2 1/2 stars = Average
Ratings explained

In "The Lucky Ones," three Iraq war vets are pressed into attending the posh birthday party of a stranger they meet on a cross-country trip. When a guest asks, "What do you really think we're fighting for? What are you doing over there?" a reservist (Tim Robbins) says, "Honestly, we're just trying to stay alive."

That exchange helps to distinguish this from the string of well-intentioned movies such as "Stop-Loss," "Grace Is Gone" and "In the Valley of Elah" that proved to be box-office poison. "The Lucky Ones" is set almost entirely in the States and focuses on three soldiers -- played by Robbins, Michael Pena and Rachel McAdams -- whose homecomings don't go as planned.

It makes a few too many wacky detours, at least one due to a fake funnel cloud, but it also boasts strong leads, a portrait of soldier solidarity and a reminder about how overseas service affects families and finances. When the book is written about war movies of this time, it won't rank among the best, but it won't rank among the worst, either.

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

-- Barbara Vancheri, PG movie editor

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

"Visualize corporate collapse."

That's the prophetic protest sign that struck me most in Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle," a potent fictional rendering of the five days in November 1999 when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the World Trade Organization's meeting.

Chief among them, in Townsend's story, are Jay (Martin Henderson) and Lou (Michelle Rodriguez) -- veteran protest organizer and animal-rights activist, respectively. At the outset, we find them doing a high-wire daredevil act, dangling from a crane in order to hang a huge anti-WTO banner.

Jay and his pal Django (Andre Benjamin) have been working hard for months to shut down the conference while making sure the protests are peaceful. Seattle Mayor Jim Tobin (Ray Liotta), himself a former Vietnam War protestor, has been working just as hard to make sure nobody gets hurt.

Caught in the middle are riot cop Dale (Woody Harrelson) and his pregnant wife, Ella (Charlize Theron). Initially, the protesters shut down key intersections, trapping delegates in their hotel rooms and forcing cancellation of opening ceremonies. But then the anarchists take over, hijacking the protest away from its organizers. The impatient governor orders in the National Guard, tear gas and pepper spray abound, and the peaceful demonstration escalates into a full-scale riot.

Irish actor-writer Townsend, in his directorial debut, dutifully intertwines the opposing points of view -- and idiotic decisions on both sides -- while integrating archival news footage with the fictional narrative. But there's no doubt where his sympathies lie. My favorite clip: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz complaining, "For us to have to close our stores during the peak holiday season really is an injustice."

The personal stories suffer from melodramatic excess. But the 1999 end-of-the-millennium issues of corporate greed vs. human harm are more contemporary than ever.

Rated R for language and violence.

-- Barry Paris, PG film critic

Clark Gregg, the mild-mannered scene stealer familiar to fans of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Iron Man," has delivered a singularly vulgar piece of work in his feature directorial debut. "Choke," an adaptation of a book by cult pulp novelist Chuck Palahniuk ("Fight Club"), might appeal to Palahniuk's niche of fans, but for the most part it's a grim, joyless turnoff.

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, strong language.

-- Ann Hornaday, Washington Post