Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
OPENING THIS WEEK
“The Lincoln Lawyer” Reviewed on Page 1D
“Limitless”Reviewed on Page 4D
“Paul” Reviewed on Page 8D
“Monogamy” Reviewed on Page 8D
“Of Gods and Men” Reviewed on Page 9D
“Lord of the Dance 3-D” Reviewed on Page 11D
CONTINUING
Here are selected mini-reviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically.
“The Adjustment Bureau”Drama PG. Matt Damon, as a failed senatorial candidate, rehearsing his concession speech, meets Emily Blunt. “The Adjustment Bureau” deals with the subject of fate. There is a master plan, and walking the earth are divine agents whose job is to nudge events in the right direction. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) 99 minutes
“Battle: Los Angeles”Space invasion PG-13. That strange meteor shower over L.A.? Turns out it’s the first wave of a brutal alien attack. Nantz and his unit are tasked with rescuing a group of civilians trapped in an abandoned police station behind enemy lines in Santa Monica. They’ve got three hours to get them out, as that’s when the Air Force plans to turn the beachfront city into a bombed-out wasteland. (McClatchy Newspapers) 116 minutes
“Beastly”Teen fantasy PG-13. “Beastly” is a high-school nonmusical updating of “Beauty and the Beast.” Witty, warm, well-cast and often wickedly funny, it lets Vanessa Hudgens shine and Alex Pettyfer give a hint of what all the fuss over him is about. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 95 minutes
“Cold Weather”Mystery Unrated. Doug’s ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Robyn Rikoon), shows up on a vague business trip from Chicago — and then she’s gone. Having studied forensic science in college, Doug is still fascinated by Sherlock Holmes novels. He ends up playing amateur detective. (Christie Lamire, Associated Press) 97 minutes
“Even the Rain”DramaUnrated. A movie crew led by a director named Sebastian (Gael García Bernal) and his producer, Costa (Luis Tosar), arrives in Cochabamba, Bolivia, to film a historical epic about Christopher Columbus and his conquest of the Americas. But Sebastian doesn’t intend to film another mythologized portrait of the early explorer; instead he’s focusing on Columbus’ oppression of indigenous populations and the efforts of two little- known priests to object to their Christian brethren’s brutal attempts at conversion. (Ann Hornsday, Washington Post) 113 minutes
“Gnomeo & Juliet”Animated love G. A daft and generally deft British animated retelling of the star-crossed romance set in adjacent English backyard gardens. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 84 minutes
“Hall Pass”Uncomedy R. Two married guys get a week’s freedom from their chains to have a ball. Owen Wilson and Jenna Fischer, Jason Sudeikis and Christina Applegate play the couples. (Kennedy) 98 minutes
“I Am Number Four”Science fiction PG-13. Nine aliens who resemble humans flee to hide on Earth. They are each provided a guardian and develop superhuman powers as they become adults. (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) 110 minutes
“Just Go With It”Romantic comedy. PG-13. Adam Sandler plays a plastic surgeon romancing a much younger schoolteacher (Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl Brooklyn Decker). He enlists his loyal assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his soon-to-be-ex-wife. (Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times) 116 minutes
“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”Documentary. G. Concert film/documentary starring the teenage pop megastar. His gift for music was clear from an early age, and there is plenty of video footage to prove it. (David Malitz, Washington Post) 105 minutes
“The Last Lions”Animal thriller PG. A lioness in exile fights to make a life for herself and her cubs in naturalists Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s wrenching, wondrous and eco-cautionary tale set on an island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. (Kennedy)88 minutes
“Mars Needs Moms”Kid sci-fi PG. Milo (voiced by Seth Green) hates taking out the trash and won’t eat his broccoli. “My life would be so much better if I didn’t have a mom at all.” Imagine Milo’s guilt when, a few hours later, she’s abducted by aliens. He scrambles after her and learns an awful secret: “Mars Needs Moms.” Off he goes to Mars to rescue his mom. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel)”No Strings Attached”Romantic comedy R. Medical intern Ellen Kurtzman and TV production assistant Adam Franklin, played by Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, are easy on the eyes. But the movie makes it nearly impossible to care how the pair get from a casual sexual relationship to the inevitable emotional hookup. (Kennedy) 108 minutes
“Poetry”Drama Not Rated. Sixty-five- year-old Mija sees a sign for an adult poetry class and enrolls. Her instructor’s goal for his students is simple: Write one poem. It’s an undertaking the grandmother, portrayed by Yun Jung-Hee, takes to heart. Where else does poetry begin?(Kennedy) 149 minutes
“Rango”A lizard’s tale .A lonesome pet lizard with a flair for the dramatic undergoes a transformation when he finds himself in a real desert instead of a terrarium. Johnny Depp gives a voice that’s equal measures goofy and oh-so-aware to the hero. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“Red Riding Hood”Fantasy PG-13. Amanda Seyfried has the title role. She is Valerie, who wears the scarlet hood Grandma (Julie Christie) made for her, dodging in and out of the almost-enchanted forest around her village of Daggerhorn. For generations, a werewolf has been taking livestock offered as sacrifice by the frightened townsfolk. But then Valerie’s sister is killed and all bets are off. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 120 minutes
“Take Me Home Tonight”Comedy R. Topher Grace plays a prime specimen of science- club zero, a bashful sweetheart recently graduated from MIT but stuck in emotional limbo. The movie is a winning rag bag of gags, combining fast-paced physical shtick with a sharply clever script. (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune) 114 minutes
