21 (PG-13 for violence, sexuality and partial nudity). Vegas casino caper recalls the real-life exploits of a quintet of card-counting MIT students who, with the help of their math professor (Kevin Spacey), beat the house for millions in winnings. Cast includes Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Jim Sturgess and Aaron Yoo.
10,000 B.C. (PG-13 for action violence). Peripatetic prehistoric adventure about a brave young warrior (Steven Strait) who leads a tight-knit band of brothers on an epic journey to the ends of the Earth to rescue the love of his life (Camilla Belle) from the clutches of the warlike tribe who kidnapped her during a raid of their village.
The Band’s Visit (PG-13 for brief profanity). Cross-cultural comedy about the hijinks which ensue when an Egyptian police orchestra gets lost on its way to a concert in Israel and ends up stranded in a tiny town where everybody learns a touching lesson in tolerance. (In Arabic, Hebrew and English with subtitles)
The Bank Job (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity and violence). Jason Statham stars in this action thriller about a struggling car dealer duped by a fetching femme fatale (Saffron Burrows) with a hidden agenda into hatching a plan to burglarize a London bank’s safe deposit boxes containing not only millions in cash and jewelry but a treasure trove of dirty secrets.
College Road Trip (G). Coming-of-age comedy about a high school student (Raven Symone) whose plans for a girls-only trip visiting prospective colleges are ruined when her overbearing, police chief father (Martin Lawrence) insists on accompanying her instead.
The Counterfeiters (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, and violence). True World War II tale of survival, set in a Nazi concentration camp, about a master counterfeiter (Karl Markovics) forced to ply his trade to flood the market with the currency of the countries fighting Hitler and thereby devalue their money. In German with subtitles.
Doomsday (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and graphic violence). Neil Marshall (The Descent) wrote and directed this sci-fi thriller about an elite squad of scientists dispatched to a quarantined hot zone in Scotland to find a cure for a lethal virus which has already claimed millions of lives. Cast includes Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell.
Drillbit Taylor (PG-13 for bullying, sexual references, profanity, crude humor, and partial nudity). Owen Wilson handles the title role in this revenge comedy as a down on his luck soldier of fortune hired by three freshmen (Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, and David Dorfman) to protect them from the high school bully (Alex Frost).
Funny Games (R for terror, violence, and some profanity). German director Michael Haneke’s English language remake of his 1997 thriller of the same name now stars Naomi Watts and Tim Roth as a couple whose vacation with their young son (Devon Gearheart) is disrupted when their lakeside summer home is invaded by a couple of sadistic psychopaths (Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt).
Horton Hears a Who (G). Jim Carrey provides the voiceover for the title character in this animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss kiddie classic about an elephant determined to come to the assistance of the inhabitants of a tiny planet when he hears cries for help coming from a speck of dust floating through the air. Voice cast includes Steve Carrell, Carol Burnett, Jonah Hill, Jamie Pressly, SNL’s Amy Poehler, Isla Fisher, Will Arnett and Seth Rogen.
In Bruges (R for pervasive profanity, graphic violence and drug use). Mob comedy about a couple of hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) sent by their boss (Ralph Fiennes) to unwind in Belgium for a couple of weeks after an assignment in London goes horribly wrong.
Meet the Browns (PG-13 for profanity, violence, mature themes, sexual references, and drug use). Tyler Perry wrote, directed and reprises his cross-dressing role as Madea in this adaptation of his play about a single-mom (Angela Bassett) who moves her family from Chicago to Georgia for the funeral of the father she never met. Cast includes Rick Fox, Frankie Faison, Jenifer Lewis, and Tamela and David Mann.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (PG-13 for sexual innuendo and partial nudity). Frances McDormand stars in the title role of this romantic comedy, adapted from Winifred Watson’s 1938 novel of the same name, about an unfairly-fired British nanny who tries a new line of work as the social secretary of an American starlet (Amy Adams).
Never Back Down (PG-13 for mature themes, intense violence, profanity, teen partying and premarital sexuality). Overcoming-the-odds drama, set in Orlando, stars Sean Faris as the hot-headed new kid in town who starts studying mixed martial arts after being beaten up by a bully (Cam Gigandet) for flirting with his girlfriend (Amber Heard) at a party. Karate Kid-inspired adventure features Djimon Hounsou in the Mr. Miyagi role as the lad’s mild-mannered mentor.
The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13 for sexuality, violence and mature themes). 16th C. romance drama, based on the historical novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory, revolving around the competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne (Natalie Portman) Boleyn for the affections of England’s King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). With Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess and Rue McLanahan.
Run, Fatboy, Run (PG-13 for crude humor, profanity, sexuality, nudity and smoking). David Schwimmer makes an impressive directorial debut with this romantic comedy about a chubby loser (Simon Pegg) looking for a second chance to impress the ex-fiancée (Thandie Newton) he’d abandoned at the altar on their wedding day five years ago after getting cold feet because she was pregnant. Supporting cast includes Hank Azaria, Harish Patel and India de Beaufort.
Semi-Pro (R for profanity and crude humor). Sports comedy starring Will Ferrell as a one-hit wonder who purchases a last place, minor league basketball team and tries to inspire his players to achieve their NBA hoop dreams. Ensemble cast includes Woody Harrelson, rapper Andre Benjamin, ex-Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter, comedian DeRay Davis, Will Arnett, Maura Tierney, David Koechner, SNL alum Tim Meadows, R&B diva Patti LaBelle, Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley and comedienne Charlene Yi.
Shutter (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, terror, and disturbing images). English language remake of the Thai horror film of the same name about newlyweds (Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor) honeymooning in Tokyo who start discovering disturbing images in the photographs they take after their car hits a girl in a fatal traffic accident on Mt. Fuji.
Sleepwalking (R for profanity and a violent scene). Dysfunctional family drama about the bond which develops between an 11 year-old girl (AnnaSophia Robb) and her uncle (Nick Stahl) after her irresponsible mother (Charlize Theron) unexpectedly skips town with her latest boyfriend.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG for peril, mature themes, frightening images and action violence). Escapist fantasy about twin brothers (Freddie Highmore) who, along with their sister (Sarah Bolger), discover a magical world filled with fairies and scary creatures soon after moving with their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) from New York City to their great, great Uncle Arthur’s (David Strathairn) secluded, rundown country estate.
Stop-Loss (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity). Iraq War saga about the emotional toll exacted on an honorably-disharged veteran (Ryan Phillippe) and his family when he is ordered by the Army to return to Baghdad for another tour of duty. With Rob Brown, Channing Tatum and Ciaran Hinds.
Superhero Movie (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor, slapstick violence and drug references). Leslie Nielsen, Tracy Morgan and Pamela Anderson are among the large ensemble cast in this parody of the superhero genre which satirizes a host of comic book screen adaptations including Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man and Batman.
Vantage Point (PG-13 for intense violence, disturbing images and brief profanity). Political potboiler examines an attempted assassination of the President of the United States (William Hurt) from the varying perspectives of eight eyewitnesses. Ensemble cast includes Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Matthew Fox, Eduardo Noriega, Richard T. Jones and Bruce McGill.