New Movie Reviews: 'J. Edgar,' 'Jack and Jill,' 'Immortals,' 'Melancholia' Hitting Theaters

Moviegoers have a bounty of options at the box office this weekend, including Clint Eastwood's awards contender J. Edgar, the Adam Sandler cross-dressing comedy Jack and Jill, the Greek gods actioner Immortals and Melancholia, featuring an award-winning performance from Kirsten Dunst.

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J. Edgar, which had its world premiere Wednesday at the 25th annual AFI Fest at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as legendary FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. The movie, a collaboration between Eastwood and Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, also stars Naomi Watts and Armie Hammer. The biopic opened first in select markets before its nationwide expansion Friday.

PHOTOS: 'J. Edgar' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

Meanwhile, Sandler plays both title characters in Jack and Jill, in which Jack’s perfect life turns nightmare when his twin sister, Jill, comes for a visit. Katie Holmes plays Sandler's wife, and Al Pacino appears as himself, as Richard III and as Don Quixote. The movie is directed by Dennis Dugan and co-written by Sandler and Steve Koren.

Director Tarsem Singh's Greek god mythology film Immortals boasts visual effects reminiscent of300 (it's also from the same producers). Henry Cavill -- the British actor who was tapped to play Superman in 300 director Zack Snyder's upcoming Man of Steel -- stars as Theseus, a peasant man defending the world from the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke). Freida Pinto plays the goddess Sybelline Oracle Phaedra.

PHOTOS: 'Immortals' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

In other new releases, moviegoers will get their first look atLars von Trier's Melancholia. Dunst, who plays a depressive whose wedding must compete with the end of the world, was named best actress at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in May for her performance. Von Trier made more headlines than Dunst at the May festival after he jokingly boasted of being a Nazi at the press conference following the movie's screening.

And Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan makes his directing debut with London Boulevard. The movie, a mix of 1960s Brit gangster-movie flourish and 1940s Hollywood noir, stars Colin Farrell as an ex-con trying to go straight who gets pulled back into the criminal underworld. Keira Knightley plays his love interest.

VIDEO: Clint Eastwood’s 'J. Edgar' Trailer Premieres

Read what The Hollywood Reporter's film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend, and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office.

J. Edgar
Written by Dustin Lance Black, the Warner Bros. film features Armie Hammer, Judi Dench and Naomi Watts as the historic FBI Boss' closest companions. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review.

THR COVER STORY: Leonardo DiCaprio Talks J. Edgar Hoover's Homosexuality; Slashed Fee 90 Percent for Clint Eastwood

Immortals
Henry Cavill stars as a Theseus, a peasant tasked with defending the world from the evil King Hyperion in Tarsem Singh's Greek God epic. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review.

Jack and Jill
Adam Sandler stars as Jack, whose life is turned upside down when his twin sister, Jill (also played by Sandler), comes for a visit. Click here to read David Rooney's review.

Melancholia
The Danish director's brooding contemplation of the planet's demise is a bit of a bore, writes Todd McCarthy. Click here to read Todd McCarthy's review.

VIDEO: Adam Sandler's 'Jack and Jill' Trailer Hits the Web

London Boulevard
Irish crime writer Ken Bruen has a stylish line in mean-streets poetry that Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan sashays winningly into "London Boulevard," his first feature as director. Click here to read Ray Bennett's review.

The Conquest
Xavier Durringer’s highly anticipated chronicle of current French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s rise to power is an amusing yet lightweight political farce. Click here to read Jordan Mintzer's review.

VIDEO: 'Melancholia': Second Trailer Shows Stunning Cinematography

Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within
"Elite Squad 2" is the most successful film in Brazilian film history, co-written by "City of God" writer Braulio Mantovani. Click here to read Stephen Farber's review.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter
The James Franco-narrated documentary looks at husband and wife design team Charles and Ray Eames. Click here to read Sura Wood's review.

VIDEO: Colin Farrell in 'London Boulevard'

Into the Abyss
Werner Herzog's second non-fiction film of the year is a troubling inquiry into capital punishment in the U.S. Click here to read Sheri Linden's review.

Also opening this weekend are 11-11-11, About Fifty, The Binary Universe, Cook County and Rockstar.