MOVIES - Jan. 24, 2010

Capsule reviews are by Kenneth Turan (K.Tu.), Betsy Sharkey (B.S.) and other reviewers. Compiled by Anthony Miller.

Openings

FRIDAY

3 Idiots Two friends embark on a quest for a lost buddy and encounter a long-forgotten bet, a wedding they must crash, and a funeral that gets out of control. In Hindi with English subtitles. With Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and R Madhavan. Written by Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani, from the novel by Chetan Bhagat. Directed by Hirani. (2:44) NR.

Edge of Darkness A veteran Boston homicide detective embarks on a mission to find out about his 24-year-old daughter’s secret life after she is murdered on the steps of his home. With Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic and Shawn Roberts. Written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell. Based on the television series written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Directed by Martin Campbell. (1:48) R. Story on Page D1

Fish Tank A 15-year-old girl’s life turns around when she connects with her party mother’s boyfriend. With Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender. Directed by Andrea Arnold. (2:02) NR.

Saint John of Las Vegas A compulsive gambler trying to go straight discovers there’s more than one way to hit the jackpot in life. With Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Romany Malco, John Cho and Tim Blake Nelson. Written and directed by Hue Rhodes. (1:25) R.

A Town Called Panic Animated feature stars three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town that attracts strange events. Directed by Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar. (1:15) NR.

When in Rome A young New Yorker, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome, where she plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors. With Kristen Bell, Danny DeVito, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard and Josh Duhamel. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. (1:31) PG-13.

Critics’ Choices

An Education Invariably funny and inexpressibly moving in the way it looks at a young girl’s journey from innocence to experience, this film does so many things so well, it’s difficult to know where to begin cataloging its virtues. What’s easy is knowing where you’ll end up, which is marveling like everyone else at the performance by Carey Mulligan that is the film’s irreplaceable centerpiece. (K.Tu., Oct. 16) (1:35) NR.

Avatar Think of “Avatar” as “The Jazz Singer” of 3-D filmmaking. Think of it as the most expensive and accomplished Saturday matinee movie ever made. Think of it as the ultimate James Cameron production. Whatever way you choose to look at it, “Avatar”’s shock and awe demand to be seen. You’ve never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else. (K.Tu., Dec. 17) Also in IMAX 3D. (2:30) PG-13.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Cold-blooded reptiles are lurking everywhere in this slick new noir, with snakes, iguanas, gators and especially Nicolas Cage at their slithering and cynical best. Cage is the bad cop who director Werner Herzog pushes into the deep bayou muck, human and otherwise, that Hurricane Katrina has left behind. The filmmaker has done well by noir too, giving us exactly what he should -- crime, corruption, sarcasm, sex, sleaze and shadows all through the glass darkly. (B.S., Nov. 20) (2:01) R.

Broken Embraces Something almost magical happens whenever actress Penélope Cruz and filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar work together, and so it is with “Broken Embraces,” a twisted tale of love, death and a badly edited film. The writer/director is up to his old tricks, creating an onion of an experience -- a movie within a movie within a movie. Cruz’s performance is just as complex. And the moral of this story? Whatever else you do, never mess with the director’s cut. (B.S., Dec. 11) In Spanish with English Subtitles. (2:09) R.

Crazy Heart There’s a powerful symmetry at work here, a parallel between protagonist Bad Blake, a country singer whose entire life has led him to a nadir of disintegration, and star Jeff Bridges, whose exceptional film choices have put him at the height of his powers just in time to make Mr. Blake the capstone role of his career. (K.Tu., Dec. 16) (1:52) R.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Heath Ledger’s last project is a film as unusual and idiosyncratic as its one-of-a-kind title. You’d expect no less from Terry Gilliam, and admirers of this singular filmmaker will be happy to know that “Imaginarium” is his most original and accessible work in years. (K.Tu., Dec. 25) (2:02) PG-13.

Invictus Blending entertainment, social message and history lesson, director Clint Eastwood’s latest film focuses on one particular moment in history, when South Africa’s newly elected leader Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, tried something so brazen, so risky, that his closest advisors were not only against it, but they also thought it was political suicide. (K.Tu., Dec. 11) (2:12) PG-13.

Killing Kasztner A compelling documentary on the strange life and death of Rezso Kasztner, a hero to some, a collaborator to others, but undeniably one of the most morally complex figures to come out of the Holocaust into the state of Israel. (K.Tu., Jan. 15) (2:09) NR.

