG-13) - June 4, 8:30 p.m. and June 8, 6 p.m.; Race to Witch Mountain (PG) - June 12, 3:30 p.m.; Obsessed (PG-13) - June 12 and 13, 6 p.m.; June 14, 8:30 p.m.;  Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG) - June 13, 3:30 p.m. and June 14, 6 p.m.; Hannah Montana: The Movie (G) - June 14, 3:30;

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Wood Theater

Now showing Wood Theater
Knowing - Tonight, 6 p.m. and Wednesday, 8 p.m.  (Lara Robinson, Nicolas Cage) In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Caleb’s father, who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. Rated PG-13 (disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language), 2 hrs 1 min.
Observe and Report - Tonight, 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta) At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist, combating skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer, while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun. His delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl, Brandi, the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do. Rated R (pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence), 1 hr 26 mins.

Wood Theater is closed May 22 to 26 in observance of the Memorial Day weekend.

Upcoming: 12 Rounds (PG-13) - May 28, 6 p.m.; 17 Again (PG-13) - May 28 and 29, 8:30 p.m.; May 31, 6 p.m.; Race to Witch Mountain (PG) - May 29, 6 p.m. and May 30, 1:30 p.m.;  Dragonball: Evolution (PG) - May 30, 3:30 p.m.; May 31, 2 and 4 p.m.;  Studio Appreciation - Free Screening (PG-13) - May 30, 6 p.m.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Performing legendary actions every day

Legend tells of a military spouse known as Molly Pitcher who followed her husband, an artilleryman with the Continental Army, to war.

She regularly carried pitchers of water to her husband and his fellow Soldiers to help cool the barrels of the cannons they fired.

Then, on a fiercely hot summer day, when her husband was wounded in battle, she took his place, helping load his cannon, immortalizing her as an American Revolutionary heroine.

According to the 2001 edition of the Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military and the sixth edition of the Columbia Encyclopedia, Pitcher’s real name was Mary Ludwig Hays. She was
the wife of John Hays of Carlisle, Pa. Both sources cite her actions taking place at the Battle of Monmouth, N.J., in June 1778. In 1822, in recognition of her services, Congress awarded her a $40 grant and a $40 annuity.

Historians differ about the veracity of the identity of Molly Pitcher. Some say it was, indeed, Mary Ludwig Hays.

Others say the term “Molly Pitcher” was a pseudonym for the hosts of women who followed their husbands to war, providing water and sundry needs to them during battles, some of whom may have also engaged in the fights.

Still, others say the acts credited to Hays were actually the exploits of Margaret Cochran Corbin.

References from the Oxford Essential dictionary and the Columbia encyclopedia state Corbin was “wounded and utterly disabled by three grape shot, while she filled with distinguished bravery the post of her husband, who was killed by her side, serving a piece of artillery at Fort Washington.“

In 1779, Corbin became the first woman to be pensioned by the government. The Oxford dictionary records Congress awarded her half of a regular Soldier’s pay and a complete suit of clothes annually and that she was enrolled in the Corps of Invalids and performed garrison duties at [the U.S. Military Academy at] West Point, where she lived thereafter as “Captain Molly.“
Despite who the true Molly Pitcher was, the fact remains, throughout history, military spouses have gone over and above what is expected of them in support of the servicemembers on the field.

Whether taking up arms beside them or serving at home by ensuring families and businesses were tended to, military spouses have been accounted for in every skirmish undertaken by U.S. servicemembers.

Tomorrow, Belvoir takes time to honor the faithful service of you, the modern day “Molly (and, now, Manny) Pitchers” who have made our military community a family.

Although awards for what you do are few and far between, we offer this day as a small token of our appreciation for your sacrifices.

While not all of you will enter the annals of military history, in the eyes of those whom you care for and support, you are legends in your own right.

Now showing—Wood Theater

The Last House on the Left - May 7, 6 p.m. (Garret Dillahunt, Martha MacIsaac) The night she arrives at the remote Collingwood lakehouse, Mari and her friend are kidnapped by a prison escapee and his crew. Terrified and left for dead, Mari’s only hope is to make it back to parents John and Emma. Unfortunately, her attackers unknowingly seek shelter at the one place she could be safe. And when her family learns the horrifying story, they will make three strangers curse the day they came to the last house on the left. Rated R (sadistic brutal violence including a rape and disturbing images, language, nudity, drug use), 1 hr 50 mins.

Watchmen - May 7, 8:30 p.m. (Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) Live action version of the D.C. graphic comic. When one of Rorschach’s former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Rated R (strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, language), 2 hrs 35 mins.
Duplicity - May 8, 6 p.m. (Julia Roberts, Clive Owen) CIA officer Claire Stenwick and MI6 agent Ray Koval have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first. But as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can’t cheat their way out of: love. Rated PG-13 (language, sexual content), 2 hrs 5 mins.

I Love You Man - May 8, 8:30 p.m.; May 9, 8:30 p.m. and May 10, 6 p.m. (Paul Rudd, Jason Segel) Peter is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his best man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward man-dates, before meeting Sydney a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peters relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his new found bro, in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a friend. Rated R (pervasive language, including crude and sexual references), 1 hr 45 mins.

