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Movie Reviews

September 3rd, 2010

The following movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The reviews can be heard by calling 1-800-311-4CCC. The movie review line is updated each Friday and includes information about recent theater releases and a Family Video of the Week.

The classifications are as follows:

• A-I -- general patronage;
• A-II -- adults and adolescents;
• A-III -- adults;
• A-IV -- adults, with reservations (an A-IV classification designates problematic films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, require caution and some analysis and explanation as a safeguard against wrong interpretations and false conclusions);
• O -- morally offensive.

Movies in Wide Release

• The Waiting City—This poignant yet challenging drama follows an Australian couple (Radha Mitchell and Joel Edgerton) to India, where they hope to finalize their adoption of a baby girl. But the tensions created by bureaucratic delays and other complications -- as well as their diametrically opposed reactions to their new environment -- reveal the underlying fissures within their marriage. Director Claire McCarthy's well-crafted exploration of emotional bonds and spiritual horizons pits transcendent values against secular ones. The latter is personified by Mitchell's buttoned-up, work-obsessed character, though the film blurs the line between the pervasive Hinduism on display and the Catholic faith represented by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity who staff the orphanage where the infant has been living. Complex religious issues, brief graphic marital lovemaking, abortion theme, at least one use of profanity, a few instances of rough and crude language, and some scatological humor. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Takers—Crime drama that devolves into a cliched exercise in gunfire, explosions and insipid dialogue. Director and co-writer John Luessenhop tells the story of a gang of five skilled thieves (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy and Hayden Christensen) joined, on his release from prison, by a former cohort (Tip "T.I." Harris) with a plan for the highly engineered robbery of an armored truck. Giving chase is a grumpy Los Angeles police detective (Matt Dillon). Constant stylized gun violence, an instance of male rear nudity, and pervasive crude and fleeting profane and crass language.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  The Last Exorcism—Middling fright fest about an evangelical minister and self-confessed charlatan (Patrick Fabian) who brings a film crew (led by Iris Bahr) along to document his final faked exorcism. But he gets more than he bargained for when the Louisiana farm girl (Ashley Bell) whose father (Louis Herthum) summoned him shows signs of genuine possession. While the gore factor is kept comparatively low in director Daniel Stamm's gothic outing -- which toys cleverly with the modern presumption that all phenomena can be explained scientifically -- the preacher's corrosive cynicism and the occult atmosphere by which he unexpectedly finds himself surrounded make this inappropriate for all but well-grounded and judicious adult viewers. Complex treatment of religion, sacrilegious activity, some gruesome images, at least two uses of profanity, brief sexual talk, and references to incest and homosexuality. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  

• Piranha 3D—In this schlocky horror flick, ultra-decadent Spring Break festivities on an Arizona lake turn deadly after seismic activity unleashes prehistoric fish with an appetite for slatternly coeds and the otherwise ethically challenged. The local sheriff (Elisabeth Shue) must try to save her teenage son (Steven R. McQueen) and his two younger siblings (Sage Ryan and Brooklyn Proulz). The predatory fish have nothing on director Alexandre Aja’s voyeuristic camera, which takes equal prurient delight in watching gyrating bodies in party mode as it does in showing them get shredded and dismembered. Intense graphic violence – including a decapitation, numerous severed torsos, and other mutilated and dismembered bodies and body parts; full frontal female nudity; much groping and kissing amongst women and between men and women; frequent rough, crude, and crass language; much profanity; frequent underage drinking and one instance of drug use.  O – morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
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  Vampires Suck—In this pale, stale and mirthless spoof of the "Twilight" films, Matt Lanter is a tortured vampire and Jenn Proske is the mortal high schooler he loves. Completing the triangle is her friend with werewolf issues played by Chris Riggi. Co-directors and writers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer find the bottom of the comedy barrel and scrape it mightily with a collection of sight gags strung together to approximate the story arc of the famed teen-vampire franchise. Fleeting profane, crude and crass language, some sexual innuendo. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
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  Lottery Ticket—Broad comedy centers on a hardworking, good-natured 18-year-old (rapper Bow Wow) from an Atlanta housing project who wins the lottery but must survive a long holiday weekend before he can collect. He must evade the wiles of a menacing thug (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and a natty crime boss (Mike Epps) with the help of a retired boxer (Ice Cube) for whom he runs errands. Director Erik White's efforts to bridge materialism and spiritual growth are awkward, and viewers seeking an entertaining and perceptive social satire will be disappointed. Nongraphic nonmarital sexual activity, much profanity, at least one use of the F-word, frequent crude and crass language, numerous sexual and contraception references and some violence. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
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  Nanny McPhee Returns—The eerie but magically effective matron of the title (Emma Thompson) transports herself to wartime Britain, where she comes to the rescue of a frazzled rural mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal). With her husband (Ewan McGregor) away at the front, she is failing spectacularly to cope with the raucous squabbling between her three children (Asa Butterfield, Lil Woods and Oscar Steer) and a duo of snobbish London cousins (Rosie Taylor-Ritson and Eros Vlahos). The cousins are freshly arrived evacuees whose parents have sent them to the countryside for safety. Further straining mom's nerves are the efforts of her scheming brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) to pressure her, for reasons of his own, into signing away the family farm in dad's absence. As written by Thompson and directed by Susanna White, this second screen adventure based on Christianna Brand's "Nurse Matilda" series of children's books tells a sweetly nostalgic tale underpinned by lessons about cooperation, sharing, courage and the need to believe in happy endings, with only some mildly gross barnyard humor and slapstick violence to give parents pause. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2010
  
