Some reviews originate at other newspapers that do not award star ratings. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
OPENING THIS WEEK
“Jane Eyre” Reviewed on Page 1D
“Making the Boys”Reviewed on Page 4D
“A Somewhat Gentle Man” Reviewed on Page 5D
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” Reviewed on Page 5D
“Sucker Punch” Not screened for critics before press time; check
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. (McClatchy Newspapers) 116 minutes
“Beastly”Teen fantasy PG-13. “Beastly” is a high-school updating of “Beauty and the Beast.” Witty, warm, well-cast and often wickedly funny, it lets Vanessa Hudgens shine. (Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel) 95 minutes
“Even the Rain”Drama Unrated. 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. 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 priests to object to their Christian brethren’s brutal attempts at conversion. (Ann Hornsday, Washington Post) 113 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 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 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 in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. (Kennedy) 88 minutes
“Limitless”Contemporary sci-fi PG-13. Eddie Morra’s adventures begin after he is given a pill that puts his entire brain online. This sort of mental progression has inspired a lot of movies; the difference here is that Morra remains himself, and all that changes is his ability to recall everything he ever saw or heard. (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)105 minutes
“The Lincoln Lawyer”Legal thrillerR. How Matthew McConoughey got his groove back doesn’t matter. But the twangy charmer’s back in agile form as Mick Haller in this purring, revving adaptation of Michael Connelly’s thriller about a defense attorney whose office is his Lincoln Town Car. When Haller graduates to a better class of client (Ryan Phillippe), he faces fresh doubts. Ace cast with Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy and Michael Peña. (Kennedy) 119 minutes
“Lord of the Dance 3-D”Dance. G. The pounding beat of dancing feet and the eye-popping artistry of “Lord of the Dance 3-D” will leave you breathless. Michael Flatley is a whirling dervish who uses the stage as a tool of seduction. (Rick Bentley, McClatchy Newspapers) 104 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.” (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 bonds emotionally. (Kennedy) 108 minutes
“Of Gods and Men”Religious drama. PG-13. Based on the true story of nine Roman Catholic monks whose lives were disrupted by an outbreak of Islamic extremist violence near their monastery in Algeria. (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle) 122 minutes
“Paul”Alien comedy R. Dial back any stratospheric hopes for this comedy by the gifted writers-actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and director Greg Mottola (“Superbad”). A couple of deep laughs and a sprinkle of chuckles can’t save this geeks-meets-alien road chase movie from being a close encounter of the middling kind. Seth Rogen voices Paul. Kristen Wiig is a Jesus freak along for the ride of her life. (Kennedy)104 minutes
“Poetry”Drama Not rated. Sixty-five- year-old Mija sees a sign for an adult poetry class and enrolls. The class is instructed to 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. Johnny Depp gives voice to the hero. (Kennedy) 90 minutes
“Red Riding Hood”Fantasy PG-13. Amanda Seyfried is Valerie, who wears the scarlet hood Grandma (Julie Christie) made for her, dodging in and out of the 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. (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune) 114 minutes
