Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
OPENING THIS WEEK
“The King’s Speech”
Reviewed on Page 1D
“Casino Jack”
Reviewed on Page 4D
“Kuroneko”
Reviewed on Page 3D
CONTINUING
Here are selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.“Black Swan”Ballet thriller R. So, is “Black Swan” an ugly duckling or a rare beauty? Many will be torn when it comes to this perversely magnificent psychological thriller, starring an undaunted Natalie Portman as a ballerina who gets the part of a lifetime — the Swan Queen and her dark double — if she can keep it together. (Kennedy) 113 minutes
“Burlesque”Musical. PG-13. Iowa waitress (Christina Aguilera) heads to L.A. with a dream of performing. She stumbles across a basement club, “Burlesque,” where she waitresses and then one night steps into the star’s shoes. Cher is the “housemother.” (Robert W. Butler, McClatchy Newspapers) 100 minutes
“Faster”Action. R. Ex-con (Dwayne Johnson) goes on a killing spree to avenge his brother’s murder; drug-addicted cop (Billy Bob Thornton) tries to fix his life; and a bored millionaire becomes a killer for hire. (Rick Bentley, McClatchy Newspapers) 88 minutes
“The Fighter”Boxing dramaR. Based on a real family saga, David O. Russell’s drama about a boxer’s last shot at a career and the kin in his way is a late-season contender for a slew of awards thanks to a barrage of nimble and muscular performances. Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg play brother pugilists Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward. And in opposing corners, there’s Melissa Leo as their mother and Amy Adams as Micky’s supportive girlfriend. (Kennedy) 114 minutes
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″Fantasy PG-13. Harry Potter (Daniel Rad cliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) separate themselves to spare friends and family from the Death Eaters and other Voldemort lackeys stalking them. The trio’s quest: to find the horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows before Voldemort does. (Claire Martin) 146 minutes
“How Do You Know”Romantic comedyPG-13. There’s something not quite right about writer-director James L. Brooks’s latest romantic comedy. How do we know? Because even though the tale of bumpy transitions and awkward timing stars Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd it never soars. Don’t blame Rudd, though. He’s as good as he’s ever been as George, the about to be indicted financial officer and truest side in a love triangle. Jack Nicholson plays his dad. (Kennedy) 120 minutes
“I Love You Phillip Morris”Felon farce R. Jim Carrey, a married, church-going good ol’ boy who, comes out of the closet as a gay man, turning to increasingly brazen scams to support his newly fabulous lifestyle. He’s caught and sent to prison, he meets and falls in love with fellow convict Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. (Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post) 100 minutes
“Little Fockers”Comedy. PG-13. Put-upon nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and his ex-CIA agent father-in-law Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro). Greg and his wife, Pam (Teri Polo), are now happily married in Chicago, with their twins’ third birthday fast approaching. Temptation arrives in the form of Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba), a knockout pharmaceutical sales rep who wants Greg to become a spokesperson for a new male sexual enhancement drug called Sustengo. (Christopher Kelly, McClatchy Newspapers) 97 minutes
“Love and Other Drugs”Romantic dramedy R. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway as the pair with toothsome chemistry in the story of a Viagra drug salesman and the woman who recognizes the huckster he is — because she knows how to sell a bill of goods too. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale”Fairy tale. Not Rated. The focus of this bizarre Finnish fairy tale is a sinister old codger who chews off ears and whose demon minion kidnaps innocent children. The time is just before Christmas, and the setting is northern Finland, where an American drilling operation has unearthed a mysterious block of ice sprouting a gigantic pair of horns. Soon children from a nearby village begin to disappear. (Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times) 80 minutes
“TRON: Legacy”Fantasy reboot PG-13. The “legacy” the title refers to is less that of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) to only child Sam (Garrett Hedlund), and more the dazzling bequest of one generation of visual special-effects whizzes to another. The new “TRON” — about a son’s journey into the Grid to find his long-lost father — is full of visual and sonic flash. It’s also a glum ride. An exception: Daft Punk’s symphonic, at times epic, score. (Kennedy) 127 minutes
“Tangled”Animation PG. Disney’s take on Rapunzel, in 3-D. (Claire Martin) 100 minutes
“The Tourist”Action/Thriller PG-13. Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with Angelina Jolie leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger. Jolie portrays Elise Clifton-Ward, who with her lover, the master criminal Alexander Pierce tries to foil Scotland Yard. Against the backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.(John Anderson, The Washington Post) 113 minutes
“True Grit”Western redo PG-13. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld puts the Methodist starch back in 14-year-old Mattie Ross. Jeff Bridges plays Marshall Rooster Cogburn, the man she hires to help track her father’s killer. Matt Damon arrives with moustache, fancy spurs and buttery buckskin of the dandy Texas Ranger LaBeouf. (Kennedy) 110 minutes
“Unstoppable”Action PG-13. Frank Barnes is a father, a husband, a train-engineering veteran facing a very bad day on the rails. He’s portrayed by Denzel Washington in an action flick without an enemy. Instead, the adversary is a behemoth of a train let loose on the rails by accident. (Kennedy) 100 minutes
“White Material”Colonial drama Not rated. This is the story of the manager and co-owner of a coffee plantation in an unnamed modern-day West African nation that is in the throes of violent political upheaval. (Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer) 100 minutes
“Yogi Bear”Cartoon remix. PG. Yogi Bear in 3-D.(Rick Bentley, McClatchy Newspapers)79 minutes
GIANT SCREENIMAX — Denver Museum of Nature & Science
“Hubble 3-D” and “Under the Sea 3-D.” Dates, times and tickets vary. 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009,
IWERKS — The Wildlife Experience
“Dolphins & Whales,” “Wild Ocean” and “Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees.” Dates, times and tickets vary. 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker, 720-488- 3300,