  
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  The Switch—Seven years after his unmarried best friend (Jennifer Aniston) conceived a son (Thomas Robinson) by artificial insemination, and left town to raise the boy, a successful but neurotic New York stock trader (Jason Bateman) reconnects with her. Struck by the parallels between his personality and the lad's, he gradually recollects that, while drunk, he accidentally spilled the intended donor's (Patrick Wilson) "contribution" down a bathroom sink. Then, in a panic, he substituted his own. The film showcases some of the tangled emotional complications brought about by severing conception from its divinely intended source and setting, the bond of marital love. But co-directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon's frequently distasteful comedy of modern manners, adapted from Jeffrey Eugenides' 1996 short story "Baster," takes as a given of contemporary life its heroine's right to engineer such a rupture. Lost in the moral confusion are touching scenes of paternal love and a fine comic turn by Jeff Goldblum as Bateman's perpetually flustered business partner. Benign view of artificial insemination, off-screen masturbation, rear and blurred frontal nudity, much sexual humor, at least one use of the S-word, some crass language. O - morally offensive. (PG-13) 2010
  
• Eat Pray Love—Off-kilter values underlie this fact-based narrative of a travel writer's (Julia Roberts) self-initiated divorce (from Billy Crudup), brief affair with a much younger actor (James Franco) and yearlong quest for enlightenment and self-understanding via Italian cuisine, Hindu spirituality (under the guidance of Richard Jenkins) and romance with a Brazilian expatriate (Javier Bardem) living in Bali. Director and co-writer Ryan Murphy's overlong, ultimately exhausting screen version of Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling 2006 memoir displays an ambivalent attitude toward marriage, ignores Christianity as a source of insight and revolves around an interminably navel-gazing central figure. That figure, along the path of her pampered pilgrimage, confuses psychobabble for wisdom. Complex religious themes, acceptability of divorce, nonmarital and premarital situations, rear nudity, some sexual humor, an obscene gesture, a few uses of profanity, at least one rough and a half-dozen crude terms. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Expendables—Brutally violent action vehicle, directed and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, in which a veritable Who's Who of Hollywood tough guys and professional sports stars form a ragtag brotherhood of mercenaries who travel the world freeing hostages and toppling dictators. On the advice of the group's soulful guru (Mickey Rourke), its leader (Stallone) and the gang's knife specialist (Jason Statham) head to a fictional South American nation where a rogue CIA agent (Eric Roberts) is running a corrupt regime. Though the pair barely escape after this initial mission, the chief, smitten with a resistance agent (Giselle Itie), vows to return with his whole crew (rounded out by Jet Li, mixed martial artist Randy Couture and ex-NFL star Terry Crews) to overthrow the terrorists and restore freedom. Relentless bloody and graphic violence, including shootings, knifings, explosions, decapitations, torture, and implied rape, some rough language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World—Wildly violent, sexually freewheeling action comedy in which an angst-ridden Toronto twentysomething (Michael Cera) dumps a 17-year-old high schooler (Ellen Wong) to romance the aloof girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). He must then battle a succession of her "evil exes" (including Satya Bhabha, Chris Evans and Brandon Routh) in bone-crunching, video-game-style combat. In adapting Bryan Lee O'Malley's series of graphic novels, director and co-writer Edgar Wright cleverly contrasts the title character's mundane real-life existence with the hyperbole of his pop culture-inspired imagination. But, in addition to the relentless throwdowns, the script also features subplots portraying gay relationships and group sex as perfectly acceptable. Pervasive harsh, though bloodless violence, frivolous treatment of aberrant sexuality, brief nongraphic nonmarital sexual activity, a same-sex kiss, several bleeped and one audible use of the F-word, some crude and much crass language. O -- morally offensive. (PG-13) 2010
  
• The Other Guys—This occasionally amusing but excessively vulgar action comedy follows the odd-couple antics of an eccentric, paperwork-loving police accountant (Will Ferrell) and his frustrated perforce partner (Mark Wahlberg) -- a former street cop unwillingly desk-bound after making a high-profile mistake -- as they investigate the financial shenanigans of a British-born banker (Steve Coogan). Director and co-writer Adam McKay's parody of genre conventions handcuffs its talented cast with relentlessly foul-mouthed dialogue and tiresome bedroom jokes. Considerable, though bloodless, action violence; much sexual humor; a couple of uses of profanity; and pervasive crude and crass language. O -- morally offensive. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Step Up 3D—In this third installment of the street stomping franchise, the setting shifts from Baltimore to New York as the leader (Rick Malambri) of a Gotham dance crew recruits a college freshman (Adam G. Sevani) he takes under his wing and a nightclub denizen (Sharni Vinson) for whom he quickly falls to help win a contest, the proceeds from which will forestall foreclosure on the loft where he and his followers live and practice, but his quest is hindered by his new protege's academic and amorous distractions (the latter caused by Alyson Stoner) and by the underhand scheming of a friend-turned-rival (Joe Slaughter). Three-dimensional effects enhance the precision choreography in director Jon M. Chu's generally buoyant follow-up to his 2008 feature debut "Step Up 2: The Streets," but the nimble numbers in this tale retreading familiar Hollywood themes of dream fulfillment and the self-selecting circle of friends as do-it-yourself substitute family are interspersed with flat-footed dialogue, a creaky plot and some provocative moves and lyrics. At least one use of the S-word, occasional crass language, a mildly irreverent joke and scenes of moderately suggestive dancing. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  

• Dinner For Schmucks—To score a promotion, a financial analyst (Paul Rudd) must bring a suitable guest to the titular meal organized by his boss (Bruce Greenwood) as a competition to see which corporate hotshot can produce the most amusing idiot as a target for secret ridicule, so his accidental meeting with a bizarrely naive and nerdy IRS agent (Steve Carell) seems like a godsend until his victim’s well-intentioned bumbling begins to ruin both his career and his relationship with his live-in girlfriend (Stephanie Szostak). Though its underlying message is one of sensitivity and respect, director Jay Roach’s comedy, adapted from Francis Veber’s 1998 French feature “Le Diner de Cons,” showcases numerous wayward riffs on topics like adultery, casual sex and venereal disease. Shadowy rear and partial nudity, cohabitation, much sexual and brief irreverent humor, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one use of the F-word, a half-dozen crude terms. L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
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  Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore—Entertaining and inventive 3-D spy adventure -- seamless blending live action, puppetry, and computer animation -- in which rogue feline agent Kitty Galore (voice of Bette Midler) threatens to make the world her "personal scratching post" by unleashing the "Call of the Wild," a screech that serves as a weapon of mass destruction. Led by Diggs (voice of James Marsden), a police K-9 German shepherd who hates cats, and Catherine (voice of Christina Applegate), a feline agent who puts her nine lives on the line, the covert pet intelligence agencies DOG and MEOWS must put differences aside and work together to bring Kitty down. Plenty of excitement, gizmos, and cute-as-a-button moments will charm and enthrall the youngsters, while their parents will enjoy the inside jokes referencing James Bond films. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2010
  
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  Charlie St. Cloud—After losing his younger brother (Charlie Tahan) in a car accident for which he was indirectly responsible, a gifted sailboat racer (Zac Efron), racked by guilt and grief, becomes the caretaker of the cemetery where his sibling rests, on the edge of which, briefly each evening, he is mysteriously able to see and communicate with the lad. But his reclusiveness is challenged when a high school classmate and fellow sailor (Amanda Crew) returns to town and captures his heart. Though unusually spiritual and even explicitly religious, director Burr Steers' melancholy parable, adapted from Ben Sherwood's best-selling 2004 novel, "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud," never quite jells, despite Efron's sensitive portrayal of his isolated, ethereal character, while the script romanticizes the premature consummation of the scarred youth's potentially life-altering love. Nongraphic premarital sexual activity, a few instances of sexual humor, at least one use of profanity, a couple of crude terms and six crass remarks.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
• Salt—Well-acted but thoroughly violent action thriller in which, after being accused by a Russian intelligence officer (Daniel Olbrychski) of being a double agent, a highly skilled CIA operative (Angelina Jolie) goes on the run, leaving her colleagues (principally Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor) scrambling to uncover whether she is friend or foe, even as they try to track her down. As directed by Phillip Noyce, Jolie makes a weak script reasonably compelling, and her character displays strong marital loyalty; yet, as an all-but-superhuman killing machine, her path is littered with corpses. Frequent violence, some of it bloody, at least 10 uses of profanity, one instance of the F-word, six crude terms.  L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
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  Ramona and Beezus—Gentle, winning comedy about a good-hearted but accident-prone 9-year-old (Joey King) whose antics annoy her more conventional teen sister (Selena Gomez) as their happy existence in an idyllic Portland, Ore., suburb is temporarily overshadowed by their accountant dad's (John Corbett) loss of his job, and the resulting mild tensions between him and their mom (Bridget Moynahan), but brightened again by the rekindled romance between a favorite aunt (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her high school sweetheart (Josh Duhamel). Traditional values and close-knit family relationships reign in director Elizabeth Allen's squeaky-clean, nostalgia-tinted adaptation of Beverly Cleary's best-selling series of children's books and, though nothing very momentous happens, what does take place transpires in the nicest possible way.  A-I -- general patronage. (G) 2010
  

• Inception—Ingenious sci-fi brainteaser in which, at the behest of a powerful CEO (Ken Watanabe), a corporate spy (Leonardo DiCaprio) who uses "shared dreaming" to extract secrets from the minds of sleeping executives leads a team of skilled collaborators (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy and Dileep Rao) on a raid into the subconscious of the heir (Cillian Murphy) to a rival business. Writer-director Christopher Nolan achieves a tour de force of spectacle and suspense that eventually involves four adventures unfolding simultaneously at different levels of consciousness, though his crafty action tale is rife with explosions and gunplay and engages the imagination more than the heart. Much violence, some of it bloody, several uses of profanity, a few crude and crass terms. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
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  The Sorcerer's Apprentice—Generally inoffensive but routine fantasy adventure about an ordinary New York City college student (Jay Baruchel) who discovers he is the long-prophesied heir to legendary magician Merlin's wonderworking skills, powers he struggles to master under the supervision of a good wizard (Nicolas Cage) so he can aid in the fight against an evil sorcerer (Alfred Molina), though his pursuit of the gal (Teresa Palmer) he has loved since childhood proves a constant distraction. As directed by Jon Turteltaub, the special effects-driven proceedings -- which include unbloody battle scenes too intense for tots -- fall well short of movie magic. Extensive stylized violence, brief scatological humor. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
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  Predators—Dreary sci-fi sequel in which a random collection of human warriors and criminals (most prominently Adrien Brody, Alice Braga and Topher Grace) find themselves unwillingly and mysteriously parachuted into a jungle by the invisibility-cloaked aliens of the title who then hunt them for sport. Despite a half-hearted last-reel lesson about the need to maintain civilized values, director Nimrod Antal's addition to the thriller franchise that began with 1987's "Predator" is mostly a survey of nasty ways to die, while Alex Litvak's script is chockablock with obscenities. Frequent graphic violence, some of it gruesome, a few uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Despicable Me—This enchanting 3-D animated comedy about a slightly wicked but ultimately softhearted rogue (voice of Steve Carell) follows his rivalry with a nerdy newcomer (voice of Jason Segel) for the title of world's most terrible villain -- during which they compete to steal the moon, no less - and charts the life-altering effect a trio of orphans (voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher) have on him after he takes them under his wing, initially for his own nefarious purposes. Co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin -- who also provide voice work for the main miscreant's army of comically mumbling undersized minions - serve up a delightfully humorous conversion tale spun around themes of loyalty and the transformative power of family love with only a few effects that might scare the most timid and a touch of mild bathroom humor to raise concern among some parents.  A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2010
  

• The Last Airbender—Strained 3-D fantasy adventure, set in an alternate world where some human beings have the power to "bend," that is, control, one of the basic elements of fire, earth, air and water, and where a brother and sister (Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz) assist a child (Noah Ringer) who is the latest incarnation of a global peace-giver in his quest to restore order to society by ending the oppressive rule of a warlike, imperialist nation (led by Cliff Curtis and Aasif Mandvi). Though free of objectionable language or behavior, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of an animated TV series -- which also features Dev Patel as a disgraced prince out to prove his mettle by capturing the boy wonder -- fails to gain dramatic traction, bogging down in stilted dialogue and endless explanations of its back story, some aspects of which suggest pantheism or nonscriptural beliefs. Potentially confusing religious themes and much nongraphic martial arts and combat violence.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
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  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse—A well-behaved vampire (Robert Pattinson) and an equally courtly werewolf (Taylor Lautner) overcome their natural antipathy and temporarily unite to protect the teen mortal (Kristen Stewart) they both love from the threat posed by a vengeance-driven bloodsucker (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her plasma-hungry minions. Director David Slade's third installment in the hugely popular Gothic romance franchise -- based on the best-selling novels of Stephenie Meyer -- draws on self-referential humor to leaven its potentially ridiculous, and occasionally over-familiar, proceedings as it ramps up the mostly bloodless supernatural battling, but shifts the basis of the main couple's chaste interaction from a matter of constraint to one of choice. Considerable stylized violence, an off-screen rape, a scene of nongraphic sensuality, a birth control reference and a few mildly crass terms. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Knight and Day—This good-natured, though intermittently violent, action-and-romance combo sees an everyday woman (Cameron Diaz) unwittingly caught up in the conflict between a highly skilled but apparently rogue CIA agent (Tom Cruise) and his former colleagues (led by Viola Davis and Peter Sarsgaard) as they battle each other and an evil Spanish arms dealer (Jordi Molla) for possession of a recently invented (by young geek Paul Dano) energy source with revolutionary potential. Director and co-writer James Mangold's breezy diversion takes a largely bloodless toll on the extras while the adroitly portrayed central relationship progresses, for the most part, innocently enough. Frequent, though mostly nongraphic, action violence, at least one use of profanity and of the F-word, some crude language, a few instances of sexual humor. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Grown Ups—Meandering, scattershot comedy, of interest mainly to devoted Adam Sandler fans, in which co-writer Sandler and director Dennis Dugan set out to tell the tale of five friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider, along with Sandler), all once members of a championship private-school basketball team, who reunite with their families at a New England lake cabin after their coach dies, but this weak entry mostly offers up stale riffs and physical comedy in lieu of a strong story. Some mild sexual and scatological humor, including a running gag about a 4-year-old boy who still breastfeeds, brief rear nudity, fleeting crude and crass language, a few instances of innuendo.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Toy Story 3—A satisfying, action-packed conclusion to the "Toy Story" trilogy that offers valuable lessons in the importance of family, friendship, and destiny. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and the rest of the "Roundup Gang" consider their options as their owner Andy (John Morris) heads to college and puts away his childish things. Instead of being safely packed away in the attic, the toys wind up in a day care center filled with new toys and unruly kids. Lots-O'Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty) soon reveals he is not the benevolent toy leader he appears. Will the toys escape and make it back to Andy's house, or does the recycling bin beckon? Both kids and their parents will find the answer happy, heartfelt and hope-filled. Mild cartoonish violence and scenes of peril.  A-I -- general patronage. (G) 2010
  
  
  
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  Jonah Hex—The popular DC Comics series springs to life with a bang as the title character, a Civil War soldier turned bounty hunter and drifter, seeks revenge on the man who killed his family and left him disfigured. Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) chases his nemesis, Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), across the country to prevent him from blowing up Washington and restarting the Civil War. The body count along the way is enormous, and while it is always clear that the bad guys go to hell, it's hard to condone Hex's fanatical drive for revenge. Stylized if unbloody violence, including gunfights, brawls, and explosions; implied sexual activity; occult rituals; and some profanity. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  

• The A-Team—Explosively noisy, stunt-laden, cheesy and somehow engrossing film based on the 1980s TV series without that program's self-mocking humor. Director Joe Carnahan, who also scripted along with Brian Bloom and Skip Woods, reinvents the story line as sort of a video game, with Liam Neeson, Quinton Jackson, Bradley Cooper, and Sharlto Copley playing four Army Rangers, all specialists in covert missions, framed in Iraq for a crime they didn't commit, then escaping from prison to clear their names and seize the CIA operative who set them up. Some fleeting crass and crude language, most of it before the opening credits are over, a fleeting reference to premarital sex, and abundant explosions and gunfire. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  The Karate Kid—Stirring, satisfying update of the 1984 hit shifts the action to modern China, where an unassuming kung fu master (Jackie Chan) teaches an undersized American boy (Jaden Smith) how to confront a bully while imparting other life lessons. Director Harald Zwart balances fealty for the crowd-pleasing original with embellishments that, aside from a manipulative musical score, enhance the appeal of the timeless underdog story. Hard-hitting and occasionally cruel but not graphic martial arts violence, including a boy being struck across the face by an adult, the use of a crass term for the human posterior, some mild toilet humor, one instance of sexual innuendo, an unnecessary kiss between pre-teens. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
  
