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Argo
That Ben Affleck can direct a film this smart, this gripping, is no surprise any longer, but still — his account of a rescue effort during the Iran hostage crisis is as precise as it is suspenseful. Affleck plays the CIA operative who aims to fly out six Americans posing as a film crew for a fake movie. Rated R. 120 minutes.
— A. Biancolli
Chasing Mavericks
A surfing movie with integrity, directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, based on the life of Northern California surfing star Jay Moriarity, this is nonetheless terribly slow going, strictly for aficionados of the sport. Rated PG. 116 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Cloud Atlas
Directed by Tom Tykwer and siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski, this is a movie unlike any other. It follows and intercuts among six story lines at different points in history (two are in the future) and only after about two hours does an overarching point begin to emerge. Brilliant and audacious and, in places (the far future), dull, it demands a lot of an audience but, on balance, delivers. Rated R. 172 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Dangerous Liaisons
A Chinese take on the 18th century French novel of sexual intrigue takes the story to its most sumptuous silliness — and that’s a compliment. A gorgeous, big-scale film, set in 1931 Shanghai, it provides juicy roles for China’s Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong’s Cecilia
Cheung Pak-chi. The playboy at the center is Korean heartthrob Jang Dong-kun (the director, Jin-ho Hur, is also Korean). “Dangerous Liaisons” isn’t necessarily great art, but it’s a guilty pleasure for sure. Not rated. 115 minutes. In Mandarin with English subtitles. — G. Allen Johnson
The Details
A rare thing, a moral study masquerading as an arch comedy, it’s the story of a mild-mannered doctor whose life begins to fall apart seemingly because of a run of bad luck but really because of his own moral slackness. A smart and very interesting film, starring Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks and a remarkable Laura Linney. Rated R. 96 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s captivating documentary explores the wit, whimsy and world-class taste of her mother, renowned fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Stunning fashion spreads, interviews with Diana’s family and colleagues, and TV clips of her interviews with Dick Cavett illuminate her private life and superior skill in surreal visual storytelling. Rated PG-13. 77 minutes.
The Flat
This remarkable movie about a Jewish family’s exploration of a friendship between their grandparents and a Nazi officer and his wife feels more like a thriller than a documentary. Perhaps someday someone will get the inspiration to dramatize this story. Directed by Arnon Goldfinger. Not rated. 97 minutes. — L. Hertz
Flight
One of the best plane crash sequences in all of film highlights this drama about a gifted pilot, suffering from alcoholism, on a collision course with authorities and his own illness. Directed by Robert Zemeckis
and starring Denzel Washington, the film is also notable for Kelly Reilly, who does strong work as a heroin addict struggling with her own demons. Rated R. 150 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Fun Size
This Nickelodeon film covers the high school party comedy checklist well, but it doesn’t make its own mark on the genre. It’s hard to imagine that anyone is going to cherish this well-written but weakly executed movie, if it’s even remembered in three months’ time. Directed by “The O.C.” creator Josh Schwartz. Rated PG-13. 90 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
Here Comes the Boom
Kevin James plays a teacher who moonlights as a cage fighter to raise money for his school, in this lukewarm comedy that really hits its stride only in its last half-hour. Rated PG. 105 minutes. — M. LaSalle
A Late Quartet
The simmering life disappointments and age-old resentments within a classical string quartet come to the surface when the oldest of their group (Christopher Walken) develops Parkinson’s disease. The film is low-key, but with extraordinary performances (Imogen Poots, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener) and incendiary moments. Rated R. 105 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Lincoln
An amazing film from Steven Spielberg featuring one of the year’s best performances, with Daniel DayLewis as Abraham Lincoln, working every possible angle to pass the 13th Amendment in the waning days of the Civil War. It feels like history come to life. Wonderful. Rated PG-13. 149 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Loneliest Planet
This is a minimalist art film about a young couple (Gael Garcia Bernal and Hani Furstenberg) backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains a few weeks before their planned wedding. A brief, unexpected incident casts a pall on their relationship. The extremely measured pace employed by writer-director Julia Loktev will try some viewers’ patience, and the film’s strategy of withholding information finally seems evasive. Not rated. 113 minutes.
— W. Addiego A sci-fi thriller set in 2044, this film uses the story of a hit man (who disposes of people from the future sent back to the past) for a reflection on morals and technology. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the same character in different stages of life. Rated R. 119 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Looper
The Man With the Iron Fists
Martial arts film about 19th century Chinese villagers defending themselves against a ruthless gang. Directed by RZA. With Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu. Not reviewed. Rated R. 96 minutes.
