With George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard. Written by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated R (for language including some sexual references). 115 minutes.

Director Alexander Payne makes films that are hard to classify. Movies like “Sideways” and “About Schmidt” are both comedies and dramas. They are really character studies and in presenting us with complex characters Payne sees both the comedy and the tragedy that makes up most of our lives. Such is the case with THE DESCENDANTS, a film that may be George Clooney’s best work as an actor to date and might even win him another Oscar.

Clooney plays Matt King, an attorney in Hawaii who has to handle a full plate of problems. First, his wife has been in a boating accident, is in a coma, and may never recover. Second, he learns that while he’s been playing the workaholic, she’s been having an affair. Third, he is the person who has to decide how to deal with a massive site of undeveloped land which has been held in trust for his extended family: should it be sold or be allowed to remain undisturbed? Fourth, he suddenly has to be the active parent for his two daughters.

Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) is a teenager in boarding school who keeps acting out. She’s a teenage girl who thinks she know it all in large part because she seems to have been raising herself. Her younger sister Scottie (Amara Miller) is on the verge of hitting her teens and doesn’t have much in the way of role models. Matt is ill-equipped to handle these two feisty girls, but it’s not like he has a lot of choice.

As with other Payne films it’s more a collection of incidents than a story-driven movie. We know that Matt will have to make a decision about the land, but that’s more of a plot device than the reason for the film, just like the African child Jack Nicholson writes to in “About Schmidt.” Instead, this is about a man who has found a nice shell to hide in while avoiding life. Suddenly, he finds himself pulled out and forced to deal with the world, and it’s not easy. He’s making it up as he goes along as when he tracks down the man (Matthew Lillard) with whom his wife has been having an affair. Once he finds him, what is he going to do?

In movies like “Election,” “Sideways” and “About Schmidt,” Payne seems fascinated with men forced to get out of their ruts and confront the messy, real world. It may not be pleasant, but sometimes it is, and that’s where the mix of comedy and drama comes in. There are moments when Clooney lets us see how Matt is struggling to handle everything that has been dumped in his lap, and there are moments, like the film’s final scene, where we see a man who has figured out what’s truly important. It’s a wonderful, touching performance without a touch of star power.

“The Descendants” is a solid, grown-up film that reminds us that there’s real heroism in simply living day to day.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

There’s no defending MAN ON A LEDGE in terms of logic or depth of character. You either buy into it or you don’t. If you do, it’s a nifty thriller with lots of twists and turns. If you don’t, it’s just a contrived story.

Nick Cassidy (SamWorthington) is an ex-cop who has busted out of prison and is now standing on the ledge of a Manhattan hotel threatening to jump. The only person he’ll talk to is Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), a police official who specializes in such situations. Unfortunately, the last time she tried to talk to a suicidal person, he jumped. There’s much more to the plot than this, but since the movie is all plot, one doesn’t want to give too much away.

For instance, Nick’s brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and his hot girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are part of Nick’s plan, although they’re not in the hotel. They’re in an office building owned by David Englander (Ed Harris), a Trump-like developer who is the reason Nick was sent to prison. There’s a TV reporter (Kyra Sedgwick with a phony Latina accent) whose involvement borders on interference. There are other cops (Edward Burns, Titus Welliver) whose actions indicate they may have other agendas. As the action unfolds, you hope everything will be explained. It is, but if you’re hoping some of it isn’t utterly preposterous, you may be hoping for too much.
As this becomes clear, it is revealed that Nick has an agenda himself, and he’s more interested in clearing his name than jumping, but as the action proceeds, his options become limited.

What makes the film work, if you’re willing to play along, is the cast. Where the recent “Contraband” made us wonder why we should care about its lowlife characters, many of the characters here win us over. As things play out in an unexpected but satisfying manner, we want the good guys to succeed, no matter how unorthodox their methods.

It takes a while for Worthington’s character to develop enough for us to catch on, but Banks is immediately effective as the proverbial woman in a man’s world, having to prove herself every time she goes out. It helps that the first cop on the scene is portrayed by Edward Burns, whose everyman demeanor lets us know that he’s okay. Ed Harris provides an interesting contrast, as he is oily and grandiose as the developer, clearly having fun playing the cartoonish villain.

Perhaps that’s the secret of “Man On A Ledge.” It’s not a great film, but it is entertaining pulp fiction in large part because the people involved seem to be having fun making it and want us to have a good time too. You may end up thinking the story is ridiculous, but as new plot twists emerge even after the film’s climax, you won’t have been bored. For a January release that isn’t an Oscar contender from the previous year, that’s saying a lot.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts, Nonso Anozie. Written by Joe Carnahan & Ian Mackenzie Jeffers. Directed by Joe Carnahan. Rated R (for violence/disturbing content including bloody images, and for pervasive language). 117 minutes.

At a time in life when leading dramatic actors start moving into character roles, Liam Neeson has gone in the other direction and become an action star. In just the last few years he’s tracked down Eurotrash kidnappers in “Taken,” gotten involved in assassination and betrayal in “Unknown,” led “The A-Team” and was Zeus in the remake of “Clash Of The Titans.” Sure, he’s taken some small character roles in between, but when he’s the lead, chances are he’s either beating the bag out of someone (if he hasn’t already shot them in the face), or just plain releasing the Kraken.

In THE GREY, he’s taking on a pack of wolves. No, he’s not a bouncer in a nightclub, he’s Ottway, a man who has lost everything important to him and taken a job in a remote part of Alaska. His job is killing wolves which may threaten the men who work at the site. Now on a plane back to civilization, he’s one of a handful of survivors when it crash-lands. Without hope of rescue, they decide to head south on foot in hope reaching people before it’s too late.

Their journey takes them through the territory of a wolf pack (the effects apparently owing more to animatronics than CGI). Outnumbered, they have to outwit the wolves while trying to move the odds in their favor. It seems hopeless. In fact, it is the men acting even though they may already be doomed that gives the movie its existential atmosphere. As long as they keep going on, they are still in control of their fate.

The problem is that except for Ottway, none of the other characters are really developed. There’s one who resents his assertion of command. Others have their own issues, but none of them develop into people that we really know or care much about. In a sense the men, too, are part of the challenge facing Ottway. He must cope with their fears or counterproductive actions as well as the predatory wolves.

While the location shooting is a plus – you’re taken by the natural beauty one moment and the isolation and desolation the next – ultimately the film is about Ottway facing his own inner demons when he finally faces off against the leader of the wolf pack. The ending will divide audiences and while not to be revealed here, here is a warning: stick around through the closing credits. For some inexplicable reason, there is a final shot inserted for those who might object to how the film proper actually ends.

This is an old-fashioned Jack London tale in some ways, in that it’s a sage of men against raw nature. Neeson provides the necessary gravitas to make this more than a disposable action flick. “The Grey” is about keeping it together when dying, getting hysterical, or just giving up would be much more logical responses. As such, it’s tough-minded movie about persevering even in the face of disaster. For Liam Neeson in his action film mode, the alternative is simply not an option.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, Charles Dance. Written by Len Wiseman & John Hlavin and J. Michael Straczynski and Allison Burnett. Directed by Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein. Rated R (for strong violence and gore, and for some language). 88 minutes.

The “Underworld” series may consist of action packed B-movies, but they certainly are ambitious. In creating a new and evolving mythology involving both vampires and werewolves, it provides plenty of opportunities for the two classic monsters to go at it. This fourth film in the series shows no sign of slowing down.

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING opens with a recap in which we learn (or are reminded) of the long-running battle between the vampires and the Lycans, as the werewolves are called. The discovery of a hybrid vampire/Lycan may have changed everything. Our heroine, vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) was all set to run off with hybrid Michael when they were ambushed by humans trying to eradicate both monsters.

