MOVIE REVIEWS

Numbers following movie capsules are keyed to Manhattan theaters only.

ACT OF VALOR. — H(R). A docu-fiction hybrid starring real-life Navy SEALS in a standard action-thriller that doesn’t need these heroic guys doing what is, essentially, a big-screen recruitment film. A jihadist and a smuggler aim to use suicide bombers in the U.S., and the SEALS risk their lives to stop them. These guys have been to Hell and back; they don’t need to be in front of a camera too.

1, 15, 11, 15 —Joe Neumaier

ALL IN. — HH (NR). Documentary on the American obsession with poker has some interesting cards to lay down, but feels too bookish. Unless that’s just its poker face. 6 —J.N.

THE ARTIST. — HHHH (PG-13). Don’t be put off by its old-fashioned description: Michel Hazanavicius’s silent, blackand-white romance is a delight. Jean Dujardin offers a layered portrayal of a 1920s matinee idol whose career wanes with the arrival of talkies. Winner of 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor and Director. 2, 5, 7, 13, 34, 35 —Elizabeth

Weitzman

BRAKE. — HH (R). Stephen Dorff is a Secret Servie agent stuck in a car trunk in a movie that’s half “24,” half “Buried” and claustrophobic in the wrong sense.

9 —J.N.

CASA DE MI PADRE. — H (R). Will Ferrell stars as the doofus son (of course) of a Mexican landowner in this unfunny stunt of a movie, in Spanish with English subtitles. Ferrell’s Armando battles a drug lord (Gael Garcia Bernal), romances his brother’s wife and generally lopes around as the audience waits for something silly to happen. A waste of an

idea. 1, 12, 19, 27 —J.N.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA. — HHH (R). Terence Davies’ beautifully-composed tragedy lacks a certain immediacy, but there’s still power in its sad triangle: in postwar England, a wealthy woman (Rachel Weisz) leaves her husband (Simon Russell Beale) for a careless lover (Tom Hiddleston). 2, 21 —E.W.

DELICACY. — HH (NR). Audrey Tautou can do more than look pretty, but little else is required of her in this unmemorable French dramedy about a young widow readjusting to romance.

10, 35 —E.W.

DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX. — HHH (PG). A greedy industrialist destroys a beautiful valley in this charmingly animated family film, based (a bit too loosely) on Dr. Seuss’s eco-classic. The original solemnity is lightened, but the directors do meld a valuable message into catchy songs, bright images (nicely done in 3D), and funny characters. 1, 12, 15, 18, 19, 27,

28, 29, 36, 38 —E.W.

FOOTNOTE. — HHHH (PG). Wise, witty Israeli drama about the complex and competitive relationship between a father and son, both of whom are Talmudic scholars. 2, 26 —E.W.

4:44 LAST DAYS ON EARTH. — HH (R). face A the talky apocalypse, meditation with on Willem how we Dafoe Village as apartment. a former junkie Some in stagy, an East actorly exercises, gravity. 9, 24 but Dafoe lends plenty of Zen

—J.N.

FREE MEN. — HHH (NR). Compelling subject matter - the members of a Parisian mosque aid the Resistance during World War II - gets a boost from strong supporting turns. But there’s a vacuum at the center: a frustratingly blank performance from lead Tahar Rahim, as an Algerian immigrant who aids a Jewish friend. 16, 26 —E.W.

FRIENDS WITH KIDS. — HHH (R). An unabashed descendant of “When Harry Met Sally,” this predictable, but engaging romantic comedy stars writer/ director Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott as platonic friends who decide to have a baby together. The supporting cast is the movie’s biggest asset: “Bridesmaids” quartet Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Chris O’dowd.

7, 13, 14, 15, 18, 28, 32, 40 —E.W.

GOOD DEEDS. — HH (PG-13). Though the latest Tyler Perry melodrama could use a little more humor - Madea is missed - Perry and Gabrielle Union have a comfortable chemistry as an upscale couple doubting their engagement. Unfortunately, a miscast Thandie Newton throws everything off, as the homeless janitor who catches Perry’s

eye. 12, 29 — E.W.

THE HUNGER GAMES. — HHHHH (PG13). An action adventure far better than its bestselling source book. Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss, a 16 year-old in a future North America, fighting for her life in an annual, televised death match. Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson are terrific in a movie full of dark allegory, serious themes and can’t-

look-away action. 1, 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20,

27, 28, 29, 36, 38 —J.N.

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME. — HHH (R). Jason Segel and Ed Helms are wildly different brothers in this shaggy comedy. Jeff (Segel), a layabout lost soul, believes everything is connected; Susan Sarandon is his mom who would like to see her boys help each other during one crucial day. If you look at it the right way, “Jeff” is endearing. 1, 7, 19,

28, 34 —J.N.

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI. — HHH (PG). Delicious documentary about Jiro Ono, an expert sushi chef who, in his 80s, is committed to excellence in a tiny Tokyo

restaurant. 9, 26 —J.N.