The Master
If it were just a middling effort, “The Master” — about the relationship between the charismatic leader of a cult-like organization and his assistant, a troubled drifter — would be a lot less frustrating. But this drama from writerdirector Paul Thomas Anderson has greatness in it: two extraordinary performances (from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix), intuitive and revealing photography and scene setting, and a distinct directorial sensibility that hovers between sobriety and satire. These virtues, however, are undermined by a narrative that goes all but dead for the last hour. Rated R. 136 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Other Son
It sounds too contrived to work: a film that plays out the venerable switched-at-birth plotline against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But in “The Other Son,” French writerdirector Lorraine Levy generally succeeds in creating a compelling, humanistic family drama, even if some viewers may reject the movie’s final note of optimism. Rated R. 105 minutes. In French, Hebrew, Arabic and English with English subtitles.
— W. Addiego
Paranormal Activity 4
The latest in the horror franchise focuses on strange events taking place after a woman and her mysterious child move into the neighborhood. Not reviewed. Rated R. 88 minutes.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
In writerdirector Stephen Chbosky’s beautifully painful adaptation of his own novel, a suffering, introverted ninth-grader (Logan Lerman) falls in with a tribe of offbeat seniors. The film depicts the loneliness, anxiety and all-out quivering mess of adolescence in a manner not often seen since John Hughes’ heyday. With Ezra Miller and Emma Watson. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes. — A. Biancolli
Pitch Perfect
A women’s a cappella ensemble battles to win the title from a rival men’s group in Jason Moore’s movie, which is major key all the way: a blast of tuneful sugary cheer with enough tart humor to offset the glucose. Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin play the warbling a-ca-boy and a-ca-girl. With Rebel Wilson. Rated PG-13. 112 minutes.
— A. Biancolli
Searching
for Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul’s superb documentary covers the 1990s investigation by fans to reveal the fate of rock footnote Sixto Rodriguez. “Searching” has emotional valleys and zeniths, and gasp-inducing turns, as old friends, fans and Rodriguez’s grown daughters are interviewed. But there’s still a meditative quality. Rated PG-13. 86 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
The Sessions
John Hawkes plays a polio victim who can’t move his arms or legs but wants to experience sex for the first time, so he hires therapist Helen Hunt, in this well-acted, humane and sexually explicit drama. Even if it seems like the last thing you’d want to see, you’d probably enjoy it — and remember it. Rated R. 95 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Seven Psychopaths
Writer-director Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to “In Bruges” is a disap-
pointing, self-referential, violent and ugly experience, lifted somewhat by a strong cast and by McDonagh’s wit. It’s not bad, but not bad isn’t good enough for a writer of his talent. Rated R. 111 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
This horror sequel to “Silent Hill” focuses on a young woman drawn into a bizarre alternate reality. With Adelaide Clemens, Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean. Not reviewed. Rated R. 94 minutes.
Sinister
Scott Derrickson co-wrote and directed this smart thriller about a crime book writer who moves into a house where four murders took place and becomes tormented by strange occurrences in the middle of the night. Well acted by the appealing Ethan Hawke — though beware: The last two or three minutes are a disappointment. Rated R. 109 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Sister
A 12-year-old thief steals from the rich patrons of a Swiss ski resort to support himself and his angry, self-defeated older sister in this crisp, well-made drama by French-Swiss director Ursula Meier. Impressively acted by Kacey Mottet Klein and Lea Seydoux. The film is reminiscent of the work of Belgium’s Dardenne brothers. Not rated.
97 minutes.
— W. Addiego
Skyfall
A good-enough action movie, but a disappointing James Bond entry, with a sober, somber, downbeat Bond trying to protect M (Judi Dench) from a maniacal terrorist (Javier Bardem). Well made, but lacking the Bond magic. Rated PG-13. 143 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Taken 2
The sequel to the irresistible 2009 film, this thriller is like a textbook on how to construct really good junkfood entertainment, with Liam Neeson as a former CIA agent who just wants some peace in his life, forced into a world of violence when Albanian slave traffickers target him for assassination. To complicate matters, he happens to be on vacation with his ex-wife and daughter when the bad guys strike. Lots of fun. Rated PG-13. 93 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
This Must Be the Place
After a reasonably amusing opening, this film about a former rock star (Sean Penn), who leaves Dublin to hunt down a Nazi war criminal in the United States, becomes charmless, sluggish and interminable. Rated R. 118 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Wreck- It Ralph
This tribute to arcade gaming is delightfully off the rails, offering a merger of styles and grown-up-friendly themes that is reminiscent of Disney’s 1988 animated homage to noir, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Pacing is an issue late in “Ralph,” but the comedy rarely falters. Rated PG. 108 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub