(USA) Comedy/Sci-Fi/Drama. Directed by Jake Schreier. Starring Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Sarsgaard. Category IIA. 89 minutes. Opens Jan 31. With a top-notch cast and a flawless screenplay that dazzles with humor, imagination and understated emotional power,...
Dec 11 2012
(USA) Fantasy/Drama. Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning. Category IIA. 115 minutes. Opens Dec 20. Bella and Edward can go on living, sparkling and professing their love to each other like two autistic...
Dec 11 2012
(Finland/Germany/Australia) Sci-fi/Comedy. Directed by Timo Vuorensola. Starring Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto, Udo Kier, Peta Sergeant. Category IIB. 93 minutes. Opened Dec 6. Bad writing and a practically talent-free cast ruin the huge potential of “Iron Sky,” which,...
Dec 7 2012
(China) Drama. Directed by Chen Kaige. Starring Gao Yuanyuan, Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Wang Xueqi, Chen Hong. Category IIA. 117 minutes. Opened Dec 6. Weaving multiple plotlines into a web of ambition, jealousy and scandal, “Caught in the Web” is a critically insightful kaleidoscope of...
Dec 6 2012
Poor Bradley Cooper. Hollywood’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2011 (according to People magazine) had to executive produce his own films (this, and last year’s portentous thriller Limitless) to land serious roles. Certainly no-brainer stints in films like The A-Team and Hit &...
Nov 30 2012
(USA) Action. Directed by Dan Bradley. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Connor Cruise, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas. Category IIA. 114 minutes. Opened Nov 29. After a series of obstacles—from changing the villains of the film from Chinese to North Koreans to being...
Nov 30 2012
(USA) Crime/Thriller. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Starring Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy. Category IIB. 97 minutes. Opens Nov 29. Many movies tell you that American crime is business, but only “Killing Them Softly” speaks the truth about how American...
Nov 28 2012
(USA) Animation/Adventure. Directed by Peter Ramsey. Voiced by Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law. Category I. 97 minutes. Opens Nov 22. A story about belief raises skepticism in “Rise of the Guardians,” where mythical heroes are real but their dramas are not...
Nov 21 2012
(USA) Drama/Adventure. Directed by Ang Lee. Starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Adil Hussain. Category I. 127 minutes. Opens Nov 22. A few years ago during my interview with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the “Amélie” director went on a random vent about how he had spent two years...
Nov 20 2012
360
Take its title as a sign of an all-around failure—"360," despite its dazzling line-up of Oscar-class credits, somehow manages to be one of the dullest movies of the year. A modern interpretation of Arthur Schnitzler’s century-old play, "La Ronde," the film zooms in...
Nov 15 2012