Predators (2010)

Action/Adventure Rated R

Here’s to director Nimrod Antal, who since coming to Hollywood has managed to not only overcome an unfortunate name but also at least two unpromising movie assignments. First there was Vacancy, about a squabbling couple at a creepy motel, which he turned into a queasy grind-house movie that was heavy on atmospheric suspense. Now he

Hereafter (2010)

Drama Rated PG-13

When Clint Eastwood directs even routine genre exercises they tend to be wildly overpraised, so I can only imagine what lies ahead for Hereafter, his consideration of nothing less than the afterlife. Written by Peter Morgan (The Queen), Hereafter interweaves three tales from around the globe. In San Francisco, psychic George Lonegan (Matt Damon) sees

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Drama Rated NR

Is Luke Jackson, the laconic iconoclast played by Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, mentally ill? It sure seems that way. He greets his misery – being arrested for damaging parking meters, being sentenced to a chain gang, being pummeled by alpha dog inmate Dragline (George Kennedy) – with the same idiot grin, as if

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Drama Rated R

“…feels like a feminist reworking of a classical heroic myth.”

Inception (2010)

Thriller Rated PG-13

“Inception opens with a dream within a dream. Then it gets complicated.”

Road, The (2009)

Drama Rated R

The Road is only half as traumatic as the Cormac McCarthy novel on which it’s based – which of course means that it will still leave you a wreck. Viggo Mortensen gives a brave performance as the father who wanders a desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape with his son; he isn’t afraid to put the man’s terror

Salt (2010)

Thriller Rated PG-13

“Salt is a spy movie on the wrong side of ridiculousness…

Knight and Day (2010)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Say what you will about Tom Cruise’s loony, off-screen behavior – the guy remains a star in front of the camera. Like many Cruise characters, the spy he plays here has a nice balance of confidence and charm. In real life, these qualities can curdle into smarm, but in action fluff such as Knight and

Twilight Saga: New Moon, The (2009)

Drama Rated PG-13

Robert Pattinson and his stomach cramps – I mean, aching unrequited love – are less oppressive in this sequel to Twilight, given that he has far less screen time. But the trade off is you’re now stuck with Taylor Lautner and his relentless shirtlessness. It’s not just Lautner – none of his werewolf friends feel

Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The (2010)

Drama Rated PG-13

“Forget romantic thriller; this is an abstinence thriller.