OPENING THIS WEEK

FROZEN RIVER Review on 16

ALSO OPENING

BANGKOK DANGEROUS (1 hr., 40 min.; Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality) Nicolas Cage plays a hitman with a heart of gold (the male equivalent of Hollywood's long-established hooker with a heart of gold) who reexamines his empty existence while on assignment to kill four people in Thailand. No reviews of this film were available prior to the UV deadline.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

ENCHANTED "Good morning, Robert. I hope you had wonderful dreams." (PG) Plays Friday at 9 p.m., SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, 699 S. State St., Orem. 225-2787. $4/adults and $3/children, students and seniors.

NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS "All I need is a few minutes with the President." (PG) Plays Saturday at 9 p.m., SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, 699 S. State St., Orem. 225-2787. $4/adults and $3/children, students and seniors.

LARGE FORMAT FILMS

Cricket Imax Theater at Jordan Commons

THE DARK KNIGHT (2 hrs., 32 min.; PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace) Batman vs. Joker in IMAX widescreen!

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.

WILD OCEAN 3D (45 min.; No MPAA rating) Massive aquatic feeding frenzies off the coast of Africa in 3D!

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

BABYLON A.D. (1 hr., 30 min.; Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality) In the not-too-distant future, a mercenary (Vin Diesel) attempts to protect a mysterious woman. French director Matthieu Kassovitz cried foul against Hollywood for destroying his vision, but this intriguing sci-fi isn't half-bad. C+

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (2 hrs., 24 min.; PG for epic battle action and violence) This violent, exciting sequel to "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" seems more naturally suited to the mundane realm of Moremoolah than the magical, allegorical kingdom of Narnia. Characters old and new unite to fight a visually spectacular, morally simplistic battle of good and evil. [B]

COLLEGE (1 hr., 34 min.; Rated R for pervasive crude and sexual content, nudity, language, drug and alcohol abuse) Kids will be drunken revelers, or at least boys will, especially if they're high school seniors making one of those college visits. Let the wacky attempts to mimic "Animal House" commence, and let the public be strongly warned against purchasing a ticket. F

THE DARK KNIGHT (2 hrs., 32 min.; PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace) With crisp, comprehensible action scenes, stellar acting and a dense, thoughtful script, this dark, hard-egded chapter would be the high point of the long-running Batman saga even without the amazing, chilling performance of the late Heath Ledger as Joker. [A]

DEATH RACE (1 hr., 45 min.; R for strong violence and language) Jason Statham is a skilled driver who gets wrongfully imprisoned in this reinvention of "Death Race 2000." Wrongfully imprisoned, that is, so he can compete against other inmates in a race to the death! There's absolutely nothing of interest but crashing cars in the trashy demolition derby. [D]

DISASTER MOVIE (1 hr., 30 min.; Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, drug references and comic violence) Did you see that one movie where that one thing happened? Whichever the movie, whatever the thing, there's probably a "joke" about it in Hollywood's latest spoof-stravaganza. Latest and, amazingly, lamest. F

THE ERRAND OF ANGELS (1 hr., 31 min.; Rated PG for some thematic material) Newly arrived in Austria, apple-cheeked LDS proselytizer Sister Taylor gradually explores her personal faith as she adapts to the challenges of teaching strangers about Christ. A mild-mannered, but sincere and thoughtful addition to the annals of missionary cinema. [A-]

FLY ME TO THE MOON (1 hr., 29 min.; Rated G) Flies, regular ol' musca domesticas, are the unseen passengers who accompany the Apollo 11 moon mission into space in this 3D/animated family adventure film. The movie has crisp, impressive animation, and sticks pretty close to the facts (except for the whole flies thing), but ends up being kinda dull. [C+]

HANCOCK (1 hr., 32 min.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language) There's a train wreck in "Hancock," and the movie itself is a bit of a train wreck. Will Smith is especially engaging as a loutish, indifferent superhero, however, and the movie gets off to a solid start before an intriguing different, yet cumbersome twist puts a kink in the movie's style. [B-]

