The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG)
A disappointing third in the C.S. Lewis series: Edmund and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes), along with their really irritating cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) are swept into a painting and onto the Narnian fighting ship Dawn Treader. The fate of Narnia lies in their hands in this bland and unconvincing adventure.
Conviction (R)
The remarkable true saga of high school drop-out Betty Anne Waters’s (Hillary Swank) 18-year-long effort to exonerate her hard-luck brother Kenny’s (Sam Rockwell) murder conviction. Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher, Juliette Lewis.
The Fighter (R)
Lowell, at its fierce Irish Catholic tribal best in welterweight Mickey Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) true-life story of the triumph of the underdog. The battles are really with his dysfunctional family, town expectations, the large shadow of his tragic and scary half-brother Dicky (Christian Bale), and his domineering mother (Melissa Leo). A gripping, beautifully acted movie.
Hereafter (PG-13)
Clint Eastwood’s tender, non-committal look at the possibility of an afterlife in three plausible and ultimately connecting stories among Marie (Cecile de France), a French newscaster; twin British brothers (Frankie and George McLaren), and George Lonegan (Matt Damon), a psychic who feels cursed by his gift.
Little Fockers (PG-13)
Love and Other Drugs (R)
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie, an irresistibly charming Viagra salesman who romances the quirky Maggie (Anne Hathaway) in this complicated, happy and sad tale. They struggle with commitment issues, health concerns, and the politics of peddling pharmaceuticals. Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, and as Josh Gad as Jaime’s schmuck of a brother.
Tangled (PG)
Beautifully animated musical of the Grimm Brothers’ tale. Held captive in a tower by the evil Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) uses her mile-long tresses (they hold the magic of eternal youth) to escape with a thief (Zachary Levi), and they embark on a grand romp.
The Tourist (PG-13)
A numb-looking Johnny Depp, as Frank, meets the mysterious Elise, a robotic-like mannequin (Angelina Jolie), and danger follows them through Venice. The plot’s better than the performances.
True Grit (PG-13)
The Coen brothers exact version of this classic western with Jeff Bridges as the drunken Rooster Cogburn, Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie, the young girl needing his help for her father’s murder. Matt Damon as the Texas Ranger, Josh Brolin, the bad guy.
Unstoppable (PG-13)
A wonderfully photographed thriller about two heroic railroad workers (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine), as they single-handedly fight both the railroad’s corrupt corporate owners and a high-speed runaway train.
Yogi Bear (PG)
Jellystone Park is a victim of economic times. Faced with homelessness, Yogi (Dan Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) join their former nemesis Ranger Smith to save Jellystone from extinction.
