Drama
Rod Lott
Once the Oscar contender to beat — until The Artist swooped in and did just that — The Descendants is the oddest kind of road movie: one in which the roads don’t exist at all. The travels undertaken by George Clooney’s harried, married Matt King character in this dramedy are done so mostly via plane, as he criss-crosses three of Hawaii’s eight islands in search of a stranger he doesn’t want to face, but stalks with great determination nonetheless.

Drama
Phil Bacharach
It’s not as if there’s been a grievous shortage of movies detailing the horrors of the Holocaust. Even so, Poland’s In Darkness, which is scheduled to open Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, adds something to the cinematic discussion, chiefly in the form of its unlikely hero.

Drama
Rod Lott

Conceptually, Miss Bala shares much in common with 2004's Maria Full of Grace. In that film, a young Colombian girl became a drug mule in order to save her family. Here, a young Mexican woman becomes a criminal accessory in order to save her friend.

Documentary
Rod Lott
Remember how joyous you felt at the end of 2006's excellent Irish indie Once? Well, The Swell Season is why there is no sequel. Hell, it practically is the sequel, only factual instead of fictional.

Documentary
Rod Lott
How many pre-teens not only have a idea of what they want to do with their life, but actually already are doing something about it? The answer: At least three, based upon those you'll meet in Racing Dreams, a fun, fast-paced, feature-length documentary about kids competing for the national karting championship as they chase hopeful NASCAR futures.

OKG7 things to do
Gazette staff
Fresh off an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, the French-language middle-school dramedy Monsieur Lazhar moves to the head of the class at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch, for five screenings between Friday and Sunday. Bring a hankie. Tickets are $5-$8. Call 236- 3100 or visit okcmoa.com.

Friday-Sunday

Drama
Rod Lott
One of this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Foreign Language Film, the Belgian drama Bullhead does nothing to change the public perception that the category's entrants wear perpetual frowns. After all, its protagonist so clearly, so early, states his life's motto: "You're always fucked."

Drama
Kathryn Jenson White
Rather than going to Beasts of the Southern Wild, you should approach the theater with the idea of going with it.

Music
Joshua Boydston
There aren’t many Oscar-winning rappers out there, but you can catch one at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, at Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein.