‘American Hustle’
‘Bad Words’ eeeg
Jason Bateman makes his directorial debut in a dark, dirty comedy about an adult (Bateman) who enters a spelling bee. The movie is relentlessly funny, if willfully offensive, until it goes soft toward the end. (R — 88 minutes) N, P, S.
‘Divergent’ eeg
Shailene Woodley is good in Neil Burger’s film, about a girl who doesn’t conform to society’s rigid structure, but the film itself doesn’t hold up. (PG-13 — 139 minutes) V.
‘Enemy’ eeee
Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding in a dual role in Denis Villeneuve’s dark drama, about a man who discovers his double and becomes obsessed with meeting him. (R — 90 minutes) N, P, S.
‘Face of Love’ eeg
( Annette Bening tries her best in this film about a woman whose husband (Ed Harris) drowns. She later falls for a man who looks just like him. But the story never comes together. (PG-13 — 92 minutes) D.
‘God’s Not Dead’
(Not available for review) Shane Harper plays a student whose faith is challenged when his philosophy professor questions whether God exists. (PG — 113 minutes) V.
‘John Doe: Vigilante’
(Not reviewed) Jamie Bamber plays the title character, who becomes frustrated with the criminal-justice system and begins killing criminals himself. (R — 93 minutes) P, V.
‘Kids for Cash’
(Not reviewed) Robert May’s documentary is about a small-town judge in Pennslvania who was prosecuted for accepting kickbacks from a for-profit detention center, while sentencing children to the facility. (PG-13 — 102 minutes) P.
‘Muppets Most Wanted’
disappearance of Jewish people from a Polish village during World War II. The truth turns out to be complicated, and painful, for two brothers. (Not rated — 107 minutes) David O. Russell’s fictional retelling of the Abscam sting of the 1970s is a relentlessly entertaining movie. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are brilliant as the players in the scheme. The most fun movie of the year. (R — 138 minutes) P, S, V.
‘The Art of the Steal’
(Barbara VanDenburgh) This fasttalking heist flick about a crew of art forgers is itself something of a forgery, a painstaking, brushstroke-by-brushstroke re-creation of masterworks dreamed up by better artists. The story doesn’t hold, but the performances are fun. (R — 90 minutes) P, S.
‘The Book Thief’ eeeg
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are outstanding in Alfonso Cuaron’s film, about two people trapped in space. It’s a familar-sounding story told in a completely new and exciting way. (PG-13 — 90 minutes) P.
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’
(Kerry Lengel) Like the first installment of the “Hobbit” trilogy, there’s more of director Peter Jackson than author J.R.R. Tolkien here. Packed with visual spectacle and added subplots and characters, it’s not going to have the mainstream appeal of the “Lord of the Rings” movies, but for diehard fantasy fans, it’s an action-packed thrill ride that doesn’t bog down despite its nearly three-hour running time. (PG-13 — 161 minutes) V.
‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ eeee
Judi Dench is outstanding as a woman who searches for her son, given up for adoption 50 years before. Steve Coogan, who co-wrote the script, is quite good as the cynical journalist helping her. Director Stephen Frears successfully toes the line between humor and dark, dark drama. (PG-13 — 98 minutes) P, S.
‘Pompeii’ eg
(Barbara VanDenburgh) A mess of a disaster flick about the famous catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that won’t appeal to anyone — not the romantics, not the historians, not even action fans who just want a decent sword fight. (PG-13 — 98 minutes) V.) S, V.
‘Ride Along’ ee
intentions, but the execution is a little rickety. (PG-13 — 138 minutes) V.
‘3 Days to Kill’ eeg
Kevin Costner stars as a dying Secret Service agent balancing his messy work with life with his teenage daughter. It’s nice to see Costner back in a lead role, but director McG never quite finds the right balance between action and humor. (PG-13 — 113 minutes) P, V.
‘300: Rise of an Empire’