KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Peter Rainer join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including J. Edgar, Jack and Jill, Melancholia, Into the Abyss and more. TGI-FilmWeek!

Guests:

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and Christian Science Monitor

Films reviewed:

J. Edgar

The life of J. Edgar Hoover, longtime head of the FBI.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer and Judi Dench
Written by: Dustin Lance Black
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
R
Warner Bros. Pictures

Jack and Jill

A successful brother is visited by his obnoxious twin sister over Thanksgiving.

Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
Written by: Adam Sandler, Steve Koren and Robert Smigel
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
PG
Columbia Pictures

Melancholia

A planet named Melancholia is headed toward Earth.

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Rampling
Written and directed by: Lars Von Trier
R
Magnolia Pictures

The Greening of Whitney Brown

A spoiled girl’s family falls on hard times and moves to the country.

Starring: Aidan Quinn, Brooke Shields, Kris Kristofferson and Sammi Hanratty
Written by: Gail Gilchriest
Directed by: Peter Skillman Odiorne
PG
Arc Entertainment

The Conquest

A fictional version of Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise to the presidency.

Starring: Denis Podalydes, Florence Pernel and Bernard Le Coq
Written by: Xavier Durringer and Patrick Rotman
Directed by: Xavier Durringer
Not rated
Music Box Films

In French with English subtitles.

Under Fire: Journalists in Combat

An account of the experience of being a war correspondent.

Starring: Paul Watson, Chris Hedges, Susan Ormiston and Ian Stewart
Written and directed by: Martyn Burke
Not rated
Mercury media International

An African Election

An account of the 2008 elections in Ghana.

Written by: Erika Tasini and Shari Yantra Marcacci
Directed by: Jarreth Merz and Kevin Merz
Not rated

In English, Twi and local languages, with English subtitles.

Into the Abyss

A documentary of a triple homicide in Texas and the case’s aftermath.

Starring: Jason Burkett, Werner Herzog and Michael Perry
Written and directed by: Werner Herzog
PG-13
IFC Films / Sundance Selects

Killing Bono

Two brothers in a band are overshadowed by a rival’s group – U2.

Starring: Ben Barnes, Krysten Ritter and Robert Sheehan
Written by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and Simon Maxwell
Directed by: Nick Hamm
R
Arc Entertainment

DVD

The Edge of Eternity

Directed by: Don Siegel
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Victoria Shaw and Mickey Shaughnessy

Going Places

Directed by: Bertrand Blier
Starring: Gerard Depardieu