Ratings based on four-star system.
‘Easy Virtue’
Rated PG-13
2 stars
Contemporary uber-babe Jessica Biel steps into the snappy banter of Noel Coward’s roaring ‘20s, and it’s an awkward fit. Biel stars as Larita, a barrier-breaking American race car driver in the roaring ‘20s who finds herself smitten with younger Englishman John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) and hastily becomes his bride. Then she has to meet his family at their behemoth of a British country estate. While John’s sisters are fascinated by her beauty, glamour and mystery, his aristocrat mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) isn’t shy about voicing her disapproval of this woman, whom she deems beneath her darling boy in stature. Larita finds comfort in the friendship she forms with John’s father (Colin Firth). But the tense exchanges between Larita and Mrs. Whittaker are what give the story its spark.

‘The Girlfriend Experience’
Rated R
3 stars
When Steven Soderbergh strays from his glossy, star-studded extravaganzas and makes the experimental films that are smaller, weirder and seemingly truer to his heart, they can work beautifully or they’re self-indulgent bores. Either way, you’ve got to admire that he keeps pushing himself. “The Girlfriend Experience” falls closer to the former category than the latter, with its intimate pastiche of moments in the life of a Manhattan call girl. Placed out of order but occurring just before the 2008 presidential election, these snippets are mesmerizing and impressionistic as a whole, while individual scenes can feel a bit flat and airless.
— Associated Press

‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’
Rated PG
2 stars
This is one of those sequels in which “bigger” is supposed to mean “better,” in which more characters, more sight gags and more adventures are supposed to add up to more fun. They don’t. The follow-up to the enormous 2006 hit “Night at the Museum” heaps on the historical figures and crams them into not one but two museums, with the end result feeling crazed, scattered and desperate. So many new characters have been added to the ones who appeared in the original film, and director Shawn Levy flits between them at such a zippy pace, no one gets much of a chance to register. And that’s a huge waste of the comic talents amassed among the cast. Besides returning stars Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan and Robin Williams, now we have Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill and Bill Hader. Having said all that, kids are the primary targets for a lot of the visuals, and will probably enjoy themselves.

‘Terminator Salvation’
Rated PG-13
2 stars
We have seen the future, and the future is noisy. This fourth flick in the “Terminator” saga takes place in 2018, 14 years after Judgment Day. John Connor is a rising force in the resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligence network that started thinking for itself and eradicating humanity, but he has yet to become its leader. Christian Bale steps into the role of John Connor, played previously by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, and he … well, he does the same voice he uses when he dons the black suit for the “Batman” movies, a monotone, guttural growl regardless of the dialogue. John must find and protect his future father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), while trying to determine whether to trust the mysterious Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to help in this quest.

‘Angels & Demons’
Rated PG-13
2 stars
Blessedly, “Angels & Demons” is more entertaining and less self-serious than its predecessor, the dense and dreary yet enormously successful “The Da Vinci Code.” In adapting another of author Dan Brown’s religious-mystery page turners, Ron Howard wisely gave in to its beat-the-clock thriller elements, which makes for a more enjoyable summer-movie experience. But its twists, turns and revelations are just as ridiculous as those in “The Da Vinci Code” — perhaps even more so — and it breezes through arcane details with just as much dizzying speed. The key players are back from that 2006 international hit, including Tom Hanks as Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon and Akiva Goldsman as screenwriter (joined this time by David Koepp).

