Many of of you have inquired about Read This! Unfortunately, the program no longer exists. We have left the content online so you can enjoy the work of former Read This! staffers. Thank you for your interest and support. 

"Hairspray"
Rated PG-13
Now playing
****

GOOD MORNING, BALTIMORE: “Hairspray” is an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and the remake of the 1988 comedy. It’s set in 1960s Baltimore and follows Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a “bigger” girl whose real passion is dancing, despite her mother’s (John Travolta) criticism.

After being noticed dancing by television star Corny Collins (James Marsden), Tracy lands a part in the cast of “The Corny Collins Show” and becomes an instant sensation in Baltimore.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’’
Rated PG-13
Now playing
*** 1/2

THE PLOT: In the angstiest book of them all, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is ferried abruptly back to the realm of magic after an ambush attack, only to find that the Ministry of Magic is bent on denying the return of Lord Voldemort, as powerful and revitalized as he is noseless. Harry now must juggle several issues at once, including his alienation, his rocky friendships and his archenemy, all while controlling his hormones (or attempting to, at least).

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’’
Rated PG-13
Now playing
*** 1/2

THE MOVIE: After the big disappointment that was “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’’ “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’’ had a lot of making up to do. Although the film was better than “Goblet of Fire,’’ it definitely did not measure up to the phenomenal novel. Like other novel-to-film adaptations, there were many details deleted from the “Order of the Phoenix,’’ which made the film go by extremely fast. This is understandable, however, since the writers had to adapt an 870-page (in the U.S. version) novel to a 2-hour-and-18-minute movie.

"Evan Almighty"
Rated PG
Now playing
** 1/2

THE STORY: News broadcaster-turned-legislator Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has it made. He’s just moved with his family to a sparkling new mansion and bought a Hummer to match. He’s a rising star in Congress and has been asked to co-sponsor a significant piece of legislation.

(Photo: Evan, left, played by Carell, has to complete a mighty big task for God, played by Morgan Freeman. Credit: Ralph Nelson -- Universal Pictures.)

“A Mighty Heart”
Rated PG
Now playing
***1/2

THE STORY: In January 2002, Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman), the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, went to meet a secret source in Karachi, Pakistan, while working on a story. He never returned.

Working alongside other journalists, the FBI and Pakistani investigators, his wife Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie) searches to find the men who kidnapped her husband.

BY EMILY CHOW, Read This! writer 

A few months ago, I had a chance to catch up with an old friend. Just as our talk became deep and meaningful, our conversation shifted, as most high school conversations do, to the unavoidable topic of college.

I began to complain about the overrated aspects of applying to college. After reading several online articles and listening to my college counselors, I’ve come to a few realizations: 1. Surprisingly, there are other options than college (just not for me); 2. No one high school student is expected to outline the next four to eight years of his or her life.

“Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”
Rated PG-13
Now playing
**

THE PLOT: Just as Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) are set to be married, disaster strikes in the form of the Silver Surfer, who crashes their wedding. But, the chaos doesn’t end there. After an encounter with the Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four switch powers. Then there’s the return of enemy Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon) and appearance of a new enemy, Galactus.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End"
Rated PG-13
Now playing
***

THE PLOT: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) sail to Davy Jones’s Locker to rescue Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from death, each for their own purposes.

They all make backstabbing deals with Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Co., whose goal is to end piracy and rule the seas. Beckett controls Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). It all sets the stage for the ultimate showdown between the pirates and the law.

"Shrek the Third"
PG
Now playing
***

As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  After two successful films, the people behind the Shrek franchise obviously knew they had a winning combination of children’s humor, adult innuendo, and pop-culture jokes -- and the third movie of the trilogy doesn’t disappoint. “Shrek the Third” doesn’t offer the same originality that made the first one such a hit, but it does keep its audience giggling, even through overtly cheesy and heart-warming moments.