Beloved cult star Bruce Campbell ("Evil Dead II") has rarely been as good as he is here as Elvis, alive and living in a Texas nursing home. He teams up with a man claiming to be JFK (Ossie Davis) to battle a runaway Egyptian mummy wearing a cowboy hat and boots. Director Don Coscarelli unexpectedly concentrates on bringing his characters to life and manages several terrific moments of real humor, terror and suspense. No 'B' movie fan should miss it. Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violent images. Opens today at the Castro.

Dopamine

Rand (John Livingston) swears off of love because he can't be sure if it's the real thing or just the right combination of chemicals. Of course, that's when he meets cute kindergarten teacher Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd) Shot in San Francisco on high-definition video, the film lacks character and relies on standard-issue rom-com formulas. Rated R for language, sexuality and brief drug use. Opens today at the Metreon.

Emerald Cowbo

Twentieth Century cowboys called "esmeralderos" hustle emeralds in the jungles of South America. Leaden and poorly acted. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R for language and violence. Opens today at the Galaxy.

Good Boy!

In this boy-and-his-dog bonding film Owen (Liam Aiken) accidentally adopts an emissary from outer space (voiced by Matthew Broderick) and finds he can hear other dogs' thoughts. Little kids may enjoy the film's sprightly first half, but it eventually bogs down in yucky platitudes and badly-written speeches that cause most of the actors -- Kevin Nealon and Molly Shannon in particular -- to choke. Carl Reiner, Brittany Murphy and Donald Faison provide other dog voices. Rated PG for some mild crude humor.

The Holy Land

Shy, gangly Mendy (Oren Rehany), a horny rabbi's son, visits a brothel in Tel Aviv and meets the fascinating, sexy Russian immigrant Sasha (Tchelet Semel) and a charming, devilish American bartender Mike (Saul Stein). Director Eitan Gorlin provides a fairly tantalizing portrait of a modern-day religious, political and ethnic melting pot, but his passive hero and his strict Hollywood three-act structure eventually give the film an all-too-ordinary tone. In Arabic, English, Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles. Not rated. Opens today at the Lumiere.

My Life Without Me

When Anne (Sarah Polley) learns that she's dying of cancer she decides to keep it secret and use her remaining time making tapes for her daughters' future birthdays and having an affair. Writer/director Isabel Coixet uses a loose cinema verite style to give the film a dreamy blanket of quiet, avoiding the "disease of the week" movie formula. Moreover, nearly every character has some revealing story to tell. Rated R for language. Opens today at the Embarcadero.

'Power Trip

Forgoing the usual talking heads and stock footage, this new documentary by Paul Devlin actively and dramatically records the recent electricity fiasco in Georgia (just south of Russia). In 1999, the American-owned AES Corp took over the local power plant but had no idea what kind of mess they were getting into. Several charismatic workers -- such as the British-born Piers Lewis, who provides our entry point to the film -- stick it out for a complicated, frustrating and amazing story. Not rated. Opens today at the Roxie.

Running on Karma

Monk-turned-bodybuilder Big (Andy Lau) can "see karma" and becomes involved in a murder case with a cute lady cop, Yee (Cecilia Cheung) and an Indian man who can twist himself up like a pretzel. Big sees that Yee is a reincarnated Japanese killer and will eventually die for her "crimes." It's all a little baffling, but director Johnny To strikes the right tone between humor and action, and comes up with some truly spectacular scenes, such as Lau demonstrating his kung-fu skills on a Kleenex. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Not rated. Now playing at the Four Star.

The Station Agent