Short takes

Reviews by Daily News critic Gary Thompson, unless noted.

BABY MAMA. Yuppie (Tina Fey) hires blue-collar gal (Amy Poehler) to carry her baby. Some lightweight "Odd Couple" laughs, nice showcase for Poehler. (PG) B-

BEFORE THE RAINS. Period soap opera set in 1937 South India about a tragedy that follows an adulterous affair. Linus Roache. (PG-13) C (Wire services)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. Big-budget sequel takes the Pevensie children back to Narnia for a lot of fighting and a few more laughs. Ben Barnes. (PG-13) B

EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED. A Michael Moore-styled mockery of evolution, but no intelligent design was involved in the making of this movie. (PG) D (Wire services)

FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON. Atmospheric, beautiful, basically plotless, meditation on life, inspired by the classic 1956 French short "The Red Balloon." Juliette Binoche. (PG) B (Wire services)

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. Jackie Chan and Jet Li help an American kid use a magical relic to defeat an evil emperor. Some decent action, but played mostly for laughs and aimed at a younger audience. (PG) B

FUGITIVE PIECES. Sad drama about a young boy rescued from the Nazis coming to grips with survivor's guilt and his past. (R) B (Wire services)

HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO. Fed goons think title tokers (John Cho, Kal Penn) are terrorists. Some lowbrow laughs, especially if you're holding. (R) B-

IRON MAN. Playboy inventor (Robert Downey Jr.) builds militarized body armor suit, becomes superhero. Fun, uptempo version of the Marvel comic. Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow. (PG-13) B+

MADE OF HONOR. Mediocre romantic comedy about bachelor (Patrick Dempsey) who realizes he loves his best friend (Michelle Monaghan) when she gets engaged. (PG-13) C

MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD. A sweet, gently real portrait of two brothers coming of age in 1960s Italy and at the same time awash in the muddy waters of postwar European politics. (Not rated) B (Wire services)

NOISE. Tim Robbins stars as a troubled man with a serious aversion to car alarms. Bridget Moynahan, William Hurt. (R) B-

POULTRYGEIST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD. Low-budget, musical, zombie, farce - with chickens - as only the folks of Troma Films can do it. (R) C

REDBELT. Offbeat David Mamet take on corruption invading mixed martial arts. Eclectic cast features Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tim Allen. (R) B

ROMAN DE GARE. Veteran French director Claude Lelouch spins another cat-and-mouse yarn, but it's not up to his best work. Fanny Ardant. (R) C+ (Wire services)

SON OF RAMBOW. Grade-school bully and wimp collaborate on homemade Stallone movie. An in-joke for film buffs. (PG) B

SPEED RACER. Epic version of minor TV show offers kicky visuals, tongue-in-cheek approach, but is almost strictly for kids. Emile Hirsch. (PG) C

THEN SHE FOUND ME. Death, divorce, dating and a midlife confrontation with birth mother (Bette Midler) make life hell for a teacher (Helen Hunt). Hunt directs. (R) C

THE VISITOR. Quirky, often funny story of widower (Richard Jenkins) who befriends immigrant squatters. (PG) B

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS. Nothing remotely funny. Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz get drunk and hitched, fight over jackpot. (PG-13) D