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Beanstalk leads to big adventure in ‘Giant Slayer’
Everybody knows the giants in “Jack and the Beanstalk” are horrible, foul-tempered, man-munching creatures, but I never realized how disgusting they are before seeing this smart, witty, action-intensive update of the ever-popular fairytale.
New releases on DVD, Blu-ray
Gerard Butler coaches a surfing prodigy in “Chasing Mavericks” and Phillip Seymour Hoffman takes Joaquin Phoenix under his wing in “The Master.”
Think ‘Lincoln’ has Oscars locked? ‘Argo’ begs to differ
Until recently, it seemed that “Lincoln” was a shoe-in to win most of its nominated categories at the Academy Awards this Sunday — and it mostly still looks that way, except for one little complication.
New releases on DVD, Blu-ray
Keira Knightley risks all for love in “Anna Karenina,” Ben Affleck ex-filtrates Iran in “Argo,” Victoria Justice blows it as a baby sitter in “Fun Size” and Ethan Hawke goes demon-hunting in “Sinister.”
True love — and cuteness — triumph in drippy ‘Haven’
It’s comforting to know, in this uncertain and imperfect world, that if you’re wholesome enough, adorable enough and good-looking enough, everything is going to work out fine.
Love casts an adolescent spell in ‘Beautiful Creatures’
This so-so supernatural teen romance is sort of like “Twilight,” basically, except it’s about witches instead of vampires and the perpetually menaced mortal is a boy. Who doesn’t flex his shirtless muscles even once, if memory serves.
Movies opening this weekend, still in theaters
Melissa McCarthy steals Jason Bateman’s sense of self — along with his credit cards — in “Identity Thief” and Jude Law writes a prescription for really big trouble in “Side Effects,” both in area theaters.
‘Side Effects’ thrilling, but sometimes hard to swallow
It’s possible that the cool, cerebral “Side Effects” might be too clever for its own good, but how long has it been since you last saw a movie that really kept you guessing? Another way to look at it is that you get three or four or five different genres for the price of one movie in this narrative chameleon.