Twelve years pass. Selene awakes from being frozen in suspended animation at some research facility called Antigen and finds that things have changed for the worse. Both vampires and Lycans are nearly extinct, and it’s not clear why she was being preserved. We learn things as she does but not everything she is told turns out to be true. When we finally get the full story, things turn out to be a lot more complicated.

One of the mysteries has to do with the discovery of Eve (India Eisley), a 12-year-old girl who seems to be a natural hybrid. What’s her story? Do the math. It turns out she’s the key to the battle between the vampires now led by Thomas (Charles Dance), who want nothing to do with her, and the Lycans, who want to capture her by any means necessary. Kindly Dr. Lane (Stephen Rea), who tells the public there is no cure for vampirism or lycanthropy, seems to have his own agenda which is slowly revealed.

This is pulp horror with a dollop of science fiction, especially when we learn the nature of Dr. Lane’s experiments, with the cast elevating the material above the gore and CGI effects. Besides the classy Beckinsale, Dance, and Rea, there’s also Michael Ealy as the police detective on the case who turns out to have a surprising bit of sympathy for Selene. In addition, the appearance of J. Michael Straczynski (of “Babylon 5” fame) among the writing credits makes one wonder how much of the film’s intelligence derives from his contributions.

“Underworld: Awakening” isn’t an A-List SF/horror entry but, like the other films in the series, is surprisingly better than you might expect from a movie being released with no press screenings, usually a sign the distributor has no faith in its prospects after opening weekend. Although the set up for number five is inevitable, this entry delivers the goods. After seeing this, chances are viewers will be well-primed and howling to see the next one.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas. Written by Lem Dobbs. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Rated R (for some violence). 93 minutes.

Steven Soderbergh is one of our most eclectic directors, moving easily from obscure arthouse movies to star-packed romps to serious mainstream dramas. HAYWIRE has an impressive cast and a lot of action, but for some viewers it may seem like he’s in arthouse mode. It is a violent thriller about a betrayed spy where the details of the mission and the motivations of the character are never quite clear. Not quite as obscure as “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” it will still frustrate those who want to know they why of the story.

It’s essentially a vehicle for martial arts star Gina Carano, who is surrounded by a cast that includes Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender. It opens at a roadside café where Mallory (Carano) is awaiting the arrival of a contact and is surprised by Aaron (Tatum), with whom she had worked on a recent mission. When she refuses to go with him, he starts to beat her up. It will not be the last time some guy pummels her, nor the last time her opponents pays the price for making this mistake.

Since this is a shaggy dog story, the details of the plot don’t matter much. Kenneth (McGregor) handles jobs for government spy agencies they can’t or don’t want to do themselves. Mallory, apparently an ex-lover, works for him. As she relates in flashback to the hapless guy who helps her escape (Michael Angarano) she was involved in a mission that went wrong. In fact, she learns she’s been set up and betrayed. Now she’s trying to get to the people who sold her out and set things right.

If you want to know why all this is going on, about the only explanation you’ll get is her line as to why she chased down someone who was no longer threatening their mission: “I hate loose ends.” What the movie is really about is watching Carano strut her stuff, mopping the floor with Mssrs. Tatum, Fassbender and McGregor. This is clearly a woman you don’t want getting angry at you.

As the action jumps between the U.S., Spain and Ireland, there are chases and shootouts, but not much in the way of characterization. There’s not even a romantic subplot, as Mallory objects to any notion that she’s “eye candy.” She may look nice in a party dress, but that won’t get in the way of her beating the living daylights out of anyone who comes after her.

At 93 minutes, “Haywire” is a compact thriller with more star power than the script requires and lots of action. After such recent movies as “Contagion,” “The Informant!” and the epic “Che,” it’s clear that Soderbergh wanted to kick back with a popcorn movie. It’s a very slick and stylish popcorn movie, no doubt, but in this case you’d be better off checking your brain at the door.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Daniela Ruah. Written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder. Directed by Anthony Hemingway. Rated PG-13 (for some sequences of war violence). 125 minutes.

