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THE ROCKER

1 of 2

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Mirrors

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Death Race

Fish's (Rainn Wilson) destiny changed when he was bounced as the drummer in a legendary hard-rock band. His lost opportunity left him an embittered loser until his nephew's teen band provided a second chance at rock stardom. The band (Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone and Josh Gad) hires Uncle Fish to drum and lead them to success. Fish avoids day jobs, woos a fellow band member's mom (Christina Applegate) and hits the road again. Predictable, but some hilarious lessons are learned about bad behavior, hard work and growing up. Comments included: "Great to see Wilson outside of 'The Office'" ... "Enjoyable, but not great" ... and "Lots of laughs and a great soundtrack."

DEATH RACE

It's the familiar wasteland of the future where that lawless fellow from "Transporter" and "The Bank Job" injects his best somber conduct into Jensen Ames, an ex-con who is framed for murder and sent to Terminal Island prison.

Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) tells Ames that he can win his freedom by entering the race. But Ames discovers it was the Warden who murdered his wife and set him up. Driving a car equipped with firepower equivalent to the U.S. Army, Ames faces three days of ill-tempered convicts racing across the island's scarred terrain. He is accompanied by his beautiful navigator, Case (Natalie Martinez) and a pit crew led by Coach (Ian McShane). Action and revenge is a combination made in grisly heaven. Hot babes, explosions, ghastly casualties and the sweet smell of payback earned a must-see 84 percent audience approval from sated observers. Our pit crew concluded: "The plot is so bad, but the action is great" (many) ... "The car crashes are excellent"!... and "Ain't violence grand."

THE LONGSHOTS

Shy pre-teen Jasmine (Keke Palmer, "Akeelah and the Bee") must find an after-school activity when her single mom needs to work more hours. Jasmine's uncle, Curtis (Ice Cube), discovers that she's an excellent athlete and gets her on the middle-school football team. Viewers said: "Good family movie" ... "Inspiring. I'll see it again" ... and "Proves you don't need violence and nudity to make a good film."

TROPIC THUNDER

Self-absorbed action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) leads an "A"-list cast in a Vietnam War film that accidentally sets the characters off into real drug-war action, transforming them into genuine soldiers. Five-time Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) has undergone skin pigmentation to make him appear black. Comic Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), whose stardom has been forged by flatulence jokes, is suffering withdrawal from his heroin addiction, mood swings that are suited perfectly for Black's acting style. Supported by several surprising cameos, the film ignites many rounds of audience laughter, but then suffers through a number of overly long and unfunny stretches. Viewers said: "Funny movie. It started great but as it went on it got pretty stupid towards the end" (many) ... "There were so many funny cameos" ... "Tom Cruise was really funny" (many) ... "It was funny at times, but too hokey at times too" ... "Robert Downey Jr. stole the movie" (many) ... and "The funniest movie I've seen this summer."

MIRRORS

Canned from the police department, security guard Kiefer Sutherland discovers bad reflections in an old department store. This standard horror flick doesn't offer anything worth mentioning. Viewers said: "Good movie, bad ending" ... "All the scares were the same ole, same ole" ... "It was scary enough to be worth it" ... "Some good 'Ring'-style moments" ... and "Didn't really make a lot of sense."

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

George Lucas produced this animated filler by picking events from the second and third cinematic installments to prepare younger viewers for the CGI show debuting on Cartoon Network. Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein give their voices to a marginal script and animated images described by viewers and critics alike as unworthy of the "Star Wars" name. Comments included: "Very disappointing" ... "Acting was bad, the script was lousy" ... "At least the action was good" ... "You hate to see this happen, but you just have to see it" ... "George Lucas has forgotten about the icon and is concentrating on the money" ... and "You have to see it whether it's good or bad, it's 'Star Wars' man."

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

Seth Rogen plays Dale, a process server and full-time stoner. James Franco portrays Saul, Dale's dealer, responsible for introducing him to a rare strain of marijuana. Unfortunately, while serving a subpoena to drug dealer Ted (Gary Cole), Dale witnesses a brutal murder and drops some of the exotic drug at the scene. Ted finds the drug and correctly identifies its salesman, forcing Saul and Dale to go on the lam or suffer the bullet-ridden consequences. Stoked with an immature perspective, explosions and vulgar references, "Express" has raised the bar for future comedies. Writers Rogen and Evan Goldberg and director David Gordon Green have crafted a film as technically flawless as it is hilarious. Viewers said: "If you're into drugs or survived the '60s, you'll love it" (many) ... "The story in reality is bad, but very funny" ... "I laughed myself sick" ... "I was surprised at how much good action there was" ... "Right up there with 'Superbad' and 'Knocked Up'" (many) ... and "Kind of pathetic, but very funny."

