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12 ROUNDS
Not reviewed

WWE star John Cena charges into the ring for his second shot at movie stardom after the 2006 flop "The Marine." This time, Cena plays a New Orleans detective whose girlfriend (Ashley Scott) is kidnapped by a revenge-seeking criminal. Now, Cena has to complete 12 tasks in order to see his lady love again -- like Hercules or something. Who knew the WWE was so into Greek mythology? (PG-13 for intense violence and action; 1 hour, 50 minutes)

Playing at: Brenden, Galaxy, Marketplace, Merced Regency, Modesto Regal, Showplace, Sonora Regal, Turlock Regal

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

The character of Rebecca Bloomwood, as written by author Sophie Kinsella in her "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series, has plenty of foibles. Sure, she can't pass up a sale. That doesn't stop the character from being intelligent. P.J. Hogan has directed the smarts right out of the character for this film version. Hogan turns a potentially smart movie about a quirky young woman into a situation comedy. Hogan falls back on pratfalls, funny faces and what looks like leftovers from episodes of "Will & Grace." (PG)

Playing at: Merced Regency

DUPLICITY

"Duplicity" is a romantic comedy with spies, a heist picture with sex and a corporate intrigue thriller filled with funny banter. It reteams Julia Roberts with one of the few leading men who can hold his own with her, Clive Owen (they co-starred in "Closer"), serves her up as another sassy leading lady with legs and gives us yet another taste of how Owen might have played James Bond. But Julia and Clive aren't the only winning couple here. In the opening credits, we see a (silent, slow-motion) meltdown between two titans of commerce, a raging rant in the private plane corner of a major airport that ends with the chief of one gigantic consumer products firm (Tom Wilkinson) tackling the head of another (Paul Giamatti). Their lip-smacking loathing, their paranoia, is what drives "Duplicity." (PG-13)

Playing at: Brenden, Galaxy, Merced Mainplace, Modesto Regal, Showplace, Sonora Regal, Turlock Regal

HOTEL FOR DOGS
½

This tale of siblings who come up with some clever ways of taking care of a pack of homeless canines is fun for both moviegoing pups and their old-dog parents. With Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle. (PG)

PLAYING AT: Merced Regency

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
½

The title is "Haunting," not "Stabbing, Hatcheting or Butchered with a Machete in Connecticut," so it won't appeal to the hard-core gore crowd. But it has plenty of creep-you-out potential for kids just discovering big-screen horror. For grown-ups, here's another reason to hunt and hunt for an honest Realtor before making that big decision about where to live. A nice, normal family moves into what seems to be a nice, normal house, only to discover some not-so-nice, not-so-normal people used to live there and did some not-so-nice, not-so-normal things. (PG-13 for some intense sequences of terror and disturbing images; 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Playing at: Brenden, Galaxy, Marketplace, Merced Mainplace, Modesto Regal, Showplace, Sonora Regal, Turlock Regal

I LOVE YOU, MAN

The sexual anxiety of 21st-century heterosexual men struggling to be more "sensitive" is a terrific subject, and "I Love You, Man" slyly toys with the arc of a traditional romantic comedy. In this movie, boy meets boy, boy loses boy, and boy and boy eventually reunite -- and the only physical intimacy on display is a stiff-shouldered hug. Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a straight real-estate agent who, upon realizing that he's never been very good at male bonding, pursues a "bromance" with a slacker investment expert named Sydney Fife (Jason Segel). (R)