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Remake, family film to light up big screen

By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 3 min read

A towering epic (“Batman Begins”) and a family picture (“The Perfect Man”) are the top titles opening on this Father’s Day weekend. An awaited remake (“Herbie: Fully Loaded”) will arrive on Wednesday. The new motion pictures (with release dates subject to change) playing at a theater near you include:

Now playing

– “Batman Begins,” with Christian Bale (“The Machinist”) in a $180 million prequel, rated PG-13, that chronicles how the Caped Crusader learned deadly crime-fighting methods after the murder of his parents. The Caped Crusader is reborn thanks to the work by director Christopher Nolan (“Memento”). The filmmaker takes a risk by dropping the cliches of superhero titles and creating a dark mood piece about a lonely and troubled man who must defeat his fears and come to terms with the past in order to make the world – or at least Gotham City – a better place. The strong supporting cast includes Michael Caine (“Secondhand Lions”), Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”), Katie Holmes (“The Gift”), Liam Neeson (“Rob Roy”), Gary Oldman (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”) and Ken Wantanabe (“The Last Samurai”).

– “Deep Blue,” with Pierce Brosnan narrating a G-rated documentary that transports viewers far beneath the surface to the deepest depths of the ocean.

– “The Perfect Man,” with pre-teen favorite Hilary Duff (“The Lizzie McGuire Movie”) in a PG-rated comedy about a girl who goes to great lengths to find the perfect suitor for her single mom. Heather Locklear (TV’s “Dynasty”) and Chris Noth (HBO’s “Sex and the City”) co-star, and Mark Rosman, who previously teamed with Duff on “Cinderella Story,” directed.

– “Roar: Lions of the Kalahari,” director Tim Liversedge’s documentary on the lions and their prey deep in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. The film will play in the Tuttleman IMAX Theater at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. On June 17, Liversedge will attend screenings at 7:30 and 9 p.m. and answer questions. Also on hand will be Philadelphia Zoo representatives, who will bring animals indigenous to Botswana. For ticket prices, show times and other information, call 215-448-1111 or go to www.fi.edu.

Arriving Wednesday

– “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” with Lindsay Lohan (“Mean Girls”) in an updated version of Walt Disney’s “Love Bug” series about a supercharged Volkswagen Beetle. During this G-rated road trip, Herbie races against NASCAR favorites. Michael Keaton (“Batman”) and Matt Dillon (“Crash”) costar.

At the buck$ office

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie generated plenty of steam heat at the box office last weekend.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” an action-comedy-romance with the two stars playing married assassins, opened with more than $50 million.

According to the Associated Press, the 10 top-grossing films last weekend were:

1. “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” ($51.05 million)

2. “Madagascar” ($17.1 million)

3. “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” ($14.9 million)

4. “The Longest Yard” ($13.5 million)

5. “The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D” ($12.5 million)

6. “Cinderella Man” ($9.5 million)

7. “The Honeymooners” ($5.8 million)

8. “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” ($5.7 million)

9. “Monster-in-Law” ($2.6 million)

10. “Crash” ($1.9 million)

Coming soon!

The titles arriving on June 24 include “Bewitched,” with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in a remake of the TV favorite, and “George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead,” the fourth installment in the Pittsburgh director’s zombie series.

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