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2

In the original, four very different young women shared a pair of magical jeans that fit each perfectly. Not surprisingly, the jeans came with the supernatural power to solve quintessential female problems. In the sequel, three years have passed and, now, Carmen (America Ferrara) finds herself stuck at home working for a Vermont theater festival while her friends vacation their summers away. Lena (Alexis Bledel) must choose between clinging to the memory of her ex-boyfriend or going after a new love interest at the Rhode Island School of Design. Bridget (Blake Lively) wrestles with the truth about her mother's death and goes on an archeological jaunt to Turkey. And Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is faced with a pregnancy scare. Viewer appreciation has dropped slightly from the first film (81 percent Audience Approval) to 73 percent. Comments included: "All the relationships were excellent" ... "It did a good job to continue the first story and stand alone by itself" ... "Great acting" ... "My husband wouldn't come, but I think he would have liked the characters and their stories" ... and "It's the perfect film for me and my daughter."

STEP BROTHERS

Two freeloaders (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) living with their single parents have their indolent lifestyles dashed upon the rocks of reality when their respective parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) marry, moving the boys together to share one bedroom. Their unhealthy competition for king of the languid roost leads to an unstable family situation. The two embark on a clumsy truce and an employment search to save their parents' marriage. Ferrell and Reilly's collaboration in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" yielded reasonable results (72 percent Audience Approval), but this second round produced fewer laughs and reduced audience appreciation (65 percent). "Nights" at least posed a traceable storyline while the latter offered only crass bickering and crude immature behavior that gained diminishing returns as the movie progressed. Exactly half of the audience members we polled enjoyed the hostilities while the other half would probably have preferred waiting for video. Viewers said: "Funny, but the plot is not good" (many) ... "What I expected" ... "The trailers had most of the really funny stuff in them. I'm disappointed" ... "There's a fine line between being gross and being funny. I don't know which side they're on. I laughed a little" ... "I laughed a lot but I was bored a lot" (many) ... and "It got old fast."

THE DARK KNIGHT

With the exception of "Batman Begins," the "Batman" series has stuck with a basic formula: feature an A-list star as the villain, shovel in millions of advertising dollars, blend in critics' squeals and hype the entire bundle to death. The Jack Nicholson-Michael Keaton "Batman" scored a terrible 59 percent Audience Approval; the Danny DeVito-Michelle Pfeiffer version scored a point lower; Jim Carrey's Riddler and Val Kilmer's Batman scored 74 percent; Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman (George Clooney as Batman) earned a skimpy 66 percent. Record numbers bought tickets, but didn't enjoy the spectacles. "Dark Knight" continues the success of Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," offering a superb glimpse of Gotham City patrolled by Batman, District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). In this installment, the sinister Joker (Heath Ledger) is turning Gotham against Batman by mounting a campaign depicting him as a criminal vigilante. Ledger's troubled and complex villainy plays perfectly against the psychologically dented hero. The return of technical mastermind Morgan Freeman and butler Michael Caine support what is now becoming one of cinema's leading comic-book adaptations. At a 92 percent Audience Approval, there is no doubt that audiences will be moved by "The Dark Knight." Batcave veterans observed: "Awesome" (many) ... "Best action movie in years" ... "Best superhero movie ever" ... "Heck, it's Batman. You don't expect a great story, but it was fantastic" ... "I can't find a word to describe how wonderful it is"... "Everything was perfect, the acting was unbelievable, especially Heath Ledger and Christian Bale" (many) ... and "The action made me weak in the knees."

MAMMA MIA

This screen adaptation of the record-breaking stage musical tribute to '70s rock group ABBA brings two dozen songs and a prominent cast. Meryl Streep plays Donna, a mother who has lived an idyllic life on a Greek isle while raising her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is about to marry. Sophie invites three of Mom's past suitors (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth) to the event, hoping to discover which is her father. Can the joyful frenzy match the live excitement of the Broadway affair? Critics were divided, but moviegoers in the lobbies sang a must-see rating for MM and soundly dispelled any suggestion that Broadway is the only place for romantic song-filled Greek isles. Viewers harmonized: "Very funny" (many) ... "Four stars for just plain fun" ... and "The music was great and the dance perfect. My wife is eager to learn hot dance immediately."

WALL-E

An iron fist in a velvet glove, this Pixar-animated picture imparts a strong message through the unlikely carrier of cartoon images. Seven-hundred years into the future, the Earth is a deserted garbage heap, and one lonely robot, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) -- a trash compactor, goes about the business of making cubes from the garbage humans have left behind. Meanwhile, humans have been forced to live on a galactic space ship waiting for the Earth to be habitable again. Into WALL-E's life comes EVE, Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, his soul mate, who is searching for vegetation on the seemingly lifeless planet. WALL-E has the only existing plant in his trailer. He is smitten and follows EVE into space, beginning an odyssey of grand proportions. A powerful message is delivered in a symphony of romance, dazzling color and magnificently creative illustration. The film delivers humor and story, which piqued the interest of both young and old while recording an excellent 88 percent Audience Approval. Moviegoers said: "The first half is better" (many) ... "I liked last year's 'Ratatouille' better. It's funny, though" ... "Visually, it's just stunning, creative beyond words" ... "Amazingly good" ..."Too political"... and "Charming, sweet and funny. It doesn't get any better than that."

The Big Screen, written by Bob Habes, appears in Life & Times each Friday