Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Steve Carell stars as a man in his 40′s who is blindsided by a divorce. Sounds romantic.

‘Crazy Stupid Love’ Looks Neither Crazy Nor Stupid

The Smurfs

The Smurfs are back, and they’re better than ever. And by better, I mean much, much worse.

Smurf The New ‘The Smurfs’ Trailer

Cowboys & Aliens

In case you have trouble taking things literally, this film is about a group of cowboys who encounter a group of space aliens, just like the title implies.

Extended ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Trailer Here To Extend Nerd Boners

So, what’s playing this weekend?

Salvation Boulevard

When you save the best for last, it makes sense to save the worst for first.

The 'Salvation Boulevard' Trailer Compels/Confuses You

Best Review
Salvation Boulevard isn’t groundbreaking or even consistently funny, but it is mildly inventive and the absurdities of its characters are tender and recognizably human. Best of all, we’re encouraged to laugh with them rather than at them.

Mark Holcomb – Village Voice

Worst Review
It’s a stupid farrago of aborted ideas, misguided actors, lame direction, submental writing and follow-the-dots plotting that never comes anywhere within a 10-mile radius of what I used to call coherent filmmaking.

Rex Reed – The New York Observer

Our Recommendation
The fact that Rex Reed hates a film usually means it’s at least watchable. But unfortunately, this time it looks like he’s part of the general consensus. Despite it’s more than respectable cast, Salvation Boulevard is falling flat, leaving 90% of critics unimpressed. Don’t be a hero. Go see Harry Potter with everyone else.

Winnie the Pooh

This classic children’s tale is back in an all new Disney animated film.

But how does Pooh hold up in the age of Pixar?

Best Review
In a time of shock-value 3-D animation and special effects, the look of the film is gentle and pleasing.

Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times

Worst Review
Disney doesn’t offer much here that it hasn’t done as well before.

Liam Lacey – Globe and Mail

Our Recommendation
Clearly, Liam Lacey has no soul. With 90% of film critics agreeing that Pooh is a pleasing children’s film, fans young and old should not hesitate to give it a look. It’s a shame that it’s coming out the same weekend as Harry Potter. Hopefully it will get some spill over when Deathly Hallows sells out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

It’s the end of an era for Harry Potter films.

New Clip And Photos From ‘Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: The One Where Something Finally Happens’

Best Review
A movie with no beginning and no middle but two-plus hours of thundering, momentous ending…

Andrew O’Hehir – Salon.com

Worst Review
Now that the Harry Potter series is over, maybe the truth can be realized: This has been the dullest franchise in the history of movie franchises.

Armond White – New York Press

Our Recommendation
With a staggering 97% of critics in agreement that Deathly Hallows: Part II is worth checking out, who am I to disagree? Unless your opinions are normally in line with Armond White, you’ll probably find this film to be a satisfying conclusion.

So, what’s playing this weekend?

Horrible Bosses

There's Funny Stuff In 'Horrible Bosses' Red Band

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%, you can walk in feeling fairly confident that Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day will deliver a fair amount of laughs.

Best Review

Worst Review

Look at how crazy is the craziness we are doing for you. Isn’t it crazy? the movie shouts, and the more it does, the less you’ll laugh.

Kyle Smith – New York Post

Our Recommendation

If you’re a fan of the actors, and like a dark comedy that doesn’t get so dark you feel uncomfortable, then give Horrible Bosses a shot. Jennifer Aniston also has a real whorish mouth in it. She’s come a long way since Friends.

The zookeeper

Trailer For Kevin James’ ‘The Zookeeper’: Nothing Matters Anymore

Judging by the 13% it’s currently receiving on Rotten Tomatoes, you should avoid this movie like Kevin James should avoid trans fats. And yes, I know fat jokes are easy, but that doesn’t make them any less funny.

Best Review

James is appealing enough to make it work – just barely.

