Robert Pattinson is a rebellious rich kid who falls for the beautiful daughter (Emilie de Ravin) of a surly New York City cop (Chris Cooper) during the summer leading up to 9/11.

Kirk is not accustomed to hot girls noticing him. So imagine his surprise when this average Joe suddenly finds himself on the arm of a beautiful, sexy woman like Molly.

Matt Damon plays an Army officer in charge of a teams assigned to seek and find WMDs in the early days of the Iraq war.

I swear I’m not getting old, but lately I feel like those two old Muppets in the theater who complain about everything.

Actresses Krysten Ritter and Alice Eve play best friends in the film “She’s Out of My League,” and in real life they definitely evoke that  BFF vibe.

Chris Cooper is happy to be known as a character actor. He lives in Kingston, Mass., well out of the Hollywood loop, and is regularly called upon to play pretty much every kind of personality imaginable.

Oscar parties have been around for years, but for those without invitations — or those of us who’d rather not don tuxes and create themed potluck dishes (steak “Avatar”-tar, anyone?) — missed out on the fun. But this year, people around the world watched the Academy Awards within arms’ reach of a laptop or phone, participating in an ongoing conversation about the telecast on the micro-blogging service Twitter.

Matt Damon plays an Army officer in charge of a teams assigned to seek and find WMDs in the early days of the Iraq War in "Green Zone."

Corey Haim died Wednesday at age 38. I grew up with this guy and his movies. “The Lost Boys” is the best vampire movie of my generation. I’ll take Keifer Sutherland’s David over Edward or whatever other goofball prissy teens pass for nocturnal hunters these days. But I digress.

Sometimes the most intriguing books are those not easily categorized. While Boston-area writer Dawn Paul’s new book is fiction, it straddles a cognitive divide between memoir and invention, between what we feel is real and what we believe is imagination.

This week’s suggestions: Watch the X Paralympic Winter Games, check out one of the new movies, get ready for the time change, prepare for Selection Sunday and start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Tryouts for "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" will be held March 19-21 by Center State Performing Arts Academy.

Leon Chiappini hooks a tire-sized cymbal around his finger and spins it like a basketball. He hits it and listens for the ding, the gravel and the growl: elements of crash that the average ear can’t hear. If it’s not perfect, Chiappini tosses it in the reject pile. “After 49 years, I’d better know if it’s good,” he said with a laugh.

Patriot Ledger film critic Al Alexander makes his annual picks for the top winners at the Academy Awards, which are being handed out Sunday.

Corrupt cops may be “in” right now in Hollywood (see this weekend’s new release, “Brooklyn’s Finest,” from “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua), but my favorite kind of movie cop is a buddy cop.