Not everyone can keep up with new releases at the movie theater. Sometimes, the flick you want to see is already out of the theater by the time you have a free weekend. Have no fear. WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley keeps a running tally. Click the links below for the full reviews based on a 4-star scale.
2017 MOVIE GUIDE
3 1/2 STARS
“Get Out” – Jordan Peele brilliantly combines “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” & “Stepford Wives”
“The Salesman” – Iran’s Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”) chills with Oscar champ for Best Foreign Film
“Life, Animated” – Inspiring doc follows boy who deals with Autism through animated Disney movies
“I Am Not Your Negro” – Doc explores race in America by narrating James Baldwin’s unfinished novel
3 STARS
“Patriots Day” – Third pairing of Mark Wahlberg & Peter Berg recounts Boston Marathon bombing
“Beauty and the Beast” – Disney’s live-action remake does justice to the 1991 animated classic
“Life” – Space thriller borrows from “Alien,” but nice surprises for Jake Gyllenhaal & Ryan Reynolds
2 1/2 STARS
“The Founder” – Michael Keaton shines as Ray Kroc in the rise of McDonald’s, but at what price?
“Kong: Skull Island” – 3D/IMAX creature feature is skull-crushing monster movie — no more, no less
“Split” – M. Night Shyamalan offers killer thriller premise, but tone suffers from multiple personalities
2 STARS
“The Great Wall” – Matt Damon slays green monsters as Good Will Hunting goes Bad Lizard Hunting
“Fifty Shades Darker” – Anastasia & Christian return in sultry sequel that’s more Cupid than stupid
1 STAR
“Rings” – Samara kills early and often in ridiculous fourth installment of “The Ring” horror franchise
“Song to Song” – Star-studded snoozer as Terrence Malick continues his lyrical, pretentious phase
2016 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
“La La Land” – Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling star in dazzling musical by Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”)
“Moonlight” – Barry Jenkins explores three life stages of a gay black man struggling with his identity
“Fences” – Denzel Washington directs/stars in brilliant adaptation of August Wilson’s powerful play
“Jackie” – Natalie Portman is Oscar worthy as Jackie Kennedy in the 4 days after JFK assassination
“Hell or High Water” – Jeff Bridges hunts Chris Pine, Ben Foster in “No Country”-style crime drama
“O.J.: Made in America” – Eight-hour Simpson doc says more about race relations than any recent film
3 1/2 STARS
“Loving” – Jeff Nichols’ account of inter-racial marriage case Loving v. Virginia is quietly effective
“Sully” – Tom Hanks becomes the heroic Sully Sullenberger in this inspiring Clint Eastwood drama
“Arrival” – Amy Adams recruited to translate alien communications in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi gem
“De Palma” – Documentary on Brian DePalma is insightful, personal look into director’s career
“Lion” – Dev Patel & Nicole Kidman give heartfelt performances as lost Indian boy searches for home
“Manchester By the Sea” – Casey Affleck & Michelle Williams are heartbreaking in portrait of grief
“The Birth of a Nation” – Important take on Nat Turner’s slave revolt; hurt by off-screen controversy?
“Cafe Society” – Woody Allen remains prolific with Eisenberg, Carell, Stewart, Lively in ’50s NY vs. LA
“The Handmaiden” – South Korean master Chan-wook Park delivers twisting, turning erotic thriller
“Elle” – Isabelle Huppert tracks down her rapist in Paul Verhoeven’s chilling erotic thriller in France
“Nocturnal Animals” – After unnecessary nude opening credits, Tom Ford unleashes a stylish thriller
“Hidden Figures” – True story of three black women who made history behind the scenes at NASA
“Hacksaw Ridge” – Mel Gibson comeback about first conscientious objector to win Medal of Honor
“Deadpool” – Put the kids to bed, Marvel’s R-rated superhero is ‘Mortal Kombat’ meets ‘Orgazmo’
“Kubo and the Two Strings” – Search for magical suit of armor proves stop-motion animation lives
“The Light Between the Oceans” – Fassbender, Vikander, Weisz shine in melodramatic morality play
“A Monster Calls” – Spain’s J.A. Bayona explores power of storytelling via Liam Neeson’s tree monster
“Miss Sloane” – Jessica Chastain gives powerhouse performance as a ruthless D.C. lobbyist
“The Jungle Book” – Disney turns Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale into a star-studded 3D/IMAX wonder
3 STARS
“Doctor Strange” – Benedict Cumberbatch tames superhero ego in wonderfully weird origin story
“Love & Friendship” – Kate Beckinsale dazzles in comic take on Jane Austen novella “Lady Susan”
“Southside With You” – Indie romance explores 1989 first date between Barack and Michelle Obama
“I, Daniel Blake” – Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner explores frustrating red tape of disability benefits
“Zootopia” – Disney animal romp boasts deeper social commentary than any animated film in a while
“13th” – Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) delivers searing doc about racial disparity in the U.S. prison system
“Silence” – Jesuit priests suffer in Japan as Scorsese continues “Mean Streets” theme of faith & doubt
“Denial” – Rachel Weisz and Timothy Spall battle in true courtroom drama about Holocaust denier
“Allied” – Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard mine WWII intrigue in Robert Zemeckis’ delicious spy romance
“Captain America: Civil War” – Marvel Phase 3 kicks off with crowded but wildly entertaining romp
“Snowden” – Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers career performance in Oliver Stone’s timely biopic
“American Honey” – Andrea Arnold’s Cannes standout sends Sasha Lane on jaunt across the Midwest
“Rogue One” – Eighth chapter of the “Star Wars” saga marches to the beat of its own Imperial drum
“Paterson” – Jim Jarmusch’s quiet exploration of a poetry-writing bus driver (Adam Driver) in N.J.
“Moana” – Auli’i Cravalho & The Rock voice animated Pacific romp with tunes by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Elvis & Nixon” – Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey mine comedy from 1970 Oval office meeting
“Race” – Inspiring biopic tracks Jesse Owens leaving Hitler in the dust at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
“Zero Days” – Alex Gibney’s timely documentary explores unintended consequences of Stuxnet virus
“Weiner” – Doc chronicles sexting scandal that brought down Anthony “Carlos Danger” Weiner
“The Girl on the Train” – Emily Blunt’s superb thriller performance keeps lackluster script on the rails
“Finding Dory” – Pixar’s underwater animated sequel recaptures “Finding Nemo” magic swimmingly
“Demolition” – Jake Gyllenhaal plays widower in offbeat comedy by “Dallas Buyers Club” director
“The Witch” – Robert Eggers’ shocking horror flick is more visually impressive than it is narratively
“20th Century Women” – Annette Bening runs hipster boarding house in 1979 Santa Barbara
“Star Trek: Beyond” – J.J. Abrams may have left, but this sci-fi franchise is still firing on all cylinders
“The Magnificent Seven” – Denzel Washington reunites with Antoine Fuqua for his first Western
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – J.K. Rowling spinoff is a delight for Harry Potter fans
2 1/2 STARS
“Hail Caesar” – Coens’ Hollywood lampoon is cluttered with sideshows, but has best quote of year
“The Infiltrator” – Bryan Cranston goes undercover to prevent drugs spilling across the border
“American Pastoral” – Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut is powerful but heavy-handed and cynical
“Deepwater Horizon” – Peter Berg delivers gripping action but misses bigger picture of Gulf oil spill
“Me Before You” – Emilia Clarke & Sam Claflin find chemistry in touching tearjerker based on book
“X-Men: Apocalypse” – Mutant sequel is no “Days of Future Past,” but “X” still mostly marks the spot
“The Secret Life of Pets” – Animated film is “Toy Story” unleashed, asking what our pets do all day
“I Saw the Light” – Tom Hiddleston delivers a convincing Hank Williams in often superficial biopic
“Hands of Stone” – DeNiro & Ramirez shine, but boxing biopic covers too much of Durán’s career
“Bridget Jones’s Baby” – Great seeing Renee Zellweger back, starts out hilarious, gradually fizzles
“Money Monster” – Jodie Foster holds Clooney, Roberts hostage in compelling, yet implausible film
“The Accountant” – Ben Affleck combines “Will Hunting” & “Jason Bourne” as ass-kicking savant
“Jason Bourne” – Matt Damon kicks ass in nonstop action, but 5th film pales to the original trilogy
“13 Hours” – Benghazi film is fine tribute to those who risk it all, if only the film took similar risks
“The Legend of Tarzan” – Solid cast makes for a mostly fun, if forgettable, new take on old classic
“Ben-Hur” – Remake offers thrilling chariot race, but can’t match William Wyler’s 1959 classic
“Ghostbusters” – Purists can chill; the ladies are game, but there’s not much new here in this reboot
2 STARS
“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” – Great cast lost in effects-driven sequel that no one really wanted
“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” – Tom Cruise fugitive in action sequel fueled by paternity questions
“The Choice” – Nicolas Sparks’ latest finds chemistry between the leads, but cliche weepy ending
“Batman v Superman” – Ben Affleck takes on Henry Cavill in a crowded DC superhero crossover
“Suicide Squad” – Margot Robbie steals the show as Harley Quinn, but the sloppy script is a mess
“The Lobster” – Greek absurdist black comedy is a total snoozer, but points for originality…I guess?
“Inferno” – Tom Hanks returns as Langdon in weakest chapter of Ron Howard-Dan Brown franchise
“Now You See Me 2” – Star-studded magician sequel has too many tricks and twists up its sleeve
“TMNT: Out of the Shadows” – CGI creatures will make you miss Jim Henson’s puppetechtronics
“Zoolander 2” – Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson sequel starts strong, then plunges into stupidity
1 STAR
“Independence Day: Resurgence” – Alien invasion blockbuster sequel sorely misses Will Smith
“Knight of Cups” – Terrence Malick’s latest shatters line between profound and pretentious
2015 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
“Spotlight” – Boston Globe reporters expose Catholic child abuse in modern ‘All the President’s Men’
“Room” – Brie Larson gives Oscar-worthy performance as abducted mother raising child in captivity
“Love & Mercy” – Paul Dano & John Cusack show tortured genius of Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson
“Brooklyn” – Tale of 1950s Irish immigrant to New York is good, old-fashioned storytelling
“Inside Out” – This masterful look at human emotions is one of Pixar’s all-time best animations
“Me & Earl & The Dying Girl” – Sundance champ is hilarious, heartbreaking look at teen cinephiles
“Listen to Me Marlon” – Marlon Brando’s lost tapes reveal the fatalistic cycle of fathers and sons
3 1/2 STARS
“The Martian” – Matt Damon shines on the Red Planet in Ridley Scott’s space comedy-thriller
“The Hateful Eight” – Quentin Tarantino’s violent, vulgar Western Whodunit is bloody ballet
“Ex Machina” – Oscar Isaac & Alicia Vikander shine in Alex Garland’s unforgettable A.I. thriller
“Mad Max: Fury Road” – Tom Hardy takes Mel Gibson’s role in high-octane George Miller reboot
“Creed” – Director, star of “Fruitvale Station” turn this “Rocky” knockoff into a surprise knockout
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” – J.J. Abrams brings George Lucas’ vision roaring back to life
“Victoria” – German flick masters single-take technique with a great performance by Laia Costa
“The Revenant” – Leo DiCaprio should finally win Oscar for role in “Birdman” director’s follow-up
“Steve Jobs” – Boyle & Sorkin focus on the daughter that Apple’s founder refused to admit was his
“Straight Outta Compton” – Compelling N.W.A. biopic is handled with urgency, social relevancy
“Bridge of Spies” – Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks build tension out of Cold War spy negotiations
“Son of Saul” – Hungarian Holocaust drama won Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film
“Carol” – Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara deliver in eloquently-directed tale of forbidden romance
“The Look of Silence” – Oppenheimer doc provides powerful companion piece to “The Act of Killing”
“Winter on Fire” – Harrowing Oscar-nominated documentary charts 2014 Ukrainian revolution
“Trumbo” – Bryan Cranston masterfully plays blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo
“Black Mass” – Johnny Depp stages chilling comeback as Whitey Bulger in true gangster tale
“Amy” – The life, death and genius of Amy Winehouse is explored in this tragic documentary
“He Named Me Malala” – Davis Guggenheim doc tracks Pakistani girl’s famous fight for rights
“Cinderella” – Kenneth Branagh’s old-fashioned flick is refreshing in a revisionist fairytale age
“Trainwreck” – Judd Apatow & Amy Schumer bring warmth to hilarious R-rated comedy
“Red Army” – Documentary explores rise and fall of Soviet hockey team as players jump to NHL
3 STARS
“Concussion” – Will Smith’s best role in a decade has the guts to take on the mighty NFL
“The Big Short” – Star-studded flick breaks down 2008 financial crisis in laymen’s terms
“Chi-Raq” – Spike Lee’s daring new joint adapts Aristophanes’ Ancient Greek play “Lysistrata”
“Crimson Peak” – Guillermo del Toro’s twist is predictable, but gothic visuals are simply gorgeous
“Mistress America” – Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig create screwball comedy in the Big Apple
“Batkid Begins” – Feel-good doc of the summer about Make-A-Wish kid’s Batman for a day stunt
“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” – Tom Cruise once again shines as action hero Ethan Hunt
“The Last Five Years” – Anna Kendrick musical tells both sides of breakup in opposite directions
“Jurassic World” – Fourth installment revives Spielberg’s dino classic from fossilized amber
“The Walk” – Robert Zemeckis recreates the 1974 high-wire walk across NYC’s Twin Towers
“True Story” – Jonah Hill, James Franco get serious in true-crime tale of accused family murderer
“Cartel Land” – Sundance documentary favorite explores drug cartels on U.S.-Mexico border
“The Danish Girl” – Eddie Redmayne is a convincing cross dresser, but it feels more like Oscar bait
“A Very Murray Christmas” – Bill Murray Netflix special is amusing, but more variety show than plot
“Southpaw” – Jake Gyllenhaal transforms himself into boxer in Antoine Fuqua melodrama
“Spectre” – Daniel Craig’s likely last turn as Bond is solid, starting brilliant, but running too long
“The Age of Adaline” – Blake Lively is forever 29 in this fantasy-romance of an ageless woman
“The Visit” – M. Night Shyamalan gets his suspense groove back by eating grandma’s humble pie
“Black Sea” – Jude Law turns ‘Das Boot’ into ‘Das Loot’ searching for sunken treasure on sub
“Truth” – Cate Blanchett & Robert Redford give great performance in Dan Rather fall from grace
“Furious 7” – The late Paul Walker takes one last ride in the franchise’s seventh installment
2 1/2 STARS
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” – Katniss’ final chapter exposes saga’s seven-year itch
“Joy” – David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” mops floor with this tale of J-Law’s QVC entrepreneur
“A Walk in the Woods” – Robert Redford & Nick Nolte carry a buddy-comedy hike on their backs
“The Intern” – Robert DeNiro & Anne Hathaway shine in above-average workplace comedy
“Goosebumps” – Jack Black charms as children’s author R.L. Stine as his book monsters come to life
“Time Out of Mind” – Script drags, but cool homeless experiment for Richard Gere and director
“Freeheld” – Ellen Page & Julianne Moore play a same-sex couple fighting for pension benefits
“No Escape” – Owen Wilson & Lake Bell show serious side in family survival tale in Southeast Asia.
“Focus” – Will Smith’s most suave, romantic role since “Hitch,” but too many ridiculous twists
“Cake” – Jennifer Aniston tries hand at serious role by playing a grieving, hallucinating addict
“Tomorrowland” – Brad Bird & Damon Lindelof team for a complex live-action Disney fantasy
“Entourage” – Won’t win any converts, but fans of the TV show will likely enjoy this movie version
“The Longest Ride” – Scott Eastwood flick will please Nicholas Sparks fans, but won’t win converts
“Ted 2” – Seth MacFarlane’s raunchy sequel pales to the original, but has its hilarious moments
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” – Marvel sequel will be a Hulk Smash, but this time, doesn’t deserve it
2 STARS
“Fifty Shades of Grey” – E.L. James’ erotic S&M novel not sexy enough on the silver screen
“Aloha” – Cameron Crowe’s Hawaiian romantic comedy gets lost in confusing vanilla sky
“Get Hard” – Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart are funny, but the prison-rape premise is not
“Fantastic Four” – Superhero flick wastes talented cast with too much setup, not enough payoff
“Chappie” – Neill Blomkamp’s latest sci-fi flick is confused in tone: cute robot in a cruel world
“The Boy Next-Door” – Jennifer Lopez has dangerous, over-the-top affair with young neighbor
1 1/2 STARS
“Terminator Genisys” – Fifth installment proves the franchise needs to be terminated.
“Pixels” – Adam Sandler goes for “Ghostbusters” charm, but is eaten alive by arcade aliens
1 STAR
“Vacation” – Griswold family reboot misfires with jokes and lacks heart of Chevy Chase original
“Jupiter Ascending” – Mila Kunis & Channing Tatum star in overblown Wachowski sci-fi flop
“Paranormal Activity 6” – Sixth installment “Ghost Dimension” ironically has no dimension at all
2014 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
“Boyhood” – Richard Linklater’s 12-year coming-of-age story is a one-of-a-kind time capsule
“Birdman” – Michael Keaton haunted by superhero past in stunning satire of Hollywood & Broadway
“Selma” – Ava DuVernay gracefully recounts Martin Luther King’s march for equal voting rights
“Life Itself” – Two Thumbs Up for this powerful documentary on the life of movie critic Roger Ebert
“Whiplash” – J.K. Simmons chills as an abusive New York jazz instructor in Sundance champ
3 1/2 STARS
“The Imitation Game” – Cumberbatch breaks Nazi code in bittersweet backstory of first computer
“Nightcrawler” – Jake Gyllenhaal creeps us out in sensationalist world of L.A. crime journalism
“Gone Girl” – Ben Affleck searches for missing wife in another unforgettable thriller by David Fincher
“Citizenfour” – Daring documentary offers amazing access to Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks
“Wild” – Reese Witherspoon takes ‘Wild’ hike of inspiration with ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ director
“Locke” – Tom Hardy delivers a one-man show behind the wheel in riveting one-location thriller
“American Sniper” – Clint Eastwood directs Bradley Cooper as deadliest sniper in U.S. history
“Force Majeure” – Family ski trip explores survival instincts in Foreign Language Oscar favorite
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” – Sci-fi reboot sequel ponders war & peace w/ Serkis as Caesar
“Foxcatcher” – Steve Carell shows dark side in true crime wrestling tale that’s a touch too cynical
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” – Past and present superheroes collide in time travel installment
“Snowpiercer” – South Korean sci-fi action thriller is the best kept secret of the summer
“Fort Bliss” – Michelle Monaghan stars as Army medic who has to win back the love of her son
“The Babadook” – Australian horror flick is freaky with depth to the real mother-son relationship
“Love is Strange” – John Lithgow & Alfred Molina play lovers separated by NYC apartment search
“Still Alice” – Julianne Moore’s portrait of Alzheimer’s should finally win her an overdue Oscar
“The Theory of Everything” – Eddie Redmayne & Felicity Jones shine in Stephen Hawking biopic
“Next Goal Wins” – Inspirational documentary follows soccer team from world’s worst to winners
“Ida” – Polish gem follows Christian nun-in-training who discovers the truth of her Jewish roots
“Exodus: Gods & Kings” – Christian Bale plays Moses in Ridley Scott’s spectacular biblical epic
“The One I Love” – Elisabeth Moss & Mark Duplass take couple’s retreat in year’s craziest premise
3 STARS
“Edge of Tomorrow” – Tom Cruise turns “Groundhog Day” premise into surprising sci-fi action fun
“Interstellar” – Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic isn’t stellar, but its heart is in the right place
“Under the Skin” – Scarlett Johansson plays alien seductress in experimental social commentary
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – The quirky Wes Anderson delivers war-time farce with all-star cast
“Big Eyes” – Amy Adams & Christoph Waltz spar as painters in Tim Burton’s best since “Big Fish”
“The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” – Award-worthy turns from Jessica Chastain & James McAvoy
“Into the Woods” – Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt star in Disney fairytale musical
“Begin Again” – Mark Ruffalo cuts records with Keira Knightley in tale of music’s “lost stars”
“The Judge” – Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall are dynamite in family courtroom drama
“Rosewater” – Jon Stewart makes directorial debut in true story of detained journalist in Iran
“Unbroken” – Angeline Jolie directs harrowing P.O.W. story of Olympian Louis Zamperini
“Guardians of the Galaxy” – Marvel’s scrappy new group of superheroes offers great banter
“Chef” – Actor/director Jon Favreau uses food truck as analogy for his own creative pursuits
“The Lego Movie” – Snubbed at awards season, this flick has unique visuals and a fun soundtrack.
