Here is a sampling of reviews of movies playing during the first week of the Three Rivers Film Festival.

Opening night films screen just once ("Precious" and "Imaginarium" will return for regular runs in mid- to late December), and most others play twice. See schedule (Page W-18) for dates, times and venues.

4 stars = Outstanding
Ratings explained

Believe the hype. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is deserving of all the attention, and comedian Mo'Nique belongs on Oscar's list of supporting actress nominees.

Be prepared, however, to be slammed back in your seat by the obstacles faced by Claireece "Precious" Jones (Sidibe), an overweight 16-year-old in 1987 Harlem.

She cannot read or write, is pregnant for the second time -- by her own father, who regularly raped her -- and lives with her poisonously angry and abusive mother (Mo'Nique). Despite her size, she might as well be invisible to society.

A transfer to an alternative school helps Claireece to realize she is precious and deserving of love and a far better life. That doesn't exempt her from one final "Why me?" blow, but the movie ends on notes of hope and happiness that seemed impossible 109 minutes earlier.

A star is born in Sidibe, and Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey (as a social worker) have never looked plainer -- no makeup, no figure-flattering costumes, no Hollywood hair -- and yet never been better.

Rated R for child abuse, including sexual assault and pervasive language.

-- Barbara Vancheri, PG movie editor

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

The Coens meet "Twin Peaks" in this tasty Danish delight that I could easily see being remade for American audiences.

It's set in a small, isolated town where one resident complains, "It's all mud, cows and rubber boots." Not to mention people who are set in their ways and their secrets.

When a Copenhagen police officer (Jakob Cedergren) is exiled there as marshal, he is constantly reminded he doesn't understand "our ways," from hanging laundry to dealing with shoplifters or wife abusers. By the time he's reciting the community creed, "We handle things ourselves here," he's in too deep to recognize the paradox and peril.

You never know who's going to live, lie, die or be dumped in the bog, which gives "Terribly Happy" its wacky Wild West feel and critical kick.

R in nature. In Danish with English subtitles.

-- Barbara Vancheri

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

The amorous couple make middle-of-the-night calls, slip away for assignations and skinny-dipping and are 67 (Inge) and 76 (Karl) years old.

Inge is an East Berlin seamstress who works out of the modest apartment she shares with her husband of 30 years, a quiet retiree named Werner. She's a mother, grandmother, church choir member and, seemingly, an unlikely candidate for infidelity.

But when she meets customer Karl, she turns into a smitten school girl. Confronted about the affair at one point, she asks, "What's my age got to do with it? It doesn't matter if I'm 16 or 60 ... or 80."

"Cloud 9," which won the German equivalent of the Academy Award for actress and director, is explicit in its nudity, sex and deep veins of emotion. As Inge, actress Ursula Werner conveys the giddy surprise of falling in love again and sobs with ferocity when she learns it comes with a dear cost.

In German with English subtitles. Unrated but strictly for adults.

-- Barbara Vancheri

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

The Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson) is so protective of her daughter, Victoria (Emily Blunt), that she will not allow her to sleep in her own room or to walk down stairs without someone holding her hand. And yet this is the teen who will ascend to the throne in 1837 and rule for more than six decades.

As the title promises, this is Victoria in her earliest years, as she finds love with Albert (Rupert Friend) -- the pair would marry and have nine children -- and navigates the treachery of the palace. She must learn who to trust, allow her husband to discover his purpose (the dowager queen warns her, "A man who has no work becomes ridiculous") and find her footing.

It presumes some knowledge of the time and players, such as Sir John Conroy and Lord Melbourne. Still, it's that rare royal romance made for moviegoers who want to luxuriate in silky gowns trimmed with real roses, formal gardens, carriage rides and, literally, palatial backdrops.

At 100 minutes, it glides over a handful of chapters in a life that defined a country, a monarchy and an era that bears the queen's name.

PG for some mild sensuality, a scene of violence, and brief incidental language and smoking.

-- Barbara Vancheri

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

As someone who strings together words for a living, some days more successfully than others, I longed for dialogue in "Egon & Donci."

Seventy-five minutes, after all, is a long time without dialogue. The characters communicate by simple sounds and gestures, letting the animation speak for itself, and it is dazzling and inventive, with sound effects that surprise and delight.

Living on a little planet in a neighboring solar system, Egon is an amateur rocket scientist and Donci a catlike creature. After a spacecraft from Earth lands, with a disc carrying images from the planet, Egon decides to build a spaceship and travel there.

The journey through the heavens is heavenly, with Egon manning an instrument panel cobbled together from dandy detritus, such as manual typewriter keys, and with sounds like pinball machines and a car motor turning over. They come in peace and, just like Dorothy Gale, ultimately learn there's no place like home.

Not rated but suitable for all ages.

-- Barbara Vancheri

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

If you've ever wondered what it'd be like to scale the most treacherous face of the Swiss Alps, German director Philipp Stolzl will more than satisfy your curiosity in "North Face."

The 121-minute film, based on true events, recounts the 1936 mission of German climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Furmann) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) to surmount the unconquered northern rock face, the Eiger.

Nazi propaganda's promise that a successful climb up the Eiger will make any man an instant national hero also inspires other skilled climbers to take on the challenge, such as famed Austrian alpinists Willy Angerer (Simon Schwarz) and Edi Rainer (Georg Friedrich). At the start of the summit, the Austrian climbers are the German team's biggest competition. As time passes, the Eiger's ice fields, avalanches and subzero winds become the climbers' greatest obstacles.

The death-defying climb piques the interest of several journalists, including Toni's childhood love interest Luise Fellner (Johanna Wokalek). As Toni and the other climbers fight for victory -- and for their lives -- Luise struggles with whether to focus on her responsibilities as a photojournalist or her emotions for Toni.

This film, which includes breathtaking cinematography and realistic makeup, isn't only for climbing enthusiasts. With threads of romance, history and adventure woven into its story line, "North Face" has something for a variety of tastes.

Unrated but PG-13 in nature, in German with English subtitles.

-- Sara Bauknecht, Post-Gazette staff writer

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