"An Education"
Star Carey Mulligan earns her Oscar buzz in screenwriter Nick Hornby's excellent adaptation of British journalist Lynn Barber's coming-of-age memoir. Grade: A-
"Avatar"
In his much-hyped new film, writer-director James Cameron once again combines brilliant imagery and grade-school-level storytelling. Grade: B-
"The Blind Side"
An inspirational true story becomes a Sandra Bullock vehicle that's both shamelessly manipulative and disturbingly simplistic in its view of race relations. Grade: D
"Brothers"
Jim Sheridan's drama about the human cost of the Middle East conflict sometimes lays things on a little thick, but it's dead-on emotionally. Grade: B
"Did You Hear About the Morgans?"
A promising idea - Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play a separated couple trying to rebuild their marriage in a foreign environment - quickly becomes a not-so-funny balance between the absurd and the cliched. Grade: C-
"Everybody's Fine"
This dysfunctional family saga delves into emotional separation, comforting lies and related guilt - experiences that some can get just fine from their own relatives. Grade: C
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Working in stop-motion animation, Wes Anderson makes a family-friendly film that's distinctly and beautifully his own, and likely to leave a wide smile on your face. Grade: A
"Invictus"
Clint Eastwood's sports drama about Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) building South African pride through rugby is based in truth, but it lacks authenticity. Grade: C
"Me and Orson Welles"
Though this truth-inspired tale of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre has a treasure in actor Christian McKay, costar Zac Efron is clearly out of his league. Grade: B-
"Precious"
Good intentions don't entirely redeem Lee Daniels' blunt-trauma approach to the story of a horribly troubled teen, but Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique back him up with genuine performances. Grade: B-
"The Princess and the Frog"
Disney's first hand-drawn animated feature since 2004, a Frog Prince redo set in New Orleans with an African-American princess, is a beautiful, jazzy piece of work. Grade: B
"The Road"
Director John Hillcoat faced unavoidable difficulties in bringing Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel to the screen, but his gritty style is a perfect visual match for the material. Grade: B
"Sherlock Holmes"
The newest big-screen incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective is uneven but entertaining, coasting mostly on the charms of a Robert Downey Jr. Grade: B-
"Up in the Air"
Whip-smart, funny and genuinely moving - it's the perfect movie for these unemployed times, but its theme of finding connection in isolation is timeless. Grade: A
"Young Victoria"
If you know the slightest bit about British history, then you know how this love story ends, but it's still fun watching a bashful prince win over a reluctant young Queen Victoria. Grade: B+