Brokeback Mountain (R for sex, expletives, nudity, and violence). Oscar-nominee Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) directs this homoerotic drama based on the Annie Proulx short story of the same name. Set in Wyoming and Texas in the sixties, this romantic tale revolves around the divergent fortunes of a couple of closeted gay cowboys, one of whom finds fame in the rodeo (Jake Gyllenhaal) while the other remains a lowly ranch hand (Heath Ledger). With Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as their wives.
Casanova (R for sexuality). Heath Ledger stars as the legendary 18th century womanizer in this romance drama about a cad concerned only about his next conquest till he meets his match in a feminist (Sienna Miller) from Venice.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (PG for crude humor and mild epithets). Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt reprise their roles as Tom and Kate Baker, a Chicago couple with 12 children. The sequel, set during a summer vacation taken at rustic Lake Winnetka, pits the Bakers versus the Murtaughs, a competitive clan of 8 headed by Eugene Levy and Carmen Electra.
The Chronicles of Narnia (PG for battle sequences and other frightening moments). Disney animated interpretation of the fanciful C.S. Lewis children's novel, set in the English countryside during the Second World War, follows the adventures of four siblings who happen upon a magical, parallel universe where a lion (Liam Neeson) enlists their help to break the spell of an evil witch (Tilda Swinton).
The Family Stone (PG-13 for sex and drug use). Christmas comedy about an eligible bachelor (Dermot Mulroney) who brings home his fiancée (Sarah Jessica Parker) to meet his parents (Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson) and siblings (Rachel McAdams and Luke Wilson) at the family's annual holiday gathering.
Fun with Dick and Jane (PG-13 for sexual humor, profanity, and drug references). Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni assume the roles played by George Segal and Jane Fonda in this remake of the 1977 crime comedy about a successful suburban couple who turn to robbery to maintain their standard of living after losing their high-paying jobs. With Alec Baldwin and Angie Harmon.
Glory Road (PG for mature themes, violence, ethnic slurs and profanity). Inspirational melodrama, set in 1966, recounts the real-life events surrounding the efforts of underdog Texas Western to upset heavily-favored Kentucky and thereby become the first all-black basketball team to win the NCAA championship. Cast includes Derek Luke, Josh Lucas, and Tatyana Ali.
Good Night, and Good Luck (PG for adult themes and brief profanity). George Clooney wrote, directed and co-stars in this fifties docu-drama, shot in black & white, which revisits CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow's (David Strathairn) determination to expose the overzealous efforts of the House Un-American Activities Committee as a witch hunt, despite being called a Communist by Senator Joe McCarthy. With Patricia Clarkson and Jeff Daniels.
Grandma's Boy (R for profanity, crude humor, nudity, sexuality, and drug use). Crass, cross-generational comedy about the antics of an immature 35 year-old video gamer (Allen Covert) who moves in with his grandmother (Doris Roberts) after getting kicked out of his apartment.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (PG-13 for fantasy violence and frightening images). Rapidly-maturing, principal cast intact, Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) assumes the helm to direct the fourth installment in the franchise based on J.K. Rowling's series of children's novels. The now 14 year-old boy wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) with a penchant for ending up in dire predicaments finds himself back at Hogwarts where he is chosen to compete in the big tournament against students from a couple of other schools dedicated to the occult.
Hoodwinked (PG for mature themes and action elements). Animated sequel to Little Red Riding Hood features the voicework of Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, Jim Belushi, Anthony Anderson Xzibit, Andy Dick, Sally Struthers, and Chazz Palminteri. Update of the Brothers Grimm classic fairy tale overhauls the tone of the original in favor of a Shrek-like sensibility.
Hostel (R for profanity, drug use, graphic sex content, brutal torture, and violence). High-body count horror film about a couple of backpacking college kids (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) whose idyllic European vacation turns into a neverending nightmare after they arrive in a sinister Slovakian city supposedly stocked with gorgeous women eager to indulge their wildest fantasies.
King Kong (PG-13 for frightening images and violence). Oscar-winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) directs second remake of the 1933 classic about explorers who return from the jungles of Sumatra with an overgrown primate who proceeds to go ape over the beautiful actress (Naomi Watts) who holds the key to soothing his beastly nature. Cast includes Adrien Brody, Jack Black and Colin Hanks.
The Last Holiday (PG-13 for sexual references). Queen Latifah comic vehicle about a shy saleswoman from New Orleans who belatedly blossoms from a wallflower into the life of the party and impulsively abandons The Big Easy for a European vacation after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Makeover movie co-stars LL Cool, J. Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, and Giancarlo Esposito.
Match Point (R for sexuality). Woody Allen directs this crime drama about a social-climbing tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) at an upscale British country club who goes to great lengths to hide the fact that he has secretly seduced both a client's (Matthew Goode) sister (Emily Mortimer) and fiancée (Scarlett Johansson).
Memoirs of a Geisha (PG-13 for sexual content and mature subject matter). Oscar-nominee Rob Marshall (Chicago) directs this adaptation of Arthur Golden's book, set in Pre WWII Japan, about the life of a girl (Ziyi Zhang) trained from the age of nine in the arts of pleasing men.
Munich (R for sex, expletives, nudity, and violence). Steven Spielberg directs this espionage docudrama, which revisits the daring exploits of the secret hit squad, led by a Mossad agent (Eric Bana), assigned to track down and kill the 11 Palestinian terrorists responsible for the slaughter of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany. Cast includes Geoffrey Rush and Daniel Craig.
The New World (PG-13 for graphic battle scenes). Terrence Malick's 17th century costume drama reinterprets the tortured romance of soldier-of-fortune John Smith (Colin Farrell) and native princess Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), as set against the backdrop of the primeval wilderness and the colonial settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. With Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer.
Pride and Prejudice (PG for mature themes). Tenth adaptation of the Jane Austen classic exploration of late 18th Century British gentility revolves around a meddling mom's (Brenda Blethyn) efforts to marry off her five daughters (Keira Knightley, Jena Malone, Talulah Riley, Rosamund Pike, and Carey Mulligan) to appropriate eligible bachelors, especially the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). Cast includes Donald Sutherland and Dame Judi Dench.
The Producers (PG-13 for sexual references). Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their roles from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical as a couple of con men who concoct a get-rich-quick scheme to bilk investors by inducing them to back a play certain to flop. Cast includes Will Ferrell, Uma Thurman, Andrea Martin, and Jon Lovitz.
The Ringer (PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, profanity, and drug references). Johnny Knoxville handles the title role in this over-the-top comedy about a creep who makes believe he's mentally challenged in order to enter the Special Olympics and win a bet that will enable him to pay off a debt.
Rumor Has It (PG-13 for mature themes, crude humor, sex content, and a drug reference). A meet-my-dysfunctional family comedy, about a New York Times obituary writer (Jennifer Aniston) who brings her new fiancé (Mark Ruffalo) home to Pasadena only to stumble upon a well-kept family secret, namely, that the movie The Graduate was modeled on the extramarital affair that her mom (Shirley MacLaine) had years ago with a college grad (Kevin Costner) who might be her father.
Syriana (R for violence and profanity). George Clooney heads the ensemble cast in the lead role of this multi-layered, political potboiler, based on See No Evil, Robert Baer's memoir of his international derring-do during a 21-year career with the CIA. With Oscar-winners Matt Damon, William Hurt, and Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet, Jeffrey Wright, Tim Blake Nelson and Christopher Plummer.
Tristan & Isolde (PG-13 for sexuality and intense battle sequences). James Franco and Sophia Myles share the title role in this medieval melodrama about the ill-fated love affair between an English knight and an Irish princess who is already married to another nobleman (Rufus Sewell).
Wolf Creek (R for profanity and gruesome violence). Horror film from Australia, based on actual events, recounts the ordeal experienced by a trio of college kids when their trek across the Outback turns into the vacation from hell.