Tense ‘Dragon Tattoo’ a gritty, faithful adaptation

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”: David Fincher’s beautifully taut, terrifying adaptation of the Stieg Larsson megaseller is faithful to its source, and offers a star-making turn from Rooney Mara as the asocial, bisexual, genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Daniel Craig is Mikael Blomkvist, the bookish investigative journalist who partners with the pierced, punked-out heroine to dig into a decades-old murder case. (2:40, R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language) • • • 1/2

“Carnage”: Roman Polanksi’s deliciously nasty take on coupledom and class conflict, as a pair of New York elites (Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet) visit a Brooklyn husband and wife (John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster) to make peace after a bullying incident involving their respective sons. Peace does not ensue. Adapted from the stage play, “The God of Carnage.” (1:19, R for language) • • • 1/2

“The Muppets”: Jason Segel stars with Amy Adams and a little felt guy named Walter in this rollicking reboot of the late Jim Henson’s furball franchise. Goofy song-and-dance numbers, slapstick silliness, winking we-know-this-is-a-movie cut-up asides – and all of it with heart. And with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Animal, too. (1:38, PG for some mild rude humor) • • •

“The Sitter”: Jonah Hill stars as a layabout suburban nerd who reluctantly agrees to watch three obnoxious kids for the night – and ends up taking them on a wild ride into the big city, where mayhem, menace and a pileup of profanity ensues. “Adventures in Babysitting”-meets-“Pineapple Express.” (1:40, R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and some violence) • •

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”: Gary Oldman stars as mild-mannered MI6 mastermind George Smiley in this concise, precise and very, very gray adaptation of the John le Carre spy thriller. (2:07, R for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language) • • •