MOVIES
OPENING THIS WEEK
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL
The title trio (voiced by Justin Long, Jesse McCartney and Las Vegas' own Matthew Gray Gubler) faces competition from rival cuties the Chipettes (Amy Pohler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate provide their voices) in this "squeakquel" to the 2007 hit. Jason Lee and David Cross lead the human cast. At multiple locations. (88 min.) PG; mild rude humor.
IT'S COMPLICATED
Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin play the angles in this romantic comedy about a long-divorced woman who finds herself having a passionate affair -- with the ex-husband who left her years ago for a younger woman. John Krasinski and Lake Bell co-star for writer-director Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give"). At multiple locations. (118 min.) R; drug content, sexual situations, brief nudity.
NINE
Reviewed on Page 29.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law team up to portray the title sleuth and his faithful companion Dr. John H. Watson, respectively, in an adventure that pits them against a sinister serial killer ("The Young Victoria's" Mark Strong) whose plot may threaten all Britain. Rachel McAdams (as alluring mystery woman Irene Adler) rounds out the starring cast for director Guy Ritchie ("Rocknrolla"). At multiple locations. (128 min.) PG-13; intense sequences of violence and action, startling images, suggestive material.
THREE IDIOTS
Two friends (R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi) search for a lost friend -- and, along the way, encounter a long-forgotten bet, a wedding they must crash and an out-of-control funeral. This Bollywood comedy-drama also focuses on their missing friend Rancho (Aamir Khan), an irrepressible free spirit who romances the equally spirited Pia (Kareena Kapoor) and clashes with an oppressive mentor (Boman Irani). In Hindi with English subtitles. At the Palms. (170 min., including intermission.) NR.
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
This period drama details the turbulent early years of Britain's Queen Victoria, who tries to survive multiple power plays as she ascends to the throne -- and discovers true love with Belgium's Prince Albert ("Chéri's" Rupert Friend). Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Mark Strong (who's also in "Sherlock Holmes") lead the supporting cast; Canada's Jean-Marc Vallée ("C.R.A.Z.Y.") directs from a script by "Gosford Park" Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes. At Suncoast. (100 min.) PG; mild sexual references, brief violence, brief profanity, smoking.
ALREADY IN THEATERS
Movies are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J movie critic Carol Cling (C.C.) are indicated by initials. Other opinions are from wire service critics.
ARMORED
(D+) Something old, nothing new: Veteran armored truck guards (led by Matt Dillon) coerce the newbie in their midst (Columbus Short) to steal a vehicle with $42 million aboard -- but their supposedly foolproof plan isn't, triggering dishonor and dissent among thieves. Supporting players Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno and Skeet Ulrich have their moments, but none of them leads to anything other than a factory film made from recycled parts. (88 min.) PG-13; intense violence, disturbing images, brief strong profanity.
AVATAR
(B-) Dances with "Aliens": Writer-director James Cameron ("Titanic") takes us to the 22nd-century planet Pandora, where paraplegic ex-Marine Jake Sully (clunky hunk Sam Worthington) joins a corporate mining operation's scientific program -- and finds a new life when he encounters the native Na'vi population. Zoe Saldana (as Sully's graceful Na'vi love interest), "Aliens" vet Sigourney Weaver (the resident rebellious scientist), Giovanni Ribisi (the resident corporate creep) and Stephen Lang (the resident military whackjob) lead the supporting cast of a visually spectacular effects extravaganza (especially in immersive 3-D) that might have been a genuine cinematic landmark -- if only Cameron had bothered to pay half as much attention to his story as he does to the technology he uses to tell it. (162 min.) PG-13; intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sexual references, profanity, smoking. (C.C.)
THE BLIND SIDE
(B-) This heartwarming, fact-based crowd-pleaser -- a natural for both football and holiday seasons -- focuses on future NFL tackle Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a gentle giant who rises from virtual homelessness to football stardom with an assist from a force-of-nature Southern belle (sassy Sandra Bullock) who takes him under her wing, and her roof. If it weren't a true story, it would be tough to believe, yet writer-director John Lee Hancock ("The Rookie") tackles a few gritty issues in between the stand-up-and-cheer and lump-in-the-throat moments. (126 min.) PG-13; brief violence, drug and sexual references. (C.C.)
THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY
(C) Almost a decade after their first cinematic appearance, the vigilante McManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus) return to Boston to avenge the death of their beloved hometown priest. Billy Connolly, Clifton Collins Jr., Judd Nelson and Peter Fonda co-star for writer-director Troy Duffy in a sequel that, unlike the original, doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out. It's just a scurrilous, sub-Tarantino action comedy that goes in all directions at once -- especially over the top. (118 min.) R; bloody violence, profanity, nudity.
