Melancholia ****

Graced with a mercurial, incandescent performance by Kirsten Dunst, Lars von Trier's lyrical, beautiful "Melancholia" examines both the clinical depression of Justine, Miss Dunst's character, and the harried panic of her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) as both face the end of the world. The end is coming from the imminent collision of a rogue planet, called Melancholia, with Earth.

Isolated on their seaside estate, surrounded by golf links with riding horses at hand, the sisters, along with Claire's husband and young son face the end, each in their own way. The atmosphere of this disaster movie is low tech and poetic, with nothing more than a telescope and a loop of wire for scientific props. The science seems quite solid, once you accept the existence of such a planet as Melancholia, but the subject is the damaged people on screen.

The first half of the film concerns the disastrous wedding reception that Claire has organized for Justine, and hand held camerawork, as throughout the movie, infuses the scenes with a verisimilitude that is mesmerizing. The second half hurtles toward the termination of life and mankind in an operatic and almost mystical progression, accompanied by the ecstatically tragic and accepting strains of the Liebestod from "Tristan und Isolde."

You may choose to interpret "Melancholia" as a metaphor for depression and suicide, or a judgement against the cancer of life on an insignificant planet, or a film tone poem about disconnection and isolation, or an unusually subtle science fiction movie, but it will most certainly make an impression.

The Descendants ****

Remarkable for George Clooney's best performance in years, for it's depiction of Hawaii as a place where people live and have lived for generations, for its respectful, sympathetic, and realistic portrayal of family life dealing with the impending death of a loved one, "The Descendants" is a heartfelt drama without histrionics. Director Alexander Payne ("Sideways") achieves in this film an evenness of tone appropriate not just to Hawaiian life, but to the everyday prose of American experience these days.

When his wife suffers a severe head injury in a boating accident, busy lawyer, family trust executor, and "back-up parent" Matt King (Clooney) must reconnect with his daughters, ages 10 and 17, and the life and the wife he seems to have been too busy to deal with. We see his connections and his history as he must deal with his responsibilities as a father, as business head of his clan, and as a husband. Adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, the screenplay does a masterful job of saying just enough, and leaving it to Clooney to convey what is unspoken, the sharp retorts that are swallowed before they can erupt.

I'll even grant a dispensation for the violation of one of my cardinal rules: show, don't tell (when a screenwriter dies, he becomes a narrator, you know), because the voice over by Matt King not only gives context, and allows the film to devote its time to him and his daughters, but in its just-the-facts plainness, provides some insight into his character and defenses. Not just Clooney, but the rest of the cast is first rate, especially Shailene Woodley as the older, recovering addict daughter. For a truly excellent film with no visible special effects, this one is my pick.

Hugo 3D *****

Martin Scorsese's reported gift to his daughter and her friends, a movie they can see without adult supervision, is also a gift to movie lovers everywhere. And not just because it's an utterly charming, beautiful, sweeping mix of story, fable, and spectacular special effects, but because it's about movies, making movies, and preserving movies, themes all dear to Scorsese and to those who love the art of the cinema.

"Hugo," from the award-winning, quasi-graphic novel by Brian Selznick, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," tells the story of an orphan in 1930's Paris who lives in the walls of a train station and who has an automaton from his father which holds the key to a treasure trove of art and history. Beautifully staged, convincingly acted, and, need I say, superbly directed, the movie is a holiday gift all can enjoy. To say more might spoil the fun, but I dare say this movie will become one of those Christmas classics we go back to year after year.

Happy Feet Two IMAX 3D ***

Quite a lot of fun, with tuneful singing and energetic animated dancing, and the story of a young penguin struggling to realize his gifts. The colony faces a grave danger, and cross-species cooperation is the only hope to save them. Returning voices work their magic, and two new characters, Bill the Krill and Will the Krill, add perspective and sly commentary, and a drastic change of scale and viewpoint that is expertly handled by director/writer/producer George Miller. The Krill are voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, whose exuberance and cheer are infectious. The music runs the gamut in style, even veering once into the operatic, to good effect. A visual and auditory feast, especially in IMAX.

J. Edgar ***

"J. Edgar" is an intimate look at the life of the man who created and embodied the FBI, from directing its predecessor in the '20's until his death in 1972, still at the helm, and still devoted to his long time associate and friend, Clyde Tolson. This collector of secrets had secrets of his own, and, according to this portrait, illusions and delusions that aggrandized himself and his beloved FBI. Hoover's great accomplishments - a central fingerprint repository, the application of science to crime investigation, defeats of organized crime - are footnotes to the story.

