The Adjustment Bureau (PG-13)
Sci-fi mind-control thriller heavy on romance. David (Matt Damon) meets the irresistible Elise (Emily Blunt), but destiny-controlling agents intercede to keep them apart. The contest between free will and predetermination is on.
Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13)
Silvery robot-armed extraterrestrials in search of water swoop down on L.A., and it’s non-ending explosions and predictable mayhem as the city is blown to bits. Yawn. Aaron Eckhart, Bridget Moynahan, Ramon Rodriguez, and Michael Peñ;a.
Gnomeo and Juliet (G)
A comical take-off of Shakespeare’s most popular romance played by feuding families of garden gnomes, with Elton John songs, plastic pink flamingos, and lawnmower races adding to the challenges and the fun.
Hall Pass (R)
Brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly get down and trash-talking dirty. Two housewives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate) give husbands Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) seven days to behave like single boys again — no repercussions. Then they go to the Cape to find some action of their own. Anyone to root for here?
The King’s Speech (R)
Best picture Oscar-winner. The struggle of King George VI (an Oscar-winning Colin Firth), with his stammer and his speech therapist Lionel (Geoffrey Rush). Stellar cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, and Guy Pearce as his brother, King Edward VIII, whose abdication forces him to ascend the throne and offer a speech that inspires.
Rango (PG)
A strange, wildly imaginative animated film with a cast of strange icky-looking characters and lots of inside movie humor. Rango (Johnny Depp) sheltered chameleon, whose purpose in life is to blend in, becomes sheriff of the lawless town of Dirt. Fun.
Red Riding Hood (PG-13)
A medieval-style fantasy. The red-cloaked Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), in love with the woodcutter Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but betrothed to the wealthy Henry (Max Irons), regularly visits her grandma (Julie Christie) — until the werewolf shows up. Demon-hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) takes up the battle. A beautiful, but disappointing, film.
Unknown (PG-13)
Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife Liz (an ornamental January Jones) are in Berlin attending a biotechnology conference when a traffic accident leaves him comatose. When he recovers, his identity has been assumed by a convincing bogus (Aidan Quinn) and no one, including his wife, seems to recognize him. His only ally — cab driver Gina (Diane Kruger). An over-the-top intrigue with international assassins, explosions. With Frank Langella.