recommended Back to the Future
"No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!" Burnside Brewing Co.

Barfly
Readings by local writers and rare footage of Charles Bukowski precede a screening of Barfly, the 1987 flick written by Bukowski and starring Mickey Rourke as Bukowski's thinly-veiled alter ego, Henry Chinaski. For more info, see Books. Hollywood Theatre.

recommended Beasts of the Southern Wild
I'll let you in on a secret: Writing negative reviews is pretty easy. Every doofy plot twist and bungled CG jumpkick pulls you out of the moviegoing experience, allowing you plenty of time to compose elaborately mean puns for your headline. It's harder to review a movie when it succeeds—and I mean really succeeds, in that it draws you in completely. The surreal, fantastic Beasts of the Southern Wild is that kind of movie: You may leave the theater conflicted and even confused, but you won't be thinking about anything else while you're watching it. BEN COLEMAN Cinema 21.

The Bourne Legacy
Stupidity of the term aside, it's easiest to describe The Bourne Legacy as a "sidequel" to the Bourne flicks that starred Matt Damon: Legacy occurs during roughly the same timeframe, but thanks to Bourne's shenanigans, the government's decided to wipe out all of its experimental soldiers, including Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Plus, Cross is running out of the meds that keep him all smart and tough—meaning that unless he and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) can get him more pills, he'll go all Flowers for Algernon. Crammed full of technobabble and superfluous plot ("Blackbriar!" "Treadstone!" "BETA TEST GROUP C, ALPHA CODE TANGO!"), Legacy makes as much sense as all the other Bournes, which is to say none. But Renner's a solid action hero—angry and driven—while director Tony Gilroy, who wrote the Damon Bournes before directing the excellent Michael Clayton, continues the series' blurry, spastic action. ERIK HENRIKSEN Various Theaters.

recommended The Campaign
Will Ferrell stars as Cam Brady, a four-term Congressman from North Carolina who is running unopposed for reelection—even when he accidentally leaves a wholesome family a dirty voicemail about rimjobs, he's got no fear of losing. Enter Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the local director of tourism who gets backed by an evil corporation in order to take Brady's seat. Though it pains me, I will politely refrain from telling you much more about where the story goes, because the jaw-droppingly horrible twists and turns are what make The Campaign so fun. But I will say this—you know that part in the trailer where Will Ferrell punches a baby? He punches something way worse than that later in the movie. Think of something worse to punch than a baby! ELINOR JONES Various Theaters.

recommended Dark Horse
See review this issue. Living Room Theaters.

recommended Drugstore Cowboy
"There's nothing more life-affirming than getting the shit kicked outta ya." Hotel deLuxe.

The Expendables 2
Wait, so you're telling me Lions Gate Entertainment refused to screen this film for critics? My, what a shocking surprise. Various Theaters.

Filmusik
Fritz Lang's Metropolis, with a live score by Boston band Bent Knee. Hollywood Theatre.

Hope Springs
A creaky old couple (Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones) decide to undergo a week of counseling with a renowned therapist (Steve Carrell). Your mom is going to love this thing. Various Theaters.

recommended Kung Fu Theater
Old-school kung fu on 35 mm! Up this week: The Bastard Swordsman. Hollywood Theatre.

recommended Laura
An inspiration for Twin Peaks, Otto Preminger's 1944 noir Laura is a classic whodunit, but one where what was done becomes less and less clear. Dana Andrews plays a detective who falls in love with the socialite (Gene Tierney) whose murder he's supposed to be solving. The film is famous for David Raksin's haunting score, but it's Tierney's nervous, vulnerable performance that really sells it. JAMIE S. RICH Fifth Avenue Cinema.

The Misfits
See Books. Hollywood Theatre.

recommended Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson, god bless him, just keeps making Wes Anderson movies. Moonrise Kingdom is mannered, precious, nostalgic, and twee—and about as good a movie about childhood as an adult is capable of making. ALISON HALLETT Various Theaters.

Nobody Else But You
French director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu's "offbeat mystery." Clinton Street Theater.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green
A Disney family flick about a little kid with leaves on his legs who appears magically out of some dirt. Eat it up, hippies! Various Theaters.

ParaNorman
See review this issue. Various Theaters.

Patang
An Indian drama set against the backdrop of India's largest kite festival. Clinton Street Theater.

recommended The Prize
Paula Markovitch's haunting film documents the life of seven-year-old Cici (Paula Galinelli Hertzog) and her mother Lucía (Laura Agorreca) as they hide from a police state in Argentina. Hertzog's performance is irresistible, and though the film moves at an awkward pace, it makes up for it in heart-wrenching detail. Screens as part of the Northwest Film Center's Global Lens series, along with Mourning and Pegasus. More info: nwfilmorg. ZIBBY PILLOTE Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

recommended Project Youth Docs
See My, What a Busy Week! Hollywood Theatre.

recommended Searching for Sugar Man
See review this issue. Fox Tower 10.

Sparkle
See review this issue. Various Theaters.

Union Square
A drama about two sisters, starring Mira Sorvino. Oh, she's still working! Good for her. Living Room Theaters.

We Are the Hartmans
"Eccentric musicians, drunks, and drag queens" mount a rebellion when a small town hangout threatens to go out of business. Director in attendance. Clinton Street Theater.

Yellow Submarine
Nope, officer. No drugs here. Bagdad Theater.