EAT PRAY LOVE - C+

Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco

Having never read the 2006 memoir Eat Pray Love, I cannot comment on how closely this version matches the original work. I can, however, say that I can only hope that all this selfish naval-gazing came across better on the page than on the screen, even with all the fancy global backdrops.

DESPICABLE ME - B+

Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Russell Brand

By this point, it isn’t the technical achievements of animated films that really provide the dazzle – it’s the screenplay and the story. Despicable Me aces both, offering a lively, warm and often hilarious tale about a bad-guy (Carell) whose heart gets melted thanks to three little girls.

COUNTRY STRONG - C+

Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw

There are some very appealing actors in Country Strong and they do what they can with a rather ragged script, most of it stitched on top of the framework of the superior Crazy Heart (2009). Unfortunately, the film never grasps the demons that haunt the film’s central country star. 

COMPANY MEN, THE - B

Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper

Upper management may not be the most sympathetic group of people for a drama about recession fall-out, but this is a smart and engrossing – if a little uneven – debut from writer-director John Wells. It certainly helps that the entire cast of veterans (yes, even Ben Affleck) is top notch.

CATFISH - C+

Documentary
Despite a decent build-up, this “reality thriller” about a Facebook romance gone fishy sends off a surprising number of false notes for a supposed documentary. Unfortunately, that nagging sensation ends up overwhelming the film, especially after the surprise is out of the bag.

CASINO JACK - C+

Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston
Spacey has the right combo of venom and charisma for this look at the downfall of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but the rest of the film is far too muddled, with wild shifts in tone from somber drama to easy-going comedy (a smarmy turn by former SNLer Jon Lovitz doesn’t help).

BLUE VALENTINE - A-

Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel
This raw drama from director Derek Cianfrance skips back and forth from the first blossoms of love to the brutal explosion of a relationship. It’s deliberately paced and acted with such brutal honesty that it hits you emotionally like a sucker punch. Not an easy film, but a fantastic one.