Flixens: Movies, DVDs, TV, comic books and pop culture for women. The boys shouldn't have all the fun.

IN THEATERS JULY 11, 2007In the silver-screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling\'s HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the fifth chapter in the beloved book series, everyone\'s favorite wizard-in-training (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself in increasingly perilous situations. Not only is Harry in trouble with the Ministry of Magic for using his abilities outside of school, his trusted mentor, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), has grown distant, and an icy new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), has arrived to bring a frightening level of discipline to Hogwarts. And waiting in the shadows is the demonic Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), an ominous figure whose very existence is questioned by the powerful Ministry, leaving Harry and his friends--most notably Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson)--to form a rebel group, Dumbledore\'s Army.Helmed by little-known British director David Yates and written by Michael Goldenberg (the first scribe to fill the boots of Steve Kloves), THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX continues the darker tone of the two preceding POTTER installments and deftly follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they face new foes and impending adulthood. While Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson all continue to imbue their characters with vitality and complexity, Staunton steals the show as the strict, merciless Umbridge, though the story, which lacks some of the special-effects-heavy set pieces of past chapters, happily leaves room for other actors to shine, most notably Alan Rickman (as the ever-enigmatic Severus Snape), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), David Thewlis (Remus Lupin), and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange). Another fine offering of POTTER movie magic, PHOENIX may not astound quite the way that THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN did, but it easily stands as one of the best films in the series.

The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations.

IN THEATRES JULY 3, 2007An all-star cast inhabits this romantic comedy about a couple who must endure a humiliating obstacle course of a marriage-training program in order to gain permission to wed from their church\'s over-the-top reverend (Robin Williams). Hilarity follows as the lovebirds (Mandy Moore and THE OFFICE’S John Krasinksi) put their devotion to the test. From the moment they met in a Starbucks line, the couple was prone to cute mishaps and clumsiness, but they also displayed amazing chemistry. Then Reverend Frank and his creepy child assistant intervene, putting Sadie and Ben through a torturous process which involves couples counseling, bedroom surveillance, and a very funny sequence in which the couple must take care of two robotic fake babies while shopping for their registry at Macy’s.While Krasinski’s average-guy expressions are fun to watch, his persona on the big screen isn’t too much of a stretch from his role in the television sitcom. And Moore’s typical likability becomes irritatingly upbeat in several scenes. Packed with OFFICE cameos, LICENSE TO WED promises laughs up until the end, where it veers towards the trappings of an archetypal romantic comedy.

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family\'s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy\'s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.

On the July 4th holiday, an attack on the vulnerable United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme has figured out every modern angle -- but he never figured on an old-school "analog" fly in the "digital" ointment: John McClane. No mask. No cape. No problem.

IN THEATRES JUNE 22, 2007 (Limited)America\'s most incendiary filmmaker, Michael Moore, returned in 2007 with this health-care-industry exposé. SICKO tackles material as controversial as the topics explored in Moore\'s other films, yet does so in a way that places the focus on ordinary Americans affected by the nation\'s health-care crisis. After providing some historical background on how our nation\'s medical care system became so ravaged and unfair, Moore interviews a series of individuals and families who have had their lives all but destroyed by the denial of care in the service of profit. While there are two sides to the gun-control debate and even a legitimate discourse for how to best wage the war on terror, it\'s simply impossible to justify how a baby girl can wind up dead because her mother\'s health insurance wasn\'t accepted at a nearby hospital. Moore smartly allows this and other stories to be told with little or no interference, conjuring strong feelings of empathy, rage, and deep sadness. Of course, SICKO isn\'t a PBS documentary, it\'s a Michael Moore movie, and his fingerprints are all over it. Moore visits countries that have universal health care--spectacularly so when he takes several World Trade Center workers to Guantanamo Bay (and then to Cuba) to receive health care that they were denied in the United States--and presents a compelling argument for adopting a similar system in the States. Moore\'s ultimate purpose here is to compel Americans to care for one another, and it\'s a simple request that shockingly must be made via a major motion picture, making SICKO essential viewing.

IN THEATRES JUNE 29, 2007Michael Cunningham (author of THE HOURS) lends his screenwriting skills to Lajos Koltai\'s EVENING. This time, Cunningham adapts a book by Susan Minot for the big screen. Vanessa Redgrave plays Ann Grant, who in her last hours retells the highlights of her life to an audience made up of her daughters, with Claire Danes playing a younger version of the protagonist.

Set in modern day, an unmarried man is approached by God to build an ark to save the world from a second flood.

Adapted from the short story by Stephen King, a renowned horror novelist Mike Enslin (John Cusack) believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes. But after a string of bestsellers discrediting paranormal events in the most infamous haunted houses and graveyards around the world, he has no real proof of life - or afterlife. Enslin\'s phantom-free run of long and lonely nights, however, is about to change forever when he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin Hotel for his latest project, "Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms." Defying the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), the author is the first person in years to stay in the reputedly haunted room. Another bestseller may be imminent, but first he must go from skeptic to true believer - and ultimately survive the night.

