Movie picks 

Films recommended by our reviewers are indicated by an *.

Bad Teacher (R)

After being dumped by her current boyfriend, a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher sets her sights on a colleague who is dating the school's model teacher. — Not reviewed

Tinseltown

Beginners (R)

This is obviously deeply personal material, which makes you wonder why writer-director Mike Mills clouded it with indie confetti. It's the kind of "look at me" indulgence that most directors get out of their system with their film debut. — Justin Strout

Kimball's Peak Three

*Bridesmaids (R)

In plenty of ways, the film sticks to a successful Apatow formula. The story structure is never so rigid that it won't allow room for freelancing a randomly (and hilariously) off-color conversation. The dialogue snaps with intelligence, and while belly laughs are the meat on the menu, there's a sentimental side. — Scott Renshaw

Tinseltown

Captain America: First Avenger (PG-13)

This is a WWII-set comic book adventure about a once-meek U.S. soldier turned hero thanks to an experimental super serum that grants strength and agility far beyond that of a normal human being. — Not reviewed

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

Cars 2 (G)

It felt like Pixar promised us that it would remain grounded in something more vital than the sparkle and speed of contemporary computer-generated movie-making. But with Cars 2, it feels as though that promise has been broken. — Scott Renshaw

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

Fast Five (PG-13)

Maybe I'm just getting too old for this, but I'm tired of seeing people who do bad championed as heroes merely because the bad they do isn't that bad. — MaryAnn Johanson

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Friends With Benefits (R)

This film tries to make fun of rom-com conventions and subvert them, but then ends up in the same place that all rom-coms end up. It's a nice idea, but when you veer too far off course, everything is bound to crumble, and it does. — Dan Hudak

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

Hangover Part II (R)

This feels exactly like a script that was thrown together quickly to capitalize on an unexpected success, duplicating the execution — and the flaws — of the first. — Scott Renshaw

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*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (PG-13)

It's fair to say that while Hallows 2.0 is far from a perfect piece of filmcraft, director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves know exactly how to guide us through this final chapter. — Scott Renshaw

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

*Horrible Bosses (R)

Horrible Bosses is a rarity in that the story holds together throughout while just about every joke, quip, one-liner and physical gag works. — Dan Hudak

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

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG)

This summer, third grader Judy Moody is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. Except that it turns out Rocky is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, and Amy is headed off to Borneo. — Not reviewed

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Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG)

Po is now living his dream as the Dragon Warrior. But his new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. — Not reviewed

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Larry Crowne (PG-13)

It's impossible not to like the movie, since it features two of the most likeable movie stars of late-20th-century vintage. Yet aggressively meh is the best way to describe Larry Crowne.— MaryAnn Johanson

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*Midnight in Paris (PG-13)

The film is a nicely executed, clever idea, if neither as groundbreaking nor as intelligent as Woody Allen's earlier work. — Anders Wright

Kimball's Peak Three

Monte Carlo (PG)

A young woman, her uptight stepsister and her best friend use their savings for a long-anticipated dream trip to Paris. When they decide to take a break and duck into the lobby of a five-star hotel, one of them is mistaken for a spoiled British heiress. — Not reviewed

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Mr. Popper's Penguins (PG)

This material deserved the Big Fish treatment, something with scope and intimacy, absurdist flourishes and a warm palette. Instead, the new film starring Jim Carrey, isn't an adaptation, it's a crime scene. — Justin Strout

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13)

The creative team seems to have learned little from past mistakes, while adding new ones. The attempt to give Jack Sparrow a romantic subplot feels like a misunderstanding of the character's nature, and there's never a genuine spark between Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. — Scott Renshaw

Chapel Hills 15

*Priest (PG-13)

Priest is pretty awesomely good. Part of the reason is because it's all about the clash between the power of the Church and the power of personal faith and belief. Oh, and it's also about killing nasty vampire monsters and blowing things up and stuff. — MaryAnn Johanson

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Rio (G)

Blu thinks he's the last of his kind, but when he learns about another macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, he heads to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, his female counterpart. — Not reviewed

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Soul Surfer (PG)

The true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and overcame all odds to become a champion again. — Not reviewed

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Super 8 (PG-13)

When J.J. Abrams gets away from the strengths of his own story, he turns it into something merely pretty good, instead of the kind of movie other filmmakers will be referencing a generation from now. — Scott Renshaw

Tinseltown

*Thor (PG-13)

Thor shows that director Kenneth Branagh grasps these fundamental realities: He nails a unique tone, and he has a lead actor who understands how to play a god. — Scott Renshaw

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Transfomers: Dark of the Moon (PG-13)

Dark of the Moon is yet another Michael Bay movie in which any given 10 minutes would almost certainly be better as only three. — Scott Renshaw

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

The Tree of Life (PG-13)

It's not quite a dramatization, nor even a coherent philosophy, just apparently some ecstatic cross-cutting chronicle of primordial progress. — Jonathan Kiefer

Kimball's Peak Three

Winnie the Pooh (G)

With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical "bear of very little brain" and friends. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown

*X-Men: First Class (PG-13)

It's not Shakespeare — silly inner fangirl — but, as breezy, thoughtful summer comic-book movies go, it's damn close. — MaryAnn Johanson

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Zookeeper (PG)

Kevin James stars as a lovelorn zookeeper who gets a little help from his animal buddies in order to find a mate. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15, Cinemark 16, Hollywood Interquest, Tinseltown