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Is Lost Robert Redford is alone onscreen, as a yachtsman trying to stay afloat after a horrific accident, in this drama that plays more like an interesting exercise than as entertainment. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes. — M. LaSalle
American Hustle David O. Russell’s best film brings together a crack ensemble cast in this fictional reimagining of the Abscam scandal of the 1970s, with Amy Adams and Christian Bale superb as a pair of honorable crooks, Bradley Cooper as a sleazy FBI agent and Jennifer Lawrence terrifying as a dangerously stupid young wife. It’s a terrific farce, one of 2013’s best films. Rated R. 138 minutes. — M. LaSalle Anchorman 2: The Legend
Continues Ron Burgundy heads to New York at the dawn of cable news, where “Anchorman” co-creators Will Ferrell and Adam McKay always choose a gag over plot coherence. Rated PG-13. 119 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
Blue Is the Warmest Color The sex scenes, which earned the film an NC-17 rating, may be intense, but what lingers in the mind is the naked intensity of this film’s emotions. A lesbian coming-of-age story, it features, in the work of Adèle Exarchopoulos, Western cinema’s most mature and assured performance by a teenage actress in a generation. Rated NC-17. 175 minutes. In French with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Blue Jasmine Set in San Francisco and New York, this story of a woman who goes from fabulous wealth to destitution provides Cate Blanchett with
her best role and represents another jewel in the crown of Woody Allen, who continues to experience a renaissance in his 70s. Rated PG-13. 98 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Captain Phillips Another entry in Tom Hanks’ Americana series, this is an excellent film, directed by Paul Greengrass, about the abduction of a cargo ship by Somali pirates in 2009. Rated PG-13. 133 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Caught in the Web China’s entry in this year’s Oscar competition awkwardly combines drama and social satire in this story of a woman who commits a fleeting act of rudeness (for good reason) and ends up a national pariah, thanks to the intrusive Internet. In the West, we’ve been picking over
this material for years, and so there is nothing new here, though it’s of anthropological interest to see it from a Chinese perspective. Not rated. 117 minutes. In Mandarin with English subtitles. — M. LaSalle
Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey is outstanding in this period piece about Ron Woodroof, a Dallas electrician and rodeo enthusiast who, having contracted AIDS, contrived to stay alive by bringing in experimental drugs from beyond the U.S. borders. Jared Leto, as the transgender man who becomes his business partner, is also extraordinary. Rated R. 117 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
47 Ronin Action fantasy based on the often-filmed tale of a group of samurai who set out to avenge their master’s death. With Keanu Reeves and Hiroyuki Sanada. Not reviewed. Rated PG-13. 119 minutes.
Frozen This charming return to the animated-princess-musical genre is successful in its attempt to merge new technologies and musical styles into Disney’s 76-year-old template. There’s no “Whistle While You Work,” but the soundtrack consistently entertains. The writing is smart, with nuanced characters and a premium on clever wordplay over cheap laughs and deprecating humor. Rated PG. 102 minutes. — P. Hartlaub
The Great Beauty This gorgeous Italian movie, reminiscent of Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” balances pungent satire and a more melancholy mood in portraying the dissolute world of the upper crust in contemporary Rome. The central figure is a jaded 65-year-old writer and bon vivant (an excellent Toni Servillo), who ponders his life after
hearing about the death of an old girlfriend. Not rated. 142 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles.
— W. Addiego
Grudge Match Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro are aging doppelgangers of their “Rocky” and “Raging Bull” characters, looking for one more big fight. Beyond the ridiculous premise, this boxing drama sets the right tone, embracing a nice balance of crowdpleasing comedy and lightweight family drama. Stallone in particular seems to be making a legitimate effort. The supporting actors are solid throughout. Rated PG-13. 114 minutes. — P. Hartlaub Her More interesting to talk about and think about than watch, this 120-minute visit to the near future stars Joaquin Phoenix as a shy man who falls in love with his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), who
offers the disembodied companionship that seems to be humanity’s awful destiny. Clever and always interesting, but slow and overlong, it suffers from a protagonist who is without spine or drive. Rated R. 119 minutes. — M. LaSalle The Hobbit: The Desolation of
Smaug To make a 161-minute movie from a thin sliver of a modest book requires the filmmakers to inflate and stretch every possible bit of action, and the result is an interminable, muddily filmed profanation of J.R.R. Tolkien — with an ending that doesn’t even end, just cuts off. It’s a film that Peter Jackson never should have made. Rated PG-13. 161 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Strong performances and a completely realized totalitarian world elevate this film above the ranks of most action
movies, with the only wrinkle being that this is the middle film in a trilogy, which means it can’t end. It can only stop just as things are getting interesting. Jennifer Lawrence, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Donald Sutherland do strong work, and nobody is slumming. Rated PG-13. 146 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
I Am Divine This is a serious documentary about the famed drag queen Divine, a gloriously trashy trailblazer. Not rated. 85 minutes. — D. Lewis
Inside Llewyn Davis The new Coen brothers film is set in New York during the early 1960s folk scene, but the Coens have no real interest in the particulars of that era; they merely use it for their usual general observations about the meaninglessness of existence. But the movie is funny, bleak but funny, and funny is its own justification. Rated R. 104 minutes. — M. LaSalle
Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? This animated documentary, in which director Michel Gondry interviews linguist Noam Chomsky, is like a cartoon version of “My Dinner With Andre.” The film rambles, but it’s refreshingly audacious. Not rated. 89 minutes.
