"Another Year" (PG-13). English writer-director Mike Leigh scores again with this detailed look at how a middle-aged couple's good nature is put to the test by a psychologically needy friend. The fully imagined characters are vividly brought to life by a cast including Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville. Grade: B+ Opens Friday, Feb. 4.
"The Roommate" (PG-13). Not reviewed. Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly star in this thriller about a college freshman obsessed with her roommate. Opens Friday, Feb. 4.
"Sanctum" (R). Not reviewed. This action adventure tells of a team of divers exploring the world's most dangerous caves. Opens Friday, Feb. 4.
"Black Swan" (R). Director Darren Aronofsky's audacious mash-up of ballet drama and slasher horror movie gives you a staging of "Swan Lake" like you've never seen it before. The technical mastery of the filmmaking is matched by the first-rate performances by Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder. Grade: A- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Blue Valentine" (R). Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play a couple whose disintegrating relationship is depicted with bracingly realistic vigor, but some of the character traits and narrative strands feel incomplete in the scripting and directing. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (PG). The third installment in the C.S. Lewis-derived series coasts on special effects-intensive 3-D sequences involving a sea serpent, a dragon and other exotic creatures. It's an empty spectacle, but the many adventures generally hold your interest. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Country Strong" (PG-13). Gwyneth Paltrow is woefully miscast as a troubled country music queen in this twangy melodrama. What nearly redeems the movie are the more convincing supporting performances by Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester. It turns out that the opening acts are more impressive than the main attraction. Grade: C+ Snowden Square 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Dilemma" (PG-13). The close friendship between automotive engineers Vince Vaughn and Kevin James may fall apart owing to melodramatic complications. This wildly uneven film bounces from mood to mood so uncertainly that itseems unsure what it wants to be. With Jennifer Connolly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah. Grade: C+ AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Fighter" (R). Solid role for Mark Wahlberg as a boxer who does much of his fighting outside the ring, because his troubled blue-collar family is always ready for another round. The story verges on seeming overly familiar and even tedious, but it's kept lively by a supporting cast that includes Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. Grade: B Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Green Hornet" (PG-13). Seth Rogen is aptly cast as a playboy-turned-superhero in a movie that pretty much sticks to genre conventions. Director Michel Gondry brings snappy pacing and some visually inventive touches, but otherwise he's just directing traffic here. With Jay Chou as the sidekick Kato, and Cameron Diaz as a female sidekick of sorts. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" (PG-13). The first installment in the series' two-part finale follows our protagonists into young adulthood. It's somber, densely plotted and deliberately unresolved, meaning that only truly dedicated fans will find it satisfying. Grade: B- AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The King's Speech" (R). Colin Firth plays the stuttering King George VI and Geoffrey Rush plays his speech therapist in the sort of inspirational, beautifully acted and handsomely produced English movie that amounts to Academy Awards bait. Although the clever banter and sentimental message sometimes verge on being just a vowel short of cloying, it's a smartly packaged picture that emotionally wins you over. Grade: B+ Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Little Fockers" (PG-13). The third and worst installment in this series lurches from one forced comic situation to the next. Overacted by Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman, Teri Polo, Laura Dern, Barbra Streisand and Jessica Alba. Grade: C Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Mechanic" (R). Jason Statham is definitely convincing as a contract killer who goes about his job with near-silent proficiency. This remake of a 1972 Charles Bronson movie is a totally formulaic action thriller, but it has enough gunplay and explosions to satisfy genre fans. Grade: C Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"No Strings Attached" (R). Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher seem as uncertain as their characters as to what will happen next in a lively romantic comedy that's nearly unstrung by its scattershot approach. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Rite" (PG-13). Colin O'Donoghue plays an American seminary student who goes to Rome and studies at what amounts to a graduate school for exorcists. Anthony Hopkins plays the veteran exorcist who has supernatural lessons to impart. The predictable story is enhanced by better than expected production values in that eternally photogenic city. Grade: B- Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Season of the Witch" (PG-13). Operating on a quirky wavelength of his own when it comes to picking roles, Nicolas Cage plays a 14th-century knight who is accompanied by fellow Crusader Ron Perlman in taking an imprisoned witch to her trial at a distant castle. The hammy acting, anachronistic dialogue and supernatural nonsense-filled story make for a dumb yet diverting adventure. Grade: C+ Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Tangled" (PG). Agreeable Disney 3-D animated retelling of "Rapunzel" in which the long-haired title character (Mandy Moore) shares adventures with a dashing bandit (Zachary Levi). Although the mix of traditional and contemporary elements is unsettling in places, this is a commercially savvy take on a venerable fairy tale. Grade: B AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"Tron: Legacy" (PG). This sequel to the 1982 sci-fi movie supposedly has the technological advantage of being able to enliven the video game-themed story with splashier effects, but it's a hollow spectacle that goes on too long. Stars Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde and Bruce Boxleitner. Grade: C Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"True Grit" (PG-13). This expertly crafted western by the Coen Brothers will please genre fans and doubtless spark debates about whether it's better than the John Wayne-starring 1969 original. Jeff Bridges has a fine time playing a mean marshall who's also a mean shot, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is a natural as the outspoken 14-year-old girl who hires him to find the man who killed her father. With Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Grade: B+ Snowden Square 14, AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
"The Way Back" (PG-13). Director Peter Weir's handsomely photographed ramatic travelogue tracks a group of prisoners who escape a Soviet prison camp in Siberia during World War II and make a long journey on foot. Although Colin Farrell, Ed Harris and others in the international cast do not always mesh as an acting ensemble and the long running time amounts to a very long walk, it's a well-crafted adventure. Grade: B AMC Columbia Mall 14
"Yogi Bear" (PG). The action is lame in this primarily live-action comedy in which Yogi Bear (voiced by Dan Aykroyd) and Boo-Boo Bear (voiced by Justin Timberlake) confront the developers who want to destroy Jellystone Park. Not even the 3D treatment gives this weak movie any depth. Grade: C- AMC Columbia Mall 14, Cinemark Egyptian 24
All capsule reviews and grades are by Mike Giuliano unless otherwise noted. Bookings change on Friday. For showtimes and to confirm listings, call the phone number in Screen Scene .
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