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  • Journey 2: The Mysterious IslandNew U.S. ReleaseAs simple and direct as its abbreviated title, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a fun though rarely funny family adventure whose lively special effects compensate somewhat for actors who largely sleepwalk through their roles.Russell Edwards1/17/2012 6:00pm PT

  • The GreyNew U.S. ReleaseAudiences primed by trailers and TV spots to anticipate a straight-up man-vs.-nature action-thriller -- something like Liam Neeson in "Tangles With Wolves" -- may find "The Grey" to be at once more and less than what they expect. Joe Leydon1/17/2012 3:00pm PT

  • The Perfect StrangerPalm SpringsDistinguished mainly by its lovely lensing of the Spanish countryside, "The Perfect Stranger" is a pleasant but feeble fish-out-of-water dramedy that never finds a confident groove or delivers a single surprise.Justin Chang1/16/2012 7:06pm PT

  • Back to Your ArmsPalm SpringsCold War intrigue prior to the erection of the Berlin Wall injects the occasionally engaging "Back to Your Arms" with a tension that's nevertheless different from what you'd expect in a standard spy movie.Robert Koehler1/16/2012 6:08pm PT

  • Arranged HappinessPalm SpringsThe tricky business of finding a suitable husband in Kashmir is observed from an outsider's perspective in "Arranged Happiness," an eye-opening cultural study that's a bit too self-involved for its own good.Justin Chang1/16/2012 5:58pm PT

  • The Girls in the BandPalm SpringsThe hidden history of women in jazz is treated with a fan's enthusiasm and musical depth in Judy Chaikin's lovingly rendered "The Girls in the Band." Plentiful screen time for three generations of femme jazzers, led by energetic and witty gals from the golden age of big band and swing who unlock a treasure trove of memories, make this a real crowdpleaser (it won the Palm Springs fest's documentary audience award). A lock for widespread fest travels and ancillary sales, the pic may prompt a rewrite of jazz history.Robert Koehler1/16/2012 4:04pm PT

  • The EntrepreneurRome Film FestivalGray may be the new black for fashion, but it's a dull color scheme for helmer Giuliano Montaldo's "The Entrepreneur."Jay Weissberg1/16/2012 3:37pm PT

  • Off-White LiesPalm SpringsBalanced on a fulcrum between drama and comedy, director/co-writer Maya Kenig's "Off-White Lies" follows the inevitably rocky relationship of an unemployed man and his teen daughter visiting him in Israel.Robert Koehler1/15/2012 6:38pm PT

  • Montevideo: Taste of a DreamPalm SpringsBalls are kicked and women are wooed in "Montevideo: Taste of a Dream," which recounts the unruly origins of Serbia's top 1930s soccer duo. Boyd van Hoeij1/11/2012 8:26pm PT

  • SplintersNew U.S. ReleaseSurfing meets sociology in "Splinters," a compelling docu about the sport's arrival in the Papua New Guinea village of Vanimo. Following four riders whose quest for glory is surrounded by factional rivalries and bitter personal conflicts, helmer Adam Pesce's noteworthy debut carefully balances uplifting footage of hopefuls chasing dreams with startlingly raw coverage of their dry-land dramas.Richard Kuipers1/11/2012 7:05pm PT

  • Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott's Road to the StarsNew U.S. Release"Man on a Mission" offers an up-close and personal look at space travel through the somewhat flamboyant persona of computer-game mogul Richard Garriott, looking to follow in his astronaut father's intergalactic footsteps.Ronnie Scheib1/11/2012 4:04pm PT

  • LoosiesNew U.S. ReleaseThe tale of a pickpocket's redemption through love, plus a vengeance-seeking cop and assorted betrayals, "Loosies" weakly channels Sam Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" but without the explosive action, iconic thesping and stylistic punch.Ronnie Scheib1/11/2012 4:03pm PT

  • The MonkNew Int'l. ReleaseDominik Moll's earlier work showed how good he is at finding the shocking in the mundane, but "The Monk" unfortunately proves he's equally adept at finding the mundane in the shocking.Jonathan Holland1/11/2012 4:02pm PT

  • ContrabandNew U.S. ReleaseA reasonably swift and effective reworking of the 2008 thriller "Reykjavik-Rotterdam."Justin Chang1/11/2012 4:00pm PT

  • The Great MagicianNew Int'l. ReleaseToo many potions muddle the alchemy in "The Great Magician," a picaresque romance set around the rivalry between a warlord and a conjurer in 1920s China.Maggie Lee1/11/2012 1:24pm PT

  • PlayersNew Int'l. ReleaseTwin brother helmers Abbas and Mustan Burmawalla (billed as Abbas-Mustan) refashion the 2003 version of "The Italian Job" with "Players," a rare example of a Bollywood remake that officially credits its source.Russell Edwards1/10/2012 6:44pm PT

  • CuracaoWith razor-sharp irony, Dutch documakers Sander Snoep and Sarah Vos limn a damning portrait of the legacy of colonialism in "Curacao." Ronnie Scheib1/9/2012 9:55pm PT

  • Fish Above Sea LevelTyro Jordanian writer-director Hazim Bitar's laid-back minimalist approach works to surprising dramatic effect in "Fish Above Sea Level," a character-driven two-hander about the grandson of a white loan shark and the grandson of his black victim thrown together by the economic downturn.Ronnie Scheib1/9/2012 8:19pm PT

