Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

"Avatar" _ James Cameron's 3-D epic has all the smack of a Film Not To Miss _ a movie whose effects are clearly revolutionary, a spectacle that millions will find adventure in. But it nevertheless feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a truly alive film. The plot is a little like the American frontier circa the 1800s, only transposed to the year 2154 on the faraway moon Pandora, the home of Native American-like, aqua blue, 10-foot tall creatures called the Na'vi. Arriving are imperialistic humans to plunder, and scientists to study. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) leads a team that explores in Na'vi bodies, avatars, controlled remotely. A sense of discovery _ of Cameron's digital world of Pandora, of the impressive techno-filmmaking _ makes "Avatar" often thrilling. The environmentalist and anti-war messages resonate with contemporary troubles, but they also seem odd coming from such a swaggering behemoth of a movie. One senses Cameron's zest lies in the battle, not in peace. With Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking. 161 minutes. Two and half stars out of four.

_ Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

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"Crazy Heart" _ In some not too far-fetched parallel universe, Jeff Bridges really might be living the life of a boozy country singer. Bridges seems like the real thing in this musical portrait, rasping out songs in the comfortable remnants of a whiskey-and-tobacco-seared voice that you might swear you've heard on a hundred jukeboxes in a hundred anonymous roadhouses. Bridges plays the aptly named Bad Blake, a country-music veteran performing in dive bars and bowling alleys as he continues to drink and smoke himself toward an early grave. Accustomed to one-night stands, Bad falls for a single mom and small-town journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who interviews him. Robert Duvall co-stars as Bad's buddy and Colin Farrell plays his old protege, now a superstar hankering for Bad to write him some new songs. Bridges may not have a great singing voice, but it's a soulful one, and he matches it with one of the finest performances of his career, just playing the hell out of this guy whose self-abuse has carried him to a precipice where he either leaps into the pit or turns back and cleans up.

R for language and brief sexuality. 111 minutes. Three stars out of four.

_ David Germain, AP Movie Writer

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