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond A troubled woman with a difficult past, humidity that hangs like condemnation in the air and a drawl as thick as honey, if not always as sweet. That’s Tennessee Williams country, and it’s right where we find Bryce Dallas Howard’s Memphis heiress, Fisher Willow, in “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond.” Like Fisher, the film is lovely, if flawed. Based on a never-produced screenplay Williams wrote in the late ‘50s, its characters are not fully fleshed to their breaking or boiling point, the playwright’s specialty. Still, director Jodie Markell’s first feature remains a film to savor, rich in ways that are all too rare today. Consider it a treasure of the unpolished sort. (B.S., Dec. 30) (1:42) PG-13.

The Messenger It would have been easy for this moving new drama that follows an Army casualty notification team as they tell families a loved one has died in combat to turn into a patriotic melodrama or a hopelessly somber tragedy. It is neither. Instead emotions are used sparingly with the director’s restraint allowing the marvelous central cast -- Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton -- to breathe, filling the silences with indelible characters whose humanity makes room for humor and hope as well. (B.S., Nov. 20) (1:45) R.

Pirate Radio The new rock-saturated comedy that proves life’s better when it’s set to a ‘60s soundtrack, is, to borrow from the Stones, “a gas! gas! gas!” And borrow does it ever -- including from the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Hendrix, the Who. nearly 60 cuts in all in what may be the coolest music video masquerading as a movie ever. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and “Shaun of the Dead”’s Nick Frost lead a groovy ensemble in spinning this somewhat true, but mostly tall tale of Parliament’s fight to crush rock radio and the rogue broadcasters who went to sea to keep it afloat. (B. S., Nov. 13) (2:14) R.

Precious Nothing quite prepares you for the rough-cut diamond that is “Precious.” A rare blend of pure entertainment and dark social commentary, this shockingly raw, surprisingly irreverent and absolutely unforgettable story of an obese, illiterate, pregnant black Harlem teen named Precious is one that should not be missed. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is impressive as the 16-year-old, but it is the boldness of Mo’Nique’s performance as her soul-destroying nightmare of a mother, that sweeps you away. (B.S., Nov. 6) (1:49) R.

The Princess and the Frog Go ahead and pucker up. Because long before “The Princess and the Frog” is over you’ll want to smooch the charming couple in this foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-warming animated twist on the old Brothers Grimm frog-prince fairy tale. Set in jazz age New Orleans, the film is a return to the lush, fluid beauty of hand-drawn animation. It’s an old-fashioned fairy tale set to music in the grand tradition of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is to say the neo-classic ‘90s brand of Disney animation. After so much computer-generated, motion-captured animation high-jinks, the film feels fresh -- a discovery, or a rediscovery, depending on your age. (B.S., Nov. 25) (1:35) G.

A Single Man We’re always looking for those performances that define an actor, where we can sit back and simply watch the talent soar. “A Single Man” is that film for Colin Firth, until now probably best known for his work in the “Bridget Jones” films. His portrayal of George, the single man in question, should change all that. Fashion designer Tom Ford has constructed an impressive directing debut out of Christopher Isherwood’s dark novel, with our tragedy beginning on the day George has determined will be his last. (B.S., Dec. 11) (1:39) NR.

Up In The Air Director/co-writer Jason Reitman makes it look easy. In this comic drama about a road warrior played by George Clooney, he blends entertainment and insight, comedy and poignancy, even drama and reality, things that are difficult by themselves but a whole lot harder in combination. This film does all that and never seems to break a sweat. (K.Tu., Dec. 4) (1:49) R.

The White Ribbon We don’t go to Michael Haneke films for comfort, but to gaze through a glass darkly. That vision -- tense, provocative and unnerving -- is on full display in “The White Ribbon,” which could be considered a culmination of this difficult director’s brilliant career. Set in an ordinary German village on the eve of World War I, the film looks at the children who would survive that war and grow into the generation that would bend to Hitler’s sway. History hovers over “White Ribbon” with the force of impending doom. These children will inherit this world of sin and sorrow and the consequences will be catastrophic. Whatever responsibility we might feel for future generations after seeing a cautionary tale like this one, well that’s just one of the questions Haneke leaves us to figure out. (B.S., Dec. 30) (2:24) R.

