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July 22, 2005

'Bad News Bears'; 'The Devil's Rejects'; 'The Island'; 'Hustle & Flow'; 'March of the Penguins'; Still in theaters; 'Batman Begins'; 'Bewitched'; 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'; 'Dark Water'; 'Fantastic Four'; 'Herbie: Fully Loaded'; 'The Longest Yard'; 'Madagascar'; 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'; 'War of the Worlds'; 'The Wedding Crashers'

New at the theaters

'Bad News Bears'

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden. After a lawsuit forces Little League teams to accept all players regardless of ability, a surly, half-drunk baseball coach turns the Bears, a team of misfits with a huge losing streak, into unlikely title contenders. Rated PG-13 for rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality and thematic elements, running time 115 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Devil's Rejects'

Starring William Forsythe, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig and Sheri Moon. Taking place weeks after the events in "House of 1,000 Corpses," this sequel follows the serial-killing Firefly family as its members go on the lam after a bloodbath. They're pursued by Sheriff John Wydell, who's looking to avenge his brother's murder. Rated R for sadistic violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use, running time 110 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Island'

Starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson and Djimon Hounsou. In the near future, wealthy Americans can have themselves cloned, with the option of using their clones for organ transplants later in life. Their doubles are duped into thinking that a lottery spin will send them to an island paradise, when in reality, they're on the way to get their body parts harvested. One of these clones starts to suspect the true nature of the facility in which he was raised and plots an escape with a friend. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language, running time 130 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Hustle & Flow'

Starring Terrence Dashon Howard, DJ Qualls, Anthony Anderson, Ludacris and Isaac Hayes. DJay, an aging Memphis pimp, tries to kick-start his rap career with the help of his friends Key, a sound engineer, and Shelby, the most unlikely producer ever to enter a studio. If they can attract the attention of successful rapper Skinny Black, they might make it big. Rated R for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence, running time 114 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'March of the Penguins'

Morgan Freeman narrates the story of thousands of Antarctic penguins who march across the frozen wasteland in order to mate É and find true love. Rated G, running time 80 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

-- From staff reports

Still in theaters

'Batman Begins'

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer. 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. Only his former flame, Rachel, thinks the metropolis can be saved. To do so, Wayne transforms into the Dark Knight, Batman. Rated PG-13 intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements, running time 135 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'Bewitched'

Starring Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, and Jason Schwartzman. Against the wishes of her father, 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 film 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 for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity, running time 116 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

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'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'

Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, AnnaSophia Robb, Helena Bonham Carter, Julia Winter, and David Kelly. Charlie Bucket is so poor he only gets to buy one chocolate bar a year -- so there's really no chance he'll be lucky enough to find one of the five golden tickets hidden inside of Wonka Bars, the delicious treat manufactured at the top-secret factory owned by Willy Wonka. But when the unlikely event occurs, Charlie's invited on a guided tour of Mr. Wonka's surreal building. Rated PG quirky situations, action and mild language, running time 116 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Dark Water'

Starring Jennifer Connelly, Shelley DuVall, Ariel Gade, Tim Roth, John C. Reilly, Camryn Manheim, Pete Postlethwaite, Dougray Scott, and Perla Haney-Jardine. In the middle of a nasty divorce, Dahlia Williams packs up and moves into a new apartment with her young daughter, Ceci. But her new digs are run-down and cramped, plus, she keeps hearing mysterious noises and a strange liquid begins leaking through the ceiling. And that's never good. Rated PG-13 for terror and disturbing situations, running time 120 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'Fantastic Four'

Starring Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Julian McMahon, Maria Menounos, Kerry Washington, Hamish Linklater, and Laurie Holden. After an accident in space, a team of scientists find that their DNA has been forever altered. The result? Superpowers, of course. Lead geek Reed Richards transforms into Mr. Fantastic, a man who can stretch his body. Susan Storm becomes the Invisible Woman, while her brother, Johnny Storm, finds that as the Human Torch, he can set himself ablaze. Finally, Ben Grimm turns into the Thing, a creature made of rocks. Together, dubbed the Fantastic Four, they take on the evil Dr. Doom. Rated PG-13 - for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content, running time 110 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'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 Longest Yard'

Starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, James Cromwell, Nelly, William Fichtner, and Burt Reynolds. 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 for crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references, running time 113 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)

'Madagascar'

Starring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, and Gwen Stefani. Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo have spent their whole lives living happily in a zoo. Then Marty falls in with a crowd of devious penguins, who bring him along in their escape attempt. When Alex realizes his friend is missing, he leads a company of critters 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 for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements, running time 80 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'

Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, Angela Bassett, and Keith David. 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 for sequences of violence, intense action,sexual content and brief strong language, running time 120 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'War of the Worlds'

Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, and Tim Robbins. This Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the H.G. Wells story follows a deadbeat dad whose attempts at reconciling with his wife and child are interrupted by an alien invasion. Rated PG-13 for frightening scenes of sci-fi violence and disturbing images, running time 116 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

'The Wedding Crashers'

Starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken. Using a secret set of rules developed over many years of bachelorhood, two partying dudes crash weddings to meet girls. When they hear about a huge wedding to be held at the estate of the U.S. secretary of the treasury, the boys are truly stoked. But things get complicated when one of them does the unthinkable and falls for a bridesmaid. Rated R for sexual content/nudity and language, running time 119 minutes. (Cape West Cine)

-- From staff reports

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