Below are Mini Reviews from Cineman Syndicate for three films opening on November 6, 2009.

PRECIOUS. One of the most talked-about movies of the year boasts two outstanding performances. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe plays an obese African-American teen in 1987 Harlem who has been impregnated twice by her long-gone father and is routinely abused in other ghastly ways by her mother, played by Mo'Nique -- a performer usually associated with broad comedy. Though it makes few concessions to conventional uplift, the picture isn't so far beyond the pale for a gritty indie. Its power derives from providing a showcase for two women to embody suffering and its potential consequences. Sidibe and Mo'Nique compel the audience to cut through the hype and connect with their characters' plights. (R) GOOD DRAMA. Director - Lee Daniels; Lead - Gabourey Sidibe; Running Time - 109 minutes. (Capsule review by John P. McCarthy)

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. Neither absurdist enough as a comedy nor trenchant enough as a war satire, this effort elicits a few chuckles but little else. While stumbling into the Iraqi desert alongside a U.S. military operative who claims to have paranormal abilities (George Clooney), Ewan MacGregor's journalist recounts the history of a secret Army unit specializing in psychic warfare. Without a sturdy narrative structure on which to hoist the premise, tonal misdirection results. Since it's not hard to believe the military has dabbled in such unconventional techniques, the movie feels too droll for its own good. The tagline "No Goats. No Glory" is about as good as it gets. (R) FAIR COMEDY. Director - Grant Heslov; Lead - George Clooney; Running Time - 95 mins. (Capsule review by John P. McCarthy)

DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Technically proficient but frightening beyond belief, Robert Zemeckis' re-telling of Dickens' timeless tale adopts a surprisingly macabre tone as it provides some of the scariest mistletoe moments since Jack Skellington placed severed heads and 12-foot snakes under the tree in The Nightmare Before Christmas. A motion-captured Jim Carrey mugs through multiple roles, from miserly Ebenezer Scrooge to the menacing spirits who visit the penny-pincher on Christmas Eve. Like Zemeckis' other literary adaptations (Beowulf, The Polar Express), this is an exquisitely detailed piece of cutting-edge animation.But it lacks heart, warmth and seasonal soul. Enter seeking holiday cheer, and you'll leave muttering "Bah humbug." (PG) BORING FANTASY. Director - Robert Zemeckis; Lead - Jim Carrey; Running Time - 95 minutes. (Capsule review by Sean O'Connell)

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