• "2012": The apocalypse hits and it's a great ride — and funny. Naturally, great special effects from the folks who brought us "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow." With John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Amanda Peet. — R. Myers. (PG-13) 2 hrs., 40 min.

    B+

  • "AMELIA": Hilary Swank plays pioneering aviator and women's-rights advocate Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while trying to fly around the world in 1937. Glossy and superficial. Too much on Earhart's romance with her hubby (Richard Gere). — R. Myers. (PG) 1 hr., 51 min.

    C-

  • "ASTRO BOY": Like "Pinocchio," this forgettable animated futuristic tale follows a superpowered young robot who yearns for acceptance as he does the hero thing. Voices by Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage and Charlize Theron. Could be funnier and more moving. — C. Lemire. (PG) 1 hr., 30 min.

    C

  • "THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II:

    ALL SAINTS DAY": Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus are back as vigilante brothers, this time returning to Boston to avenge a murdered priest. Terribly flawed, ridiculously over-the-top actioner. — J. Coyle. (R) 1 hr., 57 min.

    D-

  • "THE BOX": A disfigured stranger promises a teacher and her husband (Cameron Diaz, James Marsden) a million dollars if she presses the button in the box he brings despite knowing that someone in the world will die
    Advertisement
    when she hits it. The couple have 24 hours to mull the offer. An awful wallow. — D. Germain. (PG-13) 1 hr., 55 min.

    D

  • "BRIGHT STAR": Jane Campion directed and wrote this sumptuous drama about the three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and high-fashion student Fanny Brawne (Abby Cornish). Impeccable acting. — R. Myers. (PG) 1 hr., 59 min.

    B+

  • "CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY": Documentarian Michael Moore looks into the crash of the economy, showing how the pursuit of private ownership as been exploited by a tiny group of extremely wealthy, morally bankrupt Americans. Entertaining, humorous call for action. — R. Myers. (R) 2 hrs., 7 min.

    B+

  • "COCO BEFORE CHANEL": Audrey Tautou plays Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman. With a keen eye for appearances but not a lot of passion or insight, the film covers her formative years. In French. — C. Lemire. (PG-13) 1 hr., 50 mins.

    C+

  • "DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL": Jaw-dropping visuals. Jim Carrey excels as Scrooge and several other roles. Performance-capture ("The Polar Express") process fails to convey emotion. Robert Zemeckis directs this literal version of the Dickens classic. — R. Myers. (PG) 1 hr., 36 min.

    B-

  • "AN EDUCATION": One of the year's best. Carey Mulligan sparkles as a suburban teen introduced to culture and fashion by a charming thirtysomething man (Peter Sarsgaard) in 1961 London. The ecstasy and heartbreak stay with you. — C. Lemire. (NR) 1 hr., 35 min.

    A

  • "THE FOURTH KIND": In modern-day Alaska, a psychologist (Milla Jovovich) finds evidence of alien abductions during interviews with traumatized patients. Gimmicky hooey. — R. Moore. (PG-13) 1 hr., 38 min.

    D

  • "GOOD HAIR": Chris Rock travels the world to see how hairstyles influence the activities, wallets, relationships and self-esteem of the black community. Strong mix of humor, heartbreak. — A. Hornaday. (PG-13) 1 hr., 35 min.

    B+

  • "LAW ABIDING CITIZEN": A prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) engages in a cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant sociopath (Gerard Butler) orchestrating a string of murders for revenge. Preposterous. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 47 min.

    D

  • "THE MAID": In Santiago, Chile, a woman who has been the live-in maid for a family for 23 years fanatically tries to maintain her place in the household when her employers bring in more household help. Nuanced, amusing, unsettling, a winner. In Spanish. J. Stuart. (NR) 1 hr., 34 min.

    A

  • "THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS": Adaptation of Jon Ronson's satirical novel about a reporter (Ewan McGregor) who bumps into a soldier (George Clooney) who says he's part of an Army paranormal battalion. With Jeff Bridges. Odd duck not as funny as it should be. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 33 min.

    C+

  • "MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT": Using footage shot during rehearsals for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" concerts, director Kenny Ortega gives fans a sense of what might have been. Raw, oft-fascinating look at creating the magic for a mega-tour. Rare glimpse of Jackson at work behind the scenes. — C. McCollum. (PG) 1 hr., 51 min.

