Take Shelter (2011) **

Grossly overrated film about a man who becomes obsessed with building a storm shelter.

Warrior (2011) **

Nick Nolte received an Oscar nomination for his performance in this overlong, but interesting film about two brothers competing in a mixed martial arts championship.

J. Edgar (2011) **

Visually unimpressive, but thematically fascinating portrait of the legendary director of the FBI. Written by Dustin Lance Black ("Milk").

Undefeated (2011) **

An all-Black football team from Memphis with a White coach.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) **

Very different from “Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes” (1972), the fourth film in the original series, which it most closely resembles. Unlike that earlier film, which was about an ape revolution violently overthrowing human domination, this film is only about intelligent apes liberating themselves and escaping to a forest (while – SPOILER ALERT - a deadly virus – deadly only to the humans but not to the apes – is accidentally released and will presumably wipe out the human race). So while the earlier film reflected its era of the Watts riots, Che Guevara and Black Panthers, this film reflects the era of the bird flu, the swine flu and animal rights.

Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows (2011) **

Robert Downey Jr returns as the famed detective in this sequel to the 2009 film.

Young Adult (2011) **

Paradise Lost 3 Purgatory (2011) **

The third film in the series. Profoundly depressing, no matter what the actual truth is.

Beginners (2011) **

So-so comedy/drama about an aging bachelor (Ewan McGregor) and his gay father (Christopher Plummer). Its misleading trailer promises a quirky comedy of manners, but the film is actually pretty depressing and drab. Not for every taste, but definitely intelligent and original.

The Ides Of March (2011) **

Quite a rarity - a political film directed by a leftist liberal, George Clooney, which nevertheless presents the Democratic Party as hopelessly corrupt and cynical, and - SPOILER ALERT - an idealistic leftist politician as immoral and sexually irresponsible. Fittingly, the politician in question (played by Clooney himself) seems to combine the best qualities of Barack Obama and the worst vices of Bill Clinton. It's not a bad movie - the actors are great and the dialogue is memorable - but the ending is very awkward (from a narrative, not a political, point of view) and visually the film is nowhere near as innovative as Clooney's previous directorial efforts ("Confessions Of a Dangerous Mind" and "Good Night And Good Luck").

The Debt (2011) **

Routine political thriller about an Israeli hit team that kidnaps a Nazi war criminal in East Berlin

Limitless (2011) **

Uneven, but often exciting film about a failed writer who turns his life around thanks to a new experimental drug.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) **

Excellent kung fu action scenes, but otherwise a routine and unexceptional sequel to the 2008 animation hit.

Carnage (2011) **

A great cast - Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christopher Waltz and John C. Reilly – in a so-so movie directed by Roman Polanski. Very theatrical, and weakened by a abrupt and unsatisfying ending.

Transformers Dark of the Moon (2011) **

Probably the best of all Transformers movies.

Puss In Boots (2011) **

A “Shrek” spin-off starring a brave little kitty.

Hanna (2011) **

A cross between "The Bourne Identity" (a fast-paced action movie full of fights and chases) and "The Sheltering Sky" (a leisurely paced existential road movie set in such exotic places as Morocco). The film switches from one mode to another - essentially, the first and the last acts are mostly action, while the second act is all about feelings, ambiance, perception and other mushy stuff. One gets a distinct impression that the director Joe Wright isn't really interested in action scenes - he just goes through the motions - and it's the existential stuff he's really after, but it just doesn't fit together properly.