RED TAILS is a project that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas has shepherded to the screen, despite first-time director Anthony Hemingway being at the helm. It’s the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black World War II squadron that was designed to fail and went on to be among the most decorated units in the war. Although the story has been told before, it bears repeating.

Colonel A. J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) has his work cut out for him. His men are flying secondhand planes that barely hold together and are given “missions” that keep them far away from the war. His superiors don’t believe “colored” soldiers are equipped to be in the frontline of battle. Not all of them feel that way, though, and eventually the men get a mission of major importance. They are to escort the “Flying Fortresses” whose mission it is to bomb Germany into submission. Being an escort may seem like a secondary role, but it is their job to fight off (and shoot down) the German planes going after the bombers. It turns out they are very good at this.

This would be just another World War II movie but for two things. First, it is the story of how “Negro” soldiers proved their worth and eventually won the respect they deserved. Early on we see Joe Little (David Oyelowo) being told that even though he is an officer, the officer’s club is for whites only. Later in the film, Little and several of the other airmen are welcomed into the club by the grateful pilots of the bombers who acknowledge they owe their lives to the black airmen. Stories of how ignorance and prejudice are overcome are always worth telling.

The other thing is the use of CGI (i.e., digital computer effects) to take us into the air and into the dogfights with the Germans. Short of documentary footage of actual air battles, this may as close to seeing what it’s like to be in an air war up on the big screen. The good guys are easy to spot because their planes have been painted red in the back, giving them a distinctive look as well as the title for the movie. Their swooping and maneuvering is like a game of three-dimensional chess.

Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (sporting a pipe) are good as the officers caught between racism above and frustration below, but it is the young actors playing the pilots who deserve most of our attention. Chief among them are Oyelowo as a hot dog who doesn’t always follow orders but also finds himself in a romance with a local Italian woman (Daniela Ruah). Nate Parker has the less showy role of Captain Martin “Easy” Julian, who tries to lead his men and but secretly drinks to numb the pain and the pressure. He has to learn that the key to leadership is not always knowing the right thing to do, but simply being able to make decisions.

In many ways, “Red Tails” is an old-fashioned movie, but for younger viewers who haven’t seen most of the films about WWII it will seem fresh and original. Even those who are well-versed in the genre will find a lot to like in this solidly told story of men proving they have what it takes not only to others but to themselves.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Lukas Haas. Written by Aaron Guzikowski. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Rated R (for violence, pervasive language and brief drug use). 110 minutes.

Based on a 2010 film from Iceland, something seems to have gotten lost in the translation in transforming this into CONTRABAND, the story of an ex-smuggler who has to pull off one last job. Part of the problem is that the movie spends so much time with lowlifes, criminals, turncoats and just plain despicable people, and these are the good guys. The bad guys are even worse.

Mark Wahlberg tops a strong cast as John Bryce, the ex-smuggler who has gone straight and is now devoted to his wife (a miscast and misused Kate Beckinsale) and two young boys. However, when his brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones) runs afoul of a local drug lord (Giovanni Ribisi), he has no choice but to pull off One Last Job to set things right. It involves going from New Orleans to Panama to pick up several million dollars in counterfeit American money.

What follows is a tortured and convoluted plot where characters have secret agendas, the drug lord attacks John’s wife and kids, John’s best friend (Ben Foster) agrees to watch out for her while John’s away, and things are only getting started. John signs on to the crew of a cargo ship, but the captain (J. K. Simmons) hates him and demotes him to vacuuming the ship’s carpets. Who knew cargo ships had carpets? Then the deal he thought he had set up goes bad so he has to improbably make a hurried connection for counterfeit money from another source. Then things go bad and he has to agree to help a Panamanian gangster rob an armored truck. Meanwhile the ship is preparing to leave Panama and his wife is under a new threat at home.

Confused? It’s not that hard to follow. What it is, though, is absurdly contrived. This is a movie that thrives on coincidence and last minute changes. Wahlberg’s character manages to avoid being caught by a matter of seconds not once, not twice, but at least three times during the course of the film. Kate Beckinsale faces certain doom if her husband doesn’t show up at precisely the right moment. The armored truck robbery involves not cash but a famous painting that is subsequently discovered several times and misinterpreted as something else. This isn’t clever plotting. It’s laziness.

The cast does what they can with their parts but the writing and direction are so weak that we never get the sense of these being people caught up in a web of lies and deception, only cardboard cutouts whose identifying traits seem to be the whole of their existence. Thus Ribisi is a violent thug, but he also cares for his daughter. Where did she come from? Where’s the mother? Who cares for her when he’s off terrorizing other people? Don’t ask those questions. The daughter exists for the sole purpose of showing that Ribisi’s drug lord has another side to him. No thought was given beyond that.

“Contraband” may not have been smuggled in from Iceland, but one has to ask if the original film made more sense than the mess that’s onscreen here.•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

With Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Kris Kristofferson. Written and directed by Todd Graff. Rated PG-13 (for some language including a sexual reference). 118 minutes.

JOYFUL NOISE is the sort of disposable, forgettable film that gets dumped in January among the Oscar contenders from the previous year, and eventually gets shown on Sunday afternoons on TV. It involves a Georgia church choir where two women have different ideas of where it should go. One (Dolly Parton) is the widow of the late choir director. The other (Queen Latifah) is the new choir director. There’s much not very interesting conflict which leads to a big contest for church choirs. No fair guessing who’s going to win.

It’s not very good but if the above description sounds promising to you then you’re probably part of the intended audience and might find it mildly entertaining. For the rest of us, though, the film raises a number of troubling questions:

Kris Kristofferson appears as the choir director in the opening moments of the film and then dies. Except for a lame dream sequence, that’s it. How did they get him to appear in this movie?  It’s probably a much more interesting story than what appears on screen.

Movies reflect cultural changes much more than lead them. As late as the 1960s interracial marriages were actually illegal in several states before the Supreme Court declared such laws unconstitutional. Now such relationships are so acceptable that they go unremarked, including the central romance of the film between Latifah’s character’s daughter (Keke Palmer) and Parton’s character’s grandson (Jeremy Jordan). Will this play well in the South?

There’s another interracial relationship that ends in a death that’s played for laughs. The woman involved is so mortified that she thinks she’s being punished for the sin of premarital sex. She’s assured she is not. Is this what conservative Christian moviegoers are expecting to see in a movie about a church choir?

The movie comes down to the cliché situation where the choir – the feisty underdogs – gets a shot at the championship, in this case a competition of Christian choirs. What would Jesus do? Is a contest in which the goal is to demonstrate the most entertaining and enthusiastic musical endorsement of Jesus really the best statement about Christianity? We see a youth choir perform a number that brings down the house. We are then expected to root against them because their victory would spell the defeat of “our” choir.

The conflict between Parton and Latifah regards which direction to take the choir. Latifah favors a more traditional approach. At the last moment she changes her mind and instantly, the choir is transformed, on stage and in the middle of a performance. Even if one assumes that they just happened to wear appropriate clothes under the robes they take off and that their earlier rehearsals of this Christian pop number was sufficient, the idea that it would be staged to perfection on the spur of the moment – including a spotlight on a soloist – makes one wonder if we’re in the realm of fantasy.

Finally, what the hell has happened to Dolly Parton? Her face and body has been so distorted by plastic surgery that it becomes a distraction. She looks as if she’s been transferred to Silly Putty and then twisted and turned, with puffy lips and a cartoonish face and body. There’s a message here – about vanity and the futility of pretending that aging isn’t part of being human – that the filmmaker may not have intended when he envisioned his cookie cutter comedy (that can’t quite connect).•••

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

WIN WIN ::: In movies like “The Station Agent” and “The Visitor,” writer/director Thomas McCarthy has showcased decent people who find themselves in unusual circumstances presenting them with heart and humor. In “Win Win,” Paul Giamatti is an attorney who tries to do the right thing for his clients and his family but cuts corners once and finds that he can’t contain the results. Bobby Canavale is hilarious as his friend and ought to be much better known.

