The Lincoln Lawyer ***

Probably the best work he's done with his shirt on, Mathew McConaughey perfectly embodies Michael Connelley's Mick Haller, the L.A. lawyer who works out of the back seat of his Lincoln. A satisfying crime mystery thriller, "Lincoln Lawyer" introduces enough colorful characters to populate a TV series. We have John Leguizamo as the inside shill, William H. Macy as the trusted investigator, Josh Lucas as the hard-nosed prosecutor, and the wonderful Melissa Tomei as the friend/confidante/ex-wife. And this week we have Ryan Phillippe as the too-slick defendant we don't quite trust. This is a fun movie, and I'm not kidding about the TV series. It would be great.

Limitless ***

What if there were a pill that would allow you to use the 90% of your brain they say you don't access? That's the premise of the mystery thriller "Limitless," which follows the meteoric rise and precarious existence of Eddie Morra, a struggling writer who gets the drug from an acquaintance who is soon murdered. The drug, it seems, is so scarce and effective that people will do anything to get it, but once they do get it, there are side effects. Eddie must deal with all this as his life is changed completely. It's a great premise, and not wasted on this movie. Bradley Cooper as Eddie proves he's not a one-hit wonder, and Robert De Niro provides the heft, gravitas, and menace he does so well. While not a great movie, this is one of my favorites of the year so far.

Paul ***

A clever romp, Paul of the title is the hitch-hiking alien that two British sci-fi geeks (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) pick up on their way to visit legendary Area 51 after Comic Con. Voiced by Seth Rogen, Paul is a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking dude who just wants to get back home after being poked and prodded at a secret government laboratory for many years. The trio pick up true-believer Kristen Wiig, whose daddy is in hot pursuit, and you've got a real road picture on your hands. Pegg and Frost, who also wrote the movie, deliver the comedy and the action, which must have been hard, since Paul is a total CGI creation. It's a fun movie, maybe not so good as "Shaun of the Dead" or "Hot Fuzz," but still worth a look-see.

Even the Rain ****

A fantastic movie that deserves a much bigger audience than it is likely to get, "Even the Rain" examines the racism and exploitation that continue to exist today, more than 500 years after Columbus's voyages to the new world. This rich addition to the film-within-a-film genre follows a movie crew working in Bolivia making a feature about Columbus, and his shameful and heartless exploitation of the Indians of Cuba to extract its gold for Spain.

In the course of casting and shooting the movie, though, it becomes apparent that the very Indians they are hiring are being exploited by a white European-looking government that has sold water rights to a foreign company, a company that seem to own even the rain. The actor playing the courageous rebel who stood up to Columbus takes off from work to lead protests, and the film producers and crew find themselves caught in a moral dilemma. Are they, coming to Bolivia to hire Indians more cheaply than in other countries, guilty of exploitation themselves? What do they owe their employees?

More than just a clever juxtaposition of stories, "Even the Rain" raises some fundamental questions about how the natives of the New World have fared, and what can and should happen when they are truly empowered. The cast is excellent, especially Gael Garcia Bernal as the writer, and Luis Tosar as the producer. (In Spanish with English subtitles.)

Rango ****

Not just for kids, "Rango," voiced by Johnny Depp, is perhaps the most sophisticated mainstream animated movie ever made. Kids will enjoy the story of a sheltered pet chameleon who accidentally becomes the new sheriff of Dirt, a lawless outpost populated by the desert's most wily and whimsical creatures. Adults will appreciate the movie's perspective on lifestyle, politics, the myth of the West, individualism, and growing up. Don't miss it.

The Adjustment Bureau ***

Matt Damon has chosen another supernaturally themed movie, "The Adjustment Bureau," following his work with Clint Eastwood in "Hereafter." This one, thankfully, has cute hats for the guys and the best romance of the year so far, a love at first sight story with Emily Blunt. The actors make it work, and imaginative use of actual New York locations adds a depth and patina that mere CG could not match. It's an old moral, but an important one: sometimes you must challenge your destiny. It was a diverting matinee.

Rated PG-13. 106 minutes. George Nolfi - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Philip K. Dick - Writer (short story "Adjustment Team"), Bill Carraro - Producer, Michael Carraro - Producer, Chris Moore - Producer, John Toll - Cinematographer, Thomas Newman - Composer, Kevin Thompson - Production Designer, Jay Rabinowitz - Editor. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Principal actors: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt.

Cedar Rapids ****

A very funny take on the old small-town-boy-loses-his-innocence theme, "Cedar Rapids" follows the education of Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) as he travels to the big city of the title to represent his company at a convention. There he comes under the influence of three meeting veterans, wonderfully played by John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, and Isiah Whitlock Jr, who are attracted to Tim for his sincerity and unassuming good will. The business here is insurance, but it could be so many others, that writer Phil Johnston uses to score points about sales strategies, franchises, small business owners, loyal customers, industry awards, and mendacity from the top. It's a well-made and enjoyable picture of American business in the heartland. Everything may not be as Boy Scouts imagine it, but there is a core decency and fairness ultimately out there.

Rated R. 87 minutes. Miguel Arteta - Director, Phil Johnston, - Writer, Jim Burke - Producer, Alexander Payne - Producer, Jim Taylor - Producer, Chuy Chavez - Cinematographer, Christophe Beck - Composer, Doug J. Meerdink - Production Designer, Eric Kissack - Editor. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Principal actors: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Sigourney Weaver.