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Flipped / ***1/2 (PG-13)
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"Flipped" (PG-13,90 minutes) Juli (Madeleine Carroll) has adored Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) ever since he moved into the neighborhood in the second grade. Bryce has been running away from her ever since. Now they're 14 and they seem to be flipping: he more interested, she less. Rod Reiner's warm human comedy tells their stories by showing the same crucial events from both their points of view. He returns to the time of his "Stand By Me" with the same endearing insights. Rating: Four stars
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Mesrine: Killer Instinct / ***1/2 (R)
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"Mesrine: Killer Instinct" (R, 113 minutes) He was a ruthless killer, bank robber, kidnapper and prison break artist--and a self-promoting egomaniac who wrote books some compared to Camus. Vincent Cassel stars in a hard-boiled performance as the French criminal who killed on three continents and was in love with his image. Three and a half stars
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Around a Small Mountain / *** (Unrated)
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"Around a Small Mountain" (Unrated, 85 minutes) Jane Birkin is wonderful as a lonely woman returning to her father's little circus after 15 years. Sergio Castellitto is a man who helps her with car trouble and ends up running away with the circus along with her. But this isn't a romance; it's more two ships comforting each other in the night. Jacques Rivette, one of the founders of the French New Wave, has made a small film because for this gentle story that's exactly the right size. Three stars
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Lebanon / ***1/2 (R)
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"Lebanon" (92 minutes; Rated R). This claustrophobic war picture, set during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, is like "The Hurt Locker" turned outside-in. It takes place entirely inside an Israeli tank with the four crew members: a commander, a gunner, a loader and a driver. Written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz, whose experience as a veteran of that war lends authenticity to what is also a bold cinematic experiment. Winner of the Golden Lion a the 2009 Venice Film Festival. Three and a half stars.
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Centurion / **1/2 (R)
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"Centurion" (97 minutes; Rated R). A 97-minute chase through the spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands -- the far reaches of the Roman Empire in 117 A.D. -- as a platoon of bedraggled Roman soldiers find themselves hunted behind enemy lines by savage Picts. It gets monotonous, but there's lots of pretty red gore to brighten things up. With Michael Fassbender and Dominic West. Directed by Neil Marshall ("Dog Soldiers," "The Descent"). Two and a half stars.
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