— D. Lewis
Justin Bieber’s Believe Documentary about the pop singer’s rise. Not reviewed. Rated PG. 91 minutes.
Lenny Cooke This compelling documentary follows Lenny Cooke, a top-ranked high school basketball player aspiring to become a superstar. The film uses real-time footage to trace the road from being the best to obscurity. Not rated. 88 minutes. — L. Hertz
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom The story of Nelson Mandela makes for compelling viewing, despite the fact that
much of his life was spent in prison. Idris Elba does a fine job of embodying the speech and body language of the late South African leader, but it’s Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela, and her gradual radicalization, that lingers in the mind. Rated PG-13. 146 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
Nebraska This is an entertaining comedy-drama from director Alexander Payne, despite a story that, in its broad outlines, sounds like Samuel Beckett in slow motion: An old demented man, deluded into thinking he has won a million dollars, sets out to collect his winnings in Nebraska. Rated R. 114 minutes. — M. LaSalle Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones In this latest installment of the horror franchise, Jesse is “marked” and his friends and family try to save him. Not reviewed. Rated R. 84 minutes.
The Past One of the best foreign films of 2013, this latest from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”) is set in Paris and stars Bérénice Bejo in a searing drama about a woman about to marry one man while still emotionally attached to the man she’s divorcing. Farhadi’s directing style needs to be experienced — even as the story is constantly moving forward, it feels as though we’re just watching real life unfold. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes. In French and Farsi with English subtitles.
— M. LaSalle
Philomena Judi Dench gives one of 2013’s best performances as an Irish woman who goes in search of the son whom she gave up for adoption, 47 years before. Steve Coogan co-stars as the journalist who uncovers this real-life story. Rated PG-13. 97 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
The Punk Singer The career, as well as the life, of feminist punk singer Kathleen Hanna is explored in this documentary, which is very interesting and enjoyable, even to those who have previously never heard of her. In on-camera interviews, Hanna is quite appealing, like someone who just can’t help being forthright. Not rated. 80 minutes. — M. LaSalle
for the Moon This biopic set in the 1950s and ’60s is about the long-term lesbian love affair between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. It’s nicely acted by Miranda Otto and Glória Pires, and has some affecting scenes, but the direction by Bruno Barreto is uninspired, resulting in a conventional portrait of an unconventional relationship. Rated R. 118 minutes. In English and Portuguese with English subtitles. — W. Addiego
Saving Mr. Banks The story of the creation of “Mary Poppins” makes for a pleasant, wellacted and conscientiously made film, but something about it feels like a propaganda piece. Rated PG-13. 125 minutes. — M. LaSalle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty The charm of James Thurber’s 1939 short story is completely lost in this slow-moving, self-involved and tonally off film, about a dreamy, insecure man who goes on a personal quest. Rated PG. 114 minutes. — M. LaSalle
A Touch of Sin The highly talented Jia Zhang-ke tells four stories about members of China’s underclass, tales involving violence (some of it graphic) and political and economic corruption and exploitation. In depicting a very harsh world, Jia uses surprising shifts
in tone and style to underline the movie’s intense, if blunt, message. Not rated. 133 minutes. In Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles.
— W. Addiego
12 Years a Slave There’s more than a tinge of artschool sadism in British director Steve McQueen’s true account of a free black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was abducted and sold into slavery, and this foreigner’s look at America is often tin-eared. Still, this is the most honest movie about American slavery ever made and it’s a breakthrough a long time coming. Rated R. 134 minutes. — M. LaSalle Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas Madea (Tyler Perry) accompanies a friend on a surprise Christmas visit to the friend’s daughter in the country. Not reviewed. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes.
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago This agreeable, by-thenumbers documentary is an excellent primer about the world-famous Camino, a path that takes pilgrims across Spain. But the film goes wide, not deep, and the travelers don’t make much of an impression. Not rated. 84 minutes. — D. Lewis
Walking With Dinosaurs The talking cretaceousperiod inhabitants never shut up in this misguided 3-D dinosaur romp created by BBC Earth — to the point where cynical parents in the audience might start hoping for an asteroid strike. There was a good opportunity for educational value in this family-friendly prehistoric nature drama, ruined by the decision to give the dinosaurs human emotions and dialogue. Rated PG. 87 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
The Wolf of Wall Street Martin Scorsese has his best film since “GoodFellas,” in this wild black comedy about a real-life Wall Street broker (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his descent into grand narcotic and sexual excess — and white-collar crime — in the 1980s and ’90s. Three hours fly by. Rated R. 179 minutes.
— M. LaSalle