  • XP3D "XP3D" is being marketed as the first Spanish chiller in 3D, but that's where its novelty ends.Jonathan Holland1/8/2012 2:48pm PT

  • The Devil InsideNew U.S. ReleaseDespite the palpable air of deja vu that hangs over it like a light fog, "The Devil Inside" generates a fair amount of suspense during sizable swaths of its familiar but serviceable exorcism-centric scenario.Joe Leydon1/5/2012 11:41pm PT

  • Joyful NoiseNew U.S. ReleaseDespite a hefty gospel infusion, "Joyful Noise" adopts the subject but not the spirit of the praise-choir world, serving up a routinely plotted competition drama in which Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton (playing her first bigscreen lead in 20 years) vie for control of a small-town Georgia church chorus. Peter Debruge1/5/2012 3:00pm PT

  • Beneath the DarknessNew U.S. Release"Beneath the Darkness" is a malformed, would-be horror shocker with a deliriously deranged performance by Dennis Quaid, who unfortunately seems to be the only one onboard who thinks he's in a comedy. John Anderson1/5/2012 1:49pm PT

  • It's About You"It's About You" opens with an argument over who the docu is about: John Mellencamp, whose 2009 concert and recording tour are chronicled here, or professional shutterbug/amateur documentarian Kurt Markus.Ronnie Scheib1/3/2012 7:20pm PT

  • DelicacyNew Int'l. ReleaseAfter an out-of-the-blue French kiss, a slobby Swede becomes the unlikely love interest of a widowed Gallic gamine in "Delicacy."Boyd van Hoeij1/3/2012 4:48pm PT

  • Nova ZemblaNew Int'l. ReleaseA love story, a large ship and nasty icebergs are all key ingredients of "Nova Zembla."Boyd van Hoeij1/1/2012 5:42pm PT

  • Black BloodNew Int'l. ReleaseThe Cathay countryside and its inhabitants have rarely looked drearier than in "Black Blood," Zhang Miaoyan's impressive second feature. Boyd van Hoeij1/1/2012 4:03pm PT

  • Angels CrestNew U.S. ReleaseIn "Angels Crest," guilt eats away at a young father whose momentary lapse of judgment caused his 3-year-old son to freeze to death.Ronnie Scheib12/29/2011 5:50pm PT

  • Le TableauPainted characters in various states of completion, and from several works of a French painter who probably lived in the 1930s, unite and go in search of their true colors in the enchanting animated pic "Le Tableau."Boyd van Hoeij12/29/2011 2:42pm PT

  • Don 2New U.S. ReleaseMultihyphenate Farhan Akhtar's sequel to his 2006 hit "Don" reprises most of the original cast, including Priyanka Chopra, Om Puri and superstar Shah Rukh Khan as the suavely sexy master criminal, for an action-filled caper that stretches from Malaysia to Germany.Ronnie Scheib12/28/2011 12:33pm PT

  • Red GlovesRomanian Film FestivalBased on the main character's 1950s-set autobiographical novel, vet filmmaker Radu Gabrea's "Red Gloves," a detailed recreation of interrogation techniques that cause a confused young man to betray friends and even his own brother, rings absolutely true.Ronnie Scheib12/27/2011 7:48pm PT

  • One Day MoreTurinItaly's bid for a good old-fashioned American romantic comedy makes a perfectly pleasant showing with "One Day More."Jay Weissberg12/27/2011 8:56am PT

  • Taxi BalladDubaiAn intermittently amusing comedy from tyro Lebanese helmer-scribe Daniel Joseph. Alissa Simon12/27/2011 8:55am PT

  • A Gang StoryNew Int'l. ReleaseIt's a small step from stealing cherries to extreme gangland violence for two youngsters in "A Gang Story."Boyd van Hoeij12/26/2011 6:52pm PT

  • Heels of WarDubaiAmbitious magical realist "Heels of War," from tyro Lebanese helmer-scribe Joe Bou Eid, adds beaucoup imaginative license to the story of how his parents met and married. Alissa Simon12/26/2011 6:47pm PT

  • The Greatest of AllTurinA provincial rock band is reunited by its biggest fan in the offbeat, spryly entertaining comedy.Jay Weissberg12/26/2011 4:39pm PT

  • Miss MinoesNew U.S. ReleaseThere's a whole lot of meowing in "Miss Minoes," a bland, kid-friendly Dutch tale of a pussycat-turned-woman.Ronnie Scheib12/26/2011 4:14pm PT

  • The Darkest HourNew U.S. ReleaseA modestly inventive and involving variation on a standard-issue sci-fi doomsday scenario.Joe Leydon12/25/2011 10:29am PT

  • Juan and EvaHuelvaThe early years of Juan and Eva Peron's relationship are the subject of "Juan and Eva," writer-director Paula de Luque's elegant, well-crafted meditation on the relationship between the private and the political.Jonathan Holland12/21/2011 5:20pm PT

  • Silence: All Roads Lead to MusicDubaiFive renowned musicians come together to perform a one-off concert in a small Sicilian town in the superbly wrought docu "Silence: All Roads Lead to Music."Alissa Simon12/21/2011 5:19pm PT

  • Flying Swords of Dragon GateNew Int'l. ReleaseThe 3D is terrific in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," but helmer Tsui Hark's costume actioner -- the first Chinese-lingo movie shown in the stereoscopic Imax format -- is let down by two-dimensional characters.Richard Kuipers12/21/2011 1:47pm PT

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