Race to Witch Mountain - May 9 and 10, 3:30 p.m. (Dwayne Johnson, Anna Sophia Robb) For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert, known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when a Las Vegas cab driver finds two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can’t explain. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them. Rated PG (sequences of action/ violence, frightening/ dangerous situations, thematic elements), 1 hr 37 mins.
Coraline - May 9, 6 p.m. and May 10, 1 p.m. (Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher) Coraline walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life - only much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home - and save her family. Rated PG (thematic elements, scary images, language, suggestive humor), 1 hr 41 mins.

Monsters Vs. Aliens - May 13, 6 p.m.(Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie) California girl Susan Murphy mysteriously turns into a giant and is instantly labeled a “monster” named Ginormica. The military captures and holds Ginormica in a secret government compound with other monsters. Their confinement time is cut short when a mysterious alien robot lands on earth and begins storming the country. As a last resort, the motley crew of monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction. Rated PG (sci-fi action, crude humor, mild language), 1 hr 34 mins.  

Fast and Furious 2009 - May 13, 8:30 p.m. (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker) When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive and ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel. Rated PG-13 (drug references, language, intense sequences of violence, intense sequences of action, sexual content), 1 hr 47 mins.

Upcoming: Fast and Furious 2009 (PG-13) - May 14 and 15, 6 p.m.; May 17, 3 p.m.; Adventureland (R) - May 14 and 15, 8:30 p.m.; Race to Witch Mountain (PG) - free EFMP Screening - May 16, 3:30 p.m.; Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG) - May 16, 6 p.m. and May 17, 1 p.m.; Knowing (PG-13) - May 16, 8:30 p.m. and May 20, 6 p.m.; Terminator Salvation (PG-13) - Studio Appreciation free screening - May 17, 6 p.m.; 12 Rounds (PG-13) - May 20, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Wood Theater

Madea Goes to Jail - Tonight, 6 p.m.(Tyler Perry, Derek Luke) After a high-speed chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and lands her in jail. Meanwhile, assistant district attorney, Joshua, is on the fast track to career success when he lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict, Candace. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way, as only Madea can. Rated PG-13 (mature thematic material, drug content, violence, sexual situations), 1 hr 43 mins.

Grand Torino - Tonight, 8:30 p.m. (Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley) Retired auto worker Walt, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices. The people he once called his neighbors have all moved or passed away, replaced by Hmong immigrants, from Southeast Asia, he despises. Resentful of virtually everything and everyone he sees, Walt is just waiting out the rest of his life…until the night his teenage neighbor Thao tries to steal his prized ‘72 Gran Torino, under pressure from Hmong gang-bangers. Rated R (language throughout, violence), 2 hrs 2 mins.  

The Last House on the Left - Friday, 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 p.m. (Garret Dillahunt, Martha MacIsaac)  The night she arrives at the remote Collingwood lakehouse, Mari and her friend are kidnapped by a prison escapee and his crew. Terrified and left for dead, Mari’s only hope is to make it back to parents John and Emma. Unfortunately, her attackers unknowingly seek shelter at the one place she could be safe. And when her family learns the horrifying story, they will make three strangers curse the day they came to the last house on the left. Rated R (sadistic brutal violence including a rape and disturbing images, language, nudity, drug use), 1 hr 50 mins.

Watchmen - Friday, 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, 6 p.m. (Carla Gugino, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) When one of Rorschach’s former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Rated R (strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, language), 2 hrs 35 mins.

Coraline - Saturday and Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher) Coraline walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life - only much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home - and save her family. Rated PG (thematic elements, scary images, language, suggestive humor), 1 hr 41 mins.

Race to Witch Mountain - Sunday, 1 p.m. and Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Dwayne Johnson, Anna Sophia Robb) For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert, known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when a Las Vegas cab driver finds two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can’t explain. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them. Rated PG (sequences of action/ violence, frightening/ dangerous situations, thematic elements), 1 hr 37 mins.

Duplicity - Sunday, 6 p.m. (Julia Roberts, Clive Owen) CIA officer Claire Stenwick and MI6 agent Ray Koval have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first. But as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can’t cheat their way out of: love. Rated PG-13 (language, sexual content), 2 hrs 5 mins.

I Love You Man - Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. (Paul Rudd, Jason Segel) Peter is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his best man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward man-dates, before meeting Sydney a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peters relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his new found bro, in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a friend. Rated R (pervasive language, including crude and sexual references), 1 hr 45 mins.

