Movie guide
KEY: Four stars means superior; three stars means good; two stars means average; one star means poor. D for drug use, L for language, N for nudity, S for sexual situations or references, V for violence. Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald film critic, unless otherwise noted.
Picks
"American Gangster" -- The rise and fall of a Harlem drug lord. Reviewed by Michael Wilmington. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 157 minutes. 3 stars
"Bee Movie" -- A bee sues humans for selling and eating his honey. Reviewed by Matt Arado. (PG) 100 minutes. 3 stars
"Blade Runner: The Final Cut" -- Ridley Scott's masterpiece gets another revision. Reviewed by Jeff Pizek. (R) N, V. 117 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"The Bourne Ultimatum" -- Matt Damon's slick action sequel delivers the goods. Reviewed by Matt Arado. (PG-13) V. 111 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Dan in Real Life" -- Advice columnist Steve Carell falls for Juliette Binoche, his brother's new squeeze. (PG-13) S. 98 minutes. 3
"The Darjeeling Limited" -- Three estranged brothers try to find their mom in India. (R) L, S. 91 minutes. 3 stars
"Enchanted" -- A royal treat! Cartoon fairy tale characters become flesh-and-blood people in modern New York. A zany comedy reviewed by Jamie Sotonoff. (PG) 107 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Gone Baby Gone" -- Boston detectives track a missing girl. (R) D, L, V. 115 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Hairspray" -- Plump Baltimore girl (Nikki Blonsky) sings for tolerance of blacks and plus-sizes in this joyful musical with John Travolta in drag. (PG) 115 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Into the Wild" -- Sean Penn's drama based on the Chris McCandless story. (R) L, N. 140 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
>"It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE."
"Lars and the Real Girl" -- Ryan Gosling falls for a life-size doll. (PG-13) S. 97 minutes. 3 stars
"Lions for Lambs" -- Robert Redford's anthology pleads for us to wake up and smell the politics. (R) L. 92 minutes. 3 stars
"Love in the Time of Cholera" -- Well-acted drama with Javier Bardem chasing true love through the decades. Reviewed by Jamie Sotonoff. (R) L, N, S. 138 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"Michael Clayton" -- George Clooney kicks dramatic butt as a fixer for a huge legal firm. Thoughtful. Tough. (R) L. 119 minutes. 4 stars
"The Mist" -- Shoppers become trapped in a supermarket by creatures in the fog. Who are the real monsters? (R) L, V. 125 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"No Country for Old Men" -- The Coen brothers write and direct a horrific, blackly funny thriller about stolen drugs and cash. (R) L, V. 122 minutes. 4 stars
"Ratatouille" -- An animated rat cooks up a cinematic dessert in this delightful Pixar production. (G) 110 minutes. 4 stars
"Superbad" -- Supergood raunchy teen comedy. (R) D, L, S, V. 112 minutes. 3 1/2 stars
"3:10 to Yuma" -- Farmer Christian Bale brings Wild West outlaw Russell Crowe to justice. (R) L, V. 117 minutes. 3 stars
Passables
"Across the Universe" -- A visually audacious but unsatisfying musical using Beatles songs. (PG-13) D, L, N. S. 129 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"August Rush" -- More like "Sugar Rush." Musical prodigy Freddie Highmore runs away from an orphanage to find his parents -- and Robin Williams -- in New York. (PG) 113 minutes. 2 stars
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" -- Two brothers plot to rob Dad's jewelry store. Associated Press review. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 123 minutes. 2 stars
"Bella" -- Sincere but awkward drama about living life properly in the wake of the unexpected. (PG-13) disturbing images. 91 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Beowulf" -- Characters resemble wax figures in this CGI version of the epic poem about a warrior, a monster and his mom. (PG-13) N, V. 2 1/2 stars
"The Brave One" -- Jodie Foster goes Charles Bronson on us in Neil Jordan's pro-vigilante drama. (R) L, S, V. 122 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" -- Cate Blanchett reprises her role as the Virgin Queen in this historical drama. Reviewed by Pam DeFiglio. (PG-13) N, S, V. 115 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"The Game Plan" -- The Rock gets rolled by a daughter he didn't know about. Associated Press review. (PG) 110 minutes. 2 stars
"The Heartbreak Kid" -- Ben Stiller finds true love on his honeymoon -- with another woman. Crude and comic. (R) D, L, N, S. 116 minutes. 2 stars
"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" -- Not much wonder in this children's story. Natalie Portman takes over a magic toy store from a dying Dustin Hoffman. (G) 94 minutes. 2 stars
"Sydney White" -- A cute reimagining of the Snow White story set on a college campus and starring Amanda Bynes. Reviewed by Jamie Sotonoff. (PG-13) L, S. 108 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
"This Christmas" -- A flabby feature about estranged family members who arrive for a dinner and get a big serving of forgiveness. (PG-13) S, V. 120 minutes. 2 stars
"We Own the Night" -- Well-acted crime drama cops out with dialogue, plot. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg star. (R) D, L, N, S, V. 117 minutes. 2 1/2 stars
Pits
"Fred Claus" -- Santa's naughty bro comes to town (the North Pole) for some sniveling rivalry. Ho, oh, no! (PG) 115 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
"Hitman" -- The popular video game comes to the big screen, DOA. (R) N, V. 100 minutes.1 stars
"What Would Jesus Buy?" -- Journalistically wanting documentary about the self-anointed Rev. Billy Talen and his campaign to stop Americans from shopping their lives away. At the Century Centre in Chicago. (NR) 91 minutes. 1 1/2 stars
Unpreviewed
"Awake" -- A sedated man can still feel his heart surgery! Not screened for critics, and we all know what that means. (R) D, L. 84 minutes.
"Saw IV" -- A S.W.A.T. commander gets abducted and subjected to a deadly Jigsaw puzzle. (R) L, V. 108 minutes.
Preview
"The Golden Compass" -- A girl gets a magic compass with the power to save the universe. Not an anti-God treatise as critics have charged. Previews Saturday only. Check ads for showtimes and theaters. (PG-13) V.