American Sniper, The Gambler

American Sniper

The Gambler

War movies are not, as Daniel would say, my very favorite genre.

Unbroken, Big Eyes

Big Eyes

Unbroken

 

Lest I be accused of too many Santa Claus star ratings, let’s get to the bad stuff.

Selma

Airless, flat and squirmy, Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” is the epitome of what I call the “broccoli movie”: you’re supposed to see it because it’s good for you.

Into the Woods

Rob Marshall, who directed the Oscar-winning adaptation of “Chicago” (2002), again gives moviegoers a Christmas gift with the disproportionately enjoyable “Into the Woods,” with book by James Lapine and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Mr. Turner, The Captive, The Circle

Mr. Turner

The Circle

The Captive

Capsule reviews on the week's other releases:

Annie

If you want to know what’s wrong with Hollywood, look no further than the Golden Globe nomination for young Quvenzhane Wallis for “Annie.”

She's Beautiful When She's Angry, Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

She's Beautiful When She's Angry




Quick capsules on two of the week’s new documentaries:

Inherent Vice, Maps to the Stars, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Inherent Vice

Maps to the Stars



Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Capsule reviews on the rest of the week's new features:

Top Five

Chris Rock's aggressively unfunny "Top Five" proves that he can make a picture as unenjoyable as Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories." Now all he needs to give us are thirty or forty classic films and he'll be right up there. 

Wild, Comet, Still Alice, Elsa & Fred, Voice of the King

Wild

Comet



Still Alice

Elsa & Fred

Voice of the King

Reese Witherspoon gives an appealingly relatable and unfussy performance - one worthy of an Oscar nom - as Cheryl Strayed in Jean-Marc Vallée's "Wild," which overcomes an occasionally on-the-nose script by Nick Hornby to provide a moving and highly sensory experience.

Antarctica: A Year on Ice, The Imitation Game, Viva La Liberta, Flamenco Flamenco, Once Upon a Time Veronica

Antarctica: A Year on Ice

The Imitation Game



Viva La Liberta

Flamenco Flamenco

Once Upon a Time Veronica




Quick capsules on the week's new releases:

Penguins of Madagascar, Horrible Bosses 2

Penguins of Madagascar (my rating)

Penguins of Madagascar (Scruffies' rating)

Horrible Bosses 2

Quick capsules on Wednesday’s big Thanksgiving weekend releases:

Happy Valley, National Gallery

Happy Valley

National Gallery

Amir Bar-Lev, who directed the good documentaries “My Kid Could Paint That” and “The Tillman Story” and produced the uniquely intimate Hurricane Katrina documentary “Trouble the Water,” misses the mark with the Penn State scandal sheet “Happy Valley.”

Foxcatcher, Beyond the Lights

Foxcatcher

Beyond the Lights

"Foxcatcher" is two and a quarter hours of beautifully mounted artistic images in search of a story.

Point and Shoot, Rosewater

Point and Shoot

Rosewater

Documentarian Marshall Curry, whose "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," was one of four exceptional nominees in what may have been the category's strongest year (2011), loses his way with "Point and Shoot," a case of misplaced priorities in which the story of the Libyan revolution is told through the prism of American adventure-seeker and occasional freelance journalist Matthew VanDyke. It calls to mind all those pictures from the late 80's and early 90's (including some decent ones) in which the struggle against apartheid was reflected almost exclusively through white eyes.

The Homesman

"The Homesman" is as much a head-scratcher as its title, a two-hour exercise in the pointless prolongation of miserablist material.

The Way He Looks, Plot for Peace

The Way He Looks

Plot for Peace




A sweetness of spirit distinguishes Brazil's official Oscar entry "The Way He Looks," directed by Daniel Ribeiro and starring Ghilherme Lobo as Leonardo, a blind high school student in São Paulo chafing at his parents' protectiveness and interested in studying abroad.

Pelican Dreams, Virunga, True Son, Big Hero 6

Pelican Dreams

Virunga



True Son

Big Hero 6 (my rating)

Big Hero 6 (Big Scruffy's and Little Scruffy's rating)

Another terrific week of fall films continues with three moving and illuminating documentaries and an animated delight:

The Theory of Everything

In a just world, Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything” would effectively end the Best Actor Oscar race.

Interstellar, Diplomacy

Interstellar

Diplomacy





Watching "Interstellar" is like sitting through a seminar in astrophysics at the Maharishi University.

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, The Overnighters

The Overnighters

Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show

Thumbs-down votes for two new documentaries, and a quick note on some upgraded star ratings:

Listen Up Philip, Force Majeure, Low Down, Nightcrawler, Wild Tales, Before I Go to Sleep

Listen Up Philip

Force Majeure



Low Down

Nightcrawler



Wild Tales

Before I Go to Sleep




The best week of the year at the movies offers half a dozen recommendations, most of them strong: