Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus marks director Ridley Scott's return to the franchise he launched with the 1979 debut of Alien. Available in 3D screenings, the film takes on ambitious visual effects and big themes, and fails spectacularly in the execution of both. As a prequel, Prometheus may satisfy the most minimal demands of the series' fans but doesn't innovate or create new standards for sci-fi the way its predecessors did.

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Rock of Ages (2012)

Based on the 2009 Broadway jukebox musical, Rock of Ages distills ‘80s rock hits down to its true cornball essence to bring a new form of sentimental camp to the big screen. Yet, despite director Adam Shankman’s attempts to sabotage the film’s more penetrating moments with boorish pranks, it exhibits an electrifying dark side, embodied by Tom Cruise’s surprisingly sad and powerful turn as a mercurial rockstar.

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What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)

Based on Heidi Murkoff's bestselling pregnancy manual, What to Expect When You're Expecting marks a new low in ensemble comedy. Director Kirk Jones patches together exaggerated star-filled scenes that, dependent on overdone characters connected by a tenuous storyline, unapologetically check off the effects surrounding pregnancy seemingly culled from the source material's index.

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Damsels in Distress (2011)

Independent film darling Whit Stillman’s much-anticipated return to filmmaking after a 13-year absence contains all the signature mannerisms of the writer-director’s previous films (Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco) without any of the risk. In the absence of a counterview to garner ambiguity or interest, Damsels in Distress flounders in unacknowledged affectation and privilege.

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The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

For the most part, The Five-Year Engagement is a charming modern romantic comedy, very much dependent on the acute likability of its affianced duo. There's a genial chemistry exhibited here, which would make the film immensely watchable if the screenplay, co-written by the film's star Jason Segel and director Nicholas Stoller, didn't stray from clever affability to tedious absurdity at the first sign of trouble.

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Footnote (2011)

In Oscar-nominated Footnote, writer/director Joseph Cedar transforms a tempest in a teacup into a full-blown psychological storm. Without losing compassion for any of its characters, the dark comedy unflinchingly delves into the perceived professional rivalry involving the academic careers of a tightly wound father and his more populist son. This film is eye candy for the bookish.

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Blue Like Jazz (2012)

Although Blue Like Jazz has been grudgingly praised for its lack of passionate proselytizing, it still hints at an arcane point of view with an eye toward backdoor indoctrination. Adapted from David Miller's eponymous memoir by Miller and director Steve Taylor, the film approaches its story from an us-versus-them slant, giving it more the feel of propaganda than had it been more upfront and forthright. All but true believers will be left worrying about when the other righteous shoe will drop.

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Adapted from Paul Torday's novel by Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and directed by Lasse Hallström (Dear John, Chocolat), Salmon Fishing in the Yemen mistakes a labored, extended metaphor for plot. The film stumbles through the perfunctory trappings of romantic comedy without demonstrating what its characters actually desire.

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The Hunger Games (2012)

Based on the popular young adult novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games petitions to keep the book's youthful audience without diminishing the story's complicated context. Adapted by Collins, Billy Ray, and Gary Ross, who also directed, the film exhibits profound themes, including a smart pastiche of allusions to literary and cinematic classics, as well as historical periods, and a compelling narrative drive, which, through its strong female protagonist, gazes wide-eyed yet steadily at the reach of tyranny.

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Pariah (2011)

In a vain pursuit of authenticity, newcomer writer/director Dee Rees offers a self-conscious, claustrophobic artifice. Characters speak only to the drama at hand and scenes exist exclusively to push the storyline forward. Notwithstanding fresh, likable performances by Adepero Oduye and Aasha Davis, Pariah is, for the most part, predictable and joyless.

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The Women on the 6th Floor (2010)

The Women on the 6th Floor displays abundant charm and covetable style while taking up the serious issues of class differences. Director Philippe Le Guay, who co-wrote the script with Jérôme Tonnerre, shows a genuine affection for the inhabitants of both upstairs and downstairs, and guides transformations of character that are not just upwardly mobile but also outwardly heartfelt. Read the rest of the review here.

Wanderlust (2012)

Written by veterans of MTV's The State David Wain and Ken Marino, Wanderlust indulges in the absurdity and caricature of sketch comedy, yet the film also exhibits maturity in its embrace of honesty through satire and sweetness in character. Wain, who also directed, gives his stellar cast the freedom to play outcasts and oddballs without losing the plot or the beliefs that it supports. Read the full review here.