Several modern movies have tried to bring the look and feel of a comic book to life. But “Sin City” is the first to successfully take this approach with a graphic novel. “Spy Kids” director Robert Rodriguez presents the film noir-styled world of artist Frank Miller’s popular series. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke anchor each leg of “Sin City,” resulting in a film as vibrant and hostile as the fictional metropolis of the same name.

Other flicks opening in Lawrence this week include “Black Cloud.” Former TV idol Rick Schroder crafts this earnest tale of a volatile Navajo boxer who fights his way onto the U.S. Olympic team. Queen Latifah’s hairstylist character from “Barbershop 2” opens her own “Beauty Shop,” inheriting an outspoken group of stylists and a lively clientele — not to mention a hunky electrician played by Djimon Hounsou.

And finally, Kevin Costner is back as an ex-ballplayer in “The Upside of Anger.” But this time he’s supporting Joan Allen, who stars as a woman abandoned by her husband and left to raise four headstrong daughters.

I’m Jon Niccum with Screen Scene.

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