SOURCE CODE ::: It was a so-so year at the movies, but a pretty decent one in the science fiction genre. “Source Code” was the second feature from director Duncan Jones (following “Moon”), and it showed him as someone to watch for intelligent and moving stories. Here, Jake Gyllenhaal is a soldier who wakes up in someone else’s body on a commuter train and has to stop a bombing. The thriller elements play out but Jones makes us wonder about the ramifications of the technology that makes it possible. That’s the difference between an intelligent filmmaker and a hack like Michael Bay. [READ REVIEW]

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS ::: Woody Allen, it’s nice to have you back. After years of films that made his fans embarrassed for their past support – “Curse Of The Jade Scorpion,” “Hollywood Ending,” “Scoop” anyone? – the man whose films were once hallmarks of American comedy comes around with a hilarious look at nostalgia and how we lionize the past. Not even the presence of Owen Wilson in the lead could ruin a funny and inventive script that, like Allen’s best films, also left you thinking. [READ REVIEW]

SHOLEM ALEICHEM: LAUGHING IN THE DARKNESS ::: The great documentaries change the way you see the world either by taking you somewhere you’ve never been or making you see things you thought you knew in a new way. This biography of the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem turned him from the man who wrote the stories that inspired “Fiddler On The Roof” into the great and complex figure that he was. This movie helps one understand why Aleichem was hailed as “the Jewish Mark Twain.”

CONTAGION ::: A thriller that relies on characters and dialogue instead of big action scenes and special effects? Steven Soderbergh pulled it off with this chilling and realistic look of what would happen if an unknown illness started rapidly spreading and claiming lives in today’s world. A stellar cast – including Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow – made this so real that someone sneezing near you will make you nervous. [READ REVIEW]

DRIVE ::: Ryan Gosling is having an outstanding year (see, also, “Crazy Stupid Love” and “The Ides Of March”), but his turn as the driver of getaway cars made this the existential crime film of the year. Not as flashy as other action films, it was a character driven story about a man who lives by his own code and won’t allow it to be violated. Albert Brooks is an Oscar contender for supporting actor for his chillingly soft-spoken gangster. [READ REVIEW]

50/50 ::: A comedy about cancer?  Indeed, writer Will Reiser based it on his own story of struggling with (and surviving) the discovery of a brain tumor in his twenties. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was sensational as the young man facing mortality while Seth Rogen – playing a variation of himself in his friendship with Reiser – is wonderful as the sometimes crude but fiercely loyal pal.

MONEYBALL ::: Quite possible the best film of the year, this adaptation of the non-fiction best seller of how the manager of the Oakland A’s turned to unconventional means to compete against the big money teams had two great performers in Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, and crackling dialogue from co-writer Aaron Sorkin. Pitt juggling phone calls in forcing a trade of players is one of the great star turns in the movies. [READ REVIEW]

HUGO ::: Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the modern children’s classic The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a sheer delight. It’s the first movie since “Avatar” worth seeing in 3D. A boy lives in the Paris train station in the early 1930s, and uncovers a great secret. Scorsese has assembled a strong cast for a story that reminds us all about what we love about the movies. [READ REVIEW]

THE ARTIST ::: Believe it or not, the feel good movie of the year is both silent and black and white. The story of two movie performers at the dawn of the age of sound, it’s full of life and good humor that will leave you with a big smile by film’s end. Some recognizable faces – including John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, and James Cromwell – appear, but the film belongs to its two leads, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. You may not know them now, but you will.***

What is your favorite movie and why? Post your thoughts below! 

