An assessment of current motion pictures by major American film critics. Film criticism is rated on a scale of 10 (excellent) to 1 (poor). Criticism not available at press time will be reflected in future columns.
| The Social Network | PG-13 | 15 | 9.5 |
| The King's Speech | R | 6 | 8.8 |
| 127 Hours | R | 9 | 8.7 |
| Marwencol | * | 6 | 8.6 |
| True Grit | PG-13 | 3 | 8.6 |
| Another Year | PG-13 | 1 | 8.5 |
| Black Swan | R | 6 | 8.2 |
| Blue Valentine | R | 2 | 8.1 |
| The Illusionist | PG | 2 | 8.0 |
| Tangled | PG | 7 | 7.7 |
| The Fighter | R | 5 | 7.6 |
| Somewhere | R | 3 | 7.5 |
| Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench | * | 4 | 7.3 |
| Despicable Me | PG | 27 | 7.2 |
| Rabbit Hole | PG-13 | 3 | 7.2 |
| Bhutto | * | 4 | 7.1 |
| Unstoppable | PG-13 | 9 | 7.0 |
| Fair Game | PG-13 | 10 | 6.9 |
| Hadewitch | R | 2 | 6.9 |
| I Love You Phillip Morris | R | 6 | 6.8 |
| Secretariat | PG | 13 | 6.8 |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | PG-13 | 8 | 6.7 |
| Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale | R | 4 | 6.6 |
| Summer Wars | * | 1 | 6.6 |
| Made in Dagenham | R | 7 | 6.5 |
| Megamind | PG | 10 | 6.5 |
| Red | PG-13 | 13 | 6.4 |
| Red Hill | R | 2 | 6.4 |
| The Legend of Pale Male | * | 5 | 6.3 |
| Night Catches Us | R | 5 | 6.2 |
| A Walk Into the Sea | * | 1 | 6.1 |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: 3 | PG | 5 | 6.0 |
| Tron: Legacy | PG | 4 | 5.8 |
| All Good Things | R | 5 | 5.7 |
| Country Strong | PG-13 | 2 | 5.6 |
| The Tempest | PG-13 | 5 | 5.5 |
| How Do You Know | PG-13 | 4 | 5.4 |
| Love & Other Drugs | R | 7 | 5.3 |
| Queen of the Lot | R | 5 | 5.1 |
| Casino Jack | R | 3 | 5.0 |
| The Tourist | PG-13 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Burlesque | PG-13 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Gulliver's Travels | PG | 3 | 4.7 |
| Yogi Bear | PG | 4 | 2.9 |
| Little Fockers | PG-13 | 3 | 2.7 |
| Season of the Witch | PG-13 | 1 | 2.6 |
*not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
© J. Alexy 01-01-11
This article appeared on page Q - 27 of the San Francisco Chronicle
more