Movies World - Reviews - Part 1

With “Shutter Island,” Martin Scorsese finds his next “something else.”

Why do heroes in films like “Avatar” and “District 9” become the rebels?

A field guide to the creatures whose hairy faces paved the way for the newest lupine film.

Moviegoers turned their attention to a mushy Nicholas Sparks adaptation over the weekend as “Dear John” ended the seven-week run of “Avatar” as the No. 1 movie in North America.

The director of “The Hurt Locker” stakes a claim on neutrality. Given the agony of our current involvements, it is easy to see why.

On DVD this week is “Bad Girls of Film Noir,” a two-volume collection that contains eight little-known titles from the Columbia Pictures archive.

The life of Warren Beatty, a man as hungry for artistic control as he was for women.

The whoops and giggles, heard when “The Blind Side” was announced as a best picture nominee, were the sound of Hollywood surprising itself.

Now that the nominations have been announced, the grumbling about the decision to move from 5 to 10 best picture nominees has decreased.

The blood that runs through the “Red Riding” trilogy begins as a river that races and then rages until it floods this dank, dark, pitiless world in misery.

“From Paris With Love,” starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, is really a one-sided buddy movie.

Henrik Ruben Genz’s diabolical comedy “Terribly Happy” assures us that yes, something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

“Eyes Wide Open” explores the conflict between sexual desire and religious obligation.

“District 13: Ultimatum” is pleasurable nonsense and another reminder that one of the great pulls of cinema is the spectacle of bodies in blissful motion.

A minimalist setup delivers maximum fright in “Frozen,” a nifty little chiller that balances its cold terrain with an unexpectedly warm heart.

“Dear John” may not be strong medicine, but it delivers an effective, pleasing dose of pure sentiment and vicarious heartache.

One of the pleasures of “Ajami” is its deep immersion in the beats and melodies of everyday life in Jaffa and beyond.

“Falling Awake” puts good intentions and appealing performances into the balance against clichés of dead-end neighborhoods and rebellious youth.

Mel Gibson tries a return to movie-star form in “Edge of Darkness.”

As you watch Philipp Stölzl’s gripping survival drama, “North Face,” it is impossible not to put yourself in the boots of its mountaineers.

“44-Inch Chest” can be described as six guys sitting around in barely furnished rooms, talking.

A battle is in progress over the estate of Stephen Bruton, the songwriter who co-produced the “Crazy Heart” soundtrack.

Filmmakers are using cheaper locales to stand in for Los Angeles, the capital of the movie industry.

Apparently the energy level is up in Austin, Tex., with the announcement of the films in the South by Southwest festival.

The Academy scattered its honors among an unusually wide field of contenders.

With his mischievous yet low-key good looks and an eye for cerebral, oddball dramas, Schneider frequently finds himself playing scene-stealing sidemen.

The Red Riding trilogy takes an epic look at a grim place and time.

Designers have been paying homage to movie title cards for decades, and especially now that the Internet has made access to film titles easier.

Buoyed by “Avatar,” the highest-grossing movie to date, News Corporation’s adjusted second-quarter earnings were 25 cents a share, a nickel above the average expectations of analysts.

The ACE Theatrical Group has agreed to restore the once-majestic Loew’s Kings Theater in Brooklyn, which opened in 1929.

An uncomfortable question surfaced at this year’s Sundance Film Festival: In the digital age, is trekking to Park City, Utah, each January becoming less necessary?

Is independent film on the verge of being new again?

Mr. Brown was an urbane New Yorker whose publishing background was the foundation of a producing career in Hollywood.