  
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  Marmaduke—Small children might like this comedy based on the titular comic-strip Great Dane (voiced by Owen Wilson), but adults may find it about as charming as a bucket of doggie drool. Director Tom Dey has constructed a slapstick-laden story with the canine hero as a gangly and quite talky adolescent attempting to fit in with cliques at a dog park that represents high school, while a parallel plot has his human family (led by Lee Pace) attempting the same transformation after they move from Kansas to Southern California. Some mild scatological humor. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Splice—Director Vincenzo Natali's perverse tale of modern science run amok chronicles how genetic engineers (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) who create new life forms by "splicing" together genes from different animals decide to take the next step and use human genes to create "Dren" (Delphine Chaneac), a monster with the body of a beautiful woman. The trio morph into a happy if unconventional "family" until Dren grows up and her hormones start raging, with deadly results. Generally sympathetic presentation of human cloning, genetic engineering and embryo destruction; nudity; nonmarital sexual activity; rape; rough language; and bloody scenes of violence and torture.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Get Him to the Greek—Raucous, frequently coarse comedy in which a timid young record company executive (Jonah Hill) is tasked by his hard-bitten boss (Sean Combs) with escorting a hedonistic British rock star (Russell Brand) from London to the titular Los Angeles theater for a comeback concert, a journey that coincides with, and aggravates, a break with his live-in girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss). Like his 2008 debut, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," in which Brand's character first appeared, writer-director Nicholas Stoller's tale of an unlikely friendship features a few touching moments and some positive underlying values, but these elements are ultimately eclipsed by obscenity-laden dialogue and debauched, sometimes perverse behavior. Brief graphic nonmarital sexual activity, scenes of aberrant sexuality, cohabitation, drug use, some gruesome images, upper female and rear nudity, much sexual humor, a couple of uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Sex and the City 2—Romantic-comedy sequel, based on a long-running cable-TV series, recounting the further adventures of a New York-based columnist turned author (Sarah Jessica Parker), her husband (Chris Noth) and her three best friends (Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon) as they confront the challenges of married life, parenthood and career changes, pressures only temporarily relieved, for the quartet of pals, by a luxurious vacation in Abu Dhabi. Writer-director Michael Patrick King's morally unmoored follow-up to his 2008 feature confuses promiscuity with feminist empowerment, caricatures Muslims and showcases an extended celebration of same-sex marriage. Graphic nonmarital sexual activity with nudity, benign view of casual sex and homosexual acts, adultery theme, constant sexual humor and references, some rough and crude language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time—Plodding adaptation of the eponymous videogame series pits a heroic orphan (Jake Gyllenhaal) against his adopted royal uncle (Ben Kingsley) as he helps a princess (Gemma Arterton) safeguard a time-altering dagger that has the potential to destroy humankind. Hyperactive camerawork and frenetic special effects squash any authentically human elements that director Mike Newell might have brought to the loud, flashy proceedings, while the script's presentation of religion involves an uneasy mix of pagan mythology and vague monotheism. Frequent, moderately intense violence, a number of frightening images, some sexual innuendo.  A-II -- adults and adolescents.  (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Shrek Forever After—Heartwarming, decidedly less raucous animated riff on fairy tales brings the blockbuster franchise full circle as the titular ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) experiences a midlife crisis and is tricked by an evil wizard (voice of Walt Dohrn) into living a different version of his past, during which he must win his wife's affections (voiced by Cameron Diaz) all over again and learn to appreciate his current good fortune. Director Mike Mitchell and colleagues downplay the previous installments' cheeky idiom of pop-culture parody and affirm the values of love and fidelity in a manner that should gladden parents, who can err on the side of being inclusive when judging whether to bring the kids. A few mild action sequences, occasional toilet-related humor. A-II -- adults and adolescents.  (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  MacGruber—Juvenile, tasteless action spoof in which a cocky but disastrously incompetent special agent (Will Forte) is called out of retirement by his former commander (Powers Boothe) to foil a plot by an evil arms dealer (Val Kilmer) to nuke Washington, gaining the aid of an Army lieutenant (Ryan Phillippe) and an undercover operative-turned-pop-singer (Kristen Wiig) along the way. Director and co-writer Jorma Taccone's expansion of a recurring "Saturday Night Live" skit is consistently vulgar and intermittently gruesome. Much gory violence, graphic premarital sexual activity, upper female and rear nudity, frequent sexual and scatological humor, more than a dozen uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Just Wright—This appealing, seamless blend of the best elements of both romantic comedy and inspirational sports films charts the triangular love story of a hardworking physical therapist (Queen Latifah), a professional basketball star (rapper Common) and the attractive but shallow material girl (Paula Patton) who is both her "godsister" and his fiancee. Director Sanaa Hamri and screenwriter Michael Elliot use the lightest of touches to create a warm, likable environment and convey a message about relationships founded on enduring values. Probably acceptable for more mature teens. A single use of rough language, an implied premarital encounter.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