    B

  • "NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU": Ten directors — including Mira Nair, Natalie Portman and Brett Ratner — create linked vignettes that nail the serendipitous nature of love, New York-style. Most work. Ensemble includes Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Blake Lively. — E. Abeel. (R) 1 hr., 50 min.

    B

  • "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY": A couple put surveillance cameras in their new home to see if eerie things are happening or if the wife just has an overactive imagination. The surprisingly potent chiller, reportedly made for $15,000, is consistently creepy. — B. Sharkey. (R) 1 hr., 39 min.

    B

  • "PIRATE RADIO": The ensemble comedy from writer-director Richard Curtis ("Love Actually") is a fact-based tale about rogue rock 'n' roll disc jockeys broadcasting from an old tanker off the coast of Great Britain in the 1960s. Strong cast (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh). great soundtrack but a bloated, disjointed mess. — C. McCollum. (R) 1 hr., 56 min.

    C-

  • "PRECIOUS:

    BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE": Superb drama about an abused 16-year-old girl who grows up in 1980s Harlem and finds hope with help from a strong teacher. Deserved Oscar buzz for newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as Precious, Mo'Nique as her nasty mom. — D. Germain. (R) 1 hr., 49 min.

    A

  • "A SERIOUS MAN": The Coen brothers use the tale of a quiet physics professor at a Midwestern university whose wife has decided to leave him to create "a slapstick meditation on divine intent, human learning and the consolation of faith in an unfair, unpredictable universe." Technically flawless. — C. Covert. (R) 1 hr., 45 min.

    A

  • "(UNTITLED)": A look at the state of contemporary art via the relationships among a sulky eccentric composer (Adam Goldberg), a gallery curator (Marley Shelton) and the artist (Vinnie Jones) she's showcasing. Strong cast. Loses way mid-game. Conflicts not fully realized. Some fun. — G. Goldstein. (R) 1 hr., 36 min.

    B-

  • "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE": Director Spike Jonze's version of the Maurice Sendak classic about Max, a young boy who feels misunderstood at home and flees to a land where strange and mysterious creatures roam. "A literary diamond, ... brilliant in presentation." — R. Bentley. (PG) 1 hr., 42 min.

    A

  • "ZOMBIELAND": Zombies have taken over the world, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg fight them. Very funny zombie movie. — R. Moore. (R) 1 hr., 30 min.

    B+

    The following movies are scheduled to open today in the Bay Area.
  • "BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS" (R): Werner Herzog's newest stars Nicolas Cage as a drug-addicted rogue detective dealing with life and the prostitute (Eva Mendes) he loves after Hurricane Katrina. Val Kilmer co-stars.
  • "THE BLIND SIDE" (PG-13): An impoverished, undereducated black Memphis teenager with a crack-addicted mother and a deceased father is adopted by a wealthy white couple and groomed academically and athletically -- to become a top football prospect, for college and the NFL. Based on a true story. Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron and Tim McGraw star.
  • "DEFAMATION" (NR): Director Yoav Shamir's documentary explores the meaning of anti-Semitism today.
  • "The House of the Devil" (R): A baby sitter gets hired to watch over a baby, who doesn't exist, for an odd couple who live in a creaky old Victorian deep in the woods. And there's a creepy guy lurking around as well. It's your basic satanic thriller.
  • "THE MESSENGER" (R): Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson play Army officers assigned to the unit that delivers news of deceased soldiers to their loved ones. With Samantha Morton.
  • "PLANET 51" (PG): Little green inhabitants of a small planet fear an alien invasion's under way when a U.S. astronaut lands on their turf. Voice cast in this animated sci-fi saga includes Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel and Justin Long.
  • "THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON" (PG-13): When her vampire boyfriend skips town, Bella leans on a good friend, who happens to be a werewolf, for comfort. Yeah, that'll work. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner reprise their roles from the first film in the series.
  • "WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE
    UNIVERSE" (NR): Controversial civil-rights attorney William Kunstler (represented the Chicago 8 activists, Attica inmates, Indian protesters at Wounded Knee and dredges of society) is captured in this documentary by his filmmaker daughters, Emily and Sarah Kunstler.