Movie Mania

• "The X-Files: I Want to Believe"
Here’s a mystery for FBI agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) to solve: Why are the “X Files” movies so disappointing? Scully and Mulder return for “The X Files: I Want to Believe,” which often feels like a routine serial killer flick with some offensive plot twists.
• "Step Brothers"
Oddly enough, though, this latest batch of emotionally stunted man-children from Judd Apatow (he co-produced) demonstrates that shocking, filthy humor may be the only way to present these kinds of characters without smothering them in sentimentality.
• "Brideshead Revisited"
As “The Dark Knight” is comic-book nerd holy scripture, “Brideshead Revisited” serves the same purpose to fans of a genre I personally refer to as Fancy British People Sitting Around Staggeringly Huge Mansions Being Civilized.
• "American Teen"
The intimate way in which director Nanette Burstein tracks the lives of a group of seniors in small-town Indiana brings this familiar story to life, and it should make viewers feel nostalgic, regardless of how long it’s been since they walked those crowded, chaotic halls.
• "The Dark Knight"
Does “The Dark Knight,” director Christopher Nolan’s second take on the Batman legend, radically subvert the paradigm of the superhero movie? Not really. Does it shake up that paradigm with a smart script, consistently strong performances and a dazzling visual style? Boy, does it ever.
• "Mamma Mia!"
While ABBA will no doubt augment their considerable personal fortunes thanks to this movie, nothing about “Mamma Mia!” boosts the group’s aesthetic legacy. Stay home with “Muriel’s Wedding” — or, even better, the “Thank You for the Music” CD box set — instead.
• "Space Chimps"
This weekend, while the PG-13 audience gets the thrill of seeing “The Dark Knight,” the youngsters are stuck with “Space Chimps,” a G-rated mess of a movie that’s the worst thing to happen to the space program since loose insulation tiles.
• "Meet Dave"
The premise of a man-sized spaceship filled with tiny aliens trying to figure out their way around Earth holds plenty of potential, but since it’s an Eddie Murphy family vehicle being directed by the hacky Brian Robbins (“Norbit,” “Varsity Blues”), “Meet Dave” becomes a mushfest where everyone learns to love and grow and whatnot.