The Young Victoria Starring Emily Blunt as the 18-year-old queen of England circa 1837, the film is a rich pastiche of first love, teen empowerment, fabulous fashion and fate. Together with Rupert Friend as Prince Albert, as we follow them through courtship, coronation and just beyond, they create a couple you’ll want to see again. But until then, “The Young Victoria” is a great place to start. (B.S., Dec. 18) (1:44) PG.

Also in Theaters

2012 This new disaster film insists the world will end with both a bang and a whimper, the bang of undeniably impressive special effects and the whimper of inept writing and characterization. You pays your money, you takes your choice chances. (K.Tu., Nov. 13) (2:38) PG-13.

44 Inch Chest Writer-playwrights Louis Mellis and David Scinto have a way with deconstructing masculine ferociousness -- relishing in revealing the follies of machismo in extremis. Malcolm Venville, in an assured directorial debut, builds suspense with steady effectiveness. Ray Winstone scales the heights and plumbs the depths of jealous husband Colin’s emotions in a role of Shakespearean grandeur. (Kevin Thomas, Jan. 15) (1:35) R.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Perhaps not since “The Godfather Part II” have we seen a sequel that matches the mastery of the film that came before it -- all the pathos, the brio, the epic sweep. the cheese balls. Indeed, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” only builds on the wit, the whimsy and the shredding bass that was 2007’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” which turned them into 21st century pop sensations. Love is in the air this time around with a girl-group called the Chipettes. There are hijinks, lowjinks, and the Chipettes cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” you know “If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it?” is not to be missed. Seriously. (B.S., Dec. 23) (1:28) PG.

Armored A crew at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on a heist against their own company. With Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Skeet Ulrich, Milo Ventimiglia, Fred Ward and Columbus Short. Written by James V. Simpson and Chris Parker. Directed by Nimrod Antal. (1:25) PG-13.

Bitch Slap Despite its obsession with décolletage, “Bitch Slap” is surprisingly puritanical (much teasing, no pleasing), substituting plentiful violence and a howlingly predictable “shock” ending for the payoff it promises. (Michael Ordoña, Jan. 8) (1:44) R.

The Blind Side Watching “The Blind Side” is like watching your favorite football team; you’ll cheer when things go well, curse when they don’t, and be reminded that in football, as in life, it’s how you play the game that counts -- though winning doesn’t hurt either. Based on the remarkable true story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, the movie stars Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy. She’s a spitfire of a mom, and it’s the kind of role Hollywood should have given the actress ages ago. In the end, this is Bullock’s movie. (B.S., Oct. 20) (2:06) PG-13.

The Book of Eli A lean, stark, surprisingly effective headliner in Hollywood’s ongoing apocalyp-alooza, “The Book of Eli” marks a return to form for co-directors Allen and Albert Hughes. A sly Old Testament “Mad Max”-y sort of Western, the film may traffic in familiar landscapes and archetypes, but it allows its cast the space and time to make the characters breathe. “The Book of Eli” works, even if the preservation of Christianity isn’t high on your personal post-apocalypse bucket list. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 15) (1:58) R.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Troy Duffy went from a bartending screenwriter to Harvey Weinstein’s golden boy with “The Boondock Saints.” His resulting bad-behavior flameout in Hollywood was turned into a cautionary documentary (“Overnight”). But the best revenge is a fan base. Now, 10 years later, Duffy has reemerged with a sequel. Time may have healed some of Duffy’s wounds, but it hasn’t made him a better Tarantino knockoff. (Robert Abele, Oct. 30) (1:57) R.

Brothers Director Jim Sheridan sets the table early on for everything that will unfold in “Brothers.” It’s a last supper of sorts for the Cahill family, featuring Tobey Maguire as older brother Sam, a Marine captain returning to Afghanistan, and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), younger by a few years, a roguish reprobate just out of jail. Though Sam’s war experiences will sear and shred the Cahills, family dynamics will actually be the main course with old fights and simmering resentments served alongside rolls and the rest. Unfortunately, the film goes about as badly as the dinner, overcooked or underdone, depending on the scene. (B.S., Dec. 4) (1:50) R.

Coco Before Chanel For someone who was as celebrated internationally as France’s Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, the woman who changed the shape of 20th century fashion, not that much is known for sure about her formative years. Though Chanel’s reticence may sound like a barrier to filmmakers, it stimulated co-writer and director Fontaine and star Tautou, who’ve combined to turn “Coco Before Chanel” into a superior filmed biography that brings intelligence, restraint and style to what could have been a more standard treatment. “I know how to express the present,” Chanel liked to say, and showing us just how that expression took form and shape is the accomplishment of this satisfying film. (K.Tu., Sept. 25) In French with English subtitles. (1:50) PG-13.

