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.

Anonymous *

A preposterous idea, that Shakespeare wasn't the author of his works, and that he was a nobleman who started churning out sublime plays at the age of nine (if you do the math), is given the big movie, special-effects treatment by director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," "Godzilla"). The story jumps back and forth between the young Elizabeth (Joely Richardson) and the young Edward De Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the later Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave) and older De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) at the end of her reign.

Not content with upending Shakespeare, writer Larry J. Franco ("Batman Begins") throws in a lusty Queen, bastard pretenders to the throne, and even a little incest while he's at it, to de-mythologize the whole lot. I enjoyed Ifans's performance, Redgrave was a joy to watch, and the effects that create early 17th century London were terrific, but the whole project is ridiculous. On the other hand, it it prompts some viewers to revisit the plays and the real history, it might salvage some redeeming merit. Meanwhile, I am reminded of a worthy tradition at Yale, where every year English graduate students would visit the grave of another Shakespeare denier, and piss on it.

The Rum Diary **

Visually engaging with a lush '50s take on Puerto Rico, and graced with seasoned talent headlined by Johnny Depp, "The Rum Diary" suffers from a weak script and disjointed direction. The elements from Hunter Thompson's early novel are there: aspiring novelist working for a sorry excuse for a paper targeted to middle-aged overweight tourists, the irascible editor who may be a thief, the other alcoholic staffers, shady schemes involving government land and a handsome guy with a cleft chin, a gorgeous dangerous girlfriend of someone powerful, cock fighting in the afternoon. But the script, like our hero, seems to be wandering around in a drugged-out haze. Nothing gels, and the attempts at mad-cap humor fall flat. I have not read the book, but it's easy to detect Thompson's later gonzo style aborning. Too bad writer/director Bruce Robinson wasn't able to pull it all together.

Margin Call ****

A tense, ultra-high-stakes drama that takes place over 24 hours at a top Wall Street firm at the beginning of the financial crisis, "Margin Call" presents an inside look at the Street's corporate life, culture, perks, and cool brutality. On a day when the firm is already in trouble and massively downsizing, a hot-shot young risk management analyst finds a formula error that could bring down the company. The danger is apparent to everyone, and the firm, with it's characteristic customs and protocols, springs into action.

An outstanding example of an inside-look movie, of which we've had several this season - "Moneyball," "Contagion," "The Ides of March" - this film shows what it's like to live inside the glass tower on its worst day. Without getting mired in the details and the numbers on the screens, a talented and seasoned cast inhabits a superb script from first-time director/writer J.C. Chandor. How the producers got such a cast - Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci - with no budget could doubtless be its own story, but it was clearly key to the success of the movie.

You may not be mad as hell at the end of the movie, like I was with "Inside Job," but you'll certainly have a new appreciation for the house-of-cards confidence game that makes up our bloated financial sector, a game that can build skyscrapers when the music is playing, and reduce citizens to living in tents in parks when it stops.