Chris Hewitt – St Paul Pioneer Press

Worst Review

Offensive to women, men, children, parents, WASPs, Asians, African-Americans, animals and zookeepers … a movie with no conceivable audience.

Steven D. Greydanus – Decent Films Guide

Our Recommendation

If your kid desires to see this one, drop him or her off at the theater with a crisp $10 bill, make your way over to the nearest strip club for their extensive buffet, and return ninety minutes later not feeling like you want to end your life.

The Ward

‘The Ward’ Trailer Might Hurt A Little

The film’s rating of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes would indicate that this isn’t John Carpenter’s best work since Halloween.

Best Review

Basically, this is a ghost story merged with a slasher film and sealed with Shutter Island twist. But at least Carpenter the spook-meister knows how to goose you.

Owen Gleiberman – Entertainment Weekly

Worst Review

Continues the painful decline of a director who seems more nostalgic for past glories than excited about new ideas.

Jeannette Catsoulis – New York Times

Our Recommendation

Re-watch Halloween and The Thing.

Project Nim

About a chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. So basically, the reverse of Tarzan.

Critics are loving this documentary, granting it a 95% thus far.

Best Review

“Project Nim” is practically irresistible. The story keeps getting odder and richer and more complicated.

Michael Phillips – Chicago Tribune

Worst Review

Another singular case exploited and expanded to look ordinary.

Chris Cabin – Filmcritic.com

Our Recommendation

How can a movie starring a cute baby monkey be bad? It can’t be, damnit.

So, what’s playing this weekend? You might be sorry you asked.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay is back, and this time, it’s personal. I’ve always wanted to use that line, and now I have!

7 photosRosie Huntington-Whiteley

Best Review
It’s a momentous achievement and it will make untold amounts of money and you should see it even though it’s hateful and empty and preaches the worst kind of reactionary violence without even really meaning it.

Andrew O’Hehir – Salon.com

Worst Review
Watchin Transformers: Dark of the Moon makes you die a little inside. Is this the future of movies? God help us! Michael Bay, you’ve done it again.

Peter Travers – Rolling Stone

Our Recommendation
For the most part, the reviews have been horrible. But honestly, what else is there to say? It’s just more of the same, so there’s no point in defending or decrying this film. If you enjoy Michael Bay’s mindless explosion-filled mayhem, go and see it. If you don’t, don’t.

Larry Crowne

Through the years, Tom Hanks has made many memorable romantic comedies.

New 'Larry Crowne' Trailer Is Like A More Serious 'Back To School'

Best Review
Too cute for its own good, Larry Crowne is nonetheless hard to dislike.

Steven Rea – Philadelphia Inquirer

Worst Review
Soulless Hollywood product doesn’t provide a better textbook example than this Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts vehicle.

Peter Howell – Toronto Star

Our Recommendation
Unless you’re a 50-year-old housewife, you’re probably not going to enjoy this film. Then again, given the other options you have to choose from this weekend, it might win the title of “most watchable” by default.

Monte Carlo

If you’re a tween girl, I’ve got some great news for you.

'Monte Carlo' Trailer Looks Generally Horrible

Best Review
For girls of a certain age (and their mothers), Monte Carlo hits the sweet spot.

Carrie Rickey – Philadelphia Inquirer

Worst Review
It’s chirpy, it’s bright, there are pretty locations and lots happens. This is the kind of movie that can briefly hold the attention of a cat.

Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times

Our Recommendation
If you want your wives and daughters viewing a film that hits their “sweet spots,” then by all means, send them to this Monte Carlo. For the rest of you, avoid it like the plague.

How does Cars 2 match up to other Pixar films? Does Cameron Diaz pull off her role as bad teacher? Is it weird watching Conan O’Brien’s pasty skin on the big screen? You’ll get the answer to those questions and more in this week’s edition of What’s Playing?

Cars 2

If you liked Cars, I’ve got some good news. The gang from the original is back, and this time, they’re competing with cars from around the globe in the first ever World Grand Prix.

