Movies Arthur See Steven Rea's preview on H2 .
Born to Be Wild 3D The latest Imax-formatted documentary looks at orphaned orangutans and elephants and the humans who rescue them. Morgan Freeman narrates.
Hanna See Steven Rea's preview on H2 .
Queen to Play The mundane lives of a middle-aged chambermaid and her chess teacher are transformed through their meeting.
Soul Surfer After being the victim of a shark attack, a teen surfer overcomes her demons to get back on her board and become an inspiration for others.
Your Highness See Steven Rea's preview on H2 .
Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.) and Steven Rea (S.R.).
Bill Cunningham New York An inspirational, illuminating doc about the on-the-go octogenarian New York Times photographer. A celebration of individualism, integrity, fashion, passion, urban living, street art, magazines and newspapers, and the absolute essentialness of a vintage three-speed bike. 1 hr. 24 No MPAA rating (nothing offensive) - S.R.
The King's Speech Colin Firth (Oscar for best actor) and Geoffrey Rush star in this rousing odd-couple comedy, drawn from real life, about King George VI, a stutterer, and his speech therapist. Oscars for best picture and director, too. 1 hr. 51 R (profanity, but otherwise family-friendly for those 12 and older) - C.R.
Of Gods and Men The grand-prize winner at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Xavier Beauvois' extraordinarily moving and troubling film, based on real events, follows a group of French Trappist monks in mid-1990s Algeria whose lives of quiet devotion and sacrifice are put to the test when a radical Muslim militia enters the scene. Powerful, beautiful, sad. 2 hrs. PG-13 (violence, adult themes) - S.R.
Certified Copy Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's first feature set outside his homeland offers a shambling, multilingual discourse on the nature of art and the nature of marriage (and the nature of movie narratives, for that matter). That this purposefully twisting exercise takes place amid the sun-burnished cypresses and towns of Tuscany makes this playfully enigmatic meditation all the more pleasing. Juliette Binoche and William Shimell star. 1 hr. 46 No MPAA rating (adult themes) - S.R.
Limitless Bradley Cooper stars as a deadbeat New York writer who takes an experimental drug that sets his brain firing on all cylinders. An exhilarating thriller, directed with rocket-propelled, fractal-zoom ingenuity by Neil Berger. Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro costar. 1 hr. 45 PG-13 (violence, sex, profanity, drugs, adult themes)
Battle: Los Angeles ** Standard-issue combat film with a twist: The invaders are armored aliens from another planet coming to suck the Earth dry of its resources. A film so cartoonish that it makes the cartoonish Independence Day look as nuanced as Saving Private Ryan . With Aaron Eckhart. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (sustained battle sequences, including death and destruction) - C.R.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules **1/2 Sunny sequel to last year's adaptation of Jeff Kinney's illustrated novels about Greg Heffley, a middle child in middle school trying to find his place. 1 hr. 36 PG (poop jokes) - C.R.
The Lincoln Lawyer *** Matthew McConaughey keeps his shirt on and is surprisingly good as the bottom-feeder attorney in this twisty, cleverly plotted thriller based on the crime novel by Michael Connelly. With Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei, and Bryan Cranston. 1 hr. 59 R (violence, language, sexual content) - C.R.
Paul ** Mild, meandering, and super-profane comedy about British geeks (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) on a UFO pilgrimage tour in the American Southwest when they meet a real ET in cutoffs (voice of Seth Rogen). 1 hr. 44 R (language, sexual references, drugs) - C.R.
Rango **1/2 That acting chameleon Johnny Depp gives voice to one in Gore Verbinski's off-center animated western that's a mash-up of Chinatown and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly . A film for movie geeks and those who enjoy watching Depp role-play around. 1 hr. 46 PG (rude humor, animated violence, smoking) - C.R.
Sucker Punch *1/2 The latest barrage of green-screen effects and comic- book portentousness from 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder is nightmarishly awful. Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jamie Chung star as inmates in an insane asylum, diving into far-out anime fantasy realms. It's a field day for schoolgirl fetishists and fanboys with a penchant for steampunk - but with Snider's leaden dialogue, you've got to call it steamclunk. 1 hr. 49 PG-13 (violence, intense action, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.
Theater Reviewed by critics Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.), Howard Shapiro (H.S.), and Toby Zinman (T.Z.). A Passing Wind (Kimmel's Innovation Studio) A new musical by Interact's Seth Rozin, about the brief but memorable career of the world's most prominent "fartiste." Opens Friday.
Bernice/Butterfly (Hedgerow Theatre) Bernice works the diner's breakfast shift, Randall gives philosophy lectures. What do they have in common? Preview Thursday, opens Friday.
La Joie de Vivre (Dudley Theater, Cheyney University) A new music-theater work by Jann Ellis-Scruggs about the black artists, writers, and musicians who flooded into Paris a century ago. Opens next Sunday.
Wanamaker's Pursuit (Arden Theatre) In this world premiere, a Wanamaker scion attends an amazing party in Paris in 1911, and things start to happen. In previews, opens Wednesday.
The 39 Steps (Walnut Street Theatre) An amusing, shtick-filled reinvention of the classic spy film is impressively acted by four people who play about 150 roles. Through May 1. - H.S.
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