Up In The Air
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick. Rated R.
The movie: Ryan Bingham (Clooney) loves life on the road, but his livelihood is challenged when a hotshot college grad (Kendrick) wants to change the way his company does business. One downfall of staying home is that he’ll no longer be able to see Alex (Farmiga), a fellow road warrior who describes herself to Ryan as “like you, only female.” Great performances, a sharp script (co-written by Sheldon Turner) and direction by Jason Reitman (“Juno”), and a story for our times make this the best movie of 2009. Buy It.

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey. Rated R.
The movie: Overweight, illiterate and pregnant Precious (Sidibe) endures a verbally and physically abusive mother (Mo'Nique) as she tries to make something of her life. The performances are better than the extremely depressing story, but Sidibe and Mo'Nique are so good it's more than worthwhile. Buy It.

The Stoning of Soraya M.
Starring: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban. Rated R.
The movie: An Iranian man (Negahban) trumps up a charge of adultery against his wife, Soraya (Marno), when she refuses to grant him a divorce so he can marry a 14 year-old girl. According to their Islam faith, the penalty for adultery is to be stoned to death. It’s a bit heavy-handed, but ultimately this is a very nicely acted, compelling story of injustice that will leave you infuriated. Based on a true story. Rent It.

Planet 51
Starring: Voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long. Rated PG.
The movie: American astronaut Charles Baker (Johnson) crashes on an alien planet that closely resembles 1950s small-town America. The catch is, Baker is considered the “alien” and must avoid capture while trying to return home. The story is predictable but cute, the animation looks fine and there are a number of references to well-known sci-fi classics, which gives adults a reason to smile. Rent It.

The Fourth Kind
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton. Rated PG-13.
The movie: In Nome, Alaska, a psychologist (Jovovich) believes alien abduction may be why a number of her patients are waking at 3:33 a.m. and seeing a mysterious owl, then acting erratically. Writer/director Olatunde Osunsanmi gives a pseudo-documentary feel by constantly interweaving (fake) archive footage with dramatic reenactments. It’s all pretty distracting, and none of it works, though die-hard sci-fi fans may find it amusing. Skip It.

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