James Marsh, director of 'Man on Wire,' examines the 25-year chronicle of Nim Chimpsky, a research chimpanzee who was put through the mill in the service of science when Columbia University professor Herb Terrace took the baby chimp away from his mother and attempted to train it to communicate through sign language. Grade: A.  

Newcomer Craig Roberts takes at least a pound and a half of inspiration from Bud Cort's romantically inclined misfit in 'Harold and Maude' for his defiantly humorous portrayal of the 15-year-old Oliver Tate.   

Loosely based on Florence Atwater's 1938 children's book, 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' never completely gels. But that doesn't stop Jim Carrey from using everything in his arsenal of comic physicality. Grade: B-.  

Brilliantly constructed from the bountiful narrative fabric of Wajdi Mouawad's complex stage play about a familial legacy passed down from a mother to her fraternal twins, 'Incendies' is one of the most powerful dramas ever conceived. Grade: A.  

Grand-scale animated spectacle in an atmosphere of China's exotic natural beauty is part and parcel to DreamWorks Animation's winning sequel to the 2008 original. Although the filmmakers only take full advantage of the film's 3-D aspect once to allow Jack Black's panda character Po to discharge dumplings across the fourth wall, the animation is gorgeous. Grade: B.  

Although not as witty in plot design as debut director Giuseppe Capotondi imagines, The Double Hour is an atmospheric suspense thriller that succeeds on the strength of its two leading actors. Grade: B-.  

Mel Gibson's cinematic mea culpa might not equate to a public apology to the countless people he's insulted in recent years. Still, and more importantly to moviegoers, the embattled actor turns in a memorable performance as a suicidal character grasping for straws in 'The Beaver.' Grade: B-.  

How writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez got upper-crust actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Julianne Moore to take part in this unmitigated flop is a mystery. Everything about this movie is off. Grade: D.  

Werner Herzog's latest fascinating documentary (shot in effective 3-D) enters Southern France's usually sealed Chauvet Cave, which holds the world's oldest known artwork — rock paintings from nearly 33,000 years ago. Grade: A-.  

David Schwimmer's sophomore effort as a director is a tour de force of socially relevant dramatic filmmaking. Clearly a labor of love for Schwimmer and his outstanding ensemble, 'Trust' comes at you from all angles. Grade: A.