3 photosI Wish 'Cars 2' Looked As Awesome As Its Poster Art

Best Review
I blow a piston whenever 2006′s Cars gets trashed as the runt of the Pixar litter. The sequel is a tire-burning burst of action and fun with a beating heart under its hood.

Peter Travers – Rolling Stone

Worst Review
Mater is dumb, excitable and puppy-dog loyal, his idiot-savant automotive expertise grounded in humble, blue-collar simplicity. I doubt anyone will protest much, but Pixar has now found its redneck Jar-Jar Binks. Such a proud moment.

A.O. Scott – New York Times

Our Recommendation
While it might not be the best of the bunch, anything with the name Pixar on it is going to be at least tolerable, especially if you’re stuck taking kids to the movies. And with the top critics split, there’s a reasonable chance you might enjoy it.

Bad Teacher

As the tag line says, some teachers just don’t give an F. Unfortunately, some film critics do.

6 photosCameron Diaz

Best Review
“Bad Teacher” is exactly the one-joke movie that you probably expect it to be, but there are enough variations and shadings of that one joke to sustain its brief running time — just barely.

Christy Lemire – Associated Press

Worst Review
We’re not on Elizabeth’s side, or anyone else’s, really. We’re just watching a film try to pass off misanthropic blunt-wittedness as ”edge.”

Owen Gleiberman – Entertainment Weekly

Our Recommendation
If you’re in the mood for a comedy, Bad Teacher might get the job done. But based on the lackluster reviews, you’re probably better off waiting for something better.

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop is a behind the scenes look at O’Brien’s 32-city comedy tour that took place after his less-than-amicable departure from NBC.

New Trailer: 'Conan O'Brien Can't Stop' And So He Didn't

Best Review
If the principal audience for “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” is obviously the comedian’s legions of fans, it’s probably most interesting as a detached study of the workings of fame.

Andrew O’Hehir – Salon.com

Worst Review
The whole thing becomes a sort of “Song of Myself” for needy multimillionaire comics at work and play.

Michael Phillips – Chicago Tribune

Our Recommendation
Overall, reviews have been favorable, with the film currently holding a 79% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. That seems to indicate that even non-fans can find something to enjoy about this film. Or, you can always sit at home eating prunes and watching Leno.

So, what’s playing this weekend?

Green Lantern

The Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, tells the story of a man who is transported to a far-away planet and enlisted in a intergalactic military/police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. Based on the critical reception alone, this film is everything a summer movie should be.

33 photos‘Green Lantern’ Stills…And Stills…And Stills

Best Review
Serves up all the requisite elements with enough self-deprecating humor to suggest it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Todd McCarthy – Hollywood Reporter

Worst Review
As a disjointed rumble in the cosmos, it’s both too much and too little, and too dorky looking. In this case, Green means stop.

Tom Long – Detroit News

Our Recommendation
If it’s a comic book movie you want, go and see X-Men: First Class, or wait for Captain America to come out. If neither of those options sound appealing, then just stay home and have sex with your girlfriend. (Insert your own “comic book guys don’t get laid” joke here).

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Starring Jim Carrey and a bunch of birds, this film tells the story of a New York business man who inherits six penguins. Sounds plausible.

5 photosPeep Out ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ Pics

Best Review
With, say, Eddie Murphy as the star, Mr. Popper’s Penguins might have been a glorified paycheck contrivance. But Carrey is so naturally stylized that he coaxes the film’s gentle, creature-feature insanity to life.

Owen Gleiberman – Entertainment Weekly

Worst Review
Everything about the idea of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” sounds lovely, and everything about the actual movie is ugly.

Mick LaSalle – San Francisco Chronicle

Our Recommendation
If you have kids, this film might be a tolerable enough way to kill an hour and a half. Then again, if you have kids, you’ve already given up on life, so why even bother reading the reviews?

