‘Particle Fever’ eeee
(Barbara VanDenburgh) This fascinating science documentary charts scientists’ efforts to discover the Higgs boson particle using the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider. Intriguing stuff, even to the most math-averse viewer. (Not rated — 99 minutes) P. Matthew McConaughey is brilliant as an unlikely hero of sorts in the early years of AIDS. His character Ron Woodroof is a homophobe who contracts the disease but is soon selling black-market drugs to help fight it. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the film also includes a terrific performance from Jared Leto as a transgender woman who goes into business with Ron. (R — 117 minutes) D, N, P, S.
‘47 Ronin’eeg
( Keanu Reeves stars in this fantasy about samurai who embark on a journey to avenge the death of their master. The action is confusing and the story is plodding. (PG-13 — 119 minutes) V.
‘Frozen’ eeeeg
(Not reviewed) Laurant Lucas is good as Jean-Marie Lustiger, who converted to Catholicism when he was 14 and rose to the rank of cardinal. Even better is Aurelien Recoing as Pope John Paul II, whom Lustiger both advised and quarreled with. (Not rated — 96 minutes)
‘The Lego Movie’
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have made a terrific movie about an actual toy that doesn’t play like a 100-minute commercial. Instead, it’s a knowing, funny, smart take on what makes a hero. Chris Pratt plays Emmet, a Lego toy who may or may not be the savior of prophecy. A real treat. (PG — 100 minutes)
‘Lone Survivor’ eeee
Although not entirely successful, Jose Padilha’s remake of the film about a half-man, half-robot police officer is at least worthwhile. And that’s in large part due to a cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton. (PG-13 — 118 minutes) D, P, V.
‘The Single Moms Club’
(USA Today) Tyler Perry wrote and directs a film about a group of mothers brought together after an incident at their children’s school. It’s a worthy subject, but Perry oversimplifies it. (PG-13 — 111 minutes) S.
‘Son of God’ eeg
Teller, of the magic duo Penn & Teller, follows multimillionaire Tim Jenison’s obsessive quest to figure out if the Dutch master Vermeer had technological help while painting his masterpieces. It’s a film that will make you think and argue. (PG-13 — 80 minutes) P.
‘12 Years a Slave’ eeeee
At last, a movie that kicks the romanticized versions of the Old South to the curb. Steve McQueen’s film, based on the true story of a free Black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) tricked and enslaved in the 1840s, is the best kind of history lesson: brutal truth that demands to be seen. (R — 133 minutes) N, S, V.
‘Veronica Mars’ eeee