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November 15, 2012 Parker Posey stars as a relentless go-getter in the world of grocery management in Price Check. Posey's scene-stealing performance reminds critic Scott Tobias why she was crowned the "queen of the indies" in the '90s, commanding the attention of her audience and the characters around her.

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November 8, 2012 Sean Baker's Starlet is a kind of Harold and Maude for a new generation. Critic Scott Tobias says the film's central relationship — a friendship between a young porn star and an octogenarian — is charming, perplexing and thoroughly true to life. (Recommended)

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November 1, 2012 Director Robert Zameckis returns to live action with Flight, about an alcoholic pilot who faces disaster of every kind. Critic Scott Tobias says the film situates its audience in a gray area, making it hard to point the finger of blame at any character. (Recommended)

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November 1, 2012 Wreck-It Ralph, from the creative forces at Disney-Pixar, constructs a multidimensional behind-the-scenes world of arcade games. Critic Scott Tobias says the misfit characters are the perfect vehicles for the message that even the biggest of "wrecks" can find a place to fit in. (Recommended)

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October 11, 2012 James Ponsoldt's drama depicts the subtleties of a young alcoholic's struggle to regain control of her life. Critic Scott Tobias says Mary Elizabeth Winstead's performance shows that the path to recovery can be almost as painful as alcoholism itself.

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October 4, 2012 A swamp noir about a murder convict and the journalist who suspects he might not have committed the crime, Lee Daniels' film feels "spectacularly incompetent," says critic Scott Tobias.

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September 27, 2012 Adapted from Robert E. Howard's comic of the same name, Michael J. Bassett's film falls flat in its bid for the big screen. Critic Scott Tobias says the film gets bogged down in its bloodshed, wiping away all trace of the fun the pulp original offered.

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September 19, 2012 Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's new documentary Knuckleball! follows major leaguers R.A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield, members of a small fraternity of pitchers confident about throwing the quirky pitch.

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August 23, 2012 Writer-director Kerry Prior's horror comedy centers on an undead Iraq vet who takes to vigilante justice to supply his hunger for flesh. Critic Scott Tobias says the anti-war sentiment is incisive, though the film is structurally flabby.

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August 16, 2012 In David Cronenberg's adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel, Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson plays a Wall Street billionaire — essentially a corporation-as-person. The movie is constructed as a series of dialogues, but what it lacks in drama it makes up for in incisiveness.

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August 9, 2012 The Campaign stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as competing candidates in a congressional race. While the film aims to be a biting political satire, critic Scott Tobias says it draws little blood. In its more absurd moments, though, it provides big laughs.

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July 26, 2012 Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn star as neighborhood-patrol members who stumble upon an alien invasion in The Watch. Critic Scott Tobias says the movie does little to expand on the Ghostbusters template it follows so closely.

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July 19, 2012 David and Jackie Siegel were set to build their dream house, the largest in America, when the recession collapsed their finances. Critic Scott Tobias says The Queen of Versailles is a nonjudgmental portrayal of the 0.001 percent who fell victim to the crisis along with the rest of the country. (Recommended)

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July 12, 2012 Lucy (Mira Sorvino) and Jenny (Tammy Blanchard) are estranged sisters with opposite temperaments who reunite in Union Square, the first film in almost 10 years from Nancy Savoca. Critic Scott Tobias says that great dialogue and lead performances add life to a formulaic story.

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July 12, 2012 Bart Layton's documentary tells the story of Frederic Bourdin, who joined the Barclay family by pretending to be their missing child. Critic Scott Tobias says that while Bourdin's story has been told before, Layton uncovers new layers of deception that makes his version a must-see. (Recommended)

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