“The Descendants” (R) ***** Matt King’s life is on a downhill slide, and the momentum gathers as this film progresses. King, played by George Clooney, has seen his wife put in a coma by a boating accident in Hawaii. As he struggles to cope with her condition and his older daughter’s sudden disattachment and...
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The Muppets- PG- **** The Muppet movies are never just funny or cute. They always have a point and this entry is no different. With a virtual non-stop parade of star cameos, including Alan Arkin, Zach Galafianakis, Sarah Silverman, James Carville, Whoopi Goldberg, Rico Rodrigues, Kristen Shaal, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and more. Jason...
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“Tower Heist” (PG-13) *** The trailers shown on TV tend to indicate that this film is a comedy, but they show you only part of the story. You may wonder if it’s a suspense thriller or a comedy or both well into it, and here’s why: Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the kindly and...
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“Johnny English — Reborn” (PG) **** Rowan Atkinson and Eugene Levy have one important thing in common: Whenever they appear on screen, you start to chuckle. Eugene Levy is not in this sequel to the 2003 “Johnny English,” but Atkinson provides enough guffaws for the both of them. Anyone in an Atkinson film, whether...
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“Ides of March” (R) **** A few years ago the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown premiered a new play called “Farragut North.” It was the runaway favorite of audiences there. For those who saw it, the movie version was much anticipated. The play crackled with political and personal tension. With drastic changes for...
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The Help (PG-13) **** Yes, this is very much a chick flick in the sense that it will appeal primarily to the same audience that flocked to buy the book. It is a story of women, black and white, united by geography and tradition in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early civil rights era —...
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“Friends With Benefits” (R) **** There have been several near-miss rom-coms from Hollywood this past year, but this one, as the kids say, “nails it.” The reasons are simple: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. Kunis is terminally cute in every way — sitting, standing, reading lines in her throaty voice — and in this...
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“Winnie the Pooh” (G) **** From the first strains of the ultra-familiar theme song, this film grabs parents, and the kids follow soon after. The story is mostly original, as are the songs, but the spirit is the same. I dare you to watch this film while keeping a smile off your face. The...
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“X-Men: First Class” (PG-13) *** This is a long, involved and potentially confusing introduction to the X-Men franchise Generation 2. After five previous X-Men attempts, I suppose it’s time for a new look, but maybe not. This is an interesting concept: a new version of an old franchise that is clearly designed to establish...
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“Midnight in Paris” (PG-13) ★★★★★ His idiosyncratic reputation both attracts and repels audiences for Woody Allen films. He has made so many that audiences have a chance to miss a couple and still catch up with some very good films. This one may be his finest ever since the idiosyncrasies are of plot and...
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