Akeelah and the Bee (PG for mild epithets). Keke Palmer stars in the title role in this inspirational tale about the efforts of a precocious 11 year-old from L.A.'s South Central ghetto to make it to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. with the help of a mysterious mentor (Laurence Fishburne) and over the objections of her mother (Angela Bassett).
American Dreamz (PG-13 for sexual references and profanity). Dennis Quaid is at the center of this social satire as a second term President of the United States who is booked by his chief of staff (Willem Dafoe) as a celebrity judge on an American Idol-type, reality-TV series in order to boost his approval rating. With Hugh Grant as the host, Mandy Moore appears as a game show contestant, Jennifer Coolidge as her pushy stage mom, and Marcia Gay Harden as the First Lady.
Friends with Money (R for sex, expletives and drug use). Female empowerment film about the relationship of a struggling ne'er-do-well (Jennifer Aniston) with three, life-long friends (Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener and Frances McDormand) whose once comfortable marriages are suddenly in crisis.
Goal! The Dream Begins (PG-13 for profanity, sexual content and a drug reference). An adventure about a poor Mexican-American child (Kuno Becker) raised in Los Angeles whose hope of escaping the barrio arrives when he is recruited by a British scout to play for a soccer club in England.
Hard Candy (R for profanity, violence, alcohol abuse, and sex involving an underage teen). Psychological thriller about a 32 year-old pedophile (Patrick Wilson) who seduces a 14 year-old (Ellen Page) over the Internet and talks the girl into coming over to his place to pose for some perverted photos.
Hoot (PG for bullying and brief profanity). Heartwarming comedy about a nature boy raised in the mountains of Montana (Logan Lerman) whose family relocates to Florida where the lad leads a crusade to protect a population of endangered owls threatened by corrupt politicians, avaricious land owners and inept police officers.
Ice Age: The Meltdown (PG for coarse language and sexual innuendo). Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Denny Dillon again lend their voices to a variety of prehistoric creatures in this family-oriented, animated sequel set just before the Earth starts to thaw. Replacing Kristen Johnson, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jack Black are Queen Latifah, Jay Leno, and Seann William Scott.
Just My Luck (PG-13 for sexual references). Romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan as the luckiest woman alive who mysteriously swaps fortunes with a lovable loser (Chris Pine) after kissing him at a masquerade ball one Friday.
Kinky Boots (PG-13 for profanity and mature themes). British comedy about a shoe factory heir (Joel Edgerton) who figures out how to revitalize the sinking family business when he befriends a black transvestite (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who comes up with the bright idea of catering to drag queens.
Mission Impossible III (PG-13 for action violence). Secret Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and sidekick Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) return for another round of hi-tech, high-impact hijinks, squaring-off against a bloodthirsty arms dealer (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Keri Russell and Billy Crudup.
The Notorious Bettie Page (R for sex, expletives, and nudity). Gretchen Mol handles the title role in the bio-pic about the famous, fifties pin-up girl who ended up the subject of a Senate investigation because of her kinky bondage photos.
Poseidon (PG-13 for sequences of horror and peril). Oceanographic adventure veteran Wolfgang Peterson (The Perfect Storm and Das Boot) directs another aquatic disaster, a remake of The Poseidon Adventure, the 1972 classic about the effort of passengers to survive after their cruise ship is capsized by a tidal wave. Ensemble cast includes Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Andre Braugher, Emmy Rossum, Richard Dreyfuss, and Jacinda Barrett.
The Promise (PG-13 for sexuality and martial arts action). Enchanting martial arts fantasy, set in a mystical world where gods and humans co-exist, about a beautiful, orphaned concubine (Cecilia Cheung) who finds three men fighting for her affection: a powerful general (Hiroyuki Sanada), his lowly slave (Jang Dong-Gun) and an evil nobleman (Nicholas Tse). In Mandarin with subtitles.
R.V. (PG for crude humor, sexual innuendo, and off-color language). Robin Williams and Cheryl Hines star in this road comedy about a dysfunctional family whose cross-country trip to Colorado in a camper turns out to be the summer vacation from Hell.
Scary Movie 4 (PG-13 for sex and expletives, crude humor, and violence). Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Anthony Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Charlie Sheen, Simon Rex and Carmen Electra return for another round of the horror genre, including spoofs of War of the Worlds, The Village, Saw, and more.
The Sentinel (PG-13 for intense violence and sensuality). Political potboiler featuring Michael Douglas in the title role as the First Lady's (Kim Basinger) disgraced bodyguard who ends up trying to clear his name while on the run from a couple of fellow Secret Service Agents (Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria) after being framed as the mastermind of a still unfolding plot to assassinate the President (David Rasche) of the United States.
Silent Hill (R for gore, profanity, disturbing images, and violence). Radha Mitchell stars in this horror film about a woman whose seriously-ill daughter (Jodelle Ferland) disappears in a haunted, deserted town they encounter on their way to a faith healer.
Stick It (PG-13 for crude language). Missy Peregrym stars in this sports film as a 17-year-old reformed rebel who returns to gymnastics with the help of a mentor (Jeff Bridges) after a run in with the law.
Thank You for Smoking (R for sex and expletives). Satirical comedy chronicles the efforts of a tobacco lobbyist (Aaron Eckhart) who tries to remain a role model to his 12 year-old son (Cameron Bright) knowing full well that the cigarettes he's promoting are lethal.
Tsotsi (R for profanity and gruesome violence). Adapted from the Athol Fugard novel of the same name, this tale of redemption focuses on the spiritual transformation of a young gang leader (Presley Chweneyagae) during the half-dozen days he cares for an infant he accidentally kidnapped during a carjacking.
United 93 (R for profanity, violence, and intense terror). Dramatic, real-time recreation of the 90-minute flight of the plane hijacked by terrorists on 9/11 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to retake the airliner before it could be flown into a target in Washington, D.C. With David Alan Basche as Todd "Let's Roll!" Beamer.