Film clips

What's playing at the cineplex and in your neighborhood.

OPENING FRIDAY:

HOP

I was a teenage Easter bunny? The adolescent son of the Big Bunny (Russell Brand) leaves home to realize his dream of becoming a drummer, just as he's about to take over the family business. Tim Hill ("Alvin and the Chipmunks") directed the animated family comedy. Rated PG for some mild rude humor.

INSIDIOUS

New residents of a haunted house (Patrickl Wilson and Rose Byrne) try to save their son when he's targeted by evil spirits. Leigh Wannell and James Wan (the "Saw" franchise) wrote and directed the horror. (102 min.) Rated PG-13 for thematic material, violence, terror and frightening images, and brief strong language.

SOURCE CODE

A soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up to find himself in the body of another man, with a mission to uncover the identity of a bomber who has threatened to blow up the train. Duncan Jones ("Moon") directed the sci-fi thriller. (93 min.) Rated PG-13 for some violence including disturbing images, and for language.

TRUST

Suburban parents (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) are shocked to find their family threatened by their young daughter's new boyfriend when he turns out to be an Internet predator. David Schwimmer ("Run, Fatboy, Run") directed the thriller. (104 min.) Rated R for disturbing material involving the rape of a teen, language, sexual content and some violence.

WINTER IN WARTIME

A 14-year-old boy yearning to be a man quickly gets more than he bargained for after deciding to help a downed British pilot in Nazi-occupied Holland. The wartime drama, based on an autobiographical children's novel, was short-listed for this year's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Reviewed in this section. (In Dutch with subtitles) Rated R for some language.

STILL PLAYING:

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID:

RODRICK RULES

In this sequel to last year's surprise hit, wimpy Greg and his tormenting older brother Rodrick (Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick) must cope with their parents' plans to make them bond. David Bowers ("Astro Boy") directed the comedy, based on the mega-selling series of young adult books.

SUCKER PUNCH

After being locked up in an asylum by her evil stepfather, a girl (Australian actress Emily Browning) retreats into an action-adventure fantasy world and discovers it may hold the key to her freedom. Zack Snyder ("300") directed the fantasy adventure. Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language.

JANE EYRE

A young governess (Mia Wasikowska) moves to a mysterious estate where she uncovers disturbing secrets -- and the possibility of romance with her brooding employer (Michael Fassbender). Cary Fukunaga ("Sin Nombre") directed this adaptation of the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte. (115 min.) Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.

LIMITLESS

Better cogitating through chemistry -- with a sizable downside. Bradley Cooper plays failed writer Eddie Mora, who's given the chance to raise his brain power beyond calculation with an experimental drug called NZT. Unfortunately, NZT's many dangerous side-effects include addiction, extended blackouts, brutal withdrawal symptoms, murderous gangsters, ruthless corporate manipulators and general paranoia. On the other hand, you do get to enjoy unlimited worldly success thanks to your clear-headed, confident, super-intelligence. That scenario gives "Limitless" a whiff, at least, of weighty moral/philosophicalconsiderations (should we or shouldn't we NZT?). Director Neil Burger ("The Lucky Ones," "The Illusionist") keeps things moving stylishly and extremely quickly (blink and you'll miss something), emphasizing the wry humor of Eddie's almost omni-present voice-over narration -- while gradually upping the thrill quotient. Will our hero be able to resolve his increasingly dangerous predicament before the cops close in for a murder he may or may not have committed, or he's tortured or killed by one of a variety of bad guys, or done in by the NZT one way or another? Fortunately for Eddie, the message of "Limitless" is that there are few problems that can't be solved by extreme wealth and an off-the-charts IQ. (BI) . Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language.

THE LINCOLN LAWYER

Matthew McConaughey rides in style as a cool, worldly-wise ambulance-chasing LA defense attorney who operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln Continental -- until he gets mixed up in the case of a wealthy Beverly Hills lad (Ryan Phillippe) accused of rape and attempted murder. And begins to think his client might actually be innocent. "The Lincoln Lawyer" is fair-to-middlin' pulp, featuring characters who are vivid if not particularly original -- our hero's street-wise chauffeur, his best-buddy investigator (William H. Macy), his adoring ex-wife with benefits (Marisa Tomei) -- but there are funny lines here and there ("1989. . . I was high a lot that year") one sleaze says on the witness stand, the plot is tricky enough to keep you guessing and the pace never flags. You could do worse. (BI) (119 min.) Rated R for some violence, sexual content and language.

PAUL

It sounded good in theory: Simon Pegg (a dedicated sci-fi nerd in real life) and Nick Frost following up on the spectacular "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" as dorky fanboys helping a little green laid-back stoner alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen, thank you very much) on the run from evil government agents. Somehow, though, the comedy never clicks. The main trouble is probably the substitution of Greg Mottola ("Superbad," "Adventureland") for the duo's previous director Edgar Wright (who most recently turned out the crazed "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.") Pegg and Frost underplay in a way that begs for a hyperbolic director and Mottola can't oblige. There are other problems: Rogen's voice sounds disconcertingly out of place in the big-eyed, benign little alien, there are only a handful of so-so one-liners and a couple of decent sight gags, and the story runs out of imagination long before the contrived action finale, complete with automatic weapons and an exploding fireball. Kristen Wiig is a plus, though, as a former fundamentalist Christian girl with an enthusiastic fondness for highly imaginative cursing. (BI)(104 min.) Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

A marine sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) leads mankind's last stand in a war against alien invaders. Jonathan Liebesman ("Darkness Falls") directed the sci-fi action thriller. (116 min.) Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense images of war violence and destruction, and for language.

MARS NEEDS MOMS

A young boy (voice of Seth Green) learns to appreciate his mother after she is abducted by Martians. Simon Wells (the great-great grandson of H.G. Wells) wrote and directed the animated family comedy. Rated PG for sci-fi action and peril.

RED RIDING HOOD

In a medieval village, a young girl (Amanda Seyfried) who has fallen in love with a poor woodcutter, travels through the woods to be with him -- despite the fact that a werewolf is on the loose. Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") directed the fairy-tale drama. Rated PG-13 for violence and creature terror, and some sensuality.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

Supernatural forces attempt to separate a politician and a dancer (Matt Damon and Emily Blunt) who have fallen in love at first sight. Screenwriter George Nolfi ("The Bourne Identity," "Ocean's Twelve") adapted this romantic story by sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick for his directorial debut. Reviewed in this section. Rated PG-13 for brief, strong language, some sexuality and a violent image.