Our critics recommend...

Arbitrage

See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

Finding Nemo 3D See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

Resident Evil: Retribution Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues her battle against the evil Umbrella Corp.

Sleepwalk With Me See Steven Rea's preview on H2.

Reviewed by critics Steven Rea (S.R.), Tirdad Derakhshani (T.D.), Carrie Rickey (C.R.), and David Hiltbrand (D.H.). W.S. denotes a wire service review.

Beasts of the Southern Wild Benh Zeitlin's intensely strange and wonderful film, about a girl named Hushpuppy, her defiant but deathly ill father, and the ragged Louisiana delta community they inhabit is dreamlike and full of grand emotional swells. Moviemaking as outsider art. 1 hr. 31 PG-13 (intense imagery, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

The Imposter Brilliant documentary about a young Frenchman who convinces a Texas family that he is their long-lost son. 1 hr. 39 R (mature themes including pedophilia and other sexual abuse, profanity, smoking) - T.D.

Moonrise Kingdom Wes Anderson returns to live action after his stop-motion experiment Fantastic Mr. Fox, but there are more similarities than differences in this wonderful, wistful tale of 12-year-old lovers on the run. With Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the kids, and Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and Tilda Swinton as the grown-ups. You figure out who's more mature. 1 hr. 34 PG-13 (adult themes) - S.R.

Searching for Sugar Man A surprising, inspiring documentary about Rodriguez, a forgotten singer/ songwriter who recorded a pair of great and greatly overlooked albums in the early 1970s, and who - unbeknownst to him - became a star in South Africa, the apartheid nation cut off from the rest of the world. A beautiful, revelatory film, full of songs that sound like classics. 1 hr. 25 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Beloved

A swirling, decades-spanning romance in which the actors - Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve - walk and talk just like in real life, and then suddenly break into song - expressing their deepest worries and desires to the backbeat of some bouncy pop rock. A charming, melancholic musical from Christophe Honoré. 2 hrs. 15

No MPAA rating

(sex, nudity, profanity, adult themes) -

S.R.

Celeste and Jesse Forever Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg costar in this offbeat comedy about events that either will drive a wedge between a separated couple or reinforce their bond. 1 hr. 31 R (drug use, profanity, sexual candor) - C.R.

Ruby Sparks Zoe Kazan stars in, and wrote, this ingenious fantasy romance, about a blocked-up novelist (Paul Dano) who starts tapping a few paragraphs about a dreamy girl on his typewriter, and then suddenly the dreamy girl moves into his house and his life. Whimsical, charming, but it's more than that, too, examining the nature of relationships in darkly serious ways. With Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, and Ellliot Gould. 1 hr. 44 R (sex, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

2 Days in New York Julie Delpy stars in, wrote, and directed the sequel to her semi-autobiographical 2007 comedy 2 Days in Paris, this time with new spouse Chris Rock, and a new city for the cultural/familial clashes to take place, and take off. Ridiculously funny and charming. 1 hr. 31 R (nudity, profanity, sex, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

The Bourne Legacy ***

Jeremy Renner stars in the momentum-driven

Bourne

spin-off, a thriller that dispenses with the hero's amnesia issues and that is less about star power than the power of an epically staged action sequence. (Lots of them!) With Rachel Weisz as a brilliant biochemist and Edward Norton barking orders back at HQ. Smart, relentless, suspenseful, fun. 2 hrs. 05

PG-13

(profanity, violence, intense action, adult themes) -

S.R.

The Expendables 2 ** Sly, Jason, Arnold, and the rest of the big galoots are back for more action against really bad guys. 1 hr. 42 R (vulgar language, heavy violence, gore) - D.H.

Lawless *** Based on the true story of the Bondurant brothers, who made moonshine, money, and their own mythology in Prohibition-era Virginia. A beautifully crafted, grand yet intimate bootlegging saga, with Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, and Jessica Chastain. 1 hr. 50 R (violence, profanity, sex, adult themes) - S.R.

ParaNorman *** A misunderstood boy with special powers is called upon when his town comes under attack by zombies in this animated family feature. 1 hr. 33 PG (scary action, thematic elements, rude humor and language) - W.S.

The Possession ** A young girl comes into possession of an antique box that contains an evil spirit. Not one of Danish director Ole Bornedal's (Deliver Us From Evil) better efforts. 1 hr. 32 PG-13 (mature themes, terror, violence, muliple moth swarms) - T.D.

The Words *** Bradley Cooper is a struggling writer who need struggle no more after delivering a remarkable manuscript to his publisher. A story within a story within a story, a series of life-altering coincidences, the kind of sweeping melodrama that belongs on Turner Classic Movies - this should all be creaking and squeaking, laughable. But amazingly it works, and resonates with real emotion. Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, and Olivia Wilde round out the very fine cast. 1 hr. 36 PG-13 (adult themes) - S.R.

Reviewed by Jim Rutter (J.R.).

Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika

(Wilma Theater) The second part of Tony Kushner's AIDS-era masterpiece, with some performances in rep with Part One. Previews Wednesday-Sept. 18, opens Sept. 19.

Gutenberg! The Musical! (Montgomery Theater) Two guys with a great idea for a show - movable type - seek backers in an escalating frenzy of enthusiasm. And you are there. Previews Thursday and Friday, opens Saturday.

Love Story, the Musical (Walnut Street Theatre) You know what love means never having to say, right? Here, they sing it. A U.S. premiere. Previews through Tuesday, opens Wednesday.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (McCarter Theater) Christopher Durang spins Chekhov into Bucks County, featuring David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver. Previews through Thursday, opens Friday.

In its first full week, Philly's annual orgy of theater, dance, improv, and multimedia continues with dancers dangling and stomping,

Walden

morphing, 27-year-olds languishing. There are puppets and housewives, death and laffs, and, of course, Edgar Allan Poe. Through Sept. 22, just about everywhere.

» READ MORE: www.livearts.org

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4 Lads From Liverpool (Act II Playhouse) From Hamburg to the Cavern Club and beyond. Through Sept. 30.

Deathtrap (Hedgerow Theatre) Robert Smythe has a star turn as a villain - a fading playwright enmeshed in a very complicated plan to save his career. Through Sept. 30. - J.R.

New Jerusalem (Lantern Theatre Company) Lantern reprises its hugely popular account of Baruch Spinoza's expulsion from his Jewish community. Essentially a two-hour-plus debate, it's thrilling nonetheless. Through Sept. 23.

Snow White and the Huntsman *** Kristen Stewart is the Grimms' heroine, but she's borrowed Joan of Arc's armor, and Frodo's and Odysseus' story arcs, in this dark, fantastic, surprisingly entertaining rethink of the fairy tale classic. With Charlize Theron enjoyably sinister and sexy as the evil queen, and Chris Hemsworth as the titular dude. 2 hrs. 07 PG-13 (violence, sorcery, adult themes) - S.R.