Creation Based on “Annie’s Box,” a biography penned by Darwin’s great-great-grandson Randal Keynes using personal letters and diaries of the Darwin family, this film takes an unique and inside look at Darwin, his family and his love for his deeply religious wife. With Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam and Toby Jones. Directed by John Amiel. (1:48) NR.

Daybreakers A decade after a vampire plague has swept the globe, the remaining human population is no more than rapidly dwindling food stock. Any higher intentions are brought crashing down by predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares (shrieking bats, anyone?) and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency. This isn’t the film to relieve our collective vampire fatigue. (Michael Ordona, Jan. 8) (1:38) R.

Did You Hear About the Morgans? So here’s a question for the Feds whose witness protection program takes care of Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker, the couple on the edge of divorce in “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” What about the rest of us? We could have used some protection here too from this cliche-riddled romantic comedy. Grant has never been less charming and Parker never less fashionable or more grating than they are as Paul and Meryl Morgan, a hot-shot Manhattan couple split apart by Paul’s one-nighter in L.A. I’ve got news for them -- infidelity is the least of their problems. (B.S., Dec. 18) (1:43) PG-13.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol is Robert Zemeckis’ exasperating re-imagining of the Dickens classic as a 3-D action-thriller zooming through the fever dreams of Scrooge. The “It’s better to give than receive” moral is mostly lost in the special effects and there are Jim Carrey’s theatrics to weather. The actor voices eight characters, including Scrooge and the three ghosts who haunt him. By the time Zemeckis finishes piling the shiny presents with all their bells and whistles with under the tree, there’s no room left for tears for Tiny Tim. Bah humbug. (B.S., Nov. 6) (1:16) PG.

Drool A desperate housewife is on the run with her kids after her new friend accidentally kills her no-good husband. With Laura Harring and Jill Marie Jones. Written and directed by Nancy Kissam. (1:25) NR.

Everybody’s Fine In this remake of Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Stanno Tutti Bene,” a widower embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children. With Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell. Written and directed by Kirk Jones. (1:35) PG-13.

Extraordinary Measures Based on the true story of John Crowley, a man who risked his family’s future to pursue a cure for his children’s life-threatening disease. With Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell and Courtney B. Vance. Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs. Directed by Tom Vaughan. (1:46) PG.

Fall Down Dead On Christmas Eve, a single mother becomes trapped inside a building with a serial killer who considers his mutilated victims to be works of art with only a bumbling security guard to protect her. With Dominique Swain, Udo Kier, David Carradine, R. Keith Harris and Mehmet Gunsur. Directed by Jon Keeyes. (1:33) R.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox With George Clooney and Meryl Streep as the most urbane couple in the vulpine world, this adaptation of the much-loved Roald Dahl novel animates not only forest animals but the career of director Wes Anderson. (K.Tu., Nov. 13) (1:28) PG.

The Fourth Kind The vogue for verité spooks continues with “The Fourth Kind,” but unlike the understated stylistic rigor of “Paranormal Activity,” this alien abduction showpiece about unexplained events in Nome, Alaska, doth protest its bona fides too much. Presented as a cinematic re-creation of traumatic, mysterious occurrences surrounding sleep-deprived patients of psychologist Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich), writer-director Olatunde Osunsanmi attempts an Orson Welles-like confluence of “real” and imagined that might have worked had he gotten out of the way more, literally and figuratively. (Robert Abele, Nov. 6) (1:38). PG-13.

Gigante In his feature debut, Adrián Biniez could easily be setting in motion a familiar, suspenseful stalker thriller, but thankfully he is much more concerned with exploring the workings of the human heart with a touch of wistfulness and a dash of humor. As unpretentious as it is perceptive, “Gigante” is a gem. (Kevin Thomas, Jan. 1) (1:28) NR.

Home A boisterous middle-class family enjoys everyday life in a simple house that lies on a lush, grassy field next to an abandoned highway until it is threatened by construction on the highway. With Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet. Directed by Ursula Meier. (1:35) NR.

