"Fruitvale Station": The last day of a young man who ends it by being gunned down, unarmed, on a San Francisco train. Heartbreakingly, it is based on a true story. R ***-1/2

"The Hunt": A small-town Danish teacher (Mads Mikkelsen) comes under suspicion of child abuse in a moving and intelligent film that shows his life may be ruined, even if he is innocent. R ***-1/2

The Conjuring: So old-fashioned that it feels fresh, it's a chiller about a nice family that moves into a haunted house and the compassionate busters who help them take on the ghosts. R *** -1/2

"20 Feet From Stardom": Backup singers move to the front in an incredibly entertaining documentary that shows that little-known Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega and others are stars in their own right. PG-13 ***-1/2

"Before Midnight": The third in the series about the growing relationship between characters played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. It's all talk, but what glorious, insightful, hilarious talk. R ****

-- Chris Hewitt