Arts & Entertainment

Marvel Studios delivers the ultimate comic-book film, which ties together such characters as Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, and Thor for a big-screen franchise team-up like no other. Taking center stage this time is Nick Fury, leader of the peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury, along with former Russian spy Black Widow, recruits a super team to combat Thor’s ever-deceptive brother Loki  after he brainwashes ace archer Hawkeye while stealing a cosmic cube from an underground base. Thus the heroes must learn to work together alongside outlaw scientist Bruce Banner, who can track down the artifact’s gamma signals when he’s not hulking out into a giant green monster. Director: Joss Whedon. Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson. Rated: PG-13. Time: 2:23.

A mysterious beast stalks innocent children in this thriller. In the 1980s, Juan  is a young boy with an active imagination and a talent for writing stories. However, he is being terrorized by a strange creature that lurks in his room late at night and doesn’t seem to have a face. Juan’s mother Luisa comes to believe demonic forces are at work and asks a local priest to help. However, it soon becomes obvious Satan is not the one to blame. Three decades later, John and Susanna are the parents of Mia, a 13-year-old girl. John is fiercely protective of his daughter, and when she’s attacked in her room late one night, he’s determined to find whoever or whatever is responsible. As it happens, Mia is being visited by Hollowface, a monster similar to the one who was stalking Juan, and he’s just as difficult to frighten away. Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s first directorial project after his commercial breakthrough with 28 Weeks Later, Intruders was an official selection at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Cast: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Daniel Brühl, Pilar López de Ayala, Kerry Fox. Rated: R. Time: 1:39.

Written by Will Reiser who based the film on his own experiences fighting cancer, this poignant comedy features Adam, a 27-year old public radio employee who discovers he has cancer. As his best friend Kyle tries to help out, his girlfriend Rachael proves to be a less than ideal life partner for this particular crisis. All the while, Adam’s overprotective mother Diane tries to overcome her son’s continued attempts to keep her out of his life. As Adam begins to discover how hard it is to deal with his situation, and to maintain various relationships in his life, he begins seeing a young counselor who might prove to be just as helpful personally as she is professionally. Director: Jonathan Levine. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, , Anjelica Huston. Rated: R. Time: 1:39.

An overtaxed Manhattan couple move to a liberated community that rejects the rules of contemporary society. Urban power couple George and Linda are already buckling under the stress of living in the city when George loses his job. Desperate, they decide to move to Atlanta and stay with George’s obnoxious brother until they can get back on their feet. Along the way, however, they find themselves venturing into Elysium, a small, free-spirited community where money has no value, clothes are strictly optional, and everyone works together to make life more meaningful. It’s the perfect place for the  stressed-out couple to breathe deep and put their lives into perspective. But will the many temptations of the modern world ultimately prove too attractive to resist? Director: David Wain. Cast: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda, Malin Akerman. Rated: R. Time: 1:38

Based on the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games tells the dark tale of a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen, who is selected to compete in a vicious televised tournament in which 24 teenagers from a post-apocalyptic society fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses. In the future, North America is a divided nation split into 12 districts. Every year, each district selects a teen of each gender to test their worth in The Hunger Games. When her younger sister is selected, Katniss volunteers to take her place, and trains under a former Hunger Games champion to sharpen her killer instincts. To survive the game and emerge the victor, she must put all of her skills to the ultimate test. Director: Gary Ross. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks. Rated: PG-13. Time: 2:22.

A a touching tale of race relations based on author Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel of the same name. Skeeter, a 1960s-era Mississippi debutante, has just graduated from college and she’s eager to launch her career as a writer. She sends her community into an uproar by conducting a series of probing interviews with the black servants behind some of her community’s most prominent families. Director: Tate Taylor. Cast: (Oscar winner) Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia L. Spencer, Jessica Chastain. Rated: PG-13. Time: 2:26.