The journeyman actor's turn as a country crooner in “Crazy Heart” is the perfect marriage of media hype and craftsmanship.

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

'Up in the Air' recognizes a harsh reality beneath its own verbal dexterity and slick packaging.

The hope and solace provided by "The Lovely Bones" is fleeting at best--secular humanism with special effects.

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

In "Fantastic Mr. Fox" the characters live in a land with more pragmatism and depth than the quirky animation suggests.