film

A guide to movies from a family perspective:

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

-- Rated: PG-13.
-- Suitable for: Mature tweens and up.

From the pages of Marvel comic books, X-Men heroes and villains are introduced to the big screen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," a prequel to the film trilogy. Bolt, Blob and Emma Frost are among the new mutants onscreen, along with recurring characters such as Cyclops/Scott Summers, originated by James Marsden but now played by Tim Pocock.

The apocalyptic "Battle for Terra" puts up a decent fight, but struggles to win you over with scorched-earth tactics.
The animated think piece is preachy and heavy-handed. It's screened in digital 3-D in some theaters with a higher ticket price.

Those who pirated "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" got a punishment that fit the crime.
The fizzling action flick amounts to a 107-minute tutorial on how to make a chain of endless fights, chases and screams seem as dull as bingo night.
The movie drags so much in the theater, it must be much slower without the blood-curdling surround sound and wall-sized explosions.

Hundreds of movies currently are making the rounds of domestic and international film festivals, but it's safe to say only one of them showcases Faye Dunaway in the role of a one-armed police detective from Memphis battling an Elvis-loving rockabilly zombie in Wales.

As long as wounded warriors return home from battle with damaged limbs and minds, Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun" will never lose its relevance. First as a novel, then three decades later as a film and, this week, nearly four more decades later, as a DVD, "Johnny" remains one of America's most important artistic anti-war statements.

A guide to movies from a family perspective:

"The Soloist"

-- Rated: PG-13.
-- Suitable for: Teens and older moviegoers.
-- What you should know: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. star in this story, inspired by real events and people, about a homeless musician with schizophrenia and a Los Angeles Times columnist.

"The Soloist" is a duet, with two master performers collaborating for an absorbing medley.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx tackle challenging roles with effortless panache in a real-life tale about a complicated friendship between Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and homeless, mentally ill classical musician Nathaniel Ayers.

"Frost/Nixon," written by Peter Morgan, was a hit on Broadway in 2007, with Frank Langella garnering both Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Actor for his performance as former President Richard Nixon.

One grain of good news can be gleaned from today's mountain of ghastly economic tidings. If the slide continues, we're almost sure to see double-digit unemployment, epic human misery, rampant homelessness and ... some of the best films in decades.