• MACALL POLAY
• Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in Columbia Picture's comedy "The Other Guys"

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED 3 stars (R ) A pair of British ex-cons (Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston) meticulously plan the kidnapping of a wealthy young woman (Gemma Arterton) in this Hitchcockian thriller from director J Blakeson. Until the last act, most of Alice Creed takes place in three rooms, but Blakeson builds tension and reveals twists like a sharp student of Harold Pinter’s Theater of Menace. The film unsparingly depicts the abuse of a woman, but also implies the audience and filmmaker have a voyeuristic complicity in the story. — Holman

THE OTHER GUYS 3 stars (PG-13) With New York’s super-detectives Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) out of commission, disgraced hot-head Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) and meek forensic accountant Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) seize a chance to escape desk duty and break a huge case involving a sleazy financier (Steve Coogan). For about an hour, The Other Guys comes on like comedic gangbusters, with Wahlberg’s misplaced machismo providing a good foil for Ferrell’s increasingly unhinged antics. The cop clichés give Ferrell and director Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) plenty to riff on for a while, but once the good gags peter out, the lumbering action scenes prove less than arresting. — Holman

RESTREPO (R ) This acclaimed documentary follows writer Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Weatherington followed the 2nd platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne, during their yearlong deployment in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley in 2008.

STEP UP 3D Following the same tradition as the Bring it On movies, the Step Up series takes on another spin as street dancers (Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson) team up with a freshman (Adam G. Sevani) from New York University for a high-stakes showdown against the world's best hip-hop dancers.

WILD GRASS (NR) A lost and found wallet leads to romantic possibilities between a single, middle-aged dentist (Sabine Azema) and an unemployed husband (Andre Dussolier) with a mysterious past. Director Alain Resnais is a legendary French filmmaker and auteur of such artsy pictures as Last Year at Marienbad.

DULY NOTED

ATLANTA SHORTSFEST August is indie-film month and as part of the festivities that present unique films is the First Annual Atlanta Shortfest. Featuring work from all over the world, the 91 movies that run no more than 26 minutes showcase every genre out there. Aug 6- 8. Prices vary with single tickets between $5-$8. Events and show times vary. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-873-1939. www.plazaatlanta.com and the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge, 644 N. Highland Ave. NE 404-874-5756. www.thehighlandinn.com/highlandballroom.com. www.atlantashortsfest.com.

THE GENERAL (1926) 5 stars (NR) Buster Keaton’s classic silent film dramatizes “The Great Locomotive Chase,” when a group of Union spies and sympathizers, later nicknamed "Andrews' Raiders," hijacked a Confederate train called "The General" and sabotaged telegraph lines and rail ties from Atlanta to Chattanooga. Coca-Cola Film Series. 7:30 p.m., Tue., Aug. 10. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. www.foxtheatre.org/

ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT(1979) 4 stars (1979) The skeleton crew of an factory spaceship investigate an otherworldly phenomenon and find themselves stalked by a nightmarish being. Director Ridley Scott and designer H.G. Giger offered a terrifying, groundbreaking vision of the terrors of space that’s more than just a combination of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jaws. Splatter Cinema. Tue., Aug. 10 and Fri., Aug. 13, 9:30 p.m. $8. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-873-1939. www.plazaatlanta.com.

CONTINUING

CHARLIE ST. CLOUD 2 stars (PG-13) After a tragic accident, Charlie (Zach Efron) realizes he can communicate with his deceased younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan). As time progresses, this relationship becomes strained as Charlie falls for Tess (Amanda Crew), a young sailor with aspirations to sail around world. When Tess is loss at sea, only Charlie and his special ability can save her, even at the cost of breaking a longtime pact with his brother. Efron steps into the big shoes of a romantic lead in the dark, sappy drama. However, his acting chops can’t keep this uninspiring and weak story afloat. — Ed Adams

COCO CHANEL AND IGOR STRAVINKSY 2 stars (R ) The second biopic in a year about Coco Chanel, Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky focuses on the heated attraction between the French fashion icon (Anna Mouglalis) and the Russian composer (Mads Mikkelsen). A fan of Stravinsky's ever since witnessing the riotous reception of his The Rite Of Spring in 1913, the two become reacquainted seven years later. She invites him and his family, including a sickly wife (Yelena Morozova), to install at her villa in Garches, and a kind of primal, practically dialogue-free, love affair ensues. Unfortunately, what could have been a deliciously fascinating peek at two of the 20th-century's most revered creative geniuses turns out to be a drag. — Debbie Michaud

COUNTDOWN TO ZERO 4 stars (NR) Just when you thought you were safe from global thermonuclear catastrophe, this documentary offers an unnerving reminder of the dangers in the post-cold war world. Director Lucy Walker reveals the ease with which motivated terrorists could build a bomb and smuggle it into the United States, and as well as hair-raising examples of nuclear near-launches from the past. Until the no-nukes appeal in its last 10 minutes, Countdown to Zero maintains a relatively bipartisan agenda in an era of Michael Moore documentaries. — Holman

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS 2 stars (PG-13) Tim (Paul Rudd), an aspiring financial exec accidentally invites Barry (Steve Carell), an odd yet clueless IRS employee and taxidermy enthusiast to attend an exclusive dinner where the invitees are mocked and scrutinized by partygoers in order to impress his boss and move up the ladder. As funny and fuzzy as some moments in this film are, Schmucks derails itself by just going too far — never knowing when to pull in the reins with the sheer onslaught of buffoonery they cram into every crevice of the story. The slow build up to the climatic dinner sequence is laden with unnecessary diversions that deliver some chuckles and a couple of laughable moments. Depending on your tolerance for off-color humor, Schmucks will either have you laughing heartily throughout or just checking your watch often for this dinner party to just end. — Ed Adams

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (Not Rated) It's no joke: Dutch director Tom Six really has made a horror story about a pair of airhead Americans who stumbles across a deranged surgeon who once specialized in separating conjoined twins. To describe his obsession with creating a "human centipede" is to risk putting you off your feed.Strong-stomached critics assert that on the technical level, it’s a competent film, and the Plaza Theatre has booked it for the bravest moviegoers among us.

GREAT DIRECTORS (Not Rated) A tribute to ten of the world's most "acclaimed, provocative, and individualistic" filmmakers, the documentary offers a first-hand look at the art of cinema from interviews of the greats.