THE BOX
(C-) A simple wooden box arrives on the doorstep of a married couple (Cameron Diaz, James Marsden), giving them the chance at a million dollars -- but only, as a mysterious stranger (the great Frank Langella, shamefully treated) explains, at the cost of someone else's life. Writer-director Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") delivers a preposterous chiller, based on a short story by the legendary Richard Matheson ("Twilight Zone," "I Am Legend") that, like a magician's prop, gives the illusion that it's full of stuff -- ideas, portents, clues, meaning -- when it's all but empty. (115 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, violence, disturbing images.
BROTHERS
(B-) When a Marine (a peak-form Tobey Maguire) disappears in Afghanistan, his black-sheep, ex-con brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) steps in to comfort his sister-in-law (Natalie Portman) and her children in this remake of the 2004 Danish standout, which never achieves the naturalistic impact of the original but is worthy on its own terms. Under the direction of Jim Sheridan ("In America," "My Left Foot") the movie packs a wallop; it's just not the knockout it could (and should) have been. (110 min.) R; profanity, disturbing violent content.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(C) Humbug: Charles Dickens' holiday classic gets writer-director Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture animation treatment in a visually impressive adaptation that's utterly uninterested in its characters (led by Jim Carrey's Ebenezer Scrooge and Gary Oldman's Bob Cratchit) as anything more than decorative figures populating a pageant of in-your-face special effects. (Which are especially in-your-face if you see this in 3-D or IMAX 3-D.) It's a cruel trick, transforming a heaping helping of holiday cheer into a coldly efficient cinematic thrill ride. (96 min.) PG; scary sequences and images. (C.C.)
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
(B) A wacky inventor (voiced by Bill Hader) discovers a way to create storms of food in a 3-D animated romp (inspired by a beloved children's book) that's clever and zippy, with a terrific vocal cast (including Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Neil Patrick Harris and Andy Samberg) and some actual nutritional value hidden among the fun. (90 min.) PG; brief mild profanity.
COUPLES RETREAT
(C) Trouble in paradise: Four couples (played by, among others, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman and Jon Favreau) try to sort out their relationship problems amid Bora Bora's tropical splendor in a tepid marriage-renewal comedy that has a decent cast and a few good ideas -- but no clear grasp of what to do with them. (107 min.) PG-13; sexual content, profanity.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?
(D+) You don't want to hear: After witnessing a murder, unhappily married Manhattanites (the usually effervescent, sadly flat Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker) find themselves in the witness protection program -- and exiled to small-town Wyoming -- in a mirth-free comedy that will make you wish you had enrolled in a witless protection program. (103 min.) PG-13; sexual references, momentary violence.
DINOSAURS 3D: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA
(B) If you like dinosaurs (who doesn't?), you'll love this 3-D documentary, which follows paleontologist Rodolfo Coria as he tramps the rugged wilds of southern Argentina, where remains of the largest dinosaurs in the world -- including the 120-foot Argentinosaurus -- have been discovered. The perfect blend of scholarly information and totally cool dinosaurs brought to vivid life. (40 min.) G; scary dinosaurs.
AN EDUCATION
(A) Head of the class: One of the year's best movies, this smashing coming-of-age drama (set in early-'60s Britain) focuses on a bright, college-bound teen (Carey Mulligan, delivering an Oscar-caliber, star-is-born performance) who becomes involved with a smooth-talking sophisticate (Peter Sarsgaard) almost twice her age. Author Nick Hornby ("High Fidelity," "About a Boy") adapts British journalist Lynn Barber's memoir; he and director Lone Scherfig capture the endless, timeless conflict between book learning and the school of heartbreak with witty, rueful power. (95 min.) PG-13; mature thematic material involving sexual content, smoking. (C.C.)
EVERYBODY'S FINE
(C+) Sentimental journey: When his grown children cancel on a family reunion, a gruff blue-collar widower (Robert De Niro) hits the road to make surprise visits to each of them: an advertising executive (Kate Beckinsale), a musician (Sam Rockwell) and a Las Vegas dancer (Drew Barrymore). Despite the impressive cast, this comedy-drama (based on a 1990 Italian original starring Marcello Mastroianni) seldom strays from its mechanical, manipulative course; it's only when it stops trying to be cute and concentrates on being honest that it generates genuine emotional impact. (100 min.) PG-13; thematic elements, brief profanity. (C.C.)
