Accepted (PG-13 for sex, expletives, and drug use). A film about a high school senior (Justin Long) rejected by every university he applied to who comes up with the bright idea of opening the prestigious sounding South Harmon Institute of Technology, so that he and other similarly-situated misfits can trick their parents into believing that they've actually gone on to college.
Barnyard (PG for rude humor and scenes of mild peril). Family-oriented animated feature about a motley collection of mischievous farm animals led by a carefree cow (Kevin James) who enjoys playing tricks on humans till a crisis arrives calling for him to summon up the courage to act responsibly. With voiceovers by Wanda Sykes, Courteney Cox, Danny Glover, Sam Elliott, Andie MacDowell, and director Steve Oedekerk.
Beerfest (R for sex, nudity, expletives, substance abuse and crude humor). Over-the-top comedy about a couple of brothers who travel to Germany to scatter their grandfather's ashes during Oktoberfest only to end up participating in a centuries-old rowdy ritual known as the Olympics of beer drinking. Cast includes writer/director/co-star Jay Chandrasekhar, co-collaborator Kevin Heffernan, Mo'nique, Cloris Leachman, and Jurgen Prochnow.
Boynton Beach Club (Unrated). Romantic comedy, set at a retirement community in Florida, revolves around assorted liaisons among a group of senior citizens whose lives intersect at a bereavement group designed to provide emotional support for anyone who's lost a loved one. Ensemble cast includes Dyan Cannon, Sally Kellerman, Michael Nouri, Joseph Bologna, and Brenda Vaccaro.
The Covenant (PG-13 for sex, expletives, partial nudity, intense violence, and disturbing images). Horror film about four classmates at an elite prep school who share a sacred, supernatural ancestry which can be traced back to the 1600s. The vow of silence about their secret bubbles up to the surface when a fellow student turns up dead and the murder looks like the work of an evil relative representing a banished fifth bloodline.
Crank (R for sex, expletives, nudity, drug use, and violence). Jason Statham stars in this thriller about a hit man injected with a lethal poison which will kill him if his heart rate drops who only has an hour to save his girlfriend (Amy Smart), find an antidote, and to wreak vengeance on the creeps who want him dead. With Dwight Yoakum and Efren Ramirez.
Crossover (PG-13 for sex and expletives). Inner-city drama about a couple of best friends and basketball phenoms, one (Wesley Jonathan), determined to attend UCLA to become a doctor despite pressure from agents to turn pro right after high school, the other (Anthony Mackie), a dropout whose NBA hoop dreams were dashed when he took the rap on an assault charge to help keep his friend out of jail.
Half Nelson (R for sex, expletives and drug use). Inner city drama chronicles the unlikely friendship between a crack-addicted, white school teacher (Ryan Gosling) and one of his students (Shareeka Epps), a precocious 13 year-old who is aware of his problem. Cast includes Anthony Mackie as a dirty drug pusher.
How to Eat Fried Worms (PG for bullying and crude humor). Based on Thomas Rockwell's popular children's novel of the same name, this kiddie adventure revolves around the efforts of an 11 year-old boy (Luke Benward) to earn respect at his new school by accepting a bully's bodacious dare to eat ten worms in one day.
Idiocracy (R for profanity and sex-related humor). Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge wrote and directed this science fiction comedy about an underachiever (Luke Wilson), picked as the guinea pig in a top-secret, Pentagon hibernation program, who awakens 500 hundred years in the future to discover he's suddenly the brightest person on the dumbed-down planet. With Steven Root and SNL alum Maya Rudolph.
Idlewild (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and violence). Musical melodrama, set in a speakeasy in the South during Prohibition, about the efforts of a cabaret singer (Big Boi) and a piano player (Andre' 3000) to keep their nightclub free of mob influence. Expanded cast includes Terrence Howard, Paula Jai Parker, Faizon Love, Macy Gray, Bill Nunn, Ving Rhames, Cicely Tyson and Ben Vereen.
The Illusionist (PG-13 for sex and violence). Edward Norton stars in this romance drama, set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, about a lowly magician who puts his powers to use to win back his childhood sweetheart, a princess (Jessica Biel) who is set to marry a crown prince (Rufus Sewell).