Daniel M. Kimmel is a veteran movie critic and author of a host of film-related books, the most recent being Jar Jar Binks Must Die… And Other Observations About Science Fiction Movies. He teaches film at Suffolk University and lives in Somerville.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN ::: Steven Spielberg certainly knows his way around animation, having produced “Monster House” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” His first stab at directing an animated feature – an adaptation of the popular Belgian comic book about a boy reporter, his dog, a pirate ship, and lots of peril – is a wonderfully crafted 3D blend of comedy, adventure, and an abundance of violence. A sequel is bound to follow.

THE ARTIST ::: From the director and star of the woefully underappreciated OSS 117 films comes this love letter to the movies, and a sad/funny look at the end of the silent era and the beginning of talkies. The film is shot in stunning black & white, and is (should I give this away? Yes.) silent. No words, but plenty of storytelling, courtesy of spot-on subtitles, and remarkable performances by Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Oh, and Uggie the dog.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH ::: Another B&W film, this one telling the horrific story of events leading up to and beyond the Japanese destruction of the Chinese city Nanking. This is raw and brutal stuff, focusing on fierce gun battles as well as on what the Japanese soldiers do to the Chinese citizens who were unlucky enough to survive the attack. Most of the film is heartbreaking and haunting, though there’s also a hint of kindness. It’s a real rarity: an art film about war.

THE DESCENDANTS ::: George Clooney hits his stride as a leading man, exuding humor, pathos, and everything between as a husband and father who’s been too busy to be a good husband and father, in the first film from director Alexander Payne since “Sideways.” Tragedy brings Clooney’s Matt closer to his daughters – one is innocent, one has been around. But the story keeps a comic edge as it moves into areas of development of pristine Hawaiian land and marital infidelity. Great performances from Robert Forster, Matthew Lillard, and newcomer Nick Krause as Sid.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO ::: Yes, it was a good decision to “Americanize” the popular Swedish thriller about a wrongly disgraced journalist, a tough-as-nails bisexual investigator gal, a mystery concerning a woman who vanished 40 years ago, and, oh yeah, Nazis. David Fincher directed this taut piece with a kind of stark, detached coldness. There’s some real squirm-inducing stuff involving rape and bondage, as well as some good old-fashioned retribution.

HUGO ::: If you haven’t seen this sweet offering from Martin Scorsese yet, first head over to YouTube and check out Georges Melies’ “A Trip to the Moon.” It’ll make watching “Hugo” all the more delicious. Based on the illustrated novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” it’s about an orphan lad who lives in a train station, and is trying to make cosmic contact with his loving dad. It’s also about the birth of cinema, and people getting a second chance. You will laugh and cry.

INCENDIES ::: When their mother dies, adult twins Jeanne and Simon are given two envelopes, one to be delivered to their father, the other to their older brother. But, wait. Their father is dead, and they have no older brother. Still, a search leads them from Canada to Lebanon. Complicated storytelling ensues, leaving most audience members as befuddled as the two main characters. As secrets are revealed, the film becomes more unsettling, leading to a rather surprising and satisfying ending.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS ::: It always seems to take the making of a couple of OK films for Woody Allen to rise to the occasion and make a great one. This is my favorite since “Sweet and Lowdown” in 1999. This delightful flight of fancy has Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams as an engaged couple in Paris who find themselves no so perfectly matched when he starts traveling back in time to hang out with Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein. Don’t ask how, just do your best to get all wrapped up in it.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL ::: The fourth installment in the “M:I” series is the best, partly because it’s so snappily directed by Brad Bird, partly because Tom Cruise is back at the top of his game, partly because it’s so much slam-bang fun. The Kremlin has been destroyed, Russia is blaming the Americans, the IMF has been “disavowed,” and some crazy bad guy is ready to fire a missile at San Francisco. So, hmmm, do you think top agent Ethan Hunt and his pals will save the day? I do.

THE TRIP ::: Brit actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon go on a road trip through the north of England to check in on and write about some fancy restaurants. The two actors play two actors named Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and seem, through an endless series of improvisations, gags, and damn good imitations of other actors, to be playing versions of themselves. Directed very loosely, by letting them do whatever they want, by Michael Winterbottom. Charming and hilarious.