Film

If you're still looking for that perfect gift, it may not be too late.  Sure, you could buy some clothing, jewelry, or (men - don't do this), blender, but why not pick something meaningful for your friend or loved one - something that matches their personal taste?  Here's an idea: the gift of movies.

To write off Michel Hazanavicius's black-and-white silent film as a gimmick is to miss a creative, touching, and beautiful movie about movies at the end of the silent film era.  Jean Dujardin stars as Georges Valentin, a dashing silent hero - he looks like Gene Kelly crossed with Errol Flynn-  whose career is about to be made obsolete by the talkies.

In Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning role in "Monster,"  she played a serial killer whose unbridled rage was targeted on others. In her new film, "Young Adult," she's also very convincing - and perhaps more unlikable -  as a woman whose hurt is mainly turned inward.

All that holiday spending might have you feeling a little dirty in these few weeks between Black Friday and Super Saturday, traditionally the second-biggest shopping day of the year. To help cleanse your soul, and to add a bit more culture to your life than you might get cruising the aisles of Wal-Mart, we've invited our film critics into the studio to  catch you up on the latest independent, foreign and documentary films in area theaters.

Russ Simmons and the Movie Critics join Walt Bodine for a look at recent movie releases, including The Decedents, The Muppets and New Year's Eve. Plus, we want to know what new releases you're hoping to see before the year ends.