Bully ***

An important study of the very personal costs of bullying, which sometimes leads to the ultimate loss for parents, which led several of them to become activists. The pain is sometimes so searing it's difficult to watch. This documentary should be required viewing for teachers and students.

The Three Stooges **

There are some wacky moments in "The Three Stooges" that really capture the high energy and slapstick humor of the original trio. Sean Hayes as Larry, Will Sasso as Curly, and especially Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe capture the essence of their forebears. The plot is of course ridiculous and cliched. There are some clever cameos, including Jane Lynch as a Mother Superior and Larry David as a rather rough nun. And likewise true to form, there's a nice musical interlude, by Jennifer Hudson no less, for no good reason. Those with fond memories of the Stooges will recognize many favorite bits, and parents will appreciate the explanation at the end by the "Farrelly brothers" (wink, wink) about rubber props and how not to poke someone's eye out. It's a time-wasting Saturday afternoon kind of movie, just like the original shorts.

American Reunion **

A decade after the gang was obsessed with losing their virginity, they reune to remember the old times and catch up. Much has changed, but the old characters are here, including Stifler and his Mom, and Jim's Dad. The movie is at times amusing, and I still enjoy Seann William Scott's let-it-all-hang-out attitude and fevered attraction to older women. As you might expect, some of the group have grown up, some have secrets, and some are still the same immature destructive brats they were 10 years ago. It's an OK movie.

Friends With Kids ***

When they see what happens to the relationships of their friends when they have kids, the two best friends in the group decide they won't make the same mistake. They decide to have a kid, but remain happily single. Of course it doesn't exactly work out as they expected, and like the similarly named "Friends with Benefits," where two friends decided to have the fun of sex without the entanglements of emotions, life and love tend to happen.

Distinguished by snappy dialogue and couples you can believe live and work in New York, "Friends with Kids" is a fresh and funny examination of couples of a certain age, working through the challenges of raising kids. Director/ writer/ producer Jennifer Westfeldt is also the perfectly cast Julie, the beautiful, witty, too smart BFF of Jason, a debonaire Adam Scott, who channels Cary Grant in his handsome, wise-cracking heyday. The couples of their group include a tasty salad of types, and feature terrific performances by Jon Hamm, Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Fox, and Edward Burns. It's an adult comedy and a welcome respite from the usual featherweight stories we see too much of.

Coriolanus ****

Bloody and violent, with staccato speeches rapid as machine gun fire, this "Coriolanus" is set in some present day generic Eastern European state where the politics of Rome overlay surprisingly well. Speeches about off-stage developments flow easily from news readers on flat screen televisions, and the plotting of spineless politicians knows no boundaries of time or age. Ralph Feinnes, who both directed and stars in this seldom seen tragedy of "Shakespeare's Rambo," establishes early on the war hero's devotion first to his craft - fighting and warfare - and secondly, if at all, to the people. It's a story of pride and revenge, and the destruction it wreaks on family and state. Feinnes is outstanding. Vanessa Redgrave reigns as his mother in the Spartan mold, Volumnia, and Jessica Chastain is luminous as his confused, devoted wife, Virgilia. Gerard Butler also gets a real role, and acquits himself well as Coriolanus' rival, Aufidius.

Mirror, Mirror **

"Mirror Mirror" features fanciful, gorgeous costumes, elaborate sets, and a comic, slightly ironic retelling of the story of Snow White and the evil queen. But this spectacle is rather hollow in the end, with cardboard cutout figures moving through tableaux on the stage, as if moved by unseen strings and magnets under the floorboards. While I admire the sheer audacity and lushness of Tarsem Singh's imagination, there is too often, as here, a tendency to dwell on the surface, the trappings rather than involve the audience. For me, nothing he has done since has matched the magical mixture of "The Fall" (2006), where flights of fantastical imaginings and fabulous fables were balanced with a real story of hurting people finding their way.