JOHN CARTER. — HHH (PG-13). This movie of a 100-year-old, highly influential Edgar Rice Burroughs story about an earthman teleported to Mars and involved in a civil war is silly, sprawling and easy to make fun of, but also playful, epic and sure of what it is – which in this genre is rare indeed. 1, 7,

12, 15, 19, 28, 29, 38 —J.N. JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.

— HHH (PG). An innocent, good-foryoung kids adventure flick that takes its cues from classic novels, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and future “Hunger Games” costar Josh Hutcherson leading an expedition. 1 —J.N.

THE KID WITH A BIKE. — HHHH (PG-13). A foster kid looks for guidance in this beautifully naturalistic (and unusually hopeful) drama from Belgium’s revered Dardenne brothers. 9, 26 —E.W.

MUSICAL CHAIRS.— HH (PG-13). Susan Seidelman’s latest dramedy is built on stereotypes and clichés. But she puts so much enthusiasm into this good-natured romance, about a Bronx dancer who trains with a wheelchair-bound partner, that it almost works. 1, 14, 39 —E.W.

PROJECT X. — H(R). Obnoxiously selfcongratulatory teen comedy about three guys who throw an epic party to boost their popularity. There are a couple of likable actors and a few laughs, but overall it’s as if the filmmakers decided “Superbad” could be improved by jettisoning plot and character development. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 28, 29,

35, 39 —E.W.

THE RAID: REDEMPTION. — HHH (R). A kinetic Indonesian actioner about a SWAT team facing down a drug gang floor by floor in a high-rise building. Bloody and repetitive, but full of adrenaline. 13, 19, 28 —J.N.

SAFE HOUSE. — HH (R). Unexciting by-the-book rogue-agent thriller, with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds as CIA operatives. The former commands the film while sitting still, but Reynolds’ naive trainee is a bad fit. 11,

12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 27, 29 —J.N.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN. — HH (PG-13). Inoffensive, but unexceptional comedy about a bureaucrat (Ewan Mcgregor) and a PR agent (Emily Blunt) working to help a sheik’s wild plans. Contains a bit of the old British satire, but rewards with very little bite. 7, 10, 28,

32, 35 —J.N.

A SEPARATION. — HHHH (PG-13). An Iranian drama about a married couple’s plans to divorce that becomes an examination of a tragic chain of events. Winner of Best Foreign Language Oscar.

8, 26, 32 —J.N.

SILENT HOUSE. — HH (R). A spooky house thriller wherein the only new angle is that it’s shot in one continuous take, as the camera follows a girl (Elizabeth Olsen) being chased around a shambling house. The trick wears off halfway through, but until then it provides a few scares. 1 —J.N.

THIS MEANS WAR. — H (PG-13). Mcg’s depressingly mean-spirited rom-com insults its primary audience and panders to their dates. Tom Hardy and Chris Pine are spies competing over Reese Witherspoon; they’ll each do anything necessary to gain the upper hand. Hardy’s a standout as the good guy, but MCG is far more impressed by Pine’s

slickly obnoxious bad boy. 11, 12, 13

—E.W.

A THOUSAND WORDS. — HH (PG-13). The big idea here is seeing Eddie Murphy pantomime wildly as a motor-mouthed agent magically connected to a tree – every leaf falls with every word he says, and when it dies, he dies. But the movie never realizes it’s potential until it’s too

late. 12, 13, 19, 27, 29 —J.N.

THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS. — H( NR) Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”) deserves better than this painfully quirky indie dramedy, about a thirtysomething slacker who lives miserably in an East Village apartment with his dad (Peter

Fonda). 5 —E.W.

21 JUMP STREET. — HHH (R). Big-screen update of the late ‘80s TV series is like a comedy on Red Bull, and scores laughs by avoiding predictability. Cops Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are sent undercover at a high school, where, they need to catch teen drug dealers, and get a chance at a do-over. Often chaotic, but also very funny. 7, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 28,

29, 38, 39 —J.N.

UNDEFEATED. — HHHH (PG-13). The perfect antidote to a lousy day, this moving, sports documentary chronicles a struggling high school football team with a remarkably dedicated coach. Winner of Best Documentary Feature

Oscar. 5 —E.W.

THE VOW. — HH (PG-13). Channing Tatum infuses unexpected depth into this old-fashioned romance, as a devoted husband who is heartbroken to find his wife (Rachel Mcadams) no longer remembers him. Overall, though, it’s an unabashedly shallow outing. 11,

13, 14 —E.W.

WANDERLUST. — HH (R). David Wain’s disappointingly banal comedy will be remembered only for bringing together off-screen couple Justin Theroux (as the leader of a free-love commune) and Jennifer Aniston (as the uptight New Yorker intrigued by him). Both are totally miscast, but at least Paul Rudd is typically charming as Aniston’s hapless husband. 11, 14 —E.W.