“Love and Other Drugs”
A woman (Anne Hathaway) trying to keep her independence falls for a charming pharmaceutical salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal).
Director Ed Zwick, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Randolph, doesn’t go for the blatant romantic approach. Zwick knows falling in love is more than having a “meet cute” story.
Grade: A-
“127 Hours”
A man (James Franco) faces the reality that the only way he can survive an accident is to cut off his own arm.
Because 90 percent of the film takes place with the main character trapped by a large stone, director Danny Boyle had to find a way to keep what’s essentially a one-man play — where his actor is confined to a space the size of a coffin — interesting.
Grade: B+
“Burlesque”
A club owner (Cher) is about to lose her business until a young girl from Iowa (Christina Aguilera) arrives looking for work.
The script by director/writer Steve Antin is a cliche-riddled mess. But Antin stages the musical numbers with enough flash and pizzazz to distract from the thin story line.
Grade: B
Also new
“Who Do You Think You Are?”: NBC reality show that tracks the lives of celebrities.
“The Norman Conquests”: Richard Briers stars in this series based on the plays by Alan Ayckbourn.
“Kennedy: Robert Kennedy and His Times”: The film’s based on the biography by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
“Michael Jordan to the Max”: The 2000 documentary makes its debut on Blu-ray.
Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).
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