Buck

Well, they can’t all be bad, right? If you happen to live close to where Buck is playing, you might want to check it out.

The film currently has an 88% RT ratting, which is more than the previous two films combined. Buck tells the story of a real American Cowboy who is adept at training problem horses. It must be a lot better than it sounds on paper.

Best Review
This is going to sound corny, but here goes: “Buck” will make you want to be a better person.

Christy Lemire – Associated Press

Worst Review
I don’t know why, but I just can’t get all worked up over Dan (Buck) Brannaman, subject of the documentary “Buck.”

V.A. Musetto – New York Post

Our Recommendation
While a documentary about a guy hanging out with horses might not seem all that exciting, the reviews are positive across the board. But clearly, it’s not for everybody. If crappy CGI and aliens with lanterns is more your style, you know where to turn.

Here’s a look at what’s playing.

8 photosNew ‘Super 8′ Stills Show Everything (But The Monster)

Super 8

If you like Steven Spielberg, you’re probably anxious to see J.J. Abrams’ Super 8. The film is basically a love note to the acclaimed director of E.T., Close Encounters, and lest we forget, 1941.

See, even geniuses shit the bed once in a while.

Best Review
Super 8 is a wonderful film, nostalgia not for a time but for a style of filmmaking, when shell-shocked young audiences were told a story and not pounded over the head with aggressive action.

Roger Ebert – The Chicago Sun-Times

Worst Review
Sadly, the helmer seems too smitten working with Steven Spielberg to recognize that his idol-turned-champion created the very paradigm that limits his passion project, forcing this modest nostalgia trip to function as a blockbuster.

Peter Debruge – Variety

Our Recommendation
Over all, there seems to be a lot to like about this film, provided you haven’t bought into the hype. If you set out with realistic expectations, you’ll probably enjoy it. But if you are already expecting a classic, be prepared for disappointment…just like my wife.

Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen‘s latest film is finally getting a wide release. And that’s great news, if you like Woody Allen.

‘Midnight In Paris’ Trailer: Now It’s Owen Wilson’s Turn To Imitate Woody Allen

Best Review
As a filmmaker, Allen has grappled with the temptations of repeating himself instead of forging a fresh path. You can feel that conflict here, and watching him work it out is exhilarating.

Peter Travers – Rolling Stone

Worst Review
Pure Woody Allen. Which is not to say great or even good Woody, but a distillation of the filmmaker’s passions and crotchets, and of his tendency to pass draconian judgment on characters the audience is not supposed to like.

Richard Corliss – TIME Magazine

Our Recommendation
If you’re OK with a guy banging his pseudo step-daughter, be sure and check out Midnight in Paris!

Troll Hunter

Troll Hunter is not your father’s troll hunting film. Unless of course you are very young, and your father worked on this film, in which case, it is.

Trolls Are Larger Than Life In 'Troll Hunter' Trailer

Best Review
You’ll want to catch this clever movie before Hollywood ruins everything with a dumb remake.

V.A. Musetto – New York Post

Worst Review
Here’s what’s not so good in Troll Hunter: the actual troll hunting.

Noel Murray – AV Club

Our Recommendation
If you’re in the mood for something different, this film will certainly deliver. The premise isn’t for everyone, but with genuinely positive reviews, you can do a lot worse.

The Hangover: Part II

If you haven’t looked at a paper, watched TV, or gone on line for the past two months, maybe you can be forgiven for no knowing that The Hangover: Part II is here.

‘Hangover Part II’ Teaser Warms Your Frat Boy Heart

Kung Fu Panda II

As far as talking bears that know kung fu are concerned, Kung Fu Panda has to be one of the most famous.

Everybody Is Still Kung Fu Fighting In ‘Kung Fu Panda 2′ Trailer

Tree of Life

Terrence Malick‘s newest film, Tree of Life, won the coveted Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Brad Pitt's Kids Need A Good Belting In 'Tree Of Life' Clip