Our critics recommend...

Happythankyoumoreplease

An aspiring novelist with an eclectic group of friends learns about life from an abandoned boy he meets by chance.

Kaboom Comedy with sci-fi elements about a sexually obsessed film student who sees crazy things after tripping on laced cookies.

Limitless See Steven Rea's preview on this page.

The Lincoln Lawyer See Steven Rea's preview on this page.

Lord of the Dance 3D This documentary looks at Michael Flatley's worldwide dance phenomenon. Opens Thursday.

Of Gods and Men See Steven Rea's preview on this page.

Paul Two Brits driving around the United States stumble into the adventure of a lifetime after picking up an alien near a top-secret military base in this sci-fi comedy.

Win Win A struggling attorney (Paul Giamatti) who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach invites trouble when he recruits the troubled grandson of a client for his team.

Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.) and Steven Rea (S.R.).

W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Black Swan Natalie Portman won the best-actress Oscar as a fiercely disciplined prima ballerina struggling with the dual roles of Swan Lake and with a newly recruited dancer (Mila Kunis) who threatens to steal her part. Vincent Cassell, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder are on board for this thrilling, nutty psychodrama from The Wrestler's Darren Aronofsky. 1 hr. 43 R (sex, nudity, drugs, physical torment, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Illusionist Full of bittersweet whimsy and gorgeous, hand-drawn, animated tableaux, this gem from the director of the Oscar-nominated The Triplets of Belleville follows an aging magician as he ekes out a living and runs into an innocent girl who changes his life, and he hers. Inspired by Jacques Tati and adapted from the French comedy great's unproduced screenplay. 1 hr. 20 PG (adult themes) - S.R.

The King's Speech Colin Firth (Oscar for best actor) and Geoffrey Rush star in this rousing odd-couple comedy, drawn from real life, about King George VI, a stutterer, and his speech therapist. Oscars for best picture and director, too. 1 hr. 51 R (profanity, but otherwise family-friendly for those 12 and older) - C.R.

Poetry South Korea's Lee Chang-dong delivers a story of aching, exquisite sadness and beauty about a 66-year-old woman and her struggles with family, forgetting, and a terrible crime. There is nothing wispy or sentimental here; the camera observes and records. Horrible things and good things happen. Sublime. 2 hrs. 19 No MPAA rating (violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Another Year

Mike Leigh's meditation on why some people chase happiness and others radiate it takes the form of four seasons in the life of a couple for all seasons, shaggily played by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen. 2 hrs. 09

PG-13

(profanity) -

C.R.

Biutiful Javier Bardem in the (rightly) Oscar-nominated role of a Barcelona street criminal trying to put his life in order, take care of his kids, and make peace with the world, and himself, in his final days. Haunting, powerful stuff from the director of Amores perrons, 21 Grams, and Babel. 2 hrs. 28 R (disturbing images, violence, profanity, drugs, sex, nudity,

adult themes) - S.R.

The Fighter Based on the real-life career, and comeback, of welterweight champ "Irish" Micky Ward and his relationship with his wacko half-brother, erstwhile prizefighter Dicky Eklund, this roiling, colorful film is great in the ring, and great outside the ring, too. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale (best supporting actor) are the pugilist sibs; Melissa Leo (best supporting actress) is their mom; Amy Adams is Micky's bare-knuckle barkeep girlfriend. 1 hr. 55 R (violence, profanity, drugs, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

127 Hours Gripping true story of a mountain climber (James Franco) who is trapped for five days under a boulder in a Utah canyon before taking drastic steps to survive. 1 hr. 37 R (profanity, disturbing violent content, bloody images) - C.R.

True Grit The Coen Brothers adapt Charles Portis' novel about a plucky girl who hires a bounty hunter to collect her father's killer and rides on the hunt herself, determined to see things set right. With Jeff Bridges (best actor) as the one-eyed, boozy gunslinger Rooster Cogburn, Matt Damon as a comically fussy Texas Ranger, Josh Brolin as the villain, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the impossibly composed and gumptious 14-year-old heroine. 1 hr. 50 PG-13 (violence, cussing, adult themes) - S.R.

The Adjustment Bureau **

Slack adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story "Adjustment Team" stars a disengaged Matt Damon as an aspiring pol who goes off-message when he falls for flirty dancer Emily Blunt. The action sequences feel like filler, the romantic leads have little magnetism, and the metaphysical underpinnings fall to pieces. 1 hr. 39 PG-13 (discreet sexuality, profanity, discreet violence) -

C.R.

Battle: Los Angeles ** Standard-issue combat film with a twist: The invaders are armored aliens from another planet coming to suck the Earth dry of its resources. A film so cartoonish that it makes the cartoonish Independence Day look as nuanced as Saving Private Ryan. With Aaron Eckhardt. 1 hr. 56 PG-13 (sustained battle sequences, including death and destruction) - C.R.