‘The Brothers Bloom’
Rated PG-13
3 stars
With his 2006 debut “Brick,” writer-director Rian Johnson had the vision and ambition to make a film noir set at a California high school. With his follow-up, he’s made … well, he’s made a Wes Anderson movie, something that’s idiosyncratic enough to qualify as a genre all its own. Eccentric characters, clever background details, anachronistic wardrobe choices and title cards announcing each new chapter — they’re all there, but Johnson’s own complex, verbal voice does emerge from these familiar aesthetic trappings. His con-man comedy is a blast, anchored by strong actors who don’t get many chances to show their funny sides. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody star as Stephen and Bloom, brothers who bounced between dozens of foster homes as children for their various schemes. Now, as adults, they’ve turned those schemes into a lucrative way of life. Stephen, the brains of the operation, draws up the elaborate plans; Bloom, the romantic, inevitably gets too involved emotionally and swears he wants out for good. Rachel Weisz charms as a lonely heiress who starts out as the brothers’ mark but becomes their exuberant partner in crime.

‘Management’
Rated R
1 1/2 stars
It’s easy to forget that Jennifer Aniston truly can act. It’s easy to get caught up in her sunny looks, in the tabloid frenzy of her off-screen persona, and lose sight of the fact that, when given the opportunity in small, meaty films like “The Good Girl” and “Friends With Money” and even “Office Space,” she can reveal some real substance and depth. You want that for Aniston here, too, but the script from Stephen Belber doesn’t give her enough room to breathe and shine. A playwright and screenwriter (“Tape,” ‘’The Laramie Project”) directing for the first time, Belber surprisingly goes heavy on the quirk in this quirky romantic comedy and never develops a romance that feels believable. Everything about the relationship between Aniston’s Sue Claussen and Steve Zahn’s Mike Cranshaw feels contrived: the way they meet, the way they first hook up, the way they fall in love. Woody Harrelson livens things up briefly as Sue’s eccentric, once-and-future boyfriend, a punk rocker turned yogurt mogul. But he only makes you wonder how she ever ended up with him, either.

‘Summer Hours’
Not rated
3 stars
Traumatic events transpire with exquisite delicacy in the latest film from Olivier Assayas. The French writer-director observantly explores the nature of life and death, identity and family, and the value of material objects — both monetarily and sentimentally — with his story of three siblings coping with the loss of the family matriarch. Most recently, in films like “Clean” and “Demonlover,” Assayas has visited the seamier side of life. Here, he turns his intimate gaze on topics that are simpler and more universal. He begins with an idyllic summer day at a rambling country estate outside France. It’s the 75th birthday of the sharp, chic Helene (Edith Scob) and her grown children, and their children have gathered to celebrate at the home she shares with the eclectic 19th century art collection she inherited from her uncle. While the kids chase each other on the lawn, the grown-ups enjoy lunch, wine and laughs around a table in the garden. It’s all tres French, almost a parody — but Assayas uses this platform to lull us in and ultimately reveal universal truths, ones that are relatable regardless of culture.

‘Julia’
Rated R
3 stars
“Julia” requires an enormous amount of its star, and of its audience. Tilda Swinton gives a brash and unflinching performance as a lonely, self-destructive alcoholic who makes some questionable choices, to say the least. And in doing so, she and French writer-director Erick Zonca ask that we go along and stick by her side, every treacherous step of the way. It’s tough to do. There’s not much to root for or even vaguely like in Swinton’s Julia Harris, a blowzy drunk who can be fun and flirty but who invariably wakes up the next morning with cotton mouth and a pounding headache. If you’ve ever indulged with such reckless abandon — even a couple of times in college — you may find yourself sympathizing on some level. Regardless, you’re riveted, and not just for the train-wreck factor. Versatile as ever, Swinton pulls you in and keeps you wondering what false move she’ll make next.

‘Love n’ Dancing’
Rated PG-13
1 star
The most astounding move doesn’t occur on the dance floor. Rather, it’s the fact that this movie is appearing in theaters at all, and not going straight to cable where it belongs. Everything about it cries out “made-for-TV,” from the flat, glossy lighting to the stilted dialogue to the one-dimensional characters. Would-be moments of drama quickly turn melodramatic, but are just as quickly solved, and the supposedly comic scenes are just plain corny. Even the pacing feels like something you’d see on television, complete with transitional shots between scenes of the Philadelphia skyline or the outside of the dance academy.

