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Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.
Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings.
“Avatar”
Sci-fi Epic. *** 1/2. PG-13. The bells ring sharp, the whistles beckon in James Cameron’s technologically advanced sci-fi epic about a wheelchair bound Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a moon called Pandora and an indigenous tribe under siege. This movie screens in regular format as well as 3D and IMAX 3D. But it’s the immersive tug of the story — rife with nods to “gone native” flicks, Ray Harryhausen creatures and Cameron’s own “Terminator” and “Aliens” — that make for a wondrous, wild, even wise, ride. Sigourney Weaver stars as head of the research program that links humans telepathically to avatar bodies. (Kennedy) 161 minutes
“Book of Eli”
Post-Apocalyptic parable. *** 1/2. R. Directors Albert and Allen Hughes postapocalyptic saga is quite possibly the first Sunday-appropriate, R-rated action flick. Denzel Washington portrays as a solitary traveler in possession of a coveted tome. Gary Oldman is a brilliant choice to portray Carnegie, the cultured baddie who covets the book. Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis are his common-law wife and adopted daughter. The mother is blind. The daughter, Solara, joins Washington’s character on his journey West. Yup, this proto-Western (written by Gary Whitta) is packed with symbolism. But the fine surprise is how unapologetically and wisely it wrestles with belief. (Kennedy) 118 minutes
“Crazy Heart”
Sad Country Song. ****. R. Bad Blake is a wayward, aging country singer played by Jeff Bridges. There is always room for another version of that old song about the guy who messed it all up and kept on going. Especially when that guy can play the tune as truly and as well as Jeff Bridges. (A.O. Scott, Neww York Times) 111 minutes
“Daybreakers”
Vampire Sci-fi. * 1/2. R. In the “Daybreakers” future, the vampires have it all worked out. No longer just nocturnal, they now run the show — day and night. Blood is farmed in gigantic, dairy-style processing facilities, where the few surviving humans are captured and then sucked dry. But that blood supply is about to run out. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 98 minutes
“Dear John”
Romance. ** PG-13. Lasse Hallstrom’s movie tells the heartbreaking story of two young people who fail to find happiness together because they’re trapped in an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Their romance leads to bittersweet loss. Channing Tatum stars as John Tyree, a handsome Army Special Forces specialist home on two weeks’ leave at the South Carolina shore. Amanda Seyfried plays Savannah, an ethereal beauty whose purse falls off a pier. John dives in and retrieves it. In the few precious days they share, they fall deeply into PG-13 love. (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) 108 minutes
“Edge of Darkness”
Action. ** 1/2. R. Mel Gibson plays a Boston cop named Craven (always a dependable movie name). The great love of his life is his daughter, Emma (Bojana Novakovic). She works for a giant, secretive corporation named Northmoor. Emma comes home for a visit rather unexpectedly. She is having nosebleeds. A bleeding nose can be a symptom of numerous disorders, but in a thriller, as we all know, there’s only one possible diagnosis. Emma has hardly arrived when a man in a hood screams shoots her dead. It is assumed that the detective, Thomas Craven, was the intended target. (Roger Ebert) 117 minutes
“Extraordinary Measures”
Medical Drama. **. PG. “Extraordinary Measures” is a sometimes moving, solid if unsurprising account of a father’s tireless efforts to use his business acumen to develop a cure for his children’s fatal genetic disorder. Brendan Fraser plays John Crowley, an on-the-rise marketing executive who comes home to a loving wife (Keri Russell) and two adoring children with Pompe disease. Harrison Ford plays Dr. Stonehill as a curmudgeon, holed up in his Nebraska lab, dodging phone calls and callously ignoring the human side to his research into Pompe disease. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 103 minutes
“From Paris With Love”
Thriller. **. R. John Travolta shaved his head, dyed his goatee and gave himself and his stunt double a helluva workout in this gonzo spy shoot-em-up. But basically a bloody buddy picture that tries too hard. Travolta is Charlie Wax, a loose cannon shipped to Paris for a mission. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Reece, his in-country American embassy handler and driver, a functionary who longs to move up the espionage ranks. When he hooks up with Charlie Wax, his wish becomes his nightmare. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 94 minutes
“Frozen”
Suspense. * 1/2. R. Through some fault of their own, 20-somethings Dan (Kevin Zegers), girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) and pal Joe (Shawn Ashmore) wind up stuck on a ski chairflift with the night baring down, the temperature dropping and predators aprowl. There’s something intriguingly spare about having the three suspended above a snowy field. How would Samuel Beckett have written this drama? But writer-director Adam Green’s script is clunky, the acting strained. Too bad. Underlying this life-and-death chiller are some fine notions about the ways coupledom changes and challenges friendship. (Kennedy) 94 minutes
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