Beastly *1/2 A thoroughly dopey reread of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale, with Alex Pettyfer as the rich, handsome high schooler who gets a spell cast on him, and a few lumpy prosthetics, fake tattoos, and scars to make him slightly less male-model-ish. Vanessa Hudgens is the beauty, Mary-Kate Olsen the Goth girl who started the trouble. PG-13 (kind of adult themes) - S.R.

Mars Needs Moms **1/2 Animated family feature about a boy who goes on a wild adventure to save his mother after she is taken by Martians who need her to teach them about mothering. 1 hr. 29 PG (sci-fi action and peril) - W.S.

Rango **1/2 That acting chameleon Johnny Depp gives voice to one in Gore Verbinski's off-center animated Western that's a mash-up of Chinatown and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A film for movie geeks and those who enjoy watching Depp role-play around. 1 hr. 46 PG (rude humor, animated violence, smoking) - C.R.

Red Riding Hood ** The quavery, saucer-eyed Amanda Seyfried stars in Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight-ian take on the fairy tale about a girl, a wolf, and a grandma (Julie Christie, of all people!). A trippy, tweenage bodice- ripper that's funny, and sexy, and ridiculous. PG-13 (violence, gore, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

Reviewed by critics Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.), Howard Shapiro (H.S.), and Toby Zinman (T.Z.).

A Midsummer Night's Dream

(Lantern Theater Company) Shakespeare with fairy dust. In previews, opens Wednesday.

The Eyes of Babylon (Bristol Riverside Theatre) A Marine recounts, from his journal entries, his time in Iraq. Previews Tuesday and Wednesday, opens Thursday.

Formerly Known as Sarah (New Freedom Theatre) Madame C.J. Walker, a self-made African American cosmetics millionaire, talks about it. Opens Thursday.

Evie's Waltz (Simpatico Theatre Project/Adrienne) Mom and Dad view crazy kids with alarm while barbecuing. Opens Thursday.

Losing the Shore (BCKSEET Productions/Adrienne) Adlai Stevenson meets others at sea in 1953. Previews Wednesday and Thursday, opens Friday.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

(People's Light & Theatre) A fine production gets at the heart and anxieties of Mark Twain's mischief-maker. Best for 10 and up. Ends Sunday.

- W.R.

Amy's View (Isis Productions/Walnut 5) David Hare's valentine to the theater is full of static debates and unlikable characters. Through March 27. - T.Z.

Blithe Spirit (Delaware Theatre Company) Noel Coward's 1941 comedy of séances, wives, and ghosts is delightfully done, but is staged in two halves, not in the three acts Coward wrote - so prepare for a marathon sit. Through next Sunday. - H.S.

Crimes of the Heart (McCarter Theatre) Beth Henley's comic masterpiece. Through March 27.

Don Juan (Quintessence Theatre Group) An inconsistent and rootless production features a few strong performances but muffles Moliere's sense of humor. Ends Sunday.

- W.R.

The Emperor Jones (Iron Age Theatre) Kash Goins stars in Eugene O'Neill's 1920 play about a killer who must flee the island village where he's a self-declared ruler. The rarely staged piece is worth seeing, even though the production starts flat before expanding. Through March 27.

- H.S.

First Impressions: Tony's Historical and Hysterical Take on the Presidents (Hedgerow Theatre) Tony Braithwaite should be president! Through March 26.

In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play (Wilma Theater) If the title is a turnoff, you'd probably benefit most from Sarah Ruhl's unorthodox treatment of love, technology, and human connection. Through April 3. - W.R.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Theatre Exile) This production hits its gory stride in the second act when it gets Martin McDonagh's grisly glee just right. Mayhem to the max. Ends Sunday. - T.Z.

The Men of Mah Jongg (Society Hill Playhouse) Baloney with cheese on stale wry - a life-affirming, sentimental show about four old guys played by four old guys; the ideal audience would be four old guys. Through April 17. - T.Z.

Pterodactyls (New City Stage Company) Nicky Silver's quirky, funny, sad social satire is having a nifty revival by New City Stage. Through March 27. - T.Z.

Superior Donuts (Arden Theatre) A fine cast creates a world of engaging characters, all pursuing the American dream in an old doughnut shop in Tracy Letts' sweet play. Through April 3. - T.Z.

The Ugly One (Walnut Street Theatre's Independence Studio) This nicely acted number about plastic surgery cannot decide whether it's fantasy, comedy or absurdity, or truth-teller, and is not effectively any of those. Ends Sunday. - H.S.

Tangled ***

A fractured fairy tale in the spirit of

Enchanted

,

Tangled

is a boy-friendly version of

Rapunzel

, more of a hair-raising adventure than a yearning romance. 1 hr. 32

PG

(mild violence) -

C.R.