OPENING FRIDAY

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.

DULY NOTED

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) (PG) The film that brought two of the most notable partners in crime, is part of the Coca-Cola Music Festival at the Fox. Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) are robbers that push their luck on one train too many. As they get hounded by a posse that never fails to find them, Butch concocts their ultimate plan to escape- to Bolivia. $8 Sun. Aug. 1. 2 p.m. Fox Theater. 660 Peachtree Street NE. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.

CADDYSHACK (1980) (R ) Golf isn't usually full of eccentric displays (minus the whole Tiger Woods affair), but this weekend is an exception. The Fox is screening the comical and heartwarming story of the young Danny Newnan who must earn a caddy scholarship from The Bushwood Country Club owner to get his future on track all while helping save it from a snarky millionaire who wants to take the land for property development. $8 Fri. July 30. 7:30 p.m. Fox Theater. 660 Peachtree Street NE. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.


HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) In a trademark Disney plot, a young Viking boy with daddy issues who also serves as the town's most pathetic excuse of an individual befriends the most deadly enemy in the sky, corrects the village's ignorance, and becomes the hero. $8 Sat. July 31. 2 p.m. Fox Theater. 660 Peachtree Street NE. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.

CONTINUING

AGORA (Not Rated) Most of the time with slave-master love stories, it's the master that pursues the slaves. The role is reversed in Roman-occupied Egypt where a slave embraces Christianity to battle his desire for freedom and his lust- I mean, love- for his master, the famous female philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia of Alexandria (Rachel Weisz). Alejandro Amenabar, director of The Others and The Sea Inside, helms this old-school historical epic.

BEST WORST MOVIE 3 stars (Not rated) A documentary about the grassroots cult following for the astonishingly lousy horror-fantasy Troll 2, directed by one of the child actors who starred in it. Best Worst Movie amusingly tracks the mix of condescension and genuine affection fans bestow on bad movies, and builds narrative tension through two personalities: the small-town dentist who starred in the film and finds short-lived celebrity with Troll 2’s notoriety, and the Italian director convinced of his film’s (dubious) value and clearly loathes that people laugh at it. — Holman

RAMONA AND BEEZUS Best-selling children's author, Beverly Cleary's books come to the big screen with this family comedy. Think of the little twerps in Cheaper By the Dozen all packaged into one little girl and that's Ramona Quimby, played by newcomer Joey King. Also starring the still-seemingly-thirteen-year-old Selena Gomez as her older sister, Beezus.

SALT 3 stars Nothing warms you up like a good Cold War-inspired movie. CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) led a modest yet content life until a mysterious man, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) informs the agency of a plot to assassinate the Russian President and accuses Salt of being a Russian sleeper agent who will execute the mission. Not sure where to turn, Salt goes on the lam in a frantic effort to save her husband and punish the group responsible for unraveling her picturesque life. Director Phillip Noyce’s return to the spy thriller genre is chock full of bold action but often predictable twists that envelope the cast of characters in this exciting chess game between superpowers. Jolie’s femme fatale's persona perfectly masks her intentions behind those infamous eyes and makes it difficult to gauge at times if she’s an agent, a double-agent or something else altogether. Ripe with gritty fights and chases, Salt is the perfect complement for movie night. — Ed Adams

TRASH HUMPERS (R ) Famously divisive art-house filmmaker Harmony Korine returns with another exercise in transgression, this time following a group of elderly, sociopathic vandals in Nashville.