Movies African Cats Young lions and cheetahs learn the ways of the wild from their mothers in this big-screen documentary set in East Africa.
Ceremony A guy persuades his former best friend to renew their friendship at a beachside estate owned by a filmmaker.
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold See Steven Rea's preview on H2.
Princess of Montpensier In the 16th century, a young French woman
is forced into a marriage while passionately in love with another man.
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family See Steven Rea's preview
Water for Elephants See Steven Rea's preview on H2.
White Irish Drinkers Two brothers plan a robbery as a way of getting out of their gritty neighborhood.
Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.), Steven Rea (S.R.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.). W.S. denotes a wire-service review.
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
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. Hanna A rip-roaring fairy tale cloaked in spy clothing, starring Saoirse Ronan as a mystery girl raised off the grid and trained as a killing machine. Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett costar. Nutty and exhilarating, violent and smart, with action set in snowy Nordic regions, the deserts of Morocco, and grungy Berlin. 1 hr. 51 PG-13 (violence, profanity, 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) - S.R.
Queen to Play This intelligent, heartfelt, and deeply satisfying film introduces us to Helene (Sandrine Bonnaire), a dependable, happily married chambermaid, who becomes obsessed with chess. She discovers she is looking for something of her own; she finds it in a game where, she is delighted to learn, "the queen is the most powerful piece." The film succeeds as well as it does because of Bonnaire. An actress of exceptional presence with a magical smile and the ability to look both beautiful and ordinary, she runs through a wide range of emotions and makes us believe them all. It's the best kind of unforced filmmaking, able to make its points with delicacy and tact. 1 hr. 37 No MPAA rating - W.S.
Arthur **1/2 Russell Brand is thoroughly enjoyable as the inebriated playboy in this faithful remake of Dudley Moore's 1981 comedy. Laughs galore until the film and its protagonist get sober. With Helen Mirren. 1 hr. 50 PG-13 (drunkenness, sexual content). - D.H.
Hop *1/2 The latest semi-toon from the creators of Despicable Me features an adorably animated and lifelike Easter Bunny and a somewhat less-animated James Marsden, the hilarious prince from Enchanted . But even for a kids' movie in the post-Yogi Bear/Marmaduke marketplace, even for a critter comedy where the critter has very big feet, Hop stands out as particularly flat-footed. 1 hr. 33 PG (mild rude humor) - W.S.
Insidious **1/2 From the writing/directing team behind the grisly Saw comes this far more rarefied and atmospheric scare pic. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are the handsome couple who move into a house with their son and newborn, only to discover that something is terribly, eerily amiss. Ominously whooshing ceiling fans and a visit from a bunch of ghost-busting nerds ensue. 1 hr. 42 PG-13 (scares, violence, children in jeopardy, adult themes) - S.R.
Soul Surfer *1/2 The takeaway line from this reverent retelling of shark-attack victim Bethany Hamilton's ordeal is that with faith, all things are possible. Just goes to show that the Gospel isn't always right. Faith clearly does not assure a good movie. The aquatic and surf scenes are spectacular. The story,
a clichéed climb to inspiration. Soul Surfer is more parable than plot. 1 hr. 4 PG (intense action sequence) - D.H.
Source Code ** Jake Gyllenhaal keeps waking up as a stranger on a train. He has eight minutes to find a bomb, save Chicago, and get the girl (Michelle Monaghan). Ready? Go! This distemporal thriller is even more disjointed than it means to be. 1 hr. 33. PG-13 (language, violence). - D.H.
Your Highness ** Funny-in-spurts stoner comedy set in the vicinity of Nottingham and Tattooine, costars the unfunny Danny McBride and the mildly amusing James Franco as the Goofus and Gallant of medieval times. With Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. 1 hr. 42 R (drug humor, sexual candor, Minotaur frontal nudity) - C.R.
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