Black Dynamite
First, the praise: There is nothing wrong with Scott Sanders' Black Dynamite. You will enjoy the kung fu fighting; you will laugh at the many references to the main themes of the blaxploitation tradition; its crazy ending will not disappoint you; Michael Jai White, the star of the film and one of the script's authors, has complete control of his macho (or "mac ho") character. Next, the criticism: What is right with Black Dynamite also happens to be what is wrong with it. Meaning, all you can give this movie is praise—praise for the editing of its action sequences, for its competent acting, for the director's knowledge of the blaxploitation tradition, and for its groovy score. But what one wants from a movie of this kind, a movie about a type or period of cinema, is for it to cross the border of being merely entertaining (order) to being a work of genius (disorder). This is the hidden or even silent failure of Black Dynamite—it is a comedy that never reaches the strange regions of the cosmic. CHARLES MUDEDE Clinton Street Theater.

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
The sequel to 1999's beloved/derided cult crime flick. Not screened for critics. Various Theaters.

recommended Bronson
See review. Fox Tower 10.

recommended Brother from Another Planet
The title and premise of Brother from Another Planet—a mute, black alien crash lands in unsuspecting Harlem—would seem to presuppose a very different movie: Earth Girls Are Easy by way of Dolemite, maybe. Surprisingly, John Sayles' 1984 feature is a much more singular piece of work. On the run from intergalactic slave-owners (played by David Strathairn and Sayles), the titular Brother (a never-better Joe Morton) wanders lost through 1980s New York, encountering racism, charity, heroin, sex, and one really dope card trick. Though tangential and shaggy, Brother examines what makes us human with a quiet, comedic optimism that is always engaging and unfortunately rare. Screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. DAVE BOW Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

The Cinematic Practice of Replayed Reality
The Northwest Film Center and Cinema Project join forces (like Voltron!) to present the work of Finnish director Susanna Helke, whose work "questions the practice of non-fiction filmmaking." Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

Collapse
The latest from documentarian Chris Smith (American Movie, The Yes Men) profiles Michael Ruppert, "a former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter" who predicted the financial crisis (via a self-published newsletter, natch) and warns of the catastrophic effects of peak oil. Nutjob or prophet? YOU DECIDE! Not screened in time for critics; see next week's Mercury for our review. Ruppert in attendance for shows on Thursday, December 3. Cinema 21.

recommended Fantastic Mr. Fox
See review. Various Theaters.

Getting Home
When his coworker keels over in mid-swig, a straight-laced office drone finds himself stuck with the corpse far from home. Lacking the cash to bury his drinking buddy, he buys two tickets on a bus. Things don't go smoothly. From this rather broad Weekend at Bernie's-type premise, director Zhang Yang (Shower) puts a new spin on the standard road movie, mixing pathos and light comedy with an oddly Zen beat. An agreeably sentimental, slightly absurdist film that keeps threatening to wobble into mawkish territory, but never quite tips over. Screens as part of the Hollywood Theatre's "Global Lens 2009 Film Series." ANDREW WRIGHT Hollywood Theatre.

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop
Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello make very annoying music, yes, but their live shows are often theatrical spectacles of the highest order, with frontman Eugene Hutz whipping the crowd into a frenzy. We get a little taste of that in the crude concert footage in Gogol Bordello: Non-Stop, along with a glimpse of the extraordinarily charismatic Hutz. But the movie is aimless, and neither the old video footage from the band's early days, nor the unenlightening interviews with the band members in their cramped New York apartments can shed light on the potentially fascinating story of traditional Eastern klezmer music grafted onto traditional Western pizzazz. NED LANNAMANN Hollywood Theatre.

I Am From Titov Veles
A 2007 film set in post-communist Macedonia, Titov Veles follows "three sisters [who] long to escape the suffocating environment of their dying community." Screens as part of the Hollywood Theatre's "Global Lens 2009 Film Series." Hollywood Theatre.

In the Land of the Headhunters
1914's slightly unreliable "documentary" about the Kwakwaka'wakw people of British Columbia, screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

recommended The Informant!
Based on a true story, the hilarious The Informant! is one of director Steven Soderbergh's best films—and considering the dude's other work (Traffic, Che, Ocean's Eleven, The Limey, Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich), that's saying a lot. ERIK HENRIKSEN Various Theaters.

Le Combat Dans L'île
A restored print of Alain Cavalier's 1962 New Wave film. Hollywood Theatre.

recommended Manufactured Landscapes
A look at the work and philosophy of photographer Edward Burtynsky, who captures the weird, horrible, and sordidly beautiful ways humans have changed the planet—he focuses on piles of rotting computers, on carved-out mountainous holes of mining operations, on never-ending expanses inside Chinese factories. Stunning imagery can only go so far, though; those with short attention spans will want to look elsewhere. But otherwise: Pretty excellent stuff, this. ERIK HENRIKSEN Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

Ninja Assassin
See review. Various Theaters.

Old Dogs
See review. Various Theaters.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Co-produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the awkwardly titled Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is this year's feel-good-by-feeling-bad Oscar bait: a relentlessly sordid bit of ghetto tourism that invites audiences to wallow in unimaginable misery for 110 minutes, only to emerge from their cinematic journey more enlightened, more aware, more... human. (Thanks, Oprah!) ALISON HALLETT Lloyd Mall 8.

Red Cliff
See review. Cinema 21.

recommended Return of the Secaucus Seven
John Sayles' 1980 drama, screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

The Road
See review. Fox Tower 10.

Ruthless
Edgar G. Ulner's 1948 melodrama, screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

recommended The Salvation Hunters
Josef von Sternberg's 1925 debut. Screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

Song O' My Heart
1930's film starring singer John McCormack, made back when talkies were a big deal. Screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

Storm
A thriller about the politics surrounding the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims. Living Room Theaters.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon
EEEEEEEEE! It's time for The Twilight Saga: New Moon! Are you ready?! Before going into the theater, there are a few things you're going to have to shove to the back of your mind—your love of witty repartee, your knowledge of monster folklore, your hatred of CG animals, and your intelligence. New Moon goes deep, deep, deep into the uncharted forest of TEEN MELODRAMA, and if you can't handle it, you're welcome to join Team Get the Eff Outta Here. COURTNEY FERGUSON Various Theaters.

Vitaphone Varieties—1927-1931
Short promotional films of "musicians, vaudeville acts, and radio stars," screening as part of the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

Young America
Frank Borzage's 1932 film closes out the Northwest Film Center's "Treasures from the UCLA Film & Television Archive" series. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.