Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Incest, murder and torture may not necessarily be the formula for a comedy, but in this holiday mystery, comedy abounds thanks to hilarious performances from Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" follows a small time New York thief Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) on his trip to L.A. to pursue a possible acting job. While visiting the west coast Lockhart meets private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) and gets caught up in a murder mystery that involves all of the aforementioned vulgarities. Lockhart and Perry become a team, working to solve a murder that becomes more complicated as the movie develops. Also tossed into the mess is Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), described by Lockhart as the girl who got away, a high school crush who Lockhart never acted on. After Lane's sister is found dead there are two bodies to deal with. While this movie is as pulpy as Florida orange juice, it works. Downey Jr. and Kilmer work off each other perfectly, exchanging one-liners and correcting each other's grammar. Kilmer, who hasn't given us a memorable performance since 1997's "The Saint," is the definite scene- stealer in 'Kiss Kiss,' refusing to overplay the 'Gay' part of Gay Perry and turning in most of the laughs in the movie. Michelle Monaghan, who already gave us a great performance this year in "North Country," gives the perfect mix of smart Bond-girl and hardass to compete with the male performances. And while Kilmer may be the scene-stealer, Downey Jr. makes us hope he continues to bring his neurotic persona to movies and stays out of rehab. Stylistically, director Shane Black detours from a standard narrative and breaks up his movie into chapters narrated by Lockhart. It's a sharp, stylish and hilarious take on what could have also been done as a bloody, soulless action movie. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" may not have a wizard or a musical legend, but it has enough originality and wit to compete with the blockbusters. R - Parra.

Pride and Prejudice (opens wednesday)
If Jane Austen is credited for writing one of the most acclaimed novels in literature, then director Joe Wright should also be credited for creating this successful adaptation. Even though the film is set in the late 18th century, the pretense and forced performances found in other period pieces are not found. The beautiful cinematography and performances by the entire cast provide the warmth and familiarity found in Austen's novel. Keira Knightley's portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet is impeccable. Knightley enables viewers to follow the struggles an English country girl of modest wealth and social stature to find happiness and love. Elizabeth's false judgments of the wealthy and delightfully haughty Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFayden) endanger her search for true love. As the intertwining storylines of Elizabeth and her four sisters unfold, the difference between the attitudes of those who have and those who have not are fairly portrayed. "Pride and Prejudice" is truly a love story to those who have read the novel. For those who have not, it may be difficult to appreciate the intricate details that the film has preserved. At times, the film does not have transition between scenes that words provide. However, these are minor critiques of a film that is simply charming. PG - Amber Fairweather.

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
A barely fictionalized account of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's rise from a drug-dealing, armed-robbing gangster in New York to one of rap's iconic figures, "Get Rich" will be interpreted by opposing sides of the free speech debate as either urgent insight into the origins of inner-city crime or an irresponsible glorification of gang violence. Sometimes it's hard to find the line. Jackson's character is monotonous and emotionally drowsy, never wandering far beyond a worn ghetto man-child template. "Get Rich" yearns to be an epic gangster tale in the mold of "Scarface," but it just feels too flat, more like a sample of a hit than a hit in its own right. R - Goldberg

Derailed
Clive Owen broods his way through "Derailed," a nasty thriller that is about much less than it initially appears to be. Owen plays Charles, an ad executive in a dull marriage who is struggling with the financial pressures of having a diabetic daughter. A missed train and a very unfortunate seat choice bring a woman named Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston) into Charles' life. After some soul-searching, the attractive couple proceeds to a hotel room, but the tryst is interrupted by a mugger named Philippe (Vincent Cassel) who takes Charles' money and ID. "Derailed" has been hyped as Jennifer Aniston's first post-Friends, post-marriage movie; but Aniston's role is actually relatively small. This is Clive Owen's show, and he gets at the slowly unfolding desperation behind Charles' cool facade. It's worth noting there's also a good deal of violence, the initial attack on Owen and Aniston is extremely brutal and includes a depiction of sexual assault. "Derailed" gives off the unpleasant buzz of a movie trying much too hard to shock and please us. R - Crowe

Jarhead
We follow a doe-eyed young Marine named Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) as this bleak, blistering film introduces him to an impersonal grind in which young men suddenly become "maggots." Everyone in this Marine Corps is treated like an out-of-place Southerner fumbling through Times Square. Most of us can laugh at this uniform cynicism because we weren't there. It jibes with the hardass reputation that we see in war movies, and thus it's funny in an uncomfortable familiar-yet-distant way. The aforementioned humor comes through in macho pranks and aggressive braggadocio, but "Jarhead" is far from slapstick comedy. Director Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") depicts a dusty, washed out wasteland in which the relentless tension of waiting to attack or be attacked and the slow boil of military-sponsored testosterone overload create a group of men straddling a line between vigilance and insanity. R - Goldberg

Zathura
All the things that were wrong about "Jumanji," the 1995 fantasy about a board game that turned a suburban house into a danger-filled jungle, have been avoided in Jon Favreau's outer space sequel, "Zathura." The lavishly illustrated books by Chris Van Allsburg inspired both films, but the makers of "Jumanji" burdened that simple tale with busyness and back story. "Zathura" is streamlined and focused. About the only major complaint to be hurled against "Zathura" is at almost two hours, it's too long. With 20 fewer minutes it might have been perfect. G - Knight Ridder

Chicken Little
After breaking up with Pixar - the animation company who along with Disney brought us "The Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo," - Disney should have worked a little harder to create something that reminded us of its magic. "Chicken Little" is far from magical. While the chicken was cute and Zach Braff's voice made us feel for the poultry, the movie moved slowly and did not have the same witty dialogue that allowed parents and children to enjoy the Pixar flicks of the past. It's unfortunate that Disney couldn't try harder, instead of recycling the same wimpy sidekicks and sappy soundtracks. G - Parra

The Legend of Zorro
The sequel to 1998's "The Mask of Zorro" doesn't venture far beyond suave surface appeal. "The Legend of Zorro" is the simplest kind of cinema offering. There's a hero, a beauty, a wealthy villain, a love triangle, a precocious kid and an idealistic fight against injustice. If you like that sort of thing, "Zorro" is your next Friday night out. If you don't, stay home and watch "Monk." PG - Goldberg

Dreamer
A youngster lives out her fantasy about having a horse in the backyard. Yep, this is every kid's dream come to life. It's also every man's dream about making a small investment and quadrupling your money. PG - Nicky VanValkenburgh

Saw II
The second "Saw" isn't as accomplished or precise as the first, but it's well worth watching because, in an era when most movies are forgotten before the popcorn is digested, it makes you feel something. Feel what? Take your pick: revulsion, horror, guilt. R - Associated Press