Ghost Writer, The (2010)

Thriller Rated PG-13

The Ghost Writer knows how to set the mood – and it’s anything but romantic. Set in a bunker-like beach house on an island off the East Coast, The Ghost Writer follows an author (Ewan McGregor) who has been assigned to spruce up the autobiography of former English prime minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). Lang

Waiting for Superman (2010)

Documentary Rated PG

A brisk and enlightening overview of the crippling problems facing public education in the United States circa 2010. The documentary follows a handful of families — mostly urban, mostly minority — who have been failed by their neighborhood schools and are hoping to land a coveted spot in one of the better-performing charter schools in

Wings of Desire (1987)

Drama Rated PG-13

How much Eurobabble are you willing to endure in exchange for a look at one of the cinema’s most ravishing and compassionate screen visions? Hopefully a lot, because Wings of Desire – the art-house landmark from Wim Wenders that has been rereleased on DVD by Criterion – has endless poetic yammering that belies its deep,

Couples Retreat (2009)

Comedy Rated R

A Tyler Perry movie for white folks. In its whiplash-inducing shifts from broad humor to mawkish sentiment, in its gleeful embrace of cultural stereotypes and in its focus on faltering relationships, Couples Retreat differs only from Perry’s output in that it stars Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis.

Hangover, The (2009)

Comedy Rated R

In retrospect, the massive affection – and box-office dollars – extended toward The Hangover should have been expected. The picture is brazenly funny without ever becoming too crass (at least for a Vegas-set comedy), while the plot’s puzzle structure demands repeat viewings. Four buddies wake up the morning after a bachelor party missing the bachelor,

Dear John (2010)

Drama Rated PG-13

“…features tweens in grownups’ clothing.

Shutter Island (2010)

Thriller Rated R

Shutter Island begins as a fun and crazily creepy popcorn thriller, but the movie eventually turns into something far more disturbing. By the end, it’s not fun at all – the preview audience I saw it with was stunned into silence. So does this mean the film makes a serious misstep or that it’s a

Everyone Else (2010)

Drama Rated NR

This German import, from writer-director Maren Ade, made waves in the foreign-film world in 2010, but it struck me as a minor work. A navel-gazing mood piece with just enough Eurosex to keep you awake, Everyone Else follows a young couple on a Mediterranean vacation whose relationship comes to a tipping point. The couple was

Men Who Stare at Goats, The (2009)

Comedy Rated R

George Clooney once again indulges his inner three stooges, starring in an espionage farce directed by his Good Night, and Good Luck screenwriter Grant Heslov. Like Clooney’s Leatherheads, this is a better idea than finished film. As an insecure reporter (Ewan McGregor) follows a supposedly psychic American spook (Clooney) into the insanity of the Iraq

Gentlemen Broncos (2009)

Comedy Rated PG-13

“The question isn’t why was Gentlemen Broncos abruptly pulled from theaters. How in the world did the movie even get that far?