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June 29, 2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild came out of nowhere to win the Camera d'Or at Cannes and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The fable-like film, starring 6-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, takes place after a storm ravages Louisiana. (Recommended)

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June 22, 2012 The movie Brave is Pixar's first feature with a female protagonist — a medieval Scottish princess named Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald) who asserts her independence and wreaks havoc. Critic David Edelstein says the film is "pure Pixar in its mischievousness and irreverence."

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June 8, 2012 Todd Solondz's newest film is Dark Horse, starring newcomer Jordan Gelber along with Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow and Selma Blair. Critic David Edelstein says the uncomfortable film is a sublime work of art. (Recommended)

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June 1, 2012 Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm first published Snow White in 1812, but the story had been around for centuries and would continue to evolve. Opening Friday is the latest and perhaps darkest treatment, Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth.

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May 25, 2012 Wes Anderson's latest film is the story of a 12-year-old girl and boy who merge their imaginative worlds on an island off the coast of New England. Critic David Edelstein says Moonrise Kingdom will appeal to Anderson's longtime fans as well as anyone who appreciates good cinematography and design.

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May 16, 2012 There was Ali G, Borat and Bruno — and now, in The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen has a new character to add to his repertoire: the capricious ruler of an oil-rich country who travels to the U.N. to assert his right to have nuclear warheads.

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May 10, 2012 Johnny Depp stars in Tim Burton's feature-film adaptation of the cult Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, about an 18th-century vampire transplanted to the 1970s. Critic and longtime Dark Shadows fan David Edelstein says the camp sendup of the show is lifeless and unfunny.

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May 3, 2012 In Joss Whedon's The Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America unite in what, on the basis of advance ticket sales, promises to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. Critic David Edelstein says the movie's a blast — and one that will let fanboys geek thoroughly out.

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April 27, 2012 The romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement reunites writer-director Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel, who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets together. This time, Segel and Emily Blunt play a couple whose relationship is tested by a major relocation.

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April 18, 2012 The French Canadian film was one of five nominees for last year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It's now opening in theaters around the country. It's about a sixth-grade teacher who struggles to connect with students in a Montreal school following a terrible event. (Recommended)

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April 6, 2012 Terence Davies' newest film is a free adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play The Deep Blue Sea, starring Rachel Weisz as a woman who leaves her older, aristocratic husband for a young and penniless ex-officer. (Recommended)

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March 22, 2012 Suzanne Collins' best-seller about a televised killing tournament has come to the big screen, with a cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Lenny Kravitz and Stanley Tucci. Critic David Edelstein says some of the actors

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• Spiders And Fighting And Trees, Oh My: Filming 'The Hunger Games'

March 9, 2012 In Friends with Kids, Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt play two best friends who decide to have a baby together while keeping their relationship platonic — so the baby doesn't interfere with their romantic lives. Critic David Edelstein says the film is simply marvelous. (Recommended)

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March 2, 2012 The animated feature, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is based on the classic Dr. Seuss environmentally themed children's book and stars the voices of Ed Helms, Danny DeVito and Zac Efron. Critic David Edelstein says the movie is far from the best Seuss adaptation.

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