Christian Bale

What It’s About: Dueling magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) go head to head in a battle of wits in an attempt to discover the perfect trick—even if they have to lie, cheat, steal or resort to murder.

What Works: Directors don’t come much better than Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento), who has mastered the art of precision pacing and has packed his cast with two of Hollywood’s finest actors. Jackman’s if your face pizzazz and Bale’s quiet torment are like apples and oranges, but together, they make for a terrific movie.

What Doesn’t: Once again, I have absolutely no concept what Hollywood sees in Scarlet Johaanssen who, despite only being in about a fourth of the film, mananges to make everything she’s in an absolute snooze. Occasionally, the who can outdo who battle grows a bit tired.

What’s Gay About It: No gay subplots to speak of, but Jackman has a total metro vibe about him and Bale is (in a word) smoking hot.

Bottom Line: Fans of the world of wizards and magicians will be spellbound, and Nolan tosses in enough murder, mystery and intrigue to make fans of just about any genre intrigued. A well conceived potboiler.

The Queen

What It’s About: In the days surrounding the death of Princess Diana, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) empathizes with the British people and celebrated the life of the people’s princess. Queen Elizabeth (Helen Mirren) took another approach, focusing on her grandchildren and the mockery Diana made of the Royal Family in her life and ignoring the British people’s pleas for a statement of support from their queen.

What Works: The splicing of news coverage and documentary footage with a fictionalized retelling of what on the Queen’s band of insiders suggest happened behind closed doors makes for a compelling story, and Mirren has absolutely, without question, never been better than she is here.

What Doesn’t: Shocking as it is for me to say, I can’t think of a thing.

What’s Gay About It: Isn't anything to do with the Royals kind of gay?

Bottom Line: Run, hop, skip, rent a boat, whatever it takes—but do see this movie, one that’s sure to garner a fair chunk of acclaim come award’s season.

Infamous

What It’s About: The other Truman Capote movie focuses on the author’s (Toby Jones) writing of In Cold Blood, from his visits to the prison to interview Perry Smith (Daniel Craig) to his games of gossip and telephone with his socialite pals to his one on one brainstorming sessions with Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock).

What Works: This Capote takes a more theatrical approach to the story, with Truman’s social standing in NYC and his connections in high places being the focal point. Brilliant as Phillip Seymour Hoffman was in his portrayal, Jones looks and feels more the part, while Bullock continues to impress with her understated warmth.

What Doesn’t: Infamous is sort of the Oceans Eleven of art house films with some big name casting (Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow) that just seems like name dropping in the end.

What’s Gay About It: Truman is just about as gay as it gets, from his silk jimmies on up to his cashmere scarf. And after you see Lee in all of her simple girl get ups, some of you might have a few questions about her sexuality as well.

Bottom Line: Better than last year’s Oscar winning biopic—its just a shame this one had to come second.

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