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  Letters to Juliet—Director Gary Winick's old-fashioned romantic comedy explores time-honored themes of love, loss, family, and destiny amid a beautifully photographed Italian travelogue as it chronicles New York-based magazine fact-checker Sophie's (Amanda Seyfried) journey to Verona -- the city of "Romeo and Juliet" -- where, left on her own by her food-obsessed chef fiance, Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), Sophie visits Juliet's house and discovers a kind of Wailing Wall for the amorous, where lovesick women leave letters seeking relationship advice. Sophie's answer to one such missive, penned 50 years before by Englishwoman Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), prompts Claire to return, with obnoxious grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) in tow, determined to find her long-lost idol Lorenzo. An implied premarital relationship, a brief obscene gesture.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
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  Robin Hood—Thematically ambitious yet enervating version of the much-filmed legend concerning the 13th-century English outlaw (Russell Crowe) who, in this serious reworking awash in political intrigue and salubrious civics lessons, goes from common archer on King Richard's Crusade to the valiant unifier of a downtrodden, suffering nation. Director Ridley Scott drains the tale of energy and emotion without offering action thrills that would ingratiate a new generation of viewers. Though hovering on the edge of bawdiness, and despite jabs at the cold-hearted, oppressive church leaders of the period, the movie may be acceptable for some mature teenagers. Much -- mostly bloodless -- battle violence, a nongraphic sexual situation with fleeting rear nudity, an attempted rape, callous clergy, some innuendo and anatomical references, one instance each of crude and crass language. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Iron Man 2—Stylish sci-fi follow-up charting the further adventures of a freewheeling weapons manufacturer (Robert Downey Jr.) -- whose high-tech suit of armor transforms him at will into the titular hero -- as he battles a gifted but warped Russian scientist (Mickey Rourke) and competes against a smarmy rival industrialist (Sam Rockwell) with the on-again, off-again help of his former military liaison (Don Cheadle) and the steady support of his frequently exasperated executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow). In his second adaptation of a popular comic-book series that originated in 1963, director Jon Favreau crafts an almost entirely gore-free, though steadily clash-laden, cautionary tale about the two-edged potential of modern munitions. Considerable, though virtually bloodless, action violence; some sexual humor and references; at least one instance of profanity; a bleeped use of the F-word; a couple of crude expressions; and occasional crass language. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  A Nightmare on Elm Street—Crazed killer Freddy Krueger (now played by Jackie Earle Haley) and his fatal fingers return to prey on the dreams -- and real lives -- of a new generation of small-town teens (including Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy and Kellan Lutz). Veteran music video director Samuel Bayer's unwelcome reboot of the 1980s slasher franchise -- his feature debut -- relies on the tried and trite recipe of sending interchangeable insomniacs to a gory doom. Intense bloody violence; gruesome imagery; a pedophilia theme; an implied nonmarital relationship; a couple uses of profanity; at least a dozen instances of the F-word; and some crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Furry Vengeance—Painfully flat comedy in which a Chicago-based construction supervisor (Brendan Fraser) moves to the Oregon woods to oversee a new housing development but finds his work stymied by a mischievous conspiracy of the forest creatures whose habitat the supposedly eco-friendly development will displace, leading to complications with his scheming boss (Ken Jeong) and his unwillingly uprooted wife (Brooke Shields) and son (Matt Prokop). Director Roger Kumble's frequently distasteful romp registers as more juvenile than sprightly, while its underlying themes of respect for nature and the priority of family life over career advancement, though honorable, are driven home far too ham-handedly. Much scatological humor and some comic violence.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Losers—This slick action comedy about a unit of ex-special forces soldiers (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and Oscar Jaenada) who are betrayed by a fiendish spymaster (Jason Patric) holds itself in much higher regard than its deprecatory title and flippant tone would suggest -- or than the disposable project as a whole deserves. Director Sylvain White applies a music-video sensibility to the comic-book source material, and the stylized violence, though considerable, is never explicit, while the jocularity is more juvenile than offensive. A moderately explicit nonmarital sexual encounter, some profanity, at least two instances of rough language, a steady stream of crude and crass verbiage, frequent bloodless violence and some sexual innuendo and banter. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Back-Up Plan—In this dull and predictable romantic comedy single pet store owner Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) conceives twins through artificial insemination, and seems blissfully happy until Mr. Right appears in the form of cheese maker Stan (Alex O'Loughlin). Zoe falls hard, but when she confesses her condition to Stan, he freaks. Despite a "happy" ending, director Alan Poul's film presents a thoroughly warped view of love, marriage and parenthood, and contradicts Catholic moral teachings on the necessity of maintaining the connection between the unitive and procreative aspects of marital love. Morally skewed treatment of human sexuality, graphic premarital sexual activity, rear and partial nudity, scenes of defecation, much crude language, graphic gynecological exams, and a gruesome water birth scene.  O -- morally offensive. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Oceans—Surprisingly philosophical nature documentary offers stunning images of sea life from around the globe while conveying a positive message about mankind's connection to the ocean and the need for environmental conservation. Actor Pierce Brosnan intones pleasing narration for co-directors and writers Jacque Perrin and Jacque Cluzaud, whose film, though it lacks a solid narrative structure and occasionally suffers from a dearth of explanatory detail, nonetheless constitutes a visual feast, and their avoidance of graphic images of predatory behavior makes this eye-catching spectacle suitable for viewers of all ages.  A-I -- general patronage. (G) 2010
  