Fantasy. ** 1/2. PG-13. Terry Gilliam’s fantasy fable about a man set to lose his daughter to the devil will forever be known as Heath Ledger’s final film. But it is Christopher Plummer’s turn as the immortal Parnassus that delivers the ache. The ancient storyteller and his ragtag troupe, including daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), travel the margins of modern-day London. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law rise to the sorrowful occasion, playing versions of Ledger’s character on the other side of Parnassus’ looking glass. Tom Waits slouches and teases as Mr. Nick, the Devil all to pleased to up the ante. (Kennedy) 122 minutes
“Invictus”
Drama. *** 1/2. PG-13. In 1995, South Africa was to play host to the rugby World Cup final. Recently elected president Nelson Mandela saw in white-minority favorites the Springboks a chance to unite his deeply divided country. He was in a minority. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon portray Mandela and Francois Pienaar, Springboks captain. Based on John Carlin’s uplifting recounting “Playing the Enemy” and directed by Clint Eastwood, “Invictus” proves a rousing example of how the best sports dramas distill our “more than a game” ambitions. (Kennedy) 133 minutes
“It’s Complicated”
Romantic Comedy. *** 1/3. R. In writer-director Nancy Meyers’ wonderfully adult comedy, there are a lot of double negatives used by Meryl Streep’s character, Jane, a divorced bakery owner who has a fling with her ex-husband, portrayed with cad delight by Alec Baldwin. Steve Martin completes the triangle as an architect. The milieu is upscale fantasy. The absurd laughs are more egalitarian. It’s a hoot. And who cannot not enjoy that? (Kennedy) 120 minutes
“The Last Station”
Historical Drama. ****. R. He was the celebrated author of “War and Peace,” but the last years of Leo Tolstoy’s life were all war and no peace. The savage rivalry for his attention and legacy between his redoubtable wife and his craftiest disciple that overshadowed his final days has now been turned into a showcase for tasty acting by performers who really know how to sink their teeth into roles. Under the accomplished direction of Michael Hoffman, who also wrote the script, this movie is well-acted across the board, but the film’s centerpiece is the spectacular back-and-forth between Christopher Plummer as the great man, a count as well as a writer, and Helen Mirren as Sofya, his wife of 48 years and always a force to be reckoned with. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) 112 minutes
“Leap Year”
Romantic Comedy. ***. PG. Amy Adams and Matthew Goode have the charm to float a romantic comedy like “Leap Year.” Amy Adams has been dating a cardiologist for four years. He hasn’t proposed yet. She follows him to Irleand to propose and meets pub owner Matthew Goode. (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) 97 minutes
“The Lovely Bones”
Drama. ** 1/2. PG-13. In “The Lovely Bones,” director Peter Jackson displays a deft grasp of the dismaying parallel universes of the ordinary and pathological. And much of this adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel about a murdered child’s observations of those left behind (her beloved family as well as her killer) beautifully splices the utterly familiar with the shattering. Yet something central to Sebold’s raw and elegant tale remains elusive. Saorise Ronan is believably bright as Susie Salmon, the forever 14-year-old narrator. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz portray her parents, whose grief takes painfully different directions. Stanley Tucci is unnerving as the neighbor who robs so many of so much. (Kennedy) 135 minutes
“Nine”
Musical. ***. PG-13. Daniel Day-Lewis captures the creative angst of Italian film director Guido Contini in Rob Marshall’s raucous adaptation of Tony winner “Nine.” But his song and dance isn’t all one might hope. For unforgettable numbers look to Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson from the Black Eyed Peas (singing a tambourine shaking rendition of “Be Italian”) and a jaw-dropping Kate Hudson as a Vogue reporter belting and go-going to lyricist Maury Yeston’s new tune “Cinema Italiano.” The other muses inspiring our all-too-human Apollo are portrayed by Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“North Face”
Period Cliffhanger. ** 1/2. Not rated. Third Reich propaganda and personal ambition collide and collude in director Philipp Stölzl’s tale, based on a true story. Bavarian childhood friends are reunited as Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) attempt to conquer the North Face of the Eiger. Budding photojournalist Luise (Johanna Wokalek) travels to Switzerland with her editor to capture the story of triump or tragedy. The film attempts to address the ways a nationalistic ideology hijacked a generation of young Germans’ more personal hopes. The mountaineering action and Kolja Brandt’s cinematography mesmerize. The interpersonal drama, especially some last-minute “Ain’t no mountain high enough” heroics — often vexes. German with English subtitles. (Kennedy) 121 minutes
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Drama. ****. R. You’ll remember her name. Claireece Precious Jones is an obese, illiterate, abused Harlem teen. Yet Gabourey Sidibe’s performance makes those woefully adjectives insuffient of her humanity. And Mo’Nique’s turn as her brutalizing mother is jaw-dropping. This front runner for an Oscar is directed by Lee Daniels and produced by local company Smokewood Entertainment. Mariah Carey and Paula Patton also star. (Kennedy) 109 minutes
“The Princess and the Frog”
