“The Dark Knight Rises”

★★★★ (out of four)

“The Dark Knight Rises” (which clearly should have been titled “Gotham Rises,” I’m just sayin’) picks up exactly eight years after the events of the last film. The city of Gotham is marking the anniversary of the death of former district attorney Harvey Dent, who, according to the official story, was betrayed and murdered by Batman before the masked vigilante went underground as a fugitive. The weight of this lie has done a number on Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who has vanished from the public eye and lives out his lonely days as a shut-in.

“Brave”

★★★ 1/2

The film has been given a lukewarm recommendation by a majority of published critics, but many others have labeled it as Pixar’s first true misfire, and even its defenders seem half-hearted at best. But don’t be fooled by the overly cynical (and possibly sexist) nay-sayers — “Brave” represents Pixar at its best (or close to it, anyway), and is surely one of the most rewarding times you’ll have at the movies.