Continuing films:
BLACK SWAN — At once gorgeous and gloriously nutso, a trippy, twisted ballet fantasy that delights and disturbs in equal measure. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star. R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use. 110 minutes.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER — The latest film adapted from the seven-part C.S. Lewis series is arguably the most fun. PG for frightening images and fantasy action. 114 minutes.
COUNTRY STRONG — Some of the best country songs tell a story. In telling the story of a self-destructive singing superstar, this hints at the possibility of a moving experience, but ultimately it’s too meandering and uneven to ever truly tug at your heart. At the same time, it isn’t over-the-top enough to be enjoyed as a divalicious guilty pleasure. Still, “Country Strong” has its moments, mainly in the music, all of which is enjoyable if not earth-shattering and is actually sung by its stars, notably Gwyneth Paltrow. PG-13 for theme, sexual content. 111 minutes.
Vince Vaughn’s act maybe isn’t as fresh as it once was, but he still puts a charge into movies. In Ron Howard’s comedy, Chicago engineers and buddies Ronny Valentine (Vaughn) and Nick Brannen (Kevin James) each have long-term partners: Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Jennifer Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder). After Ronny sees Geneva cheating on Nick with another man (Channing Tatum), he descends into a world of infidelity where seemingly everyone is cheating. Unfortunately, Howard’s light-but-thorny examination of marital disfunction becomes distracted by pratfalls and standard bromance comedy. PG-13 for mature theme/sexual content. 110 minutes.
THE FIGHTER — Christian Bale owns this real-life tale about boxer Micky Ward, who rose from his blue-collar roots and overcame ugly family squabbles to earn a title shot in his mid-30s. It all screams Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. R for language, drug content, violence and sexuality. 116 minutes.
Someday soon, one can only hope, 3-D will be exposed for the sham that it is. Until that blessed day, we will continue to be bombarded with mediocre action pictures like this. It didn’t have to be this way. There was reason for hope, given “The Green Hornet” comes from director Michel Gondry. But he’s come up with a surprisingly generic, bombastic action movie based on the 1930s radio show. PG-13 for violent action, language, sensuality and drug content. 118 minutes.
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS — This Jack Black vehicle plays to a few of the actor’s strengths – his physicality, his musicality, his eyebrows. But even at 83 minutes it’s a drag, another 3-D movie for kids in which the 3-D adds nothing. PG for brief rude humor, mild language and action. 83 minutes.
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 — Fear and loathing, doom and gloom permeate nearly every minute of the beginning of the end of the behemoth boy-wizard series. PG-13 for intense action violence and frightening images. 143 minutes.
It’s the kind of handsomely photographed, weighty-yet-uplifting period drama that seems to arrive amid great fanfare come awards time each year. It’s based on a true story about British royalty, showcases a glittery cast and hits every note you expect it to hit. And yet the film is so flawlessly appointed and impeccably acted, you can’t help but succumb. R for some language. 118 minutes.
You know a comedy franchise has hit rock bottom when, within the first 15 minutes, you’ve been forced to watch an obese man get an enema and a 2-year-old projectile vomit into his dad’s face. So it goes with the third and, we hope, last installment in the series about put-upon nurse Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) and his ex-CIA father-in-law Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro.) PG-13 for crude humor, strong language and sexual content. 98 minutes.
So here’s the gimmick: This takes place during the 14th century, but everyone speaks in contemporary language, which might have been acceptable if the dialogue were clever or intelligent or funny or, you know, good. Instead, Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman are the knights who say ... nothing of note in a supernatural action thriller that’s never actually thrilling. PG-13 for theme, violence and disturbing content. 100 minutes.
“Rapunzel” gets the modernization treatment, complete with 3-D rendering, digital animation and a slacker rogue in place of the traditional knight. PG for brief mild violence. 104 minutes.
Hugely high-tech and forward-thinking in its day, “Tron” now looks cheesy and quaint. Hence, a sequel, which is in 3-D (of course) but is actually best viewed in IMAX 3-D. PG for sci-fi action violence and brief mild language. 125 minutes.
Jeff Bridges steps into the role that won John Wayne an Oscar, the boozing federal marshal Rooster Cogburn, hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to chase after Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who ruthlessly murdered her mother. They’re joined in their quest by LaBoeuf (a very funny Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger. PG for violence. 110 minutes.
Inspired by Art Carney’s Ed Norton from “The Honeymooners” and originally voiced by Daws Butler, Yogi Bear has always had an intelligence that surpasses that of your typical clawed mammalia. He has finally gotten his own movie — in 3-D, no less. PG for mild rude humor. 80 minutes.
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