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
(B+) Quirky director Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums") goes from live-action to stop-motion animation with a captivating tale of a sly fox (voiced by George Clooney) who outsmarts the vengeful farmers out to get him. Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Willem Dafoe, among others, lend their vivid voices to this fanciful story from Roald Dahl ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "James and the Giant Peach"), which proves an ideal vehicle for Anderson's trademark playful whimsy. (87 min.) PG; action, smoking, slang humor. (C.C.)
THE FOURTH KIND
(C) After 40 years of mysterious disappearances in an Alaska town, a psychologist (Milla Jovovich) begins videotaping sessions with traumatized patients -- and discovers disturbing evidence of alien abductions, and a possible federal cover-up. This fact-based, flat-lining thriller serves up a close encounter that buries an interesting idea under a barrage of gimmicky hokum. (98 min.) PG-13; violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements, brief sexuality.
THE HURT LOCKER
(A) Three members of an Army bomb-defusing squad --a cocky sergeant (Jeremy Renner), his steady second-in-command (Anthony Mackie) and a scared-spitless rookie (Brian Geraghty) -- hit the streets of Iraq hoping to save lives, including their own. In this riveting action drama, 2009 best movie, director Kathryn Bigelow ("Point Break," "K-19: The Widowmaker") demonstrates her mastery of action (and psychology), exploring how dehumanizing -- and how addictive -- combat can be. (131 min.) R; war violence, profanity. (C.C.)
INVICTUS
(B-) In post-apartheid South Africa, president Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) enlists the captain of the country's white-dominated rugby squad (Matt Damon) to help unite the divided nation as the team competes for the 1995 world championship. This fact-based drama, director Clint Eastwood's latest, blends elements of the great-man movie and the underdog-sports movie -- elements that sometimes work against each other. But it's unapologetically rousing, despite its earnest ambitions and stately, schmaltzy conventionality. (134 min.) PG-13; brief profanity. (C.C.)
ME AND ORSON WELLES
(B) In this coming-of-age tale crossed with a portrait of a genius, a starstruck teen ("High School Musical's" Zac Efron) bluffs who his way into the Mercury Theater's 1937 Broadway production of "Julius Caesar," produced by theatrical wunderkind Orson Welles (the brilliantly exhilarating Christian McKay). Claire Danes and Ben Chaplin co-star in director Richard Linklater's deft, affectionate and spirited reimagining of Welles' early creative days. (114 min.) PG-13; sexual references, smoking.
NINJA ASSASSIN
(D+) A young ninja (Asian pop star Rain, one of "Speed Racer's" rivals) turns his back on the orphanage where he was raised, triggering a martial arts showdown. Thanks (or no thanks) to the dire script, flat performances and slick, tricked-out fight scenes, it gets increasingly hard to care about what goes on, even on those rare occasions when the action's visible without the use of night-vision goggles. (99 min.) R; strong bloody stylized violence, profanity.
OLD DOGS
(D-) It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a turkey, and in "Old Dogs,'' we have the season's blue-ribbon gobbler, about friends and business partners (Robin Williams, John Travolta) forced to play daddy to 7-year-old twins. Yes, it's supposed to be a comedy -- but unless you think it's fun to watch elderly canines urinate, middle-aged movie stars overact or Seth Green get hit in the groin by a golf ball, be prepared to sit and squirm at this witless, mean-spirited farce. (88 min.) PG; mild rude humor.
PIRATE RADIO
(B-) When stuffy BBC officials ban rock 'n' roll in the swingin' '60s, DJs take to the high seas and broadcast from offshore, rocking the boat by blasting tunes and raising hell. A dream cast (led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans as the radio rogues, Kenneth Branagh as the government prude) parties hearty for writer-director Richard Curtis ("Love Actually"), but Curtis still hasn't figured out that, cinematically speaking, less is more. The result is almost a great soundtrack in search of a movie, but the cast's comic energy keeps it afloat. (135 min.) R; profanity, sexual content including brief nudity. (C.C.)
PLANET 51
(C-) In this cute but clichéd animated space romp, an American astronaut (voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) lands on the title sphere and discovers little green people living in fear of alien invaders -- just like him. "Shrek's" Joe Stillman scripts, but this is no "Shrek." Instead of spinning its spoof of 1950s sci-fi paranoia in new directions, the movie trades in potty humor and tired "Terminator" and "Star Wars" send-ups. (126 min.) PG-13; brief violence, drug and sexual references.