The movie is not easy to keep up with, shifting in time backwards and forwards to illustrate themes so easily that it appears unmoored at times. But there is a structure, and much of what the older Hoover dictates to a succession of compilers of his autobiography turns out to be as untethered as the film seems. Leonardo DiCaprio captures the character of the man convincingly in all his ages, from the energetic and ambitious young agent to the combative old protector of his kingdom, ready to go toe to toe with whoever might occupy the White House.

The one constant of his life was his friend, confidant, co-worker, constant lunch, dinner, and traveling companion, Clyde Tolson, sweetly played by Armie Hammer. Director Clint Eastwood has chosen to portray Tolson as utterly smitten with Hoover, a love that J. Edgar was too inhibited by his rigid upbringing by his domineering mother (an icy Judi Dench), to reciprocate fully. A complex portrait of Hoover emerges: a child of his times, a driven visionary and innovator, sometimes trampling the Constitution he was sworn to protect in the pursuit of real and imagined enemies, sometimes spying for his own salacious reasons or for blackmail to protect himself and his institution. It's not a simple story and it's hard to give it a simple score, but it's a very good movie.

Immortals 3D *

Largely a gory excuse for cruel scenes of battle interrupted by slow-motion special effects of cruel scenes of gory decapitations and disembowelment, "Immortals" is a comic book without the intellectual heft. It has a main character called Theseus (a buff Henry Cavill) whose mission and ancestry have no relation to the Theseus of myth, except once with a Minotaur-like opponent whose appearance is never explained. The script is less than juvenile, chock full of disjointed cliches, and repeatedly insults the audience with references to the "faith" that sustains the downtrodden good guys. The movie is such a mocking mess that you have to wonder if it was written as high camp to amuse those paying attention while the fan boys eagerly await the next mutilating battle scene. There is a kind of apotheosis of mayhem in the movie, and occasional glimpses of the arresting stylistic sensibility that Tarsem Singh brought to the woefully under-appreciated "The Fall," but the movie itself in the end has very little to offer. Oh, and there are the gods of Olympus watching and sometimes participating, led by a Zeus who seems to make up the rules of being a god on the fly. I haven't seen such a wasteful and screeching mess since "Transformers 3."

The Skin I Live In ****

Skill, obsession, tragedy, family secrets, and revenge are the themes of Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In," the story of a brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) who performs his own forbidden experiments and creates his own monster while exacting his own particularly ruthless payback. As usual with Almodovar, the composition of each frame is arresting, expressive, and fitting; the performances flawless; and the screenplay an interlocking puzzle of elements that slowly gives up its secrets. More mystery/thriller than a horror movie, as I've seen it labeled, there are elements that borrow from horror, as the obsession of Dr. Ledgard and his quest to create an indestructible skin mix with baser motives with tragic results. More detail would, I fear, decrease the pleasure of experiencing this film, so I'll leave it at that. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Tower Heist ***

"Tower Heist" delivers a satisfying meal of hot revenge of the 99%, represented by the employees of a luxury New York condo tower, against the 1%, embodied by the billionaire Madoff-like character in the penthouse who managed their now-gone pensions in what turns out to have been a Ponzi scheme. Ben Stiller plays Josh Kovacs, the super-efficient building general manager whose meticulous attention to detail keeps everyone happy and the building running at top efficiency. When the affable Mr. Shaw (an unrepentant Alan Alda) turns out to be a confidence man, and Josh gets fired for taking revenge on a piece of Mr. Shaw's property, desperate measures are called for. Kovacs organizes a heist of the cash Shaw surely must be hiding somewhere, according to the beautiful but no-nonsense FBI agent (Tea Leoni). But a rag tag group of straight arrow former employees and a hapless evicted former resident (a hilarious Matthew Broderick) obviously need some experienced advice in thievery. Enter small-time crook and Kovacs neighbor Slide (Eddie Murphy in good form and obviously having fun). There are thrills befitting a tower, and twists befitting good caper movie. It's fine popcorn entertainment.

Puss in Boots IMAX 3D ***

A truly delightful prequel to the "Shrek" features, where Puss became a favorite, "Puss in Boots" details the orphaned childhood of Puss (smoothly voiced by Antonio Banderas) in a small Spanish town, and his friendship with the flawed Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Puss meets his match in Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and together the three embark on a grand adventure involving magic beans and a castle in the sky. The story is clever enough for adults to enjoy, the music is catchy, and the high style and 3D action will keep everyone entertained.