Our critics recommend...

August: Osage County Tracy Letts' Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play, a dysfunctional-family free-for-all, gets movie-ized, with an all-star cast led by Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. R

Lone Survivor Mark Wahlberg stars in Peter Berg's tough, true account of the failed Navy SEALs mission in 2005 in Afghanistan. With Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, and Taylor Kitsch. R

The Legend of Hercules An ancient Greek origin tale with male model Kellan Lutz wielding the sword (and wearing the sandals), and Gaia Weiss as Hebe, aka Mrs. Hercules. Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Exorcist: The Beginning) directs. "Tonight, we fight for our lives!" PG-13

 Her In the near future, a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) finds companionship in his new operating system, which is designed to meet all of his needs.

  The Suspect Two African American social scientists attempt a race-based experiment that takes an unexpected and deadly turn.

The Truth About Emanuel Kaya Scodelario and Jessica Biel star in this dramatic thriller about a woman who becomes obsessed with her new neighbor.

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

All is Lost Robert Redford delivers the performance of his career in J.C. Chandor's majestic, melancholy film about a solo mariner stranded on his sailboat in the Indian Ocean. There is incredible tension in this ordeal, this man's efforts to survive and be rescued, and Redford - an icon of the American movie experience for more than a half-century now - makes that tension deeply palpable. 1 hr. 46 PG-13 (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

American Hustle David O. Russell's wild, woolly take on the late-'70s FBI sting operation Abscam is also a wild, woolly love story: Christian Bale and Amy Adams as con artists recruited by the feds, and fated for each other. Throw Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence into the mix and something goes kaboom in just about every scene, brilliantly. R (sex, nudity, profanity, drugs, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Blue is the Warmest Color Yes, there is a lot of sex. Graphic sex between two young women. But that's only part of what this extraordinary film is about. This three-hour portrait of a French high school student (an amazing Adèle Exarchopoulos) is shot with a close-up intensity that brings the character out from the screen and into your heart. It's emotional 3D! 2 hrs. 59 NC-17 (graphic sex, nudity, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Captain Phillips Based on the real-life story of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates, with Tom Hanks in the title role as a steady-as-she-goes veteran forced to face his own mortality. Paul Greengrass (the second and third Bourne films, United 93) masterfully orchestrates the intense, suspenseful drama. 2 hrs. 14 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Gravity A transcendent, zero-g tale of survival, with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as orbiting astronauts caught in a debris storm, quite literally at the end of their tether. A technological marvel, and an emotional, spiritual, and physical voyage of stratospheric suspense. 1 hr. 30 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Inside Llewyn Davis Oscar Isaac is a hard-luck troubador on the folk scene of early '60s Greenwich Village in the Coen brothers' sublime odyssey to nowhere. It's a story of artistic struggle, and of the crushing beauty that can be wrested from a song. With Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, and John Goodman - and with many a dark laugh along the way. R (profanity, violence, drugs, adult themes) - S.R.

Nebraska Bruce Dern in a career-defining performance as an ornery coot who believes he's won a $1 million prize, and heads from Montana to Nebraska to claim it. His son (Will Forte) reluctantly tags along in Alexander Payne's funny, sad, poignant, absurd road movie. In black and white. It's a gem. 1 hr. 55 R (profanity, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

12 Years a Slave The remarkable, essential story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor gives body and soul in the lead, and Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, and Brad Pitt are part of a superb supporting cast. 2 hrs. 13 R (violence, nudity, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Dallas Buyers Club The "inspired by true events" tale of a party-hearty Texas cowboy and self-employed electrician who, in 1985, contracted the AIDS virus. Matthew McConaughey gives a literally transformative performance as this homophobic hellraiser who won't accept the doctors' diagnosis that he has 30 days to live. He proves them wrong, becoming a cash-rich drug dispenser and patients' rights advocate in the process in this wild, colorful, compassionate film. 1 hr. 57 R (sex, nudity, drugs, profanity, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Philomena A surprisingly tough and tender tale from director Stephen Frears, adapted from the true story of a 70-something Irish woman (Judi Dench) looking to find the son she was forced to give up for adoption when she was an unwed teen, and of the cynical veteran journalist (Steve Coogan) who tags along on her quest. 1 hr. 38 R (profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues *** Solid sequel to the 2004 smart dumb comedy starring Will Ferrell as a well-coifed TV news reader with delusions of, well, everything. Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell, and Christina Applegate return, with Meagan Good as the oblivious news team's new boss - working for the first 24-hour cable news network. It's 1980. Do you know where your hair is? 1 hr. 59 PG-13 (sex, profanity, drugs, comic violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Frozen *** A plucky princess (voiced by Kristen Bell) is joined by a slapstick snowman (Josh Gad) in a delightful animated film that is part fairy tale, part farce. 1 hr. 48 PG - D.H.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug **1/2 Eight minutes shorter than its forebear, and at least eight minutes better - less twee, less chatty, more action, more elvish. The second installment in Peter Jackson's overblown, three-part take on Tolkien's children's fantasy about Bilbo Baggins and his epic quest in the company of a troop of dwarves. Elves and orcs and giant spiders, oh my! Not to mention the titular, fire-breathing dragon, voiced - in echo-chamber-style - by Benedict Cumberbatch. 2 hrs. 41 PG-13 (intense action, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Black magic and GoPros in Oxnard, Calif., as the fifth installment in the "reality" horror series roams around an apartment complex where really bad stuff once happened - and could very well still be happening, dude. Not previewed.