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE
(B) Set in 1987 Harlem, director Lee Daniels' acclaimed drama focuses on Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a black teen who's pregnant (for a second time) by her absent father, stuck at home with her abusive mother (Mo'Nique), virtually illiterate -- and determined to find dignity in, and endure, her unendurable situation. Harrowing and marked by heroic performances (especially from Sidibe and Mo'Nique), "Precious" looks squarely in the wounded eyes of its title character and sees a girl with poetry in her. (109 min.) R; profanity, violence, sexual abuse. (C.C.)
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
(A) Let the good times roll: The magic's back in this Disney delight, a traditionally animated tale set in Roaring '20s New Orleans, about nose-to-the-grindstone Tiana (voiced by "Dreamgirls' " Anika Noni Rose), who dreams of running her own restaurant -- until a close encounter with a voodoo-cursed prince changes everything. Co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin") serve up a scrumptious jambalaya of smart storytelling, spectacular visual set pieces and a memorable Randy Newman score; it all adds up to the best traditionally animated Disney feature since 1991's instant classic "Beauty and the Beast." (97 min.) G; all ages. (C.C.)
THE ROAD
(B-) A father (a heroically restrained Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander a bleak post-apocalyptic landscape, trying to survive -- with their humanity intact. This grueling, occasionally haunting adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from director John Hillcoat ("The Proposition") misses the resonant power of McCarthy's stark prose, but remains a memorable (if memorable dismal) exploration of the endless battle for decency in the midst of depravity, of love in the face of death. (111 min.) R; violence, disturbing images, profanity. (C.C.)
A SERIOUS MAN
(B+) Seriously funny: Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, multiple Oscar winners for 2007's "No Country for Old Men," return to their own country -- suburban Minnesota, circa 1967 -- for this darkly comic tale about a beleaguered physics professor (Broadway veteran Michael Stuhlbarg) whose seemingly rational life unravels, Job-like, before his eyes. As usual, the Coens blur the line between the serious and the comic with almost sadistic expertise, exploring life's cosmic jokes with deadpan delight. (105 min.) R; profanity, sexual situations, nudity, brief violence. (C.C.)
2012
(C-) It's a disaster movie, all right, but what else can you expect from master of disaster Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow," "Independence Day")? Once again, the director demonstrates how to blow stuff up real good, putting everyone on Earth on a collision course with oblivion -- including a few plucky souls (led by mavericky Everyman John Cusack and Noble Scientist Chiwetel Ejiofor) who prove humanity's resilience while faceless billions perish. If high-tech digital effects are your thing, you'll adore the destructo-derby spectacle, but for those who care about a credible storyline and sympathetic characters, abandon hope all ye who enter here. (158 min.) PG-13; intense disaster sequences, profanity. (C.C.)
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON
(C-) The second bite(s): Where would Hollywood be without that old standby, the vampire-werewolf-schoolgirl love triangle? In this chapter of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series, Bella (Kristen Stewart) discovers that the course of true love never does run smooth, especially when her beloved Edward Cullen (brooding Robert Pattinson) leaves town with his vampire family rather than endanger her life. Good thing her friend Jacob Black (hunky Taylor Lautner) is still around -- but he's got a deep dark secret all his own. Director Chris Weitz ("About a Boy," "The Golden Compass"), taking over from "Twilight's" Catherine Hardwicke, goes double on the swoon factor, transforming the urgency of teen lust into a dour, draggy mopefest. (130 min.) PG-13; violence and action. (C.C.)
UP IN THE AIR
(B+) Flying high: A cynical corporate terminator (a perfectly cast George Clooney), whose job is telling other people they've lost theirs, struggles to make connections -- between flights and between people. Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Jason Bateman lead the top-chop supporting cast of this witty, sometimes wise comedy-drama from writer-director Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Thank You for Smoking"), which blends timely and timeless themes with throwaway ease. (109 min.) R; profanity, sexual content, brief nudity. (C.C.)
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
(B) Let the wild rumpus start: Mischievous 9-year-old Max (the aptly named Max Records) acts out, then runs away to avoid the inevitable punishment, finding refuge with an assortment of squabbling monsters (voiced by, among others, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper and Forest Whitaker). Writer-director Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation") transforms Maurice Sendak's kid-lit classic to suit his own offbeat sensibilities, delivering a melancholy, madcap live-action romp that speaks to the wild child inside us all. (100 min.) PG; mild thematic elements, adventure action, brief profanity. (C.C.)
