Critics Consensus: Year One Fails To Beget Laughs

This week at the movies, we've got a brilliant detective (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law), secret agents (Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, starring Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg), singing rodents (Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, starring Jason Lee and David Cross), and a prodigal daughter (Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt).

This week at the movies brings no new wide releases, but we've still got some strong limiteds, including Shame, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, and Takeshi Kitano's Outrage. What do the critics have to say? Critics say Shame is an intense, beautifully crafted portrait of a profoundly damaged soul, often painful but powerfully acted.

This week at the movies, we've got a Muppet caper (The Muppets, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams), a special delivery (Arthur Christmas, with voice work from James McAvoy and Hugh Laurie), and a cinematic fantasia (Hugo, starring Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz). It's been more than a decade since the Muppets were in multiplexes, but critics say it was worth the wait: they find The Muppets to be a joyous musical comedy.

This week at the movies, we've got a crime caper (Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy) and yuletide merriment (A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, starring John Cho and Kal Penn). What do the critics have to say? If you're in the market for a solid, escapist escapade, critics say Tower Heist should do the trick -- just don't expect much more from this all-star action comedy.