Movie guide

KEY: Four stars: superior. Three stars: good. Two stars: average. One star: poor. D (drug use), L (language), N (nudity), S (sexual situations, references), V (violence). Ratings by Dann Gire, Daily Herald Film Critic, unless otherwise noted.

Picks

“Black Swan” — Best Picture nominee! A perfectionist ballerina (Oscar nominee Natalie Portman) dances into madness as she auditions for the major roles in “Swan Lake.” With Barbara Hershey as her mom. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. At the Century Centre and River East 21 in Chicago and the Evanston Century. (R) D, N, L, S, V. 108 minutes. . . . ½

“Blue Valentine” — A bold and perceptive exploration of the magical intangibles that connect two people in love’s first blush but fail to bond a couple for the long haul. Ryan Gosling and Oscar nominee Michelle Williams bravely go for broke in this thoughtful, adult domestic drama all about the death of love. Originally rated NC-17 for graphic sex scenes, but re-rated R upon appeal. (R) L, N, S. . . . .

“The Company Men” — Three high-paid corporate suits (Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper) deal with being laid off their lucrative jobs that define their identities. Directed, written and produced by John Wells as a harsh and engaging Bible lesson laced with hope and optimism. (R) L, N. 109 minutes. . . .

“The Fighter” — Best Picture nominee! Oscar nominee Christian Bale punches his way to stealing the show as an emaciated half-brother and trainer to Mark Wahlberg’s boxer in this fact-based, energetic domestic drama directed by David O. Russell. Look for stellar turns by Oscar nominees Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, too. (R) D, L, S, V. 114 minutes. . . . ½

“Gnomeo & Juliet” — Delightful, witty and imaginative retelling of the Bard’s romantic classic starring garden gnomes that come alive when humans aren’t watching. Elton John’s hit songs supply extra fun. Note: No gnomes were stabbed or poisoned during the making of this movie. Voices by James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine and Julie Walters. (G) 84 minutes. . . .

“The Illusionist” — Animated poetry from France. A 2-D watercolor-inspired feature about a magician at the twilight of his career in Europe. It’s practically a silent movie, originally written by the great Jacques Tati. Directed by Sylvain Chomet. (PG) 80 minutes. . . . ½

“The King’s Speech” — Best Picture nominee! Great performances! Funny, witty script! Excellent sets and photography! The true story of how a feisty Australian speech therapist (Oscar nominee Geoffrey Rush) helped King George VI (Oscar nominee Colin Firth) overcome his stutter in time for him to unite the U.K. against the Nazis during a radio address. Ignore the R rating and go anyway. (R) L. 118 minutes. . . . .

“No Strings Attached” — Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman play two young professionals who try to have a sexual relationship without emotional ties. They carry off the tired plot with believable chemistry and Ivan Reitman’s sincere direction. (R) D, L, S. 110 minutes. . . .

“127 Hours” — Best Picture nominee! Riveting, fact-based drama about a climber (James Franco in excellent form) trapped in the Utah desert and unable to free his crushed arm from underneath a fallen boulder. (R) L, S. 96 minutes. . . . ½

“Rabbit Hole” — A serene, transcendent drama about a couple (Oscar nominee Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) recovering from the death of their young son. With Dianne Wiest and Sandra Oh. (PG-13) D, L. 92 minutes. . . . .

“The Social Network” — Best Picture nominee! David Fincher’s superb dramatization of the founding of Facebook and the fascinating, complex characters who started it and then sued each other over it. With Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield and Rooney Mara. (PG-13) D, L, S. 120 minutes. . . . .

“True Grit” — Best Picture nominee! The Coen brothers redo the 1969 western with Oscar nominee Jeff Bridges wearing Marshal Rooster Cogburn’s eye patch and winning newcomer and Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld playing the precocious Mattie Ross out to avenge her father’s murder by a bad man (Josh Brolin). Matt Damon finally rescues self-centered Texas Ranger LaBoeuf from the memories of Glen Campbell’s limited original interpretation. (PG-13) V. 110 minutes. . . . .

Passables

“Biutiful” — Oscar nominee Javier Bardem’s world-weary performance highlights Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s bleak mess of a drama about a cancer-stricken father of two attempting to get his affairs in order before checking out. (R) D, L, N, S. 148 minutes. . . ½

“Cedar Rapids” — A loser Wisconsin insurance salesman (Ed Helms) rallies when faced with corporate corruption at a convention in Cedar Rapids. At the Century Centre in Chicago. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (R) D, L, S. 86 minutes. . . ½

“The Dilemma” — Ron Howard directs an erratic mishmash of comedy and serious drama as Vince Vaughn figures out how to tell his best pal (Kevin James) he saw his wife (Winona Ryder) smooching a tattooed man (Channing Tatum) at the Chicago Botanic Garden. With Jennifer Connelly. (PG-13) S. 118 minutes. . .