Animated. *** 1/2. G. Disney had trouble deciding whether to herald or repress the fact that this is its first film with an African-American princess. And this reimagining — and then some — of E.D. Baker’s “The Frog Princess” starts as a period piece with freighted images. But once hard-working waitress Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) and Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) leap as frogs into a Louisiana bayou, “The Princess and the Frog” goes from worrisome to wondrous. (Kennedy) 95 minutes
“Sherlock Holmes”
Adventure. ***. PG-13. No trademark “My dear, Watson” in this vim-and-vigor, fisticuffs-and-explosions update of Sir Author Conan Doyle’s ace detective. Robert Downey Jr is the decidely disheveled deductor. Jude Law portrays Dr. John Watson. He’s got kick but nary a whisper of the sidekick to him. Rachel McAdams is pretty but unconvincing as Holmes’ love-nemesis. Mark Strong portrays Lord Blackwell. Guy Ritchie directs with more snap then the script has in this story about a well-connected ritual killer (Mark Strong) who — quite worrisome — returns from the dead. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“A Single Man”
Drama. *** 1/3. R. A rich meeting of style and feeling can be found in fashion impresario Tom Ford’s directorial debut, featuring an career best performance from Colin Firth. He portrays George Falconer, a college professor who makes a fateful decision in wake of his lover’s death. A student complicates his plans. Julianne Moore is mezmerizing as George’s mod, tippling gal pal. Matthew Goode, as the departed, is winningly warm in flashback. The film is set in L.A. during the height of the Cuban missile crisis. (Kennedy) 99 minutes
“Tooth Fairy”
Fairy Dust. * 1/2. PG. Dwayne Johnson is nothing if not game. The marvelously handsome wrestler-turned-actor — proving once again better than the material he takes — dons tights and a baby-blue satin tunic in the slight family comedy “Tooth Fairy.” Former NHL player Derek Thompson Is turned into a tooth fairy. With Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal. (Kennedy) 108 minutes
“Up in the Air”
Comedy. ****. R. Before a sneak preview at the Telluride Film Festival, folks wondered if the Jason Reitman’s comedy starring George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, an frequent flyer who crisscrosses the country helping corporations layoff workers, might have a hard time landing an audience. Its themes of economic downturn were just too glum, too close to the bone. It is precisely Reitman’s whole-hearted, smart-minded depiction of the sorrow of workers, the pitilessness of employers, and the seductive arguments against forming bonds — familial and romantic — that make this classy, sexy comedy so current and enduring. As a fellow traveler and coworker respectively, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick soar as they threaten to clip Ryan’s wings. (Kennedy) 107 minutes
“When in Rome”
Romantic Comedy. 1 1/2. PG-13. You’d think by now Hollywood would have romantic comedies down to a cellphone app any studio exec could access. Cute couple? Check. Romantic location? Check. “Obstacles” to romance? Yup. Wacky, witty friends of each young lover? Check and check. Kristen Bell, a petite, pretty blond, may or may not have the Meg Ryan-Julia Roberts-Sandra Bullock goods. “When in Rome,” a leaden variation on that rom-com recipe, fails utterly to make her case. It’s got cute Kristen playing Beth, a curator at the Guggenheim. She has a quirky staff. And Beth has a younger sister (Alexis Dziena) getting married in Rome. At the wedding, Beth is ready to be “open” to love, as her dad (Don Johnson) suggests. And devil-may-care sports reporter Nick (Josh Duhamel) fills that bill. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 88 minutes
“The White Ribbon”
Drama. ****. R. The small, north German hamlet in “The White Ribbon” looks like a pristine rural paradise. The buildings are handsome structures, photographed in black and white. It’s very much a dollhouse village, where the family lives are intertwined: The farmer, for instance, needs the baron’s land. The baron needs some of what the farmer harvests. There are a doctor, a minister and a schoolteacher. The women raise the children. But there exists the distinct possibility that the children are raising hell. The dollhouse, you see, belongs to the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. And a few of the dolls have a monstrous side. They must. How else to explain the events that befall the village in the year before World War I? The horrors begin with a wire tied between two trees that trips a horse and sends its rider, the doctor, to the hospital. They grow disturbingly more mysterious from there. Fires, an impaled house pet, abductions, gouged eyes. We don’t know who is behind what, and Haneke leaves us to pick over the particulars. (Wesley Morris, Boston Globe) 140 minutes
“The Young Victoria”
Historical Romance. ****. PG. “The Young Victoria,” starring Emily Blunt as the 18-year-old queen of England circa 1837, is a rich pastiche of first love, teen empowerment, fabulous fashion and fate. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) 100 minutes
“Youth in Revolt”
Coming-of-age Comedy. ***. R. “Youth in Revolt” gives Michael Cera the twee name Nick Twisp, surrounds his aging virgin act with divorced parents who are both shacked up with lustful vulgarians and then provides him with a dream come true in the person of Sheeni Saunders, played by Portia Doubleday. (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) 90 minutes