Upcoming: The Last House On The Left (R) - May 7, 6 p.m.; Watchmen (R) - May 7, 8:30 p.m.; Duplicity (PG-13) - May 8, 6 p.m.; I Love You Man (R) - May 8, 8:30 p.m.; May 9, 8:30 p.m. and May 10, 6 p.m.; Race to Witch Mountain (PG) - May 9 and 10, 3:30 p.m.; Coraline (PG) - May 9, 6 p.m. and May 10, 1 p.m.; Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG) - May 13, 6 p.m.; Fast and Furious 2009 (PG-13) - May 13, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Now Showing - Wood Theater

Taken - Tonight and Sunday, 6 p.m. (Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace Bryan) A former secret agent relies on his old skills to save Kim, his 17-year-old estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade. Using his contacts in the CIA and the business connections of his ex-wife’s husband, he travels to Paris to find her. Rate PG-13 (intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, drug references, language), 1 hour 31 mins.

Madea Goes to Jail - Tonight, 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Tyler Perry, Derek Luke) After a high-speed chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and lands her in jail. Meanwhile, assistant district attorney, Joshua, is on the fast track to career success when he lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict, Candace. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way, as only Madea can. Rated PG-13 (mature thematic material, drug content, violence, sexual situations), 1 hr 43 mins.

Grand Torino - Friday, Saturday and Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. (Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley) Retired auto worker Walt, an iron-willed veteran living in a changing world, is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices. The people he once called his neighbors have all moved or passed away, replaced by Hmong immigrants, from Southeast Asia, he despises. Resentful of virtually everything and everyone he sees, Walt is just waiting out the rest of his life…until the night his teenage neighbor Thao tries to steal his prized ‘72 Gran Torino, under pressure from Hmong gang-bangers. Rated R (language throughout, violence), 2 hrs 2 mins.  

Paul Blart:  Mall Cop - Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.; and Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Kevin James, Jayma Mays) Paul is a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It’s a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa’s helpers at the mall stage a coup, shutting down the megaplex and taking hostages, Jersey’s most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day. Rated PG (violence, mild crude/suggestive humor, language), 2 hours 1 min.

Upcoming: Madea Goes to Jail (PG-13) - Apr. 30, 6 p.m.; Gran Torino (R) - Apr. 30, 8:30 p.m.; The Last House On The Left (R) - May 1, 6 p.m. and May 2, 9 p.m.; Watchmen (R) - May 1, 8:30 p.m. and May 2, 6 p.m.; Coraline (PG) - May 2 and 3, 3:30 p.m.;  Race to Witch Mountain (PG) - May 3, 1 p.m. and May 6, 6 p.m.; Duplicity (PG-13) - May 3, 6 p.m.; I Love You Man (R) - May 6, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Now showing—Wood Theater

Fired Up - Tonight, Saturday and Sunday, 6 p.m. (Nicholas D’Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen) Shawn and Nick, stars of the Gerald R. Ford High School football team, are dreading the prospect of another summer at football camp. Nick hatches a scheme for them to join their school’s cheerleaders at cheer camp instead and they find themselves awash in a sea of gorgeous young women. When Shawn falls for Carly, the beautiful but suspicious head cheerleader, the boys must come up with some surprising new moves to win her over before the all-important cheer competition finals. Rated PG-13 (crude and sexual content, nudity, language, teen partying), 1 hr 30mins.
The International - Tonight, Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. (Clive Owen, Naomi Watts) Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world’s most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, Salinger and Whitman follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing — even murder — to continue financing terror and war. Rated R (violence, language), 1 hr 58 mins.

Friday the 13th - Friday, 6 p.m. (Amanda Righetti, Jared Padalecki) Searching for his missing sister, Clay heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins that lie in wait behind moss-covered trees. Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has with the help of a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. Little do they know, they’ve entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history - Jason. Rated R (graphic bloody violence, sexual content, drug references, language), 1 hour 38 mins.

Confessions of a Shopaholic - Saturday, 6 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. (Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy) Rebecca Bloomwood is a fun-living girl who is really good at shopping a little too good perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can’t quite get her foot in the door until ironically she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future. Rated PG (some mild language, thematic elements), 1 hr 45 mins. 

The Pink Panther 2 - Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (Steve Martin, Jean Reno) When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus is forced to assign Inspector Clouseau to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts. Rated PG (some suggestive humor, brief mild language, action) 92 min

Madea Goes to Jail - Wednesday, 6 p.m. (Tyler Perry, Derek Luke) After a high-speed chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and lands her in jail. Meanwhile, assistant district attorney, Joshua, is on the fast track to career success when he lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict, Candace. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way, as only Madea can. Rated PG-13 (mature thematic material, drug content, violence, sexual situations), 1 hr 43 mins.

Taken - Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. (Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace Bryan) A former secret agent relies on his old skills to save Kim, his 17-year-old estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade. Using his contacts in the CIA and the business connections of his ex-wife’s husband, he travels to Paris to find her. Rate PG-13 (intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, drug references, language), 1 hour 31 mins.

Upcoming: Taken (PG-13) - Apr. 23 and 26, 6 p.m.; Madea Goes to Jail (PG-13) - Apr. 23, 8:30 p.m.; April 24 and 25, 6 p.m.; April 26, 3:30 p.m.; Gran Torino (R) - Apr. 24, 25 and 29, 8:30 p.m.; Paul Blart: Mall Cop (PG) - Apr. 25, 3:30 p.m.; April 26, 1 p.m. and April 29, 6 p.m.