OPENING THIS WEEK

SPEED RACER Review on 16

ALSO OPENING

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (1 hr., 38 min.; PG-13 for some sexual and crude content, and language, including a drug reference) Two losers (Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher) find a lot of luck, as well as each other, in Sin City. What happens, though, is that after some initially funny, sorta fresh feuding over a disputed jackpot, the movie pours on the same old rancid sentiment. [C-]

LARGE FORMAT FILMS

Cricket Imax Theater at Jordan Commons

SHINE A LIGHT (2 hrs., 37 min.; PG-13 for brief strong language, drug references and smoking) Martin Scorsese films the Stones!

U2 3D (1 hr., 25 min.; G) The world's biggest band rocks through South America in this concert film. As seen at Sundance!

Showtimes daily. 9355 S. State St., Sandy. (801) 304-INFO.

Xango Mammoth Screen Theater at Thanksgiving Point

DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA (40 min.; No MPAA rating) Learn about the discovery of super-large dino in South America.

DINOSAURS: ALIVE! 3D (40 min.; No MPAA rating) Giant dinosaur battles in 3D! Also: footage from bone excavation sites in Mongolia and Mexico.

SEA MONSTERS: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE (40 min.; No MPAA rating) Learn about the humongous beasts that used to swim in the sea.

Showtimes daily. 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way, Lehi. 768-2300.

CONTINUING

10,000 B.C. (1 hr., 49 min.; PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence) A babelicious cavegirl (Camilla Belle) is stolen from her muscular, jut-jawed, mammoth-hunting BFF, D'Leh (Steven Strait). D'Leh d'cides that the only thing to d'o is to d'liver his d'amsel from d'bad guys. It's as silly as it sounds but director Roland Emmerich does know how to do spectacle. [C-] 21 (2 hrs., 3 min.; PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity) Based on, but not truly inspired by, the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team, "21" takes a thoroughly by-the-numbers approach to its card-counting characters and their Las Vegas entanglements. Flashy and fun, but with nothing of substance and nothing that surprises. [C+]

BABY MAMA (1 hr., 39 min.; PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference) Tina Fey's smart, graceful performance is easily the best ingredient in the lazily familiar recipe for this comedy about every woman's urge to be a mother. The plot is more or less one cliche after another, but Fey and co-stars Amy Poehler and Greg Kinnear will draw you in anyway. [B-]

THE BUCKET LIST (1 hr., 37 min.; PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference) Psst! The screenplay for this death-defying drama, in which geezers live it up while they're goin' down (from cancer), is actually a scientific experiment to determine the maximum amount of inane, imbecilic dialogue and plot cliches that can occupy a single point in space and time. [D-]

EMMA SMITH: MY STORY (1 hr., 38 min.; PG for mild thematic elements and brief violence) The wife of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith steps into the spotlight ... sort of. The makers of this lovely, reverential film, including many of the same people who made the LDS Church-produced "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," don't reveal very much at all about their subject. [C+]

FOOL'S GOLD (1 hr., 52 min.; PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language) Matthew McConaughey struts around with his shirt off and flexes the durably scruffy charm that still gets him jobs, while Kate Hudson deploys a clipped, acerbic wit. They're both better than the rest of this confused, sloppy action comedy, about a search for sunken treasure. [C-]

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (1 hr., 42 min.; PG-13 for sequences of martial arts action and some violence) At last! We finally get to find out who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li! Sort of. The beloved martial arts movie stars do indeed kick, punch and chop it out, but they're still just following the script. The movie is fun, though, despite its silly 21st-century framing story. [B]

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (1 hr., 55 min.; R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity) Peter (Jason Segel) flees to a Hawaiian resort after being dumped by his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell). Only -- what are the odds? -- Sarah and her new man are already staying there! There's some humor and sweetness here, beneath a heap of crude, vulgar and sexual drivel. [C+]

HAPPY VALLEY (1 hr., 40 min.; PG-13 for thematic material involving drug use and addiction) First-time filmmaker Ron Williams's earnest desire to help people out, as well as the poignancy in the plight of his film's subjects, makes this film compelling. His rather muddled message and tendency to jump around without finishing his thoughts works against it. [B-]

HAROLD KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY (1 hr., 42 min.; R for strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language and drug use) They aren't as funny as they were the first time, but the dope lovin' duo with a nose for trouble still find plenty of laughs while alternating between recycling the best bits of their first adventure and poking fun at post-9/11 paranoia. [B-]

