Movie picks 

Films recommended by our reviewers are indicated by an *.

2012 (PG-13)

As the end of the world nears, as predicted by the Mayan calendar, a group of would-be heros struggles to survive. — Not reviewed

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Alvin and the Chipmunk: The Squeakquel (PG)

Alvin and friends are back in another animated singing chipmunk film. — Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Astro Boy (PG)

After his boy Toby is killed in an accident, Dr. Tenma, the scientific genius of Metro City, builds a robot version of him. — MaryAnn Johanson

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Avatar (PG-13)

Avatar is set in a computer-generated world called Pandora, a planet inhabited by the Na'vi, who are rich in a coveted resource ridiculously named Unobtainium. — Tricia Olszewski

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Cinemark 16 IMAX, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

The Blind Side (PG-13)

The Blind Side takes on the real-life underdog-makes-good story of Michael Oher, currently a first-year left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. It's not unimpressive because it's a "feel-good" story, but because it's simply a lazy piece of movie-making. — Scott Renshaw

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (PG)

This animated adventure is based on the popular children's book about a village where food, rather than rain, falls from the heavens. — Not reviewed

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Couples Retreat (PG-13)

This half-assed update of Fantasy Island, manages to feel somehow both shriveled to short-sitcom proportions and bloated to feature-film length. — Jonathan Kiefer

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Daybreakers (R)

In a near-future world, a strange disease has swept the planet, turning much of humankind into vampires. As blood supplies dwindle, a researcher races to find a substitute that will help save humanity. — Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Disney's A Christmas Carol (PG)

A remake of Dickens' classic tale, this time with Jim Carrey playing Scrooge. — Not reviewed

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*Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG)

Wes Anderson directs this animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1970 children's novel, with George Clooney as Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep as his no-less-fantastic wife. — Jeff Sneider

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (PG-13)

Following Heath Ledger's death, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp and Jude Law stepped in to fill out as-yet-unfilmed scenes involving Ledger's character in this Terry Gilliam film about a deal with the devil involving an olde-tyme vaudeville act. — Tricia Olszewski

Tinseltown

*Invictus (PG-13)

Directed by Clint Eastwood and set in the post-Apartheid era of South Africa, this film stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in a true story of human-rights hero Nelson Mandela and rugby player Francois Pienaar. — Jonathan Kiefer

Cinemark 16

*It's Complicated (R)

Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) thought she had life figured out, until an empty nest drives her into an affair with a married man — her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin). — Scott Renshaw

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Law Abiding Citizen (R)

A decade after the murders of his wife and daughter, a man seeks his own vengeance. — Not reviewed

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Leap Year (PG)

After dating for four years and still getting no proposal of marriage, a young woman (Amy Adams) decides to turn the tables on her boyfriend, investing in an Irish tradition that allows women to propose to men on Feb. 29. — Not reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

The Men Who Stare at Goats (R)

Reporter Bob Wilton heads to the Middle East to find a story in the Iraq war, but uncovers a U.S. military operation created to develop soldiers with psychic abilities. — Scott Renshaw

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Ninja Assassin (R)

A man who was taken from the streets as a youth and raised to be a killer by a secret clan, frees himself after the murder of his friend, and waits for a chance for revenge. — Not reviewed

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Planet 51 (PG)

In this animated adventure, the residents of a far-off planet live in dread of aliens invading their homeland, when an astronaut shows up confirming their fears. — Not reviewed

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*Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (R)

I'm mystified that some commentators have called this frank film racist, exploitive or emblematic of liberal guilt. How do we tell a story about the worst that a girl's experience can be — raped by her father, abused by her mother, ignored by almost everyone around her — if we're not up-front about it? — MaryAnn Johanson

Carmike 10, Kimball's Peak Three

The Princess and the Frog (G)

Disney finally gives us a black princess ... and she spends most of the movie as an amphibian? — MaryAnn Johanson

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*The Road (R)

At last: The long-delayed, Viggo Mortensen-intensive adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, about a man and his young son wandering through a glumly gritty post-apocalyptic world, has arrived.— Jonathan Kiefer

Chapel Hills 15

Royal Opera House: Falstaff (NR)

A broadcast from the Royal Opera House in London of Verdi's three-act opera about the comic misadventures of Sir John Falstaff. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15

*Sherlock Holmes (PG-13)

Though director Guy Ritchie's adaptation has more in common with the director's other films than with the Sherlock Holmes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, the spirit of Holmes remains thoroughly intact. — MaryAnn Johanson

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

The Stepfather (PG-13)

When a student returns home from military school and meets his mother's new boyfriend, he soon suspects the man may be hiding a dangerous past. — Not reviewed

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13)

In this second installment based on the books, a vampire named Edward, his human girlfriend Bella, and Bella's werewolf friend, Jacob, mope around a lot. Two hours of pretty teenagers making moon eyes at one another is an hour-forty-five too much. — MaryAnn Johanson

Tinseltown

Up in the Air (R)

George Clooney plays a businessman and frequent flier on the verge of reaching his 10 millionth mile, when his company grounds him, threatening his life on the road. — Not reviewed

Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*Where the Wild Things Are (PG)

You could argue that Where the Wild Things Are is the most ambitious film ever inspired by a 10-sentence-long picture-book. — Scott Renshaw

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The Young Victoria (PG)

As she is about to turn 18 and take England's throne, Princess Victoria is tangled in a royal struggle for power, and a budding romance with Belgian Prince Albert that could affect her reign. — Not reviewed

Kimball's Peak Three, Tinseltown

Youth in Revolt (R)

Based on the novel by C.D. Payne, this comedy follows a teenager named Nick Twisp who hopes to woo the girl of his dreams by adopting a smooth-talking alter ego. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown