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ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL

After the surprising financial success of the 2007 flick, a second helping of furry antics was inevitable. With Dave (Lee) laid-up in a Paris hospital, his slacker cousin sends Alvin, Simon and Theodore to high school in LA, where they have a sing-off against their female equivalents The Chipettes. Sounds like a rodent "Glee." If only. Perfunctorily cute, the only selling points are the seamless mix of CGI and live-action, and that it goes by in a flash. Then again, if the kids weren't wowed by their Christmas gifts and need to get out of the house, parents may be forced to summon "Alvin!" (PG) BORING COMEDY Dir-Betty Thomas Lead-Jason Lee RT-88 mins.

AVATAR

The most expensive and, arguably, most ballyhooed film ever made lives up to the hype without signaling the dawn of a new age of cinema. James Cameron's visually spectacular opus has enough soul to escape being hoisted on its own mechanically sharpened petard. On the planet Pandora, a paraplegic soldier (Worthington) joins an indigenous clan and falls in love with a princess. Various passages resemble a Vietnam War movie, a western - pitting the rapacious, bellicose white man against natives spiritually plugged-in to their environment - and a Disney animated musical. Although it amounts to old wine in new skins, the scale and quality of the achievement are impressive. (PG-13) GOOD SCI-FI ADVENTURE Dir-James Cameron Lead-Sam Worthington RT-161 mins.

THE BLIND SIDE

"Precious" for the tailgating crowd, this mainstream picture tells the true story of an African-American ward of the state adopted by a rich white family in Memphis. Sandra Bullock plays the tasteful yet tough-as-nails Lady of the house whose efforts enabled Big Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) to become an exceptional football player and passable student. Adapted from Michael Lewis' book, the movie inspires despite average filmmaking that's incapable of probing deeply enough into the racial dynamics or unique mother-son relationship. Oher's high school football coach is straight out of "Mayberry R.F.D." and the baddies in his old housing project belong in a Seventies cop show. (PG-13) FAIR DRAMA Dir-John Lee Hancock Lead-Sandra Bullock RT-125 mins.

BROTHERS

What a moving and morally murky melting pot of a film "Brothers" turns out to be. A reworking of Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish drama, it circles the globe to comment on our nation's military presence in Afghanistan, then doubles back to administer a swift kick to America's heartland. Directed by an Irishman -- Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan ("In the Name of the Father") -- it's carried by three American stars -- Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman -- capable of deglamorizing their celebrity for meaty roles. Inevitably, some of the original's impact is shed, but the emotional currents remain so charged you won't need a translator to understand the heartache conveyed on screen. (R) GOOD DRAMA Dir-Jim Sheridan Lead-Tobey Maguire RT-110 mins.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?

As a Manhattan attorney (Grant) tries to win back his estranged wife (Sarah Jessica Parker) over dinner, they witness a murder. The authorities then shoo the well-heeled couple out west for their protection and, ostensibly, our amusement. But by the time the urbanites-out-of-water land in a Wyoming hamlet, exasperated viewers will be ready to draw the assassin pursuing them a map. Locals, including married U.S. Marshals played by Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen, do their best to explain the ways of red-state folk. Regrettably, no one involved in this witless project remembered to mention the fundamentals of comedy or the importance of chemistry. (PG-13) BORING ROMANTIC COMEDY Dir-Marc Lawrence Lead-Hugh Grant RT-103 mins.

DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Technically proficient but frightening beyond belief, Robert Zemeckis' re-telling of Dickens' timeless tale adopts a surprisingly macabre tone as it provides some of the scariest mistletoe moments since Jack Skellington placed severed heads and 12-foot snakes under the tree in "The Nightmare Before Christmas." A motion-captured Jim Carrey mugs through multiple roles, from miserly Ebenezer Scrooge to the menacing spirits who visit the penny-pincher on Christmas Eve. Like Zemeckis' other literary adaptations ("Beowulf," "The Polar Express"), this is an exquisitely detailed piece of cutting-edge animation. But it lacks heart, warmth and seasonal soul. Enter seeking holiday cheer, and you'll leave muttering "Bah humbug." (PG) BORING FANTASY Dir-Robert Zemeckis Lead-Jim Carrey RT-95 mins.

INVICTUS

Clint Eastwood stays behind the camera for this salubrious, fact-based mix of political biography and sports. Morgan Freeman portrays South Africa's newly elected president Nelson Mandela, who, along with the white captain (Matt Damon) of South Africa's rugby team, helped inspire a radically reformed nation during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Mandela is depicted as a font of wise aphorisms, a leader overflowing with realist insights. And the movie stays on an abstract level without asking the audience to feel the sting of apartheid or racial division. Yet it works due to the inherently vicarious nature of sporting success and Mandela's masterful use of symbols to foster healing. (PG-13) GOOD DRAMA Dir-Clint Eastwood Lead-Morgan Freeman RT-133 mins.

IT'S COMPLICATED

In truth, this Williams-Sonoma commercial isn't complicated enough. Aimed at an underserved demographic, the talky romantic-comedy imagines a middle-aged woman (Streep) and her ex (Alec Baldwin) having an affair ten years after divorcing. He's married to a nagging trophy wife and she's become a mini Martha Stewart, baking yummy treats in bucolic Santa Barbara. Something's amiss when Steve Martin, as her architect, is never allowed to cut loose. Although Streep and Baldwin effortlessly communicate a few amusing insights into the desires of aging rich people, writer/director Nancy Meyers forgot to add yeast -- or, better yet, doses of comedic Viagra and estrogen -- to her recipe. (R) FAIR ROMANTIC COMEDY Dir-Nancy Meyers Lead-Meryl Streep RT-118 mins.

NINE

Never mind that Daniel Day-Lewis sounds more like Count Dracula than an Italian movie director, this film version of the Broadway musical -- itself loosely based on Fellini's 1963 masterpiece "8½" -- nearly scores a ten. Collapsing physically and spiritually, maestro Guido Contini tries to save his marriage and helm a comeback picture entitled "Italia." Everything hangs on the women in his life. Marion Cotillard pierces as his wife, Kate Hudson vamps as a journalist, and Penelope Cruz sobs as his mistress. Add Nicole Kidman (muse), Sophia Loren (mother), Fergie (prostitute) and Judi Dench (confidante and costumier), and director-choreographer Marshall does for a lesser stage work what he did for "Chicago." (PG-13) GREAT MUSICAL Dir-Rob Marshall Lead-Daniel Day-Lewis RT-112 mins.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Disney returns to its 2D animated roots with this lively but derivative Princess saga about a New Orleans waitress named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) whose smooch with an egotistical frog prince doesn't turn him human but, instead, turns her green and long-tongued. Bright, varied visuals enliven energetic if not quite indelible Broadway-ish jazz tunes. The progressiveness of Disney depicting its first African-American heroine, however, is -- like its feel-good celebration of hard work and true love -- diluted by questionable stereotypes as well as the puzzling decision to have Tiana spend most of the film as a mucus-y frog. (G) FAIR ANIMATED FANTASY Dirs-Ron Clements & John Musker Lead-Anika Noni Rose RT-97 mins.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

Another director might have devised some way to make this story of werewolves, vampires and doomed romance feel elemental and mythic. But Chris Weitz ("About a Boy") gives us an earnest tale unhinged from any of the literary or cultural foundations propping it up, except when he explicitly throws them in your face in an attempt to show you how allusive the source material is. And, does it have to be this tedious? Over two hours of pretty teenagers, two supernatural creatures plus the girl who's kinda sorta in love with both, making mooneyes at each other is an hour-forty-five too much. (PG-13) BORING FANTASY-ROMANCE Dir-Chris Weitz Lead-Kristen Stewart RT-130 mins.

UP IN THE AIR

Topical, humorous, and moving, this savvy dramedy about corporate life in America should resonate across the classes -- from First to Economy, boardroom to cubicle. George Clooney plays a "transition specialist" who travels the country firing people and giving motivational speeches on the virtues of shedding human connections. The pink-slipper extraordinaire takes immense pride in his vagabond existence, especially in the frequent flier miles he's racked up. Time spent with another road warrior (Vera Famiga) and a green colleague (Anna Kendrick) begins to alter his outlook however. Retaining a cheerful cynicism throughout, director Reitman ("Juno") and company understand that what's implied is as powerful as what's scripted. (R) GREAT COMEDY-DRAMA Dir-Jason Reitman Lead-George Clooney RT-107 mins.


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