At the theaters 6/24/05

New at the theaters

'War of the Worlds'

Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins. This Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the H.G. Wells story follows a deadbeat dad (Cruise) whose attempts at reconciling with his wife and child are interrupted by an alien invasion. Starts Wednesday. Rated PG-13, running time 116 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Bewitched'

Starring Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman and Michael Caine. Isabel Bigelow, a witch, decides to move to the L.A. Valley and live a normal life. She meets Jack Wyatt, a down-on-his-luck actor who's trying to revive his career by playing the lead role, Darrin, in a big-screen remake of the old "Bewitched" TV show. Jack then decides that Isabel would be the perfect choice to play his TV wife. Rated PG-13, running 112 minutes. (Town Plaza)

'Land of the Dead'

Starring Simon Baker, John Leguizamo and Asia Argento. While the walking dead wreak havoc across the globe, the citizens of a walled city try to scrape out a zombie-free existence. Riley (Baker) leads a crew of soldiers who protect the living from the undead. But he notices that the zombies are developing intelligence and organizing an army. Rated R, running time 103 minutes. (Town Plaza)

Still in theaters

'Herbie: Fully Loaded'

Starring Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton. When Maggie Peyton becomes the new owner of an old Volkswagen Beetle, she discovers the car has a mind of its own. Before long, Maggie is well on her way to taking the old Bug for a spin on the NASCAR circuit. Rated G, running time 101 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Perfect Man'

Starring Hilary Duff, Chris Noth, Mike O'Malley, Heather Locklear and Carson Kressley. Holly Hamilton tires of seeing her perpetually single mom strike out on the dating front. She decides to invent a suitor to show her mother that there are better guys out there. But when mom falls for the imaginary man, Holly's forced to find a real guy to fulfill the fantasy romance. Rated PG for some mildly suggestive content, running time 96 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl'

Starring George Lopez, Taylor Dooley and Taylor Lautner. Ten-year-old Max invents two imaginary superheroes with whom he plans great adventures. Miraculously, they really come to life. They take him on the Train of Thought, bound for the yummy land of Milk and Cookies. But when Mr. Electric and his sidekick Minus try to do away with their dreams, the trio must fight back to save Max's imagination. Shown in 3-D. Rated PG, running time 94 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Batman Begins'

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Katie Holmes. Industrial heir Bruce Wayne has been seeking vengeance for his parents' deaths since childhood. He heads to the East, where he begins training with a corrupt ninja master named Ra's Al-Ghul. It isn't until he takes up with a more honorable warrior, Henri Ducard, that he's able to find the inner peace necessary to return to Gotham. Once home, he finds his city in ruins and terrorized by two villains: his former mentor Al-Ghul and the Scarecrow. Rated PG-13, running time 135 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'Cinderella Man'

Starring Russell Crowe, RenZe Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock is just a regular Joe who starts taking fights to feed his wife and family, but as he piles up unlikely victories, he becomes a national hero whose spectacular comeback inspires the nation. Rated PG-13, running time 144 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Kicking and Screaming'

Starring Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall and Kate Walsh. Phil Weston has spent his whole life dealing with his overbearing, competitive father, Buck. Now Phil is coaching his 10-year-old son's soccer team, and their opponent in the finals is a team led by none other than Buck, who's also coaching his young son on the team. Rated PG, running time 95 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Longest Yard'

Starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and James Cromwell. Former pro quarterback Paul Crewe and ex-college coach Nate Scarborough are stuck doing time in the same prison. After they're asked to put together a team of inmates to challenge the guards on the gridiron, they discover that the game is fixed. Rated PG-13, running time 113 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'Madagascar'

Starring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimme. Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo have spent their whole lives in a zoo. When Alex realizes a friend is missing, he leads his companions on a search that takes them all outside the zoo for the first time. But before they know it, they're captured, crated, and put on a ship traveling to Africa. Rated PG, running time 80 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'

Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Vince Vaughn. John and Jane Smith lead boring suburban lives, and their marriage has grown routine. But John has a secret, and so does Jane: They're two of the world's most sought-after assassins. The truth comes out only when they're hired to kill each other by competing organizations. Rated PG-13, running time 120 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Star Wars Episode III'

Starring Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniel, Kenny Baker, John Rhys-Davies and Matthew Wood. The Clone Wars have been dragging on for three years, and Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have emerged as heroes in the battle against evil Gen. Grievous' droid warriors. Skywalker returns to his secret wife, PadmZ Amidala, only to discover that she is pregnant; he soon begins to have horrible dreams of her dying during childbirth. In order to prevent his fears from becoming reality, Skywalker begins to take steps down a path toward the Dark Side, resulting in an eventual Lightsaber duel between student and mentor. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images, running time 142 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

-- From staff reports