“A Most Violent Year” – Chris Isaac and Jessica Chastain shine in J.C. Chandor’s modern crime saga
“Get on Up” – Chadwick Boseman is dynamite as the godfather of soul James Brown
“St. Vincent” – Bill Murray shines once again, here as a crotchety “Gran Torino” style neighbor
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” – Freedom vs. security debate makes this one of Marvel’s best
“Actress” – Doc follows “The Wire” alum Brandy Burre’s return to acting after housewife hiatus
“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1” – Third installment could be best, but we’ll have to wait and see
“Fading Gigolo” – John Turturro directs himself in modern-day “Midnight Cowboy”
“Draft Day” – Kevin Costner wheels and deals as underdog GM of the Cleveland Browns
“Maleficent” – Angelina Jolie is wickedly talented in this alternate take on “Sleeping Beauty”
“Bad Words” – Jason Bateman makes directorial debut as adult who enters a child spelling bee
2 1/2 STARS
“A Million Ways to Die in the West” – Seth MacFarlane’s western spoof is funny, but no Mel Brooks
“Noah” – The daring Darren Aronofsky builds moody Biblical epic, but with one unforgivable flaw
“Godzilla” – Bryan Cranston and the legendary lizard fade to the background in blockbuster spectacle
“Medora” – Small-town decay presented through Indiana high school hoops
“When the Game Stands Tall” – Story is better than storytelling in true high school winning streak
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” – Spidey sequel brings great romance, but too many villains
“Peabody & Sherman” – Time travel cartoon brings history lesson, but convoluted plot for kids
“Annie” – Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz star in remake of 1982 musical
2 STARS
“Jersey Boys” – Eastwood’s take on the Broadway smash is way too bleak
“Transcendence” – Johnny Depp sci-fi thriller starts strong, but falters down the stretch
“Monuments Men” – Clooney can’t decide between comedy or drama in WWII art rescue flick
“Labor Day” – Kate Winslet falls for Josh Brolin’s fugitive in rare Jason Reitman stumble
1 STAR
“Need for Speed” – Aaron Paul’s ridiculous racing flick quickly “breaks bad”
“The Other Woman” – Over-the-top Leslie Mann performance ruins a creative revenge premise
“Ouija” – Cheap scares as teens are haunted by a killer Ouija board
2013 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
“American Hustle” – David O. Russell reunites his favorite casts to tell delicious con artist tale
“12 Years a Slave” – True story of American slavery is hard to watch, but impossible to forget
“Her” – Joaquin Phoenix falls for Siri in most unique love story since “Harold & Maude”
“Gravity” – Alfonso Cuaron crafts a modern-day “2001” with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney
“Short Term 12” – Two lovers run a facility for at-risk youth in South By Southwest winner
“Before Midnight” – Richard Linklater resumes tale of Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, now in middle-age
“Fruitvale Station” – Brilliantly directed Sundance winner based on real-life racially charged shooting
“The Act of Killing” – Indonesian death squads re-enact their genocide in Oscar-nominated doc
3 1/2 STARS
“Prisoners” – Star-studded cast shines in a nail-biting crime thriller about child abduction
“Captain Phillips” – Tom Hanks shines as real-life hostage of 2009 Somali hijacking
“The Way, Way Back” – Hilarious coming of age story with a heel turn by Steve Carell
“Dallas Buyers Club” – McConaughey and Leto give award-worthy performances selling HIV drugs
“Philomena” – Judi Dench plays a former nun who goes searching for her long-lost son
“Blue is the Warmest Color” – Cannes Palme d’Or winner tracks the heartache of lesbian lovers
“Nebraska” – Bruce Dern goes on a father-son road trip to claim a sweepstakes prize
“The Butler” – Forest Whitaker & Oprah Winfrey shine in journey through Civil Rights Movement
“The Wolf of Wall Street” – Leo DiCaprio brings it in Scorsese’s excessive epic that’s an hour too long
“The Good Son” – Boxer Ray Mancini meets the fiancee and son of the man he killed in the ring
“Iron Man 3” – Action-packed threequel with buddy comedy from Shane Black (“Lethal Weapon”)
“Frozen” – Disney’s tale of sibling love teaches us to “Let it Go”
“The Spectacular Now” – Shailene Woodley sparkles with script by “(500) Days of Summer” writers
“Saving Mr. Banks” – Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson star in making-of tale of “Mary Poppins”
3 STARS
“The Great Gatsby” – Leo DiCaprio nails Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann’s lavish spectacle
“August: Osage County” – Dark family secrets revealed by Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts
“Blue Jasmine” – Cate Blanchett shines as Woody Allen continues to carve his prolific place in history
“Rush” – Ron Howard chronicles real-life racing rivalry between James Hunt and Nika Lauda
“42” – The Jackie Robinson story comes to life with Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey
“All is Lost” – Robert Redford gives one-man, silent performance lost at sea
“Side Effects” – Smart, pill- popping psycho-thriller by Steven Soderbergh
“Enough Said” – James Gandolfini gives final performance romancing Julia Louis Dreyfus
“World War Z” – Popcorn thrills abound in adaptation of Max Brooks zombie novel
“Inside Llewyn Davis” – Oscar Isaac shines in Coen Brothers’ bleak tale of ’60s folk music
“The Book Thief” – A young girl teaches a Jewish refugee to read during WWII
“This is the End” – Hollywood jokers play themselves in very funny apocalyptic comedy
“The Kings of Summer” – Indie fav about a group of boys who build a house in the woods
“Mud” – Matthew McConaughey plays an almost mythical drifter in coming-of-age tale
“The Great Beauty” – Italian art-house flick won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language flick
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” – J.J. Abrams helms a solid follow-up to his 2009 “Star Trek” reboot
“In a World” – Lake Bell is a triple threat in spoof of movie trailer world
“The Conjuring” – Stylish, well-acted horror, but not as memorable as the other flicks it homages
“Lone Survivor” – Peter Berg directs intense real-life account of botched Navy SEAL mission
“Hunger Games: Catching Fire” – Jennifer Lawrence returns for Round 2 of “The Hunger Games”
“Anchorman 2” – Burgundy’s return = “60 percent of the time it works every time”
“The Lone Ranger” – Johnny Depp’s Tonto tale isn’t for kids, but works as a dark action comedy
2 1/2 STARS
“Blue Caprice” – D.C. Sniper script plays loose with facts, but masterfully directed like “In Cold Blood”
“Now You See Me” – Magician heist caper starts strong, finishes weak
“Man of Steel” – Superman reboot offers great action, but not enough Lois & Clark
“Oz: The Great and Powerful” – James Franco snarky in an otherwise clever origin story
“Fast & Furious 6” – Funny banter and fast cars, but not as good as “Fast Five”
“Thor: The Dark World” – Thor sequel falls short of the Marvel Phase 2 bar set by “Iron Man 3”
“Olympus Has Fallen” – Gerard Butler kicks terrorist butt in over-the-top White House attack
“Jobs” – Steve Jobs biopic follows career highlights but fails to explore personal life
“Carrie” – Remake pales in comparison to 1976 classic, but poignant take on cyber bullying
2 STARS
“The Purge” – Clever horror premise wasted as murder is legal for one day a year
“Gangster Squad” – Star-studded cast in ill-timed shoot-em-up flick
“White House Down” – Tatum & Foxx mine laughs, but film pales to “Olympus ”
“The Big Wedding” – French farce remake borrows from too many past wedding flicks
1 1/2 STARS
“The Hangover: Part III” – Funny franchise suffers from too much Mr. Chow
“A Good Day to Die Hard” – Franchise moves to Russia but gives us little reason to care
RE-RELEASES
“The Wizard of Oz 3D” – The 3D upgrade of the 1939 classic is a horse of a different color
“Jurassic Park 3D” – Steven Spielberg’s prehistoric blockbuster revived from fossilized amber
2012 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
3 1/2 STARS
“The Impossible”
“Rust & Bone”
“The Sessions”
3 STARS
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
2 1/2 STARS
“Les Miserables”
2 STARS
RE-RELEASES
2011 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
3 1/2 STARS
“Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”
3 STARS
2 1/2 STARS
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”