”Crazy Heart”Fox Searchlight Pictures Jeff Bridges deservingly earns his fourth Oscar nomination for his remarkable portrayal of washed-up alcoholic country star Bad Blake. Bridges takes an average script and turns the film into a poignant character piece. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Blake’s lover, and despite looking unnecessarily rough throughout the entire film, Gyllenhaal breathes life into her otherwise breathless character. The most cinematic element of “Crazy Heart” is that, despite its predictable dramatization, the film never feels cliché. Polished with an array of pleasant original songs, “Heart” begins with the low-key portrait of one man’s plummet to rock bottom and ends with his tender self-discovery. B M. Jacobs ALO Man of the WorldBrushfire Records These California-based groovsters bring the beach jams to their third release on Jack Johnson’s record label. The four-man band ALO, short for Animal Liberation Orchestra, gained moderate popularity by touring with high-profile bands including Johnson, who produced this album, Dave Matthews Band and Brett Dennen. This 11-track album was recorded almost entirely live and marks the group’s sixth release together. Exploring more than just the feel-good sing alongs they’ve perfected on past albums, ALO finds more organic sounds on this release, partly because the band recorded at Johnson’s home studio in Oahu, Hawaii, where the “pure, natural and laidback” atmosphere contributed to the sound, according to the band’s Web site. The pedal-steel accents of “Big Appetite” will draw listeners in, the title track “Man of the World” and “Put Away the Past” capture ALO’s signature fun, surfy sound and slower ballads “Suspended” and “States of Friction” bring a relaxed vibe to the album. B+ N. Persac Peter GabrielScratch My BackVirigin Records Even without using original material, former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel is capable of breaking new ground. Gabriel proves this with “Scratch My Back” — a compilation of covers from everyone from David Bowie to Radiohead. Many of Gabriel’s versions provide a dark, introspective view — an approach which largely works for his progressive rock style. Gabriel morphs Neil Young’s piano ballad “Philadelphia” into a full-bodied arrangement featuring horns and strings and breathes new life into Lou Reed’s “The Power of the Heart.”A cover album won’t give Gabriel many new fans at 60 years old, but his take on these songs is definitely worth a listen. B B. Bourgeois Valentine’s DayNew Line Cinema Even with a star-studded cast featuring Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and almost every other British and American celebrity, “Valentine’s Day” is a mediocre romantic comedy that doesn’t live up to its potential. The multiple storylines consist of one cliché after another. There are a few genuinely funny moments, and anyone seeking a mindless, predictable date movie will leave feeling satisfied. But Taylor Swift’s awful acting aside, the movie is unmemorable and a far cry from the film it tries to imitate, 2003’s “Love Actually.”D+ E. Clausen Various ArtistsWe Are The World: 25 for HaitiWe Are the World Foundation This remake by more than 80 pop stars lacks the singing talents in the original. Jamie Foxx is no substitute for Michael Jackson, though sister Janet Jackson can be heard on the track. Cheesy singers like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger, overshadow better artists like Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. Haiti native Wyclef Jean provides passionate vocals, but this mix of artists doesn’t work. A rap portion including LL Cool J and Snoop Dogg also does the song no favors. The only good part about this lackluster song is all the proceeds go to victims in Haiti. C- L. Coumes Galactic”Ya-Ka-May” Anti, Inc.Galactic’s seventh studio album, “Ya-Ka-May,” sounds like one big victory lap for New Orleans. The jazz-funk jam band from the Big Easy fuses every funky rhythm, party starter horn blast and mellow, jazzy vibe from all corners of the city’s musical history with inconsistent but often inspiring results. The combination of sounds creates thrilling anthems but also a few missteps with schizophrenic arrangements. The album also features collaborations with some of New Orleans’ finest like Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint and Trombone Shorty among others, who all lend a hand to this rollicking, swaggering effort from the instrumental quintent.B+ C. Abshire ”The Wolfman”UniversalThe remake of the 1941 Hollywood horror classic, “The Wolf Man,” is a brooding drama which rises above most modern horror movies. While the majority of the original plot is intact, one major change — moving the setting to rural Victorian England— lends the film an eerie and brooding feel. Benicio del Toro plays the lead character — werewolf remarkably well, but Anthony Hopkins’ performance as his father, Sir John Talbot, is vapid and boring. Still, the film avoids cliche horror guises and cheesy one-liners while retaining an emotional depth — often via the connection with Del Toro’s character while he is in a mental institution — that should strike viewers as fresh.B C. Abshire