Saving Mr. Banks *** A sweet and affecting piece of Hollywood history, about a battle of wills between Walt Disney and Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers. Disney, played by Tom Hanks, is eager to adapt the book, and Travers, beautifully brought to life by Emma Thompson, resists. And resists some more. 2 hrs. 05 PG-13 (adult themes) - S.R.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty *** Ben Stiller stars in, and directs, this adaptation of the James Thurber story about a mild-mannered man whose dream life gets the better of him. Almost magical comic fun, with Kristen Wiig as the coworker he admires from afar, and Adam Scott as the glib new boss who's about to fire them. A story about taking the leap, getting out of your comfort zone. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't quite do that itself - by the end it's lost some pop, some surprise. 1 hr. 54 PG-13 (violence, profanity, adult themes) - S.R.

The Wolf of Wall Street **1/2 As thrilling a filmmaker as Martin Scorsese continues to be, and as wild a performance as Leonardo DiCaprio dishes up as its morally bankrupt antihero, this adaptation of Jordan Belfort's bestselling memoir - a story of stockbroker rapacity in the anything goes '90s - seems almost entirely unnecessary. Cocaine and hookers? Fast cars and fancy yachts? Trophy wives and pesky Feds? For three hours? Really? 3 hrs. R (sex, nudity, profanity, drugs, violence, adult themes) - S.R.

Reviewed by Wendy Rosenfield (W.R.) and Toby Zinman (T.Z.).

Up From the Ashes (Iron Age Theater) Isa St. Clair in a world premiere one-woman show about the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Opens Thursday.

Vanities (Hedgerow Theatre) Three friends move through life - cheerleading to sorority sisterhood to feminism - in the 1960s and '70s. Preview Thursday, opens Friday.

A Child's Christmas in Wales (Lantern Theater) Dylan Thomas' poetic language and Sebastienne Mundheim's puppet artistry cannot lift this ponderous Christmas memory play. Ends Sunday. - T.Z.

Cinderella (People's Light & Theatre) Time for the annual panto, and this year the gal with the glass slipper is back in a terrific show that's mandatory for your holiday merriment. Through next Sunday. - W.R.

Elf (Walnut Street Theatre) This musical-stage adaptation of the 2003 film about Buddy the non-elf's journey to fulfillment is a warm, energetic sugar rush. Ends Sunday. - W.R.

Frost/Nixon (New City Stage) The terrific two-man cast, exceptionally well directed, produces a riveting reenactment of the "gotcha!" heard round the world. Ends Sunday. - T.Z.

Jersey Boys (Forrest Theater) They're ba-ack for a month of dazzling, four-part harmony and history. You want to be there. Ends Sunday. - T.Z.

Potted Potter (Prince Music Theater) Two guys do all seven books - in 70 minutes. Fast, fun, and funny. Ends Sunday. - W.R.

Wind in the Willows (Quintessence Theatre Group) Toad, Mole, Rat, et al. are back in Alan Bennett's adaptation of the classic Kenneth Grahame story, beautifully staged staged and performed. Ends Sunday. - W.R.

I'm So Excited *** In the latest film from Pedro Almodóvar, fear leads the passengers on an airplane to make some startling confessions. Spanish with subtitles. 1 hr. 35 R (strong sexual content, drug use, smoking) - T.D.

Sunday at 1 p.m. on WRTI-FM (90.1), hear Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, make his mid-November debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in a Central European program. Leading off is Viennese composer Johann Strauss Jr.'s Die Fledermaus Overture, followed by Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, featuring the eminent German violinist Christian Tetzlaff. The program concludes with Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's much-loved Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." EndText