Movies

Opening This Week

Edge Of Darkness See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

Police, Adjective See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

When in Rome See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

Excellent (****)

Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.), Steven Rea (S.R.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.); W.S. denotes a wire-service review.

Crazy Heart Jeff Bridges delivers an Oscar-worthy - no, Oscar-required - performance as a whiskey-soaked onetime country legend trying to put his life back together in this sublime American indie. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, and an uncredited Colin Farrell all offer up memorable turns. A low-key, down-home gem. 1 hr. 51 R (profanity, alcohol abuse, adult themes) - S.R.

Fantastic Mr. Fox The fur flies in Wes Anderson's stop-motion-animation gem about an erudite predator and his burrowing brood. With the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray, this adaptation of a Roald Dahl book is the best animated film of the year, and maybe the best film, period. 1 hr. 27 PG (cartoon violence, "cussin'," adult themes) - S.R.

Up in the Air As the frequent-flying "career-transition counselor" (read: the suave bully you hire when you're scared to fire employees), George Clooney gives the performance of his career. Jason Reitman's movie is perfectly tailored to the star's melancholy twinkle and purring motormouth. With the sublime Vera Farmiga and quirky Anna Kendrick. 1 hr. 48 R (language, sexual content) - C.R.

Very Good (***1/2)

Avatar James Cameron's mega-expensive technological marvel is also a whole lot of fun: A gamer-generation Dances With Wolves, with a human soldier (and his avatar) falling in love with a blue-skinned alien from the planet Pandora. 2 hr. 41 PG-13 (violence, aggressive action, alien beasts, adult themes) - S.R.

An Education Disarming and unexpectedly poignant story set in 1961 of a dreamy, Oxford-bound 16-year-old (enchanting Carey Mulligan) who takes up with a sophisticated older man (Peter Sarsgaard). Pungently realized by filmmaker Lone Scherfig from the memoir by Lynn Barber. 1 hr. 35 PG-13 (discreet sexual content, smoking) - C.R.

The Princess and the Frog This jazzy, pizzazzy, and enchanting Disney animated musical of the old-school, hand-drawn style features a scrappy new-school heroine - one who is both self-made and prince-completed. Anika Noni Rose is the voice of Tiana, a hardworking waitress hoping to save enough tips to buy her own restaurant, and Bruno Campos is a Mediterranean prince who steps into some deep voodoo when he disembarks in 1919 New Orleans. 1 hr. 37 G (some scary ghosts, may be too intense for viewers under 7) - C.R.

A Town Called Panic If Fantastic Mr. Fox is stop-motion animation at its most refined, then this nutty Belgian 'toon is stop-motion at its messiest and nuttiest. Aesthetically, it's a whole other kettle of fish, but it's nonetheless splendid, smile-inducing fun. 1 hr. 15 No MPAA rating (wacky mayhem) - S.R.

Also on Screens

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel ** If you can read this, you're probably too old for this live-action sequel featuring the famously cute singing furballs. With Zachary Levi and David Cross. 1 hr. 28 PG (some crude humor) - D.H.

The Book of Eli *** Albert and Allen Hughes' haunting and inspirational allegory is framed like a spaghetti Western. It stars Denzel Washington as a pilgrim of the post-apocalypse, fighting cannibals and scavengers in order to carry out a holy mission. With Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. 1 hr. 58 R (extreme violence, implied cannibalism) - C.R.

Extraordinary Measures ** A father (Brendan Fraser) struggles for a treatment for his terminally ill children. Though inspired by a gripping, true-life story, as brought to screen by Tom Vaughan (What Happens in Vegas), it's a slack, well-meaning disease-of-the-week drama of the sort one might encounter on the Hallmark Channel. Harrison Ford costars as a scientist as prickly as Fraser is tender. 1 hr. 45 PG (dramatic themes) - C.R.