THE HOUSE BUNNY (1 hr., 37 min.; Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language) Anna Faris stars as a revered "Playboy" Playmate who gets booted from the House of Hef after she turns 27 and tries to make a new life for herself in the house of Zeta Alpha Zeta. Funnier than you might expect, thanks to the fearless Faris. [C-]

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2 hrs., 2 min.; PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images) He's back! Indiana Jones's famous fedora fits Harrison Ford as well as it ever has. A lot of the plotting of Dr. J's latest adventure has a logic-defying, seat-of-the-pants heedlessness, but the movie is fast, fun and funny, with great interaction between its stars. [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+]

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1 hr., 32 min.; PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments) It's Jules Verne for Dummies! Brendan Fraser deploys his exaperated action hero persona from the "Mummy" movies as a geologist who, after being trapped with his nephew in the bowels of the Earth, discovers that deeply silly action gimmicks are what lies beneath. [D+]

KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL (1 hr., 38 min.; G) The story of a bright girl with a nose for news in 1934 Cincinnati is warm and optimistic without flinching from the harsh realities of its era. Abigail Breslin, who lit up "Little Miss Sunshine" a couple of summers ago, is her usual charming self as the lead character, and the movie has a strong supporting cast. [B+]

KUNG FU PANDA (1 hr., 30 min.; PG for sequences of martial arts action) With gorgeous animation and excellent kung fu action, this heroic saga of humor and adventure, in which a tubby panda with a love of kung fu discovers an unlikely destiny, more than delivers on its marketers' promise of "awesomeness." Distinguished by its sharp characters, gentle wisdom and excellent acting. [A]

MAMMA MIA! (1 hr., 48 min.; PG-13 for some sex-related comments) Meryl Streep can sing! Meryl can dance! Meryl Streep is having the time of her life. You may not have the time of your life, however, unless you really, really dig ABBA songs. The movie slavishly adheres to the empty-headed Broadway fluff it's based on. [C+]

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (1 hr., 52 min.; PG-13 for adventure action and violence) It's a good thing that the "Mummy" movies are a trilogy, because that means that the brazenly mindless, loud, sloppy, lifeless "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is the last of them. Trust me, they're a trilogy. That goes for you, too, Hollywood. [D]

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (1 hr., 51 min.; R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence) It's the "Gone with the Wind" of cannabis comedies! Seth Rogen plays a weed lovin' process server who goes on the lam with his herb-addled dealer (a very funny James Franco) after witnessing a murder. Funny, but wastes a lot of time on a useless girlfriend subplot. [B]

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 (1 hr., 54 min.; PG-13 for mature material and sensuality) The members of the BFF sisterhood have slightly more mature dilemmas in their second adventure. "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera gives the standout performance. "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively has the most boring subplot. [B]

SPACE CHIMPS (1 hr., 21 min.; G) A chimp descended from original space monkey Ham blasts into space to explore a wormhole for Uncle Sam. Pixar and DreamWorks don't need to be looking over their shoulders quite yet, but the latest offering from the makers of "Valiant" and "Happily N'ever After" shows considerable improvement. [B-]

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (1 hr., 38 min.; PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking) Anakin Skywalker has to rescue the infant son of Jabba the Hutt or ... well, let's not find out. Despite a silly plot and lighthearted vibe, the new "Star Wars" movie has cool action and some of the old familiar camaraderie. [B-]

STEP BROTHERS (1 hr., 38 min.; R for crude and sexual content and pervasive language) The idea of 40-year-old, live-at-home slackers moving in together as brothers after their parents wed is funny, but not for very long. For most of its running time, "Step Brothers" is merely a herky-jerky spew of vulgarity, profanity and childish destructiveness. [D-]

TRAITOR (1 hr., 54 min.; Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language) Don Cheadle ("Hotel Rwanda") plays a U.S. black ops supersoldier who may have gone rogue. Fine acting by Cheadle and above-average excution of action scenes keep this fairly unsurprising espionage thriller humming along. B-

TROPIC THUNDER (1 hr., 47 min.; R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material) This broad, hard-edged showbiz satire about the complicated production of an expensive Vietnam war action movie begins with a bang and then gradually slows to a crawl. Robert Downey Jr., however, is very, very funny throughout. [B]