True Grit ****

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about "True Grit," and it certainly has been remarked upon, is what a straight up western it is. It is extremely well done, with a couple of great performances (Hailee Steinfeld as the girl out to punish her father's killer, and Jeff Bridges as the marshal "Rooster" Cogburn she hires), beautifully photographed and scored. But it is without, somehow, they say, the Coen brothers' stamp.

But maybe not. After all, doesn't the story of a 14-year-old girl hiring a trigger-happy bounty hunter in 1870's Arkansas kind of fit their M.O.? Weird characters and gritty (if you will) realism abounds. Maybe it's not so far from "Fargo," "No Country for Old Men," or "Burn After Reading" after all.

The difference may be the widespread familiarity with the story, such that, even if you haven't seen the famous version with John Wayne, it seems still to be known. And then there is the loving use and preservation of novel author Charles Portis's locutions, a style of speech as dated and charming as a daguerreotype, when the only mass media was the printed word, and the classics were memorized by school children. This love of language is another constant in the Coen canon.

I say settle in and enjoy it, savor its western flavor, spunk, and grit. And think about how these stories don't settle into easy categorization. Which is another sure Coen trademark.

Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. Ethan Coen - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Joel Coen - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Charles Portis - Writer (novel), Scott Rudin - Producer, Roger Deakins - Cinematographer, Carter Burwell - Composer, Jess Gonchor - Production Designer, Roderick Jaynes (Ethan), Editor, Roderick Jaynes (Joel), Editor.

Principal actors: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin.

The King's Speech *****

An outstanding film, worthy of the hype and the seven Golden Globe nominations. An atmospheric and convincing story of how King George VI, who became king when his older brother Edward abdicated rather than hide his love for Wallace Simpson, overcame his stutter with the help of an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, who became his friend. The performances, writing, directing, and music are all top drawer. The audience I saw it with today applauded at the end. See it.

Rated R for some language. 118 minutes. Tom Hooper - Director, David Seidler - Writer (screenplay), Iain Canning - Producer, Emile Sherman - Producer, Gareth Unwin - Producer, Danny Cohen - Cinematographer, Alexandre Desplat - Composer, Eve Stewart - Production Designer, Tariq Anwar - Editor. Distributed by The Weinstein Company.

Principal actors: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter.

Tron: Legacy IMAX 3D ***

Sleek, sexy, stylish, and visually stunning, "Tron: Legacy" delivers an enjoyable ride. It's thin on story, and wouldn't stand up to much analysis of its world, but the place depicted is stunning, especially in IMAX, with energetic and colorful music by Daft Punk. The digital world, with its light cycles and levitating transports, gets added zest from 3D, while the meat world is shot in 2D - a nice touch. I liked the cast, especially the two Jeff Bridges - one a digitally young construct, and the other the older and wiser present day self. Worth your time, even if your not a fan boy.

Rated PG. 127 minutes. Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Joseph Kosinski - Director, Edward Kitsis - Writer (screenplay) (story), Adam Horowitz - Writer (screenplay) (story), Brian Klugman - Writer (story), Lee Sternthal - Writer (story), Steven Lisberger - Writer (characters) / Producer, Bonnie MacBird - Writer (characters), Sean Bailey - Producer, Jeffery Silver - Producer, Claudio Miranda - Cinematographer, Daft Punk -Composer, Darren Gilford - Production Designer, James Haygood - Editor.

How Do You Know **

High hopes dashed. With a talented A-list cast, a big budget (supposedly $100M), writer/director James L. Brooks ("Terms of Endearment," "As Good As It Gets," "The Simpsons Movie") should have been able to deliver a decent rom com. Instead, we get a draggy stinker (2 hours when 1 and 1/2 would have tried our patience), that is short on funny (all the good lines are in the previews), and is just short of insightful with its lines. And with a reported $10M first weekend, this could be one of the biggest box office bombs of the year.

Rated PG-13. 116 minutes. James L. Brooks - Director / Writer / Producer, Julie Ansell - Producer, Laurence Mark - Producer, Paula Weinstein - Producer, Janusz Kaminski - Cinematographer, Hans Zimmer - Composer, Jeannine Claudia Oppewall - Production Designer, Richards Marks - Editor, Tracey Wadmore-Smith - Editor

Principal actors: Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicolson. Distributed by Columbia Pictures.

