J. Edgar

J. Edgar

Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Judy Dench, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts
Rated: R for brief strong language

J. Edgar Hoover was the face of the FBI for decades, the man who fought against gangsters, kidnappers, and bank robbers, who gave us the FBI as we know it today. “J. Edgar” is an awkward, uncomfortable film profiling this often awkward, uncomfortable man. Eastwood is a gifted director, and here he works with gifted actors to create a thoughtful, thorough character study.

In Time

In Time

Written and Directed by: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy
Rated: PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and partial nudity, and strong language

“In Time” begins with one of the more honest voiceovers I’ve heard: our hero tells us he doesn’t have time to explain the science behind the foundation of his world, so he’ll just say how things are. With a premise as impossible as this, it’s far more respectful to your audience to simply gloss over the science rather than trying to explain it.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of adventure action violence

It seems to be a requirement for Hollywood to make a film based on “The Three Musketeers” at least once every twenty years, preferably saturated with whatever is currently in vogue. So, back in 1993 we had Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt as the titular friends, and the whole thing was very bright and shiny and silly. Now we have Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, and Ray Stevenson, and there’s lots of slow-mo martial artsy awesomeness, some snark about governmental budget cuts, and steampunk airships.

Ides of March

Ides of March

The political thriller is a known quantity: cynical, frequently gritty, and not generally given to happy endings. George Clooney’s new film, “Ides of March,” is no different. The cast is spectacular, but the film winds up a rather heavy-handed, workmanlike piece, hampered by a so-so script. It’s not bad, but it’s not as great as we can be forgiven for hoping – much like the politician at its center.

Real Steel

Real Steel

Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangelie Lilly, Kevin Durand
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language

Disney has many strengths, and “Real Steel” plays to two of them: telling heartwarming tales about underdogs and offering sweet stories about kids and parents bonding. The latter sometimes spills over into laughably twee territory, but “Real Steel” manages to avoid that. No, this is not a groundbreaking art film. This is a movie to see if you want to watch giant robots fight and maybe get a little sniffly watching an underdog father-son team learn to care about each other while beating the odds.

Killer Elite

Killer Elite

Directed by: Gary McKendry
Starring: Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro, Clive Owen
Rated: R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

There are few things quite so sad as a film whose premise and cast promise awesomeness but whose execution falls flat on its face. “Killer Elite” should be a ton of fun — it’s an international assassin flick starring Jason Statham and Robert DeNiro as assassins and Clive Owen as an ex-SAS officer trying to stop them. There’s enough badassery in just those three actors that this should have been a blast of a film. Unfortunately, it’s not. It has all the flaws of old-school 80s action flicks but none of the charm.

Moneyball

Moneyball

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Robin Wright, Stephen Bishop
Rated: PG-13 for some strong language

A movie about the pioneering use of cost-benefit analysis in baseball shouldn’t be exciting, but somehow, “Moneyball” is. It traces the efforts of general manager Billy Beane to turn around the failing Oakland A’s using the statistics knowhow of Yale economics geek Peter Brand. For all its math geekery and talking, it’s really an underdog sports movie. This is a flick that will crack you up and make you clutch your armrest in equal measure.

Warrior

Warrior

Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material.

Films in which boxing or other forms of physical violence stand in for verbal communication between men are hardly new, but “Warrior” sets its conversation-with-fists in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitive arena. As a bonus, it stars two actors who manage to deliver not only believable combat stunts but impressive performances as well. This is no ordinary sports film.

The Debt

The Debt

Directed by: John Madden
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas
Rated: R for some violence and language

Moral ambiguity is a staple of the espionage thriller genre. Spies, assassins, and their targets and employers tend not to be people at the all-good end of the ethical spectrum. “The Debt” takes that idea and runs with it, but rather than making for a thought-provoking, exciting film, it turns into a potentially very uncomfortable one.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton
Rated: PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Prequels are by definition at something of an advantage — knowing even the basic plot of the stories that take place after them means that you have at least general knowledge of how the prequel must end. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” definitely has this problem; even folks who haven’t seen the other “Planet of the Apes” movies know how things wind up. Even so, the characters (both human and ape) are engaging enough to draw viewers into the film.