The Lovely Bones *1/2 Peter Jackson's woefully misguided adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel about a 14-year-old girl who was raped and murdered - and who then looks down from the heavens as her parents grapple with grief, and her killer covers his tracks. The kitschy digital rendering of the girl's afterlife world is jarringly at odds with the earthbound drama going on. 2 hrs. 15 PG-13 (violence, disturbing images, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Sherlock Holmes ** Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous consulting detective has attention-deficit disorder in Guy Ritchie's clamoring, breathless, turn-of-the-(last)-century action movie. Robert Downey Jr., ripped and ready with the glib riposte, is Holmes, and Jude Law his bland Dr. Watson. The Holmes-as-action-hero conceit could have been fun, if anyone had thought to write a screenplay that made sense. 2 hrs. 08 PG-13 (action, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Tooth Fairy *1/2 Despite his high-beam smile and self-mocking style, Dwayne Johnson (a/k/a The Rock) does not elicit many laughs in this unfunny comedy about a bubble-bursting hockey player who disillusions kids and is sentenced to Tooth Fairy detail. 1 hr. 41 PG (mild language, rude humor) - C.R.

Theater

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

New This Week

City of Numbers (InterAct Theatre Company) A one-man portrait of Philadelphia violence - victims, murderers, loved ones. Previews today, Tuesday, opens Wednesday.

The Eclectic Society (Walnut Street Theatre) A new play set in the frat world of the Kennedy era. Previews today, Tuesday, opens Wednesday.

The Foreigner (Bristol Riverside Theatre) Larry Shue's comedy about a shy guy who pretends he doesn't understand English and hears too much. Previews Tuesday, Wednesday, opens Thursday.

Golden Age (Philadelphia Theatre Company) Backstage at the premiere of Bellini's I Puritani in 1835, it's the last of Terrence McNally's "opera trilogy." Previews today, Tuesday, opens Wednesday.

Respect (Society Hill Playhouse/Act II Playhouse) The progress of women through the decades, in popular song. Opens Wednesday. Through April 18.

Visiting Mr. Green (Hedgerow Theatre) Heartwarming multigenerational comedy about getting along. Previews Tuesday, Wednesday, opens Thursday.

Continuing

Becky Shaw (Wilma Theater Company) A superb cast sets off an evening of sparks, igniting Gina Gionfriddo's dark and funny Off-Broadway hit about a blind date with invasive consequences. Extended through Feb. 7. - H.S.

Blue Door (Arden Theatre Company) Two remarkable performances by Johnnie Hobbs Jr. and Kes Khemnu, plus spot-on direction by Walter Dallas, in a mystical play about a man at the precipice, which never makes its point. Through March 21. - H.S.

Gagarin Way (Inish Nua/Amaryllis Theatre Company) A fierce, funny play about contemporary Scotland. Two working-class brothers kidnap a man to make a statement about the evils of multinational capitalism. The acting (Jered McLenigan and Jared Michael Delaney) and direction (Tom Reing) are excellent. Through Feb. 7. - T.Z.

High School Musical (New Candlelight Theatre) We're (still) all in this together! Through Feb. 27. - W.R.

The Irish . . . and How They Got That Way (Kimmel Center Innovation Studio) Frank McCourt's musical tribute to his people. Through Feb. 28. Other Hands (Luna Theatre Company) Managing love in the Age of Technology. Through Feb. 14.

Peter Pan (Arden Theatre Company) Douglas Irvine's new adaptation is sweet, but the real stars of this production are the Arden's set-, puppet-, and costume-design team. Ends today.- W.R.

The Prince (Walnut Independence Studio) We're in court with a very powerful senator. Through Feb. 7. - T.Z.

She Stoops to Conquer (REP/University of Delaware) Oliver Goldsmith's class-conscious romp. Through Feb. 20. - H.S.

TRU/The Threshing Floor (Mauckingbird Theatre Company) Two gay literary giants - Truman Capote in TRU and James Baldwin in The Threshing Floor - speak in two plays, done in repertory. TRU has a smart first act and falls apart in the second, but Chris Faith makes a fine Capote, and James Ijames, who wrote Threshing and plays Baldwin, does well as both playwright and the actor of 14 roles. Through next Sunday. - H.S.

Wicked (Kimmel Center/Broadway at the Academy) The third time through Philly isn't uniformly a charm for the residents of Oz, but it has enough magic to satisfy the faithful. Ends today. - W.R.

Video

Whip It *** Drew Barrymore's delightful rookie feature about a Texas beauty-pageant princess (Ellen Page) who finds herself as a combative and competitive roller-derby queen. Wonderful performances from Page, Marcia Gay Harden (as her Mom), and Kristen Wiig. 1 hr. 51 PG-13 (underage drinking, profanity, sexual suggestion) - C.R.