Invincible (PG for sports action and mild epithets). Inspirational bio-pic, based on the real life gridiron exploits of former NFL wide receiver Vince Papale, stars Mark Wahlberg as a 30 year-old walk-on who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles despite never having played football in college. Cast includes Greg Kinnear as Coach Dick Vermeil, and ex-NY Jet-turned restaurateur Stink Fisher as Denny Franks.
Lassie (PG for moments of peril and mild epithets). Classic collie franchise is revived for another heartwarming adventure. Set in Scotland on the eve of World War II, this installment has the pet reluctantly sold to a rich Duke (Peter O'Toole) before embarking on a hazardous, 500-mile journey to reunite just in time for Christmas with the little boy (Jonathan Mason) who raised him.
Little Miss Sunshine (R for sex, expletives, and drug use). Road comedy about a dysfunctional family's ordeal driving by VW bus from Albuquerque, NM to Redondo Beach, CA in order to enter their chubby, bespectacled seven year-old (Abigail Breslin) in a beauty pageant. Cast includes Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as her doting parents, Alan Arkin as her grandpa, Steve Carrell as her suicidal uncle, and Paul Dano as her mute brother.
Material Girls (PG for mild epithets and rude humor). Hilary and Haylie Duff star as heiresses to a cosmetic fortune who get a reality check when a financial scandal suddenly strips them of all their wealth. With Anjelica Huston, Brent Spiner, Lukas Haas, Obba Babatundé, Maria Conchita Alonzo, and Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis.
The Quiet (R for nudity, profanity, violence, drug use, and graphic sexuality). Dysfunctional family drama, set in Austin, about a deaf mute orphan (Camilla Belle) who moves in with her godparents (Edie Falco and Martin Donovan) and their disturbed daughter (Elisha Cuthbert) only to discover that they have some sordid skeletons in their closet.
Quinceañera (R for sex, expletives and drug use). Coming-of-age tale about the ordeal of an almost 15-year-old Mexican-American girl (Emily Rios) who is forced out of the house by her father following the revelation that she's pregnant. The expecting teen is taken in by her elderly great-granduncle (Chalo Gonzalez) and gay cousin (Jesse Garcia).
Snakes on a Plane (R for sex, expletives, drug use, terror, and violence). Disaster film/crime saga pits a drug kingpin about to go on trial against an FBI agent (Samuel L. Jackson) escorting an eyewitness to court on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. Chaos reigns at 30,000 feet over the Pacific when a ruthless assassin releases hundreds of poisonous snakes sending passengers and crew into a panic.
Step Up (PG-13 for mature themes, brief violence, and sexual innuendo). Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan co-star in this romance about a prima ballerina from a privileged suburban background who finds the perfect partner in a break dancer who perfected his moves on the streets of Baltimore. Supporting cast includes Oscar-nominee Rachel Griffiths and rapper Heavy D (sans "The Boyz").
Talladega Nights (PG-13 for off-color humor, profanity, violence, and drug references). NASCAR action comedy featuring Will Ferrell as a race car daredevil who teams up with his best friend (John C. Reilly) to take on the flamboyant, European formula one champion (Sacha Baron Cohen) who has arrived from France with every intention of becoming America's stock car king.
Trust the Man (R for sex and expletives). New York relationship drama revolves around an examination of two couples in crisis, one, an actress (Julianne Moore) married to an unemployed ad executive (David Duchovny), the other, a long-term liaison between the thespian's morbid brother (Billy Crudup) and his children's book author girlfriend (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
The Wicker Man (PG-13 for disturbing images, profanity, violence and mature themes). Nicolas Cage stars in Neil LaBute's remake of the 1973 horror film based on the Anthony Shaffer novel of the same name. The story revolves around the disturbing disappearance of a young girl at a secretive pagan community whose inhabitants are not inclined to help the police crack the case. With Leelee Sobieski and Ellen Burstyn.
World Trade Center (PG-13 for profanity, disturbing images, and intense and emotional content). Oliver Stone's take on 9/11 approaches the terrorist attacks from the perspective of the two New York City transit policemen (Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña) who were the last people pulled alive from the wreckage at Ground Zero. Cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, Maria Bello, William Mapother, and Nicholas Turturro.