Amour (PG-13)
Anne, one half of an elegant elderly couple, both retired music professors, suffers two strokes. Georges copes the best he can. His stoic acceptance elicits praise, but he and their daughter are suffering. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert. Nominated for the best movie Oscar.
Argo (R)
A piece of recent history dramatized with real-time acting rather than special effects. In 1980, a joint CIA-Canadian secret operation headed for revolutionary Iran to rescue six American diplomatic personnel. Starring Ben Affleck, who also directs; Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin. Nominated for the best movie Oscar.
Django Unchained (R)
A slave-turned-bounty hunter, helped by his mentor, embarks on a mission to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Directed and written by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Nominated for the best movie Oscar.
Escape from Planet Earth (PG)
A 3D animated family comedy that takes place on the planet Baab where national hero to the blue alien population, Scorch Supernova, is caught in a trap. Starring the voices of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba.
Life of Pi (PG)
Based on the bestselling novel by Yann Martel, directed by Ang Lee. A young man survives a disaster at sea only to develop a connection with another survivor, a fearsome Bengal tiger. Starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, and Adil Hussain. Nominated for the best movie Oscar.
Mama (PG-13)
Two young girls are left stranded in a creepy cabin in the woods after a family tragedy. Found intact five years later, they credit their survival to a mysterious mother figure. This protective entity has a murderous case of separation anxiety. Not for the squeamish. Starring Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier.
Side Effects (R)
A psychological thriller, a young woman copes with her depression by taking a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist which has unexpected side effects as her life unravels. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Silver Linings Playbook (R)
Adapted from Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel, a former teacher returns from a mental institution and moves back in with his parents hoping to reconcile with his former wife. He meets a girl with problems of her own. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro. Nominated for the best movie Oscar.
Warm Bodies (PG-13)
A tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy loosely based on Romeo and Juliet but one is human and the other a zombie. A sweet, well-acted unusual film. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich.
Zero Dark Thirty (R)
Nominated for the best movie Oscar, the story of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 as it tracks down al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after a ten-year hunt in May of 2011. Directed by academy award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, and Chris Pratt.