HORTON HEARS A WHO! (1 hr., 28 min.; G) Honorable Horton, the elephantine softie who is loyal to the tiny beings only his enormous ears can detect, is as endearing as ever in this feature-length adaptation of the famous fable by latter-day Aesop Dr. Seuss. While a bit long and sometimes silly, the film is delightfully animated and frequently very funny. A fine family entertainment. [A-]

IRON MAN (2 hrs.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content) Giving the freshest superhero performance in many a moon, Robert Downey Jr. electrifies this fast, funny chronicle of the Marvel Comics cover boy who fights injustice with the power of heavy metal (and some cool weapons technology). [B+]

JUMPER (1 hr., 28 min.; PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some language and brief sexuality) The tender story of a kid who can teleport and the freaky white-haired hardcase who'd like to kill him because of that. Tight action scenes and some cool location shooting crank up the film a few notches past the actual potential of its dumbed-down, sometimes sketchy story. [B-]

LEATHERHEADS (1 hr., 54 min.; PG-13 for brief strong language) Before there was an NFL, the players played because they loved the game! (And probably because it beat bagging groceries or pumping gas.) George Clooney is aces as a roaring 20s football player and owner, but Clooney as director plays it safe, taking this sporting romantic comedy straight up the middle. [B-]

MADE OF HONOR (1 hr., 39 min.; PG-13 for sexual content and language) With marital hijinks that feel more or less nakedly thieved from "My Best Friend's Wedding" and a tone, structure and performances/characters that seem recycled from everything else in its tired genre, "Made to Honor" is a romantic comedy that's strictly for fans of Patrick Dempsey. [C+]

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (1 hr., 41 min.; PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo) The old-fashioned charm of this proper British farce (perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of drama and romance) is cranked up by splendid performances from Frances McDormand, as the titular personal secretary, and Amy Adams, as the cabaret singer who benefits from Miss P's good sense. [A]

NEVER BACK DOWN (1 hr., 53 min.; PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language -- all involving teens) Haven't we all been hoping for a mixed martial arts redo of "The Karate Kid?" "Never Back Down" is a knockoff, and sometimes a shoddy one, but reasonably reanimates the formula of its famous filmic forebear. [B-]

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (1 hr., 55 min.; PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images) The quasi-historical retelling of the involvement of Mary Boleyn in the sexual intrigues of her more notorious sister, Anne, is entirely too straight-faced -- and straitlaced; where's the hotsie-totsie-ism? -- to entertain. Stuffy performances, stuffy writing, stuffy results. [C-]

PENELOPE (1 hr., 25 min.; PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language) Follow your nose to this charming modern fairy tale about a lovely lass cursed with a porcine proboscis. Can otherwise perfectly adorable Penelope (Christina Ricci) find love in spite of her sizeable schnozz? Though it doesn't have great depth of feeling, this gentle comedy does tell a sweet story. [B]

PROM NIGHT (1 hr., 28 min.; PG-13 for violence and terror, some sexual material, underage drinking, and language) It's the most romantic night of the year for the McStudents at McMovie McHigh School. Only, there's a McMurderous McSlasher on the loose at the swanky hotel where their prom is being held! Blah. No smarts. No scares. No suspense. No reason to buy a ticket. [D]

RUN FATBOY RUN (1 hr., 40 min.; PG-13 for some rude and sexual humor, nudity, language and smoking) To woo back the bride-to-be (Thandie Newton) he abandoned at the altar, pudgy Dennis (Simon Pegg) must outdo sleek rival Whit (Hank Azaria) by running a marathon. A giddy mix of heart and humor, given the perfect light touch by director (and "Friends" alum) David Schwimmer. [C]

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (1 hr., 33 min.; PG for mild violence) All is not well after a dysfunctional family moves to a musty old manse in the woods. It's a family house, and after one of the boys goes poking around in a secret attic, he find's a forebear's notes about the sinister surroundings. A smart, crisp family film that parents and kids older than 7 or 8 can enjoy together. [B+]

VANTAGE POINT (1 hr., 30 min.; PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language) The gimmicky structure of this tense, exciting presidential assassination thriller flashbacks show the story's key events from multiple viewpoints -- works quite well. Strong acting from a great cast (led by Dennis Quaid) shores up weak characters. [B+]