The new Edward Zwick movie, “Defiance,” is based on the true story of a group of Jewish brothers who witnessed the murder of their family and friends at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. more

Would somebody please hire Clint Eastwood to stare down the recession, narrow his eyes at it and lift a loaded shotgun at it? more

"Appaloosa" DVD, Blu-ray: Says more in its long stretches of silence than most movies say with the heaviest use of dialogue. Ed Harris is Virgil Cole, Appaloosa's marshal-for-hire, who … more

The new Tom Cruise movie, “Valkyrie,” was kneecapped long before it goose stepped into theaters. more

“Bangkok Dangerous” DVD, Blu-ray: What fresh fright wig is this? In this dumb remake of the 1999 Thai film of the same name, Nicolas Cage once again turns himself into such a hard-looking … more

“Slumdog Millionaire” proves that Danny Boyle is among the most restless directors working in Hollywood today. more

The new Sam Mendes movie, “Revolutionary Road,” stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in their first pairing since 1997’s “Titanic,” in which their love-struck characters were undone by one infamous sinking ship. more

Since the very title promises a certain clarity of vision, it’s too bad the movie itself lacks one. In fact, let’s be clear about the experience of watching “Eagle Eye.” It’s akin to being tossed into the business end of a washing machine, spun on high for the better part of two hours, then released into the world feeling bruised, scraped and battered. more

David Fincher’s memorable new drama, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” is the story of a child born into a wealthy New Orleans family, but who upon his birth is so hideous to behold (he looks like a cured loin of pork, only wiggling, screeching and alive), that his father, Thomas Button (Jason Flemyng), snatches him from the room where his wife just died in childbirth. more

Jonathan Demme’s “Rachel Getting Married” isn’t really about Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) at all. It’s about her screwed-up sister Kym (Anne Hathaway in her best performance to date), a smoky, troublemaking but ultimately well-meaning mess on leave from a rehab facility who has been on drugs and booze for so much of her life, she unfortunately claimed another life along the way. more

From the Coen brothers, a movie that isn’t what it should have been, but almost what it could have been — a consistently funny farce about dumb people creating a crippling run of chaos between the CIA and a gym called Hardbodies. more

So, you’ve put off the holiday shopping until the last minute — perfectly understandable. The good news is that a DVD always makes a swell gift — and a quick, no-stress, often low-cost purchase to boot. more

In theaters A CHRISTMAS TALE directed by Arnaud Desplechin, written by Desplechin and Emmanual Bourdieu, 150 minutes, not rated. In French with English … more

“Death Proof” Blu-ray: Since the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriquez double-feature “Grindhouse” stumbled at the box office (it shouldn’t have — it was a fine pairing of two good … more

Coming soon to theaters DOUBT, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, 104 minutes, PG-13. The new John Patrick Shanley film, “Doubt,” a church melodrama of the highest order, has so … more

The new Gus Van Sant movie, “Milk,” follows Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon” in that it opened in wide release across the country last Friday, though not in the Bangor market. Instead, we received “Punisher: War Zone” because, you know, that’s the film those in control of movie distribution in our area figure idiots like us would rather see. more

“The Dark Knight” DVD, Blu-ray: A knight to remember. Christopher Nolan deftly accomplishes all one could hope for — and then surpasses it — in a movie that’s the very best of its kind. The … more

The comparisons between Catherine Hardwicke’s “Twilight” and Tom Alfredson’s “Let the Right One In” come so swiftly and easily, it would be an oversight not to compare them. more

Since there isn’t enough space in this column — let alone in the land of Oz — to fully explore the new Baz Luhrmann epic, “Australia,” let’s just cut to the chase, visit the circus he offers and hope for the best. more

The second film in the “Narnia” franchise finds that a year has passed in the lives of the four Pevensie siblings — Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) — and the weight of another war is pressing down upon them. more