  
  
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  Death at a Funeral—Ensemble farce relating the various outlandish mishaps that befall two estranged brothers (Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence) and their relatives and friends (notably James Marsden, Tracy Morgan and Danny Glover) as they gather to bury the family patriarch, including the played-for-laughs revelation of the deceased's concealed relationship with a mysterious stranger (Peter Dinklage). Director Neil LaBute's Americanization of Frank Oz's 2007 British comedy of the same title mostly seeks laughs in the bed- and bathroom, with predictably woeful results. Frivolous treatment of adulterous homosexuality, rear and partial nudity, drug theme, graphic scatological humor, sexual jokes and references, a half-dozen uses of profanity, frequent rough and crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Kick-Ass—Intentionally outrageous but deeply perverse action comedy in which an ordinary high school student (Aaron Johnson) attempts to transform himself into a crusading superhero but instead becomes caught up in a feud pitting a deranged ex-police officer (Nicolas Cage) and the tween daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) he has home-schooled as an assassin against a mob boss (Mark Strong) and his son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), with all but the gangster assuming masked alter egos. Director and co-writer Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar and John S. Romita Jr.'s series of comic books fills the screen with bloody mayhem and the mouth of Moretz's blithely murderous character with cringe-inducing vulgarity. Much gory violence including torture and dismemberment, brief graphic nonmarital sexual activity and offscreen masturbation, upper female nudity, drug use, a few instances of profanity and pervasive rough and crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Perfect Game—Rousing, faith-infused sports drama, based on real events, recounting the unlikely odyssey of a ragtag boys baseball team from Monterrey, Mexico, who, under the spiritual guidance of a devout but down-to-earth priest (Cheech Marin) and the leadership of a hard-driving coach (Clifton Collins Jr.) travel to the U.S. to compete in the 1957 Little League championship tournament, achieving a string of unexpected victories against far more advantaged teams. As directed by William Dear, W. William Winokur's script unambiguously presents the young players' Catholicism as the inspiration not only for their winning streak, but for their persistent refusal to allow either their impoverished circumstances or the disdainful prejudice they frequently encounter north of the border to deprive them of their dream, though a brief scene of Marin's otherwise estimable character celebrating a Tridentine Mass presents an image of worship so sloppy and repetitive as to approach unintentional parody. Racial tensions, ethnic slurs and a few mildly earthy insults. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  Letters to God—Inspirational and touching drama, based on real events, about a faith-filled but cancer-stricken 8-year-old boy (Tanner Maguire) whose prayers and reflections are expressed in a series of letters to the Almighty, and the effect these notes have on his family -- including his widowed, overtaxed mother (Robyn Lively), his devout grandmother (Maree Cheatham) and his emotionally conflicted teen brother (Michael Christopher Bolten) -- but especially on the depressed, boozing war-vet-turned-postman (Jeffrey S. Johnson) who has recently taken over the local mail route. Though the underlying theology of director David Nixon's family-friendly tale of courage and conversion is evangelical, the basic message about the power of Gospel values to transform lives is sufficiently nondenominational to exert a strong appeal on Christian believers of every stripe. Life-threatening illness, divorce and alcoholism themes. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  Date Night—This well-intentioned but ultimately wayward mix of the romantic comedy and action genres sees an ordinary suburban New Jersey couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) caught up in an underworld blackmail scheme after being mistaken for the cohabiting lowlifes (James Franco and Mila Kunis) who are out to sell the damning evidence. As written by Josh Klausner and directed by Shawn Levy, the pair's nocturnal Manhattan odyssey -- during which they flee a duo of thugs (Common and Jimmi Simpson) in the employ of a mob boss (Ray Liotta), and turn for help to a James Bond-like intelligence agent (Mark Wahlberg) -- though its travails aid them to rekindle their flickering love for each other, eventually leads to an underground sex club where they briefly find themselves forced to entertain a powerful patron with perverse tastes. Considerable, though bloodless, action violence, partial rear nudity, much sexual humor, including gags about casual sex, masturbation and aberrant practices, at least one use of profanity and of the F-word, some crude and crass language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
  
  
  
  
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  Tyler Perry's Why Did I get Married Too? —Dramatically uneven but, for the most part, morally steady sequel mixing comedy and drama and examining the renewed marital challenges of four couples -- a successful self-help author (Janet Jackson) and her architect spouse (Malik Yoba), a sportscaster (Michael Jai White) and his hyper-suspicious wife (Tasha Smith), a lawyer (Sharon Leal) whose husband (Tyler Perry) begins to doubt her fidelity, and a divorcee (Jill Scott) whose second marriage is under strain due to her new partner's (Lamman Rucker) ongoing unemployment. While implicitly endorsing Scott's character's remarriage after her split from her abusive ex (Richard T. Jones) -- who puts in a remorseful reappearance here -- writer-director Perry's follow-up to his 2007 hit "Why Did I Get Married?" is otherwise all about commitment, though the script's highlighted values, such as open communication and self-giving love, do not rest on a spiritual foundation. Brief, nongraphic marital lovemaking, a nonmarital bedroom scene, intense domestic discord, adultery theme, numerous sexual references, including mention of sterilization and venereal disease, drug references, frequent crass language.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13)
  
  
  
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  Clash of the Titans—Muddled mythological epic, set in ancient Greece, in which the demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) embarks on a quest to defend humanity against the forces of Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the god of death, whom his brother Zeus (Liam Neeson), as king of the gods, has unleashed to punish humankind for their growing dissatisfaction with, and attempted rebellion against, the Olympian deities. Long action sequences and an emphasis on special effects leave little room for engaging drama in director Louis Leterrier's frequently violent 3-D remake of Desmond Davis' 1981 swords-and-sandals exercise, though undemanding viewers may be content enough with the proceedings not notice the gifts of top-tier players such as Fiennes and Neeson being squandered on stilted dialogue. Complex, though undeveloped, religious themes, constant action violence, some of it bloody or gruesome, a bedroom encounter with implied sexual activity, at least one sexual reference, a couple of mildly crass terms.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Last Song—Based on the eponymous Nicholas Sparks novel, this old-fashioned romance features teen singing sensation Miley Cyrus in her first dramatic role as the troubled child of divorced parents who is shipped off, along with her younger brother (precocious