Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter / journalist Mark Boal master a new form of filmmaking — confident, straight-forward dramatization — and Jessica Chastain is the steely head and heart behind the decade-long search for Osama bin Laden.

d: Kathryn Bigelow | imdb.com | trailer | Charlie Rose | Chastain

The Guard (2011)

Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle play mismatched buddy cops — a smart Irish Archie Bunker and an affluent American FBI agent — familiar archetypes with new chemistry, and John Michael McDonagh directs with bright colors and even brighter dialogue.

d: John Michael McDonagh | imdb.com | trailer
It hurts. | Street value | Disney World | Gaelic

Green Lantern (2011)

The latest $150 million comic book fanboy inside joke isn’t good enough to be bad. It’s just boring — and it looks cheap. Ryan Reynolds, a maverick test pilot, finds this ring and then ... there’s this backstory, and you’ll wish you’ve never heard of planet Oa.

d: Martin Campbell | imdb.com | trailer | WonderCon 2011

Kick-Ass (2010)

Based on a comic book, the movie is a violent, profane satire of comic book movies — and it’s a lot of fun. Chloe Grace Moretz, just 11 when the film was made, is a real discovery as superhero Hit Girl, walking the line between adorable and trained killer.

d: Matthew Vaughn | imdb.com | trailer | I’m Kick-Ass.
Suit up | Birthday present | Big Daddy | Mist Mobile