CAST: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Shuler Hensley, Kevin J. O'Connor
SYNOPSIS: Dracula, Frankenstein's creature and the Wolfman are hunted by a beast slayer (Hugh Jackman, X-Men).
WHAT WE SAID: "Van Helsing always seems one campy moment away from becoming a Mel Brooks spoof, which might be a compliment if that's what writer-director Stephen Sommers had in mind," wrote Times film critic Steve Persall, who gave it a C. "It's a project as misshapen as Frankenstein's creature, and if a movie could wear heavy boots to clunk around the Transylvanian countryside, this would be it."
CAST: Colin Farrell, Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, Shirley Henderson, David Wilmot, Brian F. O'Byrne
SYNOPSIS: A domino effect of failed romance connects Irish characters.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave Intermission a C: "Count this reviewer mostly dissatisfied by this coarse mix of romance and malevolence, which is unfortunate because the film has an impressive energy and many strong performances."
MPAA RATING: R; harsh profanity, sexual content, violence
RUNNING TIME: 105 min.
A Slipping-Down Life
DIRECTOR: Toni Kalem
CAST: Lili Taylor, Guy Pearce, John Hawkes, Sara Rue, Irma P. Hall, Tom Bower, Shawnee Smith, Veronica Cartwright
SYNOPSIS: Based on the novel by Anne Tyler. A shy young woman (Taylor) shakes up her boring life when she becomes mesmerized by a struggling musician (Pearce).
WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film, which didn't open in area theaters.
MPAA RATING: R; language, sexual references. RUNNING TIME: 111 min.
Garfield: The Movie
DIRECTOR: Peter Hewitt
CAST: Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, the voice of Bill Murray
SYNOPSIS: In this mix of animation and live actors, comic strip cat Garfield (voiced by Murray) reacts badly when owner Jon Arbuckle (Meyer) adopts Odie the dog but gets a chance to redeem himself when Odie is dog-napped.
WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Rick Gershman gave it a C-: "The movie's jokes miss more than they hit, and Peter Hewitt's direction is, well, due south. But it also moves along at a fair clip and never drags. As all-ages kid flicks go, that puts it far from the best (e.g. Spy Kids) but nowhere near the worst (e.g. Spy Kids 3-D).
MPAA RATING: PG; brief mild language
RUNNING TIME: 86 min.
A Cinderella Story
DIRECTOR: Mark Rosman
CAST: Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray, Dan Byrd, Regina King, Julie Gonzalo
SYNOPSIS: The old fairy tale gets an update and a transplant to high school, where Hilary Duff finds her Prince Charming while fending off an overly Botoxed wicked stepmother.
WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Philip Booth gave this one a C-, writing: "Everything old is old again in A Cinderella Story, a Hilary Duff vehicle that's every bit as fresh and memorable as last week's tweener-aimed teen romance movie."