It’s Complicated The problem with this romantic comedy about the menopausal crowd starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, is that it’s not nearly complicated enough. The film is the latest from writer/director Nancy Meyers, who has been working through her issues on screen for at least 20 years, starting with “Baby Boom” in 1987 through “Something’s Gotta Give” in 2003. But the vulnerability and smartness, as well as the funny with which she infused those earlier films, are harder to find here. Instead she’s given us her thinnest slice of comic relationship angst yet, proving, I guess, that you actually can be too thin. (B.S., Dec. 25) (1:58) R.

La Danse Bodies in motion tend to remain in motion, but almost never with the heart-stirring beauty and grace on view in Frederick Wiseman’s exceptional portrait of the Paris Opera Ballet, “La Danse.” It’s a film that takes you inside the essence of dance in such an intense way that if you don’t already swoon over this art form, you’ll wonder what took you so long. To be so close to these performers is to understand what makes ballet such an elevated form of human activity. Choreographer Maurice Bejart defined a ballet dancer as “half nun, half boxer,” and it is the triumph of Wiseman’s method, and this film, that it shows exactly what Bejart meant. (K.Tu. 11/20)

Leap Year begins terribly, and I mean terribly, as its genial performers -- Amy Adams and Matthew Goode -- plug away and do what they can to humanize material that puts the “ick” in “formulaic.” They hate each other at first. Then they don’t. And there you have it: another rom-com without much rom or com. “Leap Year” simply proves what we guessed going in: that Adams can redeem almost anything. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 8) (1:40) PG.

Legion When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse and an out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. With Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Lucas Black, Adrianne Palicki, Jon Tenney and Charles S. Dutton. Written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. Directed by Stewart. (1:40) R.

The Lovely Bones By turns warmly sentimental, serial-killer sinister and science-fiction fantastical, Alice Sebold’s novel was an unlikely book to achieve world-wide success. In Peter Jackson’s film version, those mismatched elements come back to haunt the story, so to speak, making the final product more hit and miss than unblemished triumph. (K.Tu., Dec. 11) (2:16) PG-13.

Me and Orson Welles A romantic coming-of-age story about a teenage actor who lucks into a role in “Julius Caesar” as reimagined by a young director named Orson Welles in New York City circa 1937. With Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay and Ben Chaplin. Written by Holly Gent Palmo and Vincent Palmo, Jr. Directed by Richard Linklater. (1:49) PG-13.

The Men Who Stare at Goats A quirky comedic drama starring George Clooney about one of the strangest aspects of the modern American Army, a time when it was felt that the New Age techniques and beliefs could transform military practice. As the intertitle that begins the film puts it, “more of this is true than you would believe.” (K.Tu., Nov. 6) (1:33) R.

The Misfortunates Belgium’s entry in the Oscar Foreign Film category is a humorous tale of debauchery, pathos and growing up that finds hope and resurrection amid the moral depravity and lecherous behavior that a 13-year-old’s father and uncles indulge in daily. Based on the novel by Dimitri Verhulst. Directed by Felix van Groeningen. (1:48) NR.

My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done? Inspired by a true crime, a man begins to experience mystifying events that lead him to slay his mother with a sword. With Michael Shannon, Chloe Sevigny, Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, Verne Troyer and Willem Dafoe. Written by Werner Herzog and Herbert Golder. Directed by Herzog. (1:33) NR.

Nine is one of those films that couldn’t look better on paper. An all-star cast headlined by Daniel Day-Lewis, Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, and Fergie. There are so many Oscar, Tony and Grammy winners involved that the production should have literally glittered with all that gold. But in the end, nothing adds up. Perhaps “Zero” would have been a better title. (B.S., Dec. 18) (1:50) PG-13.

Ninja Assassin A young assassin on the run from the clan that trained him must team with an Europol agent to save both their lives. With Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles and Rick Yune. Screenplay by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by James McTeigue. (1:39) R.

Planet 51 The action in this kids flick takes place on an alternate-universe version of Earth where Shrek-green humanoids live out SoCal-accented happy days. When astronaut Chuck Baker (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) emerges from his lunar module, the little green people freak out. The premise is OK enough, even if it is like one of those old “Star Trek” episodes in which Kirk and crew would land on a planet whose culture was modeled on the Roman Empire or Chicago’s Gangland. If, as Chuck suggests, the ‘60s are about to take hold on Planet 51, we just hope someone writes a protest song about this movie. (Glenn Whipp, Nov. 20) (1:31) PG.

