Lebanon is not a film that is easy to experience. As a war movie, it is fantastic, echoing the claustrophobia of Das Boot and the futility of Apocalypse Now, but it succeeds even more when it is viewed as a film about relationships, namely the bond between a small team of Israeli soldiers in a tank on the first day of the first Lebanon war in 1982.

Despite the fact that everyone’s free time just significantly decreased with the start of classes, there’s always time to read for pleasure. Maybe you just want to avoid your assigned reading; maybe you are simply sick of Oprah’s Book Club selections. Here are a few of the book world’s most recent releases.

“Going the Distance” is a fairly straightforward film about a long-distance relationship. There are no major twists or surprises, and it’s an honest, vaguely romanticized look at a realistic couple. Like any relationship, however, the film starts to drag after a funny, fast-paced “getting to know you” montage. Once the courtship ends and Erin and Garrett’s relationship begins, played by Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, “Going the Distance” becomes a bit monotonous.

In the battle of 2010’s artificial-insemination romantic comedies – a surprisingly popular genre – there is little doubt that The Switch is the best of the bunch.

It is no great surprise that Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton’s latest film, uses regular actor Johnny Depp to an almost obsessive degree.

Whether the Academy Awards' big experiment, expanding the best picture category from five nominees to 10, will pay off in a ratings bump this year remains to be seen. Regardless, audience members can be sure this year’s Oscars broadcast will be full of surprises.

After having helmed the reboot of the James Bond franchise, the only way the quality of director Martin Campbell’s work could really go is down. With Casino Royale being such a success, it’s not surprising that Edge of Darkness is disappointing.

IRM, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s newest album, doesn’t particularly dispel that notion, but it’s also not a hideously bad effort.

Her follow-up album, “The Sea,” touches on a far more precarious subject: the suspected-overdose death of her husband, saxophonist Jason Rae. The album is mercifully free of any histrionics – Rae’s voice rarely rises above a whisper – and takes a meditative look at her grieving process and her forced maturation.

When in Rome has its funny moments, though they are few, far-between and usually cheap, but it’s not the most offensive comedy ever made.