Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Hancock" and "Kit Kittredge."

'Wackness' undresses to impress
Everyone in "The Wackness" tries so very, very hard to be risqué that there isn't a moment in which the movie isn't posturing.

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Kids' Flicks

DVD LIBRARY: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'
Chicago's Music Box Theatre is in the midst of a weekend matinee series focusing on movie musicals. While the genre usually brings to mind Hollywood products starring the likes of Fred Astaire, this weekend's offering is a classic from France: 1964's "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg."

Smith's charm can't save 'Hancock'
"Hancock," about a wayward superhero who hires an image consultant, could use an image consultant of its own. How did a major summer release, which must have gone through countless story meetings, test screenings and marketing strategy sessions, end up being so confused? (Maybe I just answered my own question.)

'American Girl' belittles young audiences

"Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" would be the perfect movie for history-minded 6- to 9-year-olds if it wasn't aimed at the intellectual level of a toddler.

Now Playing
Capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "WALL-E" and "Wanted."

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "WALL-E" and "Wanted."

John Mayer concert film comes to Naperville
"Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles" will screen at 7 p.m. June 30 at the Kerasotes Naperville ShowPlace 16.

'Hulk' fans display an incredible anger
I stand by my contention that the Hulk is lame - a watered-down melding of the Frankenstein, King Kong and (as some of my detractors helpfully reminded me) Jekyll and Hyde myths.

Kids' Flicks

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Get Smart" and "The Love Guru."

'American Girl' underestimates its audiences
"Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" would be the perfect movie for history-minded 6- to 9-year-olds if it wasn't aimed at the intellectual level of a toddler. It's the story of a resourceful, overdressed little girl who wards off the unpleasantness of the Depression one act of kindness at a time.

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Get Smart" and "The Love Guru."

Pixar Picks
The following are Josh Larsen's capsule reviews of past Pixar pictures.

Help us pick Pixar's unofficial mascot
There may be only one thing keeping Pixar Animation Studios - the outfit behind "Toy Story," "Ratatouille" and next week's "WALL*E" - from becoming the next Disney. The studio doesn't have an official mascot.

DVD LIBRARY: 'The Man With the Golden Arm'
A recent DVD boxed set of Frank Sinatra's films, Frank Sinatra: The Golden Years, includes the one that many people consider to be his best: 1955's "The Man With the Golden Arm."

Kids' Flicks

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Now Playing
Capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Happening."

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Happening."

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Happening."

What's 'Happening' to M. Night Shyamalan?
M. Night Shyamalan seems to have lost his control over "The Happening," the writer-director's latest film and the first in a long time that I can't defend, writes Sun critic Josh Larsen. Aimless, undisciplined and rough around every edge, the entire picture has a first-take feel, as if the filmmaker and his cast had knocked the movie off in a harried weekend.

Kids' Flicks
Area theaters are running discount summer movie programs for families looking for a place to chill. The following are reviews of films playing within the next week.

'Hulk' movie can't do much with limited character
The Hulk is hardly a stroke of superhero genius. He's big, strong, angry and green. And that's about it. Missing are the essential ingredients of any good superhero saga. This is evident in "The Incredible Hulk," star Edward Norton and director Louis Leterrier's attempt to succeed where director Ang Lee's "The Hulk" failed only five years ago.

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Area theaters regularly program imports from India's Bollywood movie industry. The following are capsule reviews of currently playing films.

Help us name the best sports movie ever
Why do sports movies have such a hold over American audiences? Whether they are based-on-fact melodramas, comedies or tear-jerkers designed to make grown men cry, the sports movie is one of the sturdiest genres Hollywood has come to rely upon.

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Kung Fu Panda" and "You Don't Mess With the Zohan."

Comedy 'Promotion' elevates the satire
Fueled by a sense of economic desperation that's all too familiar, "The Promotion" may wind up being the funniest, timeliest comedy of 2008.

Danny McBride leads with his foot
In the low-budget comedy "The Foot Fist Way," Danny McBride plays Fred Simmons, an incompetent, strip-mall tae kwon do instructor who nonetheless has the undying devotion of his sorry students.

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Kung Fu Panda" and "You Don't Mess With the Zohan."

'Kung Fu Panda' a must for action fans
For a movie built around an ungainly, slothful creature, "Kung Fu Panda" displays a delirious amount of dexterity. Outside of Japanese anime - and maybe Pixar's "The Incredibles" - I can't think of another animated feature packed with this much exhilarating, ingenious action. "Speed Racer" used computer technology to pummel your senses, but "Kung Fu Panda" delights them. Kids will like it; action junkies will love it.

Give peace - but not 'Zohan' - a chance
The Adam Sandler Institute for Public Policy - otherwise known as Happy Madison Productions - has released another position paper, this time titled "You Don't Mess With the Zohan."

DVD LIBRARY: 'Three Days of the Condor'
Sydney Pollack, who died last month at the age of 73, had a similar, comforting presence in most of his performances, yet as a director he had no signature stamp.