IN THEATRES JUNE 22, 2007Based on the memoir by Mariane Pearl (widow of American journalist Danny Pearl), A MIGHTY HEART is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman. The film explores the life and tragic death of fearless Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl, who went on assignment to Pakistan, where he was later kidnapped and murdered.

The enigmatic, intergalactic herald, the Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As he races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost.

IN THEATRES JUNE 15, 2007Legendary teenage sleuth Nancy Drew enters the 21st century in this feature film from director Andrew Fleming (NIXON, THE CRAFT). In Nancy’s (Emma Roberts) latest mystery, she and her father (Tate Donovan) make a temporary move from rural River Heights to Los Angeles. Determined to make the most of her stay, Nancy has chosen them a rental home with a notorious past: the mysterious death of its owner, starlet Dehlia Draycott, in the early 1980s. The closer Nancy edges towards the truth, the more trouble she encounters from someone who clearly doesn’t want the mystery solved. To make matters worse, old-fashioned Nancy doesn’t quite fit in with the cool kids--or anyone else--at Hollywood High, except for younger would-be Romeo Corky (Josh Flitter).Screenwriters Fleming and Tiffany Paulsen do not try to make over this beloved character into a modern teen. Instead, they make earnest Nancy simply a girl who likes old-fashioned things: outfits that include penny loafers and coordinated knee socks, headbands, and homemade knee-length dresses; her classic roadster convertible; impeccable manners; and, her housekeeper’s homemade baked goods. Roberts--the daughter of Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts--is affable as Nancy. Even Bruce Willis (playing himself in a cameo) can’t resist her charms. Rachel Leigh Cook, Barry Bostwick, and Marshall Bell also star as characters whose lives will change significantly if Nancy can solve the mystery, and Max Thieriot plays her smitten hometown boyfriend, Ned Nickerson. This is a fun blast from the past for women who grew up reading Carolyn Keene’s classic novels, as well as for young girls who are enjoying THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK or THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE for the first time.

Danny Ocean and his band of thieves return, this time teaming up with their old nemesis, Terry Benedict.

Based on the groundbreaking revelation that surfing was actually invented by penguins. In the film, a documentary crew will take audiences behind the scenes and onto the waves during the most competitive, heartbreaking and dangerous display of surfing known to man, the Penguin World Surfing Championship.

Three young Americans studying in Rome set off for a weekend trip when they run into a beautiful model from one of their art classes. Also on her way to an exotic destination, the gorgeous European invites the coeds to come along, assuring them they will be able to relax and rejuvenate. Will the girls find the oasis they are looking for? Or are they poised to become victims for hire, pawns in the fantasies of the sick and privileged from around the world who secretly travel here to savor more grisly pursuits?

Allison Scott is an up-and-coming entertainment journalist whose 24-year-old life is on the fast track. But it gets seriously derailed when a drunken one-nighter with slacker Ben Stone results in an unwanted pregnancy. Faced with the prospect of going it alone or getting to know the baby\'s father, Allison decides to give the lovable doof a chance.

IN THEATERS JUNE 1, 2007Kevin Costner stars as Earl Brooks, a man whose seemingly perfect family and status in the community hide an ugly secret. Brooks constantly says the plea of an addict--the Serenity Prayer--but he’s not in the grip of drugs or alcohol. Instead, his neat little bow tie belies a man with an urge to kill. Though he’s staved off that desire for two years, it has returned thanks to the efforts of his evil inner voice (William Hurt, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE). He is caught in the act by a man who calls himself Mr. Smith (Dane Cook, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH), but Mr. Smith doesn’t want to turn Brooks in. The smarmy amateur photographer wants to learn from Brooks’s methodical ways and become a killer himself. Meanwhile, a tough cop (Demi Moore, BOBBY) hunts for the man responsible for deaths all over Portland while she deals with issues in her own life.MR. BROOKS presents a fascinating portrait of a man at war with himself. As the devil on Brooks’s shoulder, Oscar winner Hurt adeptly alternates between menace and glee, adding to a resume already replete with varied roles. Though Costner is mostly known for playing nice guys (FIELD OF DREAMS) and charming rogues (BULL DURHAM), his performance as the tortured killer is interesting to watch, and he rises to the challenge of playing a completely different character than the kind he is known for. MR. BROOKS is an engaging thriller that goes into the fractured mind of a murderer, while also delivering an intriguing maze of multiple subplots.

IN THEATRES JUNE 1, 2007The story of a young girl\'s determination to play competitive soccer, this drama is based loosely on the childhood of actress Elizabeth Shue. GRACIE takes place in 1978 and stars Elisabeth Shue, Andrew Shue, Carly Schroeder, and Dermot Mulroney.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones\' locker, while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle, as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way, hangs in the balance.

EXORCIST director William Friedkin helms this paranoid tale, which finds a war veteran forming an unlikely bond with a fellow resident of an Oklahoma motel.