Act of Valor

Did you know that gossip can be vicious and destructive—especially when false rumors are deliberately planted by idle and amoral youths just to see what happens? No? Then Gossip, directed by Davis Guggenheim and written by Gregory Poirier, is definitely the movie for you. Even if you did know these things but have a glossy-magazine…

In The Pledge Sean Penn (director) and Jack Nicholson (star) have teamed up to give us a portrait of the hero as “a drunk and a clown” — which has a certain appropriateness, I suppose. There’s even a part for Mickey Rourke here — to say nothing of cameo roles for such actors as Tom…

A sometimes amusing take on a traditional Hollywood theme that ends in something close to despair

This is the abstract field.

A charming combination of prison flick and musical comedy is the best thing on offer this week.

An actor’s movie — written by his brother — to show off the considerable talents of Philip Seymour Hoffman