Arts & Entertainment

In Theaters This Weekend: Aug. 5-7

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is compelling and loaded with action.

Is it possible that with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” opening today in theaters nationwide, director Rupert Wyatt comes to praise Caesar, not to bury him?

In this case, Caesar is the complicated, curious, made-smart chimp who, though rendered digitally on screen, is brought to life by Andy Serkis, the actor behind Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. James Franco stars as kindly Will Rodman, the scientist working on a serum to cure Alzheimer’s before everything goes wonky and his lab gets shut down. John Lithgow is Rodman’s dad, who suffers with the disease.

This tense, compelling flick features astonishing special effects, lots of action and plenty of thought-provoking scenes centered on the nature of humanity. But as we all know, whether you’ve seen the Charlton Heston classic or the Marky Mark remake, the experiment meant to save lives turns out to be a real game changer for the whole human race.

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Damned dirty apes? Not so much. Once again, we’ve no one to blame but ourselves.

Also in wide release this weekend is “The Change-Up,” a comedy seemingly designed to make married men feel overburdened and underappreciated, and long for their swinging bachelor days. Or does it? With a tagline of “Be careful what you whizz for,” the movie stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds as buddies who switch bodies after peeing in the same fountain.

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Hilarity ensues.

We've uploaded each movie trailer—click on one in the media box to see the preview. The “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” preview was created for screening at Comic-Con last month.

Find local showings below:

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Theater 1:
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: PG-13, 8:30 p.m. and 1:20 a.m.

Captain America: PG-13, 10:30 p.m.

Theater 2:
Cowboys and Aliens: PG-13, 8:30 p.m. and  1:00 a.m.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: PG-13, 10:45 p.m.

REGAL PARKWAY PLAZA STADIUM 18 & IMAX, 405 Parkway Plaza, El Cajon.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: PG-13, 1 hour, 50 minutes.

The Change-Up: R, 1 hour, 52 minutes.

Cowboys & Aliens: PG-13, 1 hour, 58 minutes.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes.

The Smurfs: PG, 1 hour, 40 minutes.

The Smurfs 3D: PG, 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Captain America: The First Avenger 3D: PG-13, 2 hours, 4 minutes.

Captain America: The First Avenger: PG-13, 2 hours, 4 minutes.

Friends with Benefits: R, 2 hours.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 An IMAX 3D Experience: PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes.

Winnie the Pooh: G, 1 hour, 9 minutes.

Horrible Bosses: R, 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Zookeeper: PG, 1 hour, 44 minutes.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: PG-13, 2 hours, 37 minutes.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D: PG-13, 2 hours, 37 minutes.

Cars 2: G, 1 hour, 53 minutes.

Mr. Popper's Penguins: PG, 1 hour, 35 minutes.

GROSSMONT CENTER 10, 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: PG-13, 1 hour, 50 minutes.

The Change-Up: R, 1 hour, 52 minutes.

Cowboys & Aliens: PG-13, 1 hour, 58 minutes.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: PG-13, 1 hour, 47 minutes.

The Smurfs: PG, 1 hour, 40 minutes.

The Smurfs 3D: PG, 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Captain America: The First Avenger: PG-13, 2 hours, 4 minutes.

Friends with Benefits: R, 2 hours.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: PG-13, 2 hours, 5 minutes.


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