The Counselor ****

Set in the high stakes world of Southwestern drug traffickers, "The Counselor" is a present day almost classic tragedy.  The counselor (Michael Fassbender), a hip, stylish El Paso lawyer with a knockout girlfriend (Penelope Cruz) gets greedy and through his nightclub owning, dealer friend and client (Javier Bardem) gets involved in a deal that has far-reaching consequences.

Director Ridley Scott here teams up with writer Cormac McCarthy in a dark tale populated with well-drawn, well-played characters, including Cameron Diaz as a real femme fatale, and Brad Pitt as a smart, careful, rich drug cowboy. The counselor is warned repeatedly and graphically about the world he is stepping into. He says he'll be careful, but his love of money and the trappings of success, including that incredible diamond he flies to Amsterdam to purchase for his fiancee, outweigh caution.

With two of the more remarkable scenes of sex and murder in movies, and punctuated with poetic arias from the pen of McCarthy,"The Counselor" makes an indelible impression.

Captain Phillips ****

Many in the audience may feel they know the story of "Captain Phillips" already: how a brave and unarmed captain kept his head and his crew safe in the first highjacking of an American cargo ship in two hundred years. But when we see the Maersk Alabama boarded by Somali pirates in 2009, as with "Argo," it's a tribute to the filmmaker's art when we feel suspense even when we know the outcome.

The direction by Paul Greenglass is quite clear as he lays out the two worlds that intersect here. The poor fishing village living in fear of its local war lord could not be more different from the tightly organized world of modern cargo shipping, ultimately backed up by an awesome show of force, technology, and skill from the U.S. Navy. The depiction of these worlds shows the wisdom of choosing Greenglass ("Bourne Supremacy," "Bourne Ultimatum") for this assignment.

And as with "Beasts of the Southern Wild," it's a rare treat to see raw, touching, and totally believable performances by first-time actors. The pirates, chosen from a general casting call in the Somali community of Minneapolis, deliver a feeling of authenticity to the improvisational and desperation-driven attack. Barkhad Abdi as the leader Muse is a standout.

But the movie belongs to Tom Hanks. On screen for most of the time, Hanks delivers a portrait of a grounded professional in extraordinary circumstances who uses his wits and guile to keep going when the practiced procedures run aground. From the coolest calculator to the halting, blubbering shamble in shock at the end, Hanks' Captain Phillips is a man we can understand and feel with.

Don Jon ***

Don Jon is a young Italian guy who really loves: his ride, his pad, his church, his one-night stands, and his porn. With a cocky bounce in his stride, he's the master of his domain. That is, until he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson). For once Don Jon strikes out with the most beautiful woman in the club. He pursues her until she catches him and they go steady - but no sex. Finally she gives in on the sex and proceeds to mold him to her own idea of the perfect mate, and he does his best to give up his porn.

Then one evening at night school (Barbara's idea), Jon meets an older woman, Esther (Julianne Moore). Something clicks, if you know what I mean, and they start to talk to each other like adults. For Jon it's a new world, and his discovery of intimacy versus lust is life changing.

Star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the kid from "Third Rock," veteran of so many outstanding performances in indie movies ("The Lookout," "Brick," "(500) Days of Summer") and recently in the big-budget arena ("Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Looper") here writes and directs for the first time. Gordon-Levitt allows his co-stars to shine, and there's a lively role for Tony Danza as Don Sr. It's a fine effort, funny and warm and wise, and imbued with its own style.

Gravity *****

See it on the biggest screen available. One of the very best films I've seen this year, "Gravity" immediately arrests the viewer with immense views of planet earth floating below space-walking astronauts. In 3D it's absolutely vertiginous. Beautifully composed, the opening sequence grabs the viewer and the film never lets go. Writer/director/producer Alfonso Cuarón has fully realized his vision in this incredible movie.

The story follows medical engineer Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and they attempt repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.  Suddenly there's a warning: space debris from a blown up satellite could be heading their way. The astronauts scramble but another of their team becomes a casualty. Then Stone loses her grip and she drifts off into space.

The movie becomes one harrowing effort to survive after another as Stone is faced with challenges, dangers, and the unknown. She must use her training, her intelligence, and her courage to stay alive and figure out how she can get to safety. The wise-cracking Kowalski never loses his cool, and provides much-needed advice. (And it's amazing how much Clooney, with his crinkly eyes and button nose, looks like Buzz Lightyear here.) But it is Stone's story, and Bullock deserves all of the recognition that will come her way for this superb performance.

Inequality for All ****

Former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration and current Berkeley professor Robert Reich makes a clear and convincing case for growing income inequality in the U.S. and calls for action to return to the greater equality and general prosperity that we had in the fifties. Rather than reiterate his arguments, I will just illustrate with some telling charts, which show how American wealth is distributed, and how we are experiencing a concentration of income at the top which has not been seen in this country since 1928.

Reich brings these facts to life with interviews and stories, and excerpts from his overflow lectures at Berkeley. It's a valuable lesson.