Mini Movie Reviews

For an online film guide, see apps.augusta.com/do/movies.

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NEW THIS WEEK

CRAZY HEART (R): A broken-down country singer takes stock of his career and his life. Oscar nominations for best actor (Jeff Bridges), best supporting actress (Maggie Gyllenhall) and best song. Augusta Exchange

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (PG): A teenager (Logan Lerman) discovers he's the direct descendant of a Greek god. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

THE WOLFMAN (R): Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman, is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes and discovers his horrifying destiny. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

VALENTINE'S DAY (PG-13): The stories of a group of Angelenos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day are told in intersecting storylines. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

OSCAR NOMINEES

A SINGLE MAN (R): Colin Firth earned a best actor Oscar nomination as George, a gay professor mourning the loss of his partner. Last day, Augusta Exchange

AVATAR ( ***1/2, PG-13): Best director Oscar nominee James Cameron's live-action/animation 3-D hybrid centers on a war between blue-skinned aliens. Also, Oscar nominations for best picture, adapted screenplay, art direction, cinematography, film editing, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects. Augusta Exchange, Evans, last day Aiken

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE (R): Best picture Oscar nomination. A New York City teenager (best actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe) living in 1980s Harlem is abused by her father and by her unfathomably cruel mother (best supporting actress nominee Mo'Nique). Also nominations for Lee Daniels (director), adapted screenplay and film editing. Last day, Augusta Exchange

THE BLIND SIDE ( **1/2, PG-13): Best picture Oscar nominee for this film about a homeless teen taken in by a wealthy couple (best actress nominee Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw) as part of a college-football recruitment program. Aiken, Evans, last day Augusta Exchange

THE LOVELY BONES (PG-13): A murdered teen narrates the tale of her death and her family's life after it. Stanley Tucci earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination as the murderer. Last day, Augusta Exchange, Evans

UP IN THE AIR ( ****, R): Movie also earned Oscar nominations for best picture, best actor (George Clooney), supporting actress (Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga), director (Jason Reitman) and adapted screenplay. Last day, Augusta Exchange

ONGOING 

2012 (PG-13): It's the end of the world as we know it. Masters

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (PG): The annoying computer-animated film has an annoying sequel. Evans, Augusta Exchange, last day Aiken

ARMORED (PG-13): Employees of an armored-transport security firm who cook up a scam: Rip off the company, and no one gets hurt. Masters

COUPLES RETREAT ( **, PG-13): A skimpy comedy that is more adult than its rating indicates. Masters

DEAR JOHN (PG-13): A soldier (Channing Tatum) falls in love with a college student (Amanda Seyfried) while home on leave. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? ( *1/2, PG-13): Manhattanites witness a mob hit and are relocated for their protection to Wyoming. Begins Friday, Masters

EDGE OF DARKNESS (R): Mel Gibson plays a detective investigating the death of his daughter. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (R): An FBI agent (John Travolta) and a member of the U.S. ambassador's staff in Paris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) race to thwart a terrorist attack. Augusta Exchange, Evans, Aiken

LEGION (R): After God figures out that mankind is no longer worthy of him and decides to start over, the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) helps a group of mortals fend off the Apocalypse. Evans, Augusta Exchange, last day Aiken

PLANET 51 (PG-13): Little green people of a faraway planet fear they're about to be invaded. Masters

THE BOOK OF ELI (R): Denzel Washington stars as a man wandering a bombed-out planet and carrying the possible key to mankind's future. Augusta Exchange, Evans, last day Aiken

THE INVENTION OF LYING (PG-13): Ricky Gervais develops the ability to lie. Masters

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG ( ***1/2, G): The Walt Disney Co. gets back to old-school, pen-and-ink animation. Begins Friday at Masters

THE TOOTH FAIRY (PG): A minor-league hockey player (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is sentenced to serve as a real-life tooth fairy for a week. Evans, Aiken, Augusta Exchange

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON ( ***, PG-13): After the vampire Edward leaves, Bella finds comfort in the arms of a werewolf. Begins Friday, Masters

TO SAVE A LIFE (PG-13): Evans

WHEN IN ROME (PG-13): A New Yorker visiting Rome finds herself pursued by a never-ending chain of Romeos. Augusta Exchange, Evans, last day Aiken

ENDING TODAY

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS ( ****, PG): About a town where food rains from the sky. Masters

LEAP YEAR ( **, PG): A woman tired of waiting for her longtime boyfriend to propose hatches a scheme to make sure they spend Feb. 29 in Ireland, where tradition allows women to propose. Begins Friday at Masters

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (PG): A married couple (Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell) turn to a researcher (Harrison Ford) to find a cure for the genetic disease afflicting their children. Evans

IT'S COMPLICATED (PG-13): Comedy about a divorcee (Meryl Streep) dating an architect (Steve Martin) and her ex (Alec Baldwin). Last day Augusta Exchange

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN ( **1/2, R): A father whose family is murdered takes revenge on criminals and the legal system. Masters

NINJA ASSASSIN (R): Martial arts mayhem with South Korean action star Rain. Masters

SHERLOCK HOLMES (PG-13): Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary detective gets a 21st century makeover. Augusta Exchange, Evans

STEPFATHER (PG-13): Mom marries a psycho. Masters