I Love You Phillip Morris ***

A really fun and witty telling of the true story of flamboyantly gay con man Steven Russell, who flim-flammed his way through a number of lives, and is today serving a life sentence basically for embarrassing the state of Texas and Governor George W. Bush with his exploits and prison escapes. Why it took two years to get distribution in the U.S. is a puzzlement. This story is a great vehicle for Jim Carrey and not, as some would have it, a setback for gays. Yes, we have gay crooks, and gay con men, and the cons are well-played on the screen.

Rated R. 98 minutes. Glenn Ricarra - Director / Writer, John Requa - Director / Writer, Steven McVicker - Writer (book), Andrew Lazar - Producer, Far Shariat - Producer, Xavier Perez Grobet -Cinematographer, Nick Urata - Composer, Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski - Production Designer, Thomas J. Nordberg - Editor. Distributed by Lidell Entertainment.

Principal actors: Ewan McGregor, Jim Carrey, Leslie Mann.

Tangled ***

"Tangled" is a very enjoyable Disney take on the Rapunzel story, with Broadway style delivery of tuneful Alan Menken songs, enough action and bad guys to keep the boys happy, and a dog-like horse who steals every scene he 's in. Great for all ages, despite the PG rating for brief mild cartoon violence.

Rated PG. 100 minutes. Nathan Greno - Director, Byron Howard - Director, Dan Fogelman - Writer (screenplay), Jacob Grimm - Writer (fairy tale), Wilhelm Grimm - Writer (fairy tale), Roy Conli -Producer, Alan Menken - Composer, Douglas Rogers - Production Designer, Tim Mertens - Editor. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Principal voices: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy.

My Dog Tulip ****

A cartoon for adult dog lovers, "My Dog Tulip" is a 2D version of writer J.R. Ackerly's memoir of his long relationship with a German Shepherd (called "Alsatians" in post WWII England) who gave Ackerly the love and devotion he could not find elsewhere. Obviously a labor of love, this work is reportedly the first feature-length cartoon drawn on a tablet computer. The style suits the remembrance well, with detailed drawings for narrative, a simpler style for remembrances, and a stick figure style on yellow lined background for musings and conjectures. The attitudes depicted are from its time, fifties London, and some, regarding cleaning up after your pet, or breeding, may jar your 21st century sensibility. The narration by Christopher Plummer is especially fine.

Not rated (but be warned, this is not a children's program). 83 minutes. Paul Fierlinger - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Editor, Sandra Fierlinger - Director. / Writer (screenplay), J.R. Ackerley - Writer (novel), Howard Kaminsky - Producer, Frank Pellegrino - Producer, Norman Twain - Producer, John Avarese - Composer. Distributed by New Yorker Films.

Principal voices: Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, Isabella Rossellini.

127 Hours ****

Trapped by a boulder, a lone hiker who told no one where he was going faces a grim choice: certain death, or a chance at life but without one arm. The true story of Aron Ralston's ordeal powerfully depicts his isolation, but this is not a claustrophobic movie. Flashbacks, dreams, hallucinations, ultra close-up angles, even x-ray views populate this remarkable film. From the teeming slums of Mumbai to the solitary challenge of a trapped hiker is quite a leap, but director/writer Danny Boyle transitions from "Slumdog Millionaire" to "127 Hours" with grace and concentration on his subject. James Franco give an Oscar-caliber performance, and A.R. Rahman produces a score that is equally stellar. Don't fear the subject, for it is ultimately an affirmation of life, and you can easily close your eyes in the few sequences that might disturb the squeamish.

Rated R. 94 minutes. Danny Boyle - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Simon Beaufoy - Writer (screenplay), Aron Ralston - Writer (book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"), Christian Colson- Producer, John Smithson - Producer, Enrique Chediak - Cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle - Cinematographer, A.R, Rahman - Composer, Suttirat Larlarb - Production Designer, Jon Harris - Editor. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Principal actors: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara.