Based on the novel “Push,” by Sapphire, the movie “Precious” takes us on a journey into the hell of Harlem. There we meet this girl who is a de facto servant to a horror show of a mother. As the movie informs us, the mother is herself a victim, and an insanely jealous woman.

How do smart, mature High school girls shandle their romantic appetites?

“Planet 51” is no instant classic, but it does rate as a pleasant diversion, a kind of bridge on connecting holiday blockbusters with movies you can take the kids to.

Mike Tauber and Pamela Singh have produced an interesting book containing pictures and commentaries about the children of interracial parents in America. Titled “Blended Nation,” the book signals a trend directing us to an inevitable conclusion.

In “Lorna’s Silence,” we meet a young Albanian woman who is a literary descendant of a character right out of a Dostoevsky novel.

I was eager to watch “Coco Before Chanel” for two reasons. One was a chance to take in the performance of Audrey Tautou, an actress I’ve long admired. Another was a chance to meet and learn more about the legendary Coco Chanel.

Today, we are encountering a new breed of parent: a college-educated adult who has the temerity to call professors and university officials to lobby for their children’s grades, question a grade and, in some cases, ask for and oversee recommendations. It is a vulgar intrusion, threatening the sanctity of academic integrity. It stems from the regrettable notion that a college is a job factory instead of an institute for learning. "Uneducated" parents from another era knew better.

Growing up, I recall my mother and her friends gabbing about Gertrude Berg and this radio sitcom called “The Goldbergs.” Now, from director Aviva Kempner, comes a splendid documentary about Berg and her era.

Every so often a movie comes along that both envelops and transcends its genre. On the surface, “The Damned United” is about an exceptionally talented soccer manager, Brian Clough. The searing drama amasses its considerable force the old-fashioned way; it earns its wings by virtue of impeccable performances, strong direction and a stellar screenplay.

Directed by Mira Nair, "Amelia” turns out to be a standard biopic. If it hits the right factual notes, it fails to explore character and motive. We know the details, all right, but the movie does not flesh out Amelia’s character with sufficient color.

I grew up assuming I might one day fight for my country.

"Law Abiding Citizen" is a mishmash of dozens of loony retribution specials from “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” to Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish.” It’s an assembly-line drama featuring actors who can only labor at being serious.

I like words, but I get nervous and uncomfortable when I’m around poseurs who use a word like “jejune” just before they risk a glance to note our reaction.

“Bright Star” transports us to the early 19th century for an unlikely romance between the rising and soon-to-be-legendary poet John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne.

In “Whip It,” we’re in suburban Texas, where a reluctant contestant is about to compete in a beauty pageant. She is Bliss Cavendish, played by “Juno” star Ellen Page, in a movie directed by Drew Barrymore.