‘Rudo y Cursi’
Rated R
3 stars
Enormously hackneyed in concept yet surprisingly enjoyable in execution, thanks to some amusing, surreal details and the genuine camaraderie of Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. You think you know where it’s going, this story about the rise and fall of a couple of aspiring soccer players (who happen to be competitive brothers, another familiar theme). But the naturalism of writer-director Carlos Cuaron’s approach is too compelling, as is, conversely, the liveliness of co-stars Luna and Garcia Bernal, longtime friends reunited for the first time since 2001’s “Y Tu Mama Tambien.” Cuaron, who co-wrote that movie, makes his feature debut here; it’s also the first film from brother Alfonso Cuaron and fellow Mexican directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro through their new company, Cha Cha Cha. So it’s all very comfortable and chummy.

‘Star Trek’
Rated PG-13
2 1/2 stars
J.J. Abrams’ hugely anticipated summer extravaganza boldly goes to the past within the distant future of the “Star Trek” universe, years ahead of the TV series and the myriad movies and spin-offs it spawned. And in doing so, he and his longtime collaborators, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, change everything you know — or obsess about, if you’re into this kind of thing — about the kitschy pop-culture phenomenon. It’s a daring and exciting approach that’s sure to tickle and provoke purists, while at the same time probably cause neophytes to feel a bit lost. A major plot twist pops up about halfway through the film (along with Leonard Nimoy), one that doesn’t exactly work and from which the film never completely recovers, and from there the adventures feel a bit repetitive. Having said that, Abrams efficiently and satisfyingly presents the back stories of the men who will become Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and puts them on a collision course with each other, which ups the excitement level early. John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana and Eric Bana co-star.

‘The Garden’
Not rated
3 stars
This documentary focuses on one of the most fundamental functions of human existence: the process of working the earth to grow healthy fruits and vegetables. But it also digs deeper to reveal more complicated truths about community, identity and self-worth, as well as greed, deception and racism. Director-producer Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s film, which was nominated for an Academy Award this year for best documentary feature, follows three years in the life of a 14-acre garden in South Central Los Angeles, the same neighborhood that was burned and eviscerated during the 1992 Rodney King riots. By providing a place for regular people to grow their own corn, papayas, bananas — you name it — the garden gave not just food but hope and life. And it’s the bond the farmers forged by working side by side that strengthens them once they learn they’re going to be shut down and evicted in early 2004.

‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’
Rated PG-13
1 star
You will be shocked — shocked! — to learn that Matthew McConaughey plays an arrogant womanizer who coasts on his looks and charm but eventually realizes that love does matter after all. Call it laziness, call it finding your niche. You’ve seen McConaughey in this kind of role before, usually with Kate Hudson as his co-star. (Jennifer Garner stands in as the voice of reason this time.) You’ve also seen “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” before, in countless variations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” But you won’t see Dickens credited anywhere here, even though the plot finds McConaughey, as playboy photographer Connor Mead, reluctantly revisiting the myriad women he’s wronged with the ghosts of girlfriends past, present and future as his guides. You can count the jokes that work on one hand; the rest is pratfalls and predictability.

‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’
Rated PG-13
2 stars
Hugh Jackman’s mutant Wolverine goes to war in a prologue for this “X-Men” prequel where the immortal mutant and his brother (Liev Schreiber) fight in all the big ones, from the Civil War to Vietnam. The battles set a predictable tone from which director Gavin Hood rarely deviates. Hood presents one duel after another, with a brief respite for sappy romance so Wolverine can get really mad and hellbent on vengeance over his dead girlfriend (Lynn Collins). Wolverine fights his brother, he fights other mutants, then he fights his brother some more on his way to becoming the amnesiac, metal-clawed freak of nature Jackman played in the “X-Men” trilogy. For all the action, there’s never much real sense of adventure or risk.
— Associated Press