Police, Adjective A film that confounds expectations. It’s neither a conventional crime film nor a police drama. Rather its a gently subversive intellectual exercise, a philosophical jest wrapped in police procedural clothing that examines not just the scene of the crime but also the power of language and the use and abuse of words. (K.Tu., Dec. 23) In Romanian with subtitles. (1:55) NR.

Red Cliff Filled with wall-to-wall battle scenes, this old-fashioned action epic feels like the kind of movie director John Woo must have dreamed of when he was a child, a four-square endeavor where women are beautiful, men form manly bonds and warriors with six arrows in them walk around as if nothing happened. (K.Tu., Nov. 25) (2:28) R.

The Road Despite numerous strong areas, including fine acting by Viggo Mortensen and young Kodi Smit-McPhee as father-and-son survivors of an unnamed apocalypse, what we’ve been given is no more than a reasonable facsimile, an honorable attempt at filming Cormac McCarthy’s unfilmable book. (K.Tu., Nov. 25) (1:50) R.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year An impossible love story between a geek and college hottie. With Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee, Sharon Prabhakar, and Gauhar Khan. Written by Jaideep Sahni. Directed by Shimit Amin. In Hindi with English subtitles. (2:35) NR.

A Serious Man Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen have seized the opportunity afforded by the Oscar-winning success of their last film, “No Country for Old Men,” to make their most personal, most intensely Jewish film, a pitch-perfect comedy of despair that, against some odds, turns out to be one of their most universal as well. (K.Tu., Oct. 2) (1:45) R.

Serious Moonlight A Manhattan lawyer holds her husband captive when she arrives at her upstate country home to find him expecting a romantic weekend with his mistress. With Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell and Justin Long. Written by Adrienne Shelly. Directed by Cheryl Hines. (1:24) R.

Sherlock Holmes Briskly directed by Guy Ritchie and starring an expert Robert Downey, Jr., this 21st-century look at the great Victorian detective has been tripped up by a series of misadventures that leave us wishing for the film that might have been. (K.Tu., Dec. 25) (2:09) PG-13.

The Spy Next Door On the ground or twirling in a stunt harness above it, Jackie Chan brings an air of determined good cheer to even the most metallic of clunkers “The Spy Next Door” operates on familial bonding by way of humiliating pranks, which in better circumstances might go by the name of slapstick. Now and then, the star executes a little something special -- with a stunt bike or a folding chair, for example -- and you think: Chan still has it. Even when the material conspires to take “it” away, he still has it. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 15) (1:32) PG.

That Evening Sun An aging Tennessee farmer returns home to confront betrayal, an old enemy and the loss of his farm. With Hal Holbrook, Barlow Jacobs, Mia Wasikowska, Carrie Preston, Ray McKinnon and Barry Corbin. Written and directed by Scott Teems. (1:50) PG-13.

To Save a Life After a childhood friend’s death, an all-star athlete realize he must change his life to make a difference.With Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Josh Weigel, Steven Crowder and D. David Morin. Written by Jim Butts. Directed by Brian Baugh. PG-13.

The Tooth Fairy When a hard-charging hockey player, nicknamed “the tooth fairy” for separating opposing players from their bicuspids, discourages a youngster’s dreams, he’s sentenced to one week’s hard labor as a real tooth fairy. With Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews. Stephen Merchant and Ryan Sheckler. Directed by Michael Lembeck. (1:42) PG.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Constrained by the plot of the novel, this sequel keeps teen lovers Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson apart for quite a spell, robbing the project of the crazy-in-love energy that made “Twilight,” the first entry in the series, such a guilty pleasure. (K.Tu., Nov. 19) (2:10) PG-13.

Wonderful World What happened to Matthew Broderick? When and why did he go from the very picture of goofy, energetic youthfulness to the downbeat and browbeaten exemplar of unhappiness he has been in pretty much everything since “Election”? In “Wonderful World,” Broderick plays Ben Singer, a performer of children’s music who has retreated from the world. Broderick’s sad-sack misanthropy is often taken as a given and the film never quite explores the hidden corners of his character’s psyche. (Mark Olsen, Jan. 8) (1:35) R.

Youth in Revolt isn’t bad -- the cast is too good for it to be bad -- but archly comic coming-of-age fables are tricky things. Without Michael Cera, “Youth in Revolt” wouldn’t be much of anything. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 8) (1:30) R.

All movies are in general release unless noted. Also included: the film’s running time and ratings. MPAA categories: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one 17 and younger admitted.