Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings. Ratings range from zero to four stars.OPENING THIS WEEK
“Blue Valentine”Reviewed on Page 4D
“Rabbit Hole”Reviewed on Page 4D
“The Dilemma”
Reviewed on Page 5D
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
“Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader”
Adventure PG. While their teen siblings are off in America. the youngest Pevensies, Lucy and Edmund (Georgie Henley and Skander Keynes), steer this sturdy sequel into the roiled realm of Narnia. Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) returns as an ally. Nattering cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) provides the film’s most winning transformation. (Kennedy) 118 minutes
“Country Strong”Melodrama. PG-13. Gwyneth Paltrow is a recovering-alcoholic country singer trying for a comeback. Real-life country music superstar Tim McGraw plays her manager/ husband. The film also stars Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) 112 minutes
“The Fighter”Boxing drama R. 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. And in opposing corners, there’s Melissa Leo as their mother and Amy Adams as Micky’s supportive girlfriend. (Kennedy) 114 minutes
“The King’s Speech”Period bromance R. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush play brilliantly off each other as stammering Prince Albert, the man who will be King George VI, and his Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. (Kennedy) 118 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
“Somewhere”Tone poem R. In this terrifically observed story of a bad-boy actor spending time with his tween daughter in L.A.’s Chateau Marmont hotel, Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning have sweet chemistry. Writer- director Sofia Coppola has become the auteur of privileged ennui. Sometimes it catches (“Lost in Translation”). Here, Johnny Marco — even as sweetly played by Dorff as he is — never ever quite earns his close-up. (Kennedy) 98 minutes
“Summer Wars”
Animated PG. Anime master Mamoru Hosoda’s mind-engaging, visually wowing journey follows “code monkey” Kenjii as he accompanies Natsuki to the Japanese countryside where he’s about to be introduced as her fiance. He’s not. When a mysterious e-mail arrives, Old World tradition and Internet possibility collide, making “Summer Wars” a perfect pick for a mini-fest with “The Social Network” and Internet relationship doc “Catfish.” (Kennedy) 114 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. (Kennedy) 127 minutes
“True Grit”Western redo PG-13. 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 a dandy Texas Ranger. (Kennedy) 110 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, FESTIVALSFestivus Film Festival
The fourth annual film festival showcasing independent films, continues through Sunday. Times and locations vary, visit