“The Eagle” — Channing Tatum’s stoic performance as a Roman commander in 140 A.D. keeps this action-adventure feature together. He and a Briton slave (Jamie Bell) head north of Hadrian’s Wall to see why 5,000 Roman soldiers mysteriously disappeared. (PG-13) V. . .

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” — A wearing tale of color-bled, never-ending scenes of isolation and despair, mistrust and miscalculation as director David Yates sets us up for “Part 2” in 2011. Harry, Ron and Hermione track down Horcruxes containing parts of Lord Voldemort’s dark soul. Not converted into 3-D as originally announced. (PG-13) S, V. 146 minutes. . . ½

“The Mechanic” — Remake of Charles Bronson’s 1972 thriller stars Jason Statham as a hit man who trains a violent drifter (Ben Foster) to be an assassin, without telling him he killed the man’s dad (Donald Sutherland). Brutal action scenes and pithy tough-guy dialogue dominate the story. (R) L, N, S, V. 92 minutes. . .

“The Rite” — A doubting priest-in-training (Colin O’Donoghue) gets sent to exorcist school in Rome under the instruction of a crusty priest (Anthony Hopkins) out to help drive a demon out of a pregnant Italian girl. Reviewed by Christy Lemire, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, S, V. 113 minutes. . . ½

“Tangled” — The Rapunzel story gets a 3-D animated treatment by Walt Disney, although the self-aware jokes give it an extra “Shrek” dimension. Mandy Moore is the hairy heroine in a musical that’s much more cartoony than Disney’s “Toy Story 3.” (PG) 101 minutes. . . ½

“The Tourist” — Johnny Depp stars as a community college math teacher who gets caught up in a web of intrigue by a mysterious woman (Angelina Jolie) aboard a train to Vienna. A tepid thriller that doesn’t live up to its megawatt star power. (PG-13) V, L. 103 minutes. . .

“TRON Legacy” — The CGI effects have more personality than the characters in this sequel to the 1982 video game-linked movie. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) gets sucked into the digital Grid where he reunites with his missing dad (Jeff Bridges). (PG) 125 minutes. . . ½

“Yogi Bear” — Dan Aykroyd provides the personality to Jellystone Park’s most famous bear. Justin Timberlake is Boo Boo. Animated in 3-D and based on the 1960s TV series. Reviewed by Associated Press. (PG) 82 minutes. . .

Pits

“The Green Hornet” — The radio/TV vigilante gets a frat-boy makeover with Seth Rogen as Britt Reed, a publisher’s son who takes on crime with his associate Kato (Jay Chou), whose martial arts skills mostly come from digital editing. (PG-13) D, L, S, V. 119 minutes. . ½

“Just Go With It” — A crass and superficial rom-com starring Adam Sandler as a surgeon who convinces a staffer (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his soon-to-be ex-wife to cover up a lie he made to a young conquest (Brooklyn Decker). A film without a moral compass or unfunny foul matter detector. (PG-13) D, L, N, S. 116 minutes. ½ star.

“Little Fockers” — Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb second sequel to the funny 2000 comedy “Meet the Parents.” Greg (Ben Stiller) must prove to his father-in-law (Robert De Niro) he has what it takes to become “the god-Focker.” I’m not kidding. (PG-13) D, L, S. 98 minutes. . ½

“The Roommate” — A college student (Minka Kelly) takes in a hot roommate (Leighton Meester), who turns out to be a psycho off her meds. Equal parts boring and ridiculous. (PG-13) L, S, V. 93 minutes. . ½

“Sanctum 3-D” — Several cave divers get trapped underwater and must find a way out, or else. With Ioan Gruffudd and Rhys Wakefield. Reviewed by Jake Coyle, Associated Press. (PG-13) L, V. 109 minutes. . ½

Unpreviewed

“From Prada to Nada” — A Latina take on Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Two sisters are forced to move in with their estranged aunt in L.A. (PG-13) D, S. 107 minutes.

“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” — The singer stars in his own doc chronicling both his onstage and private lives. (G) 105 minutes.

“Patiala House” — A young woman gives a second-generation Sikh in London the courage to save his father’s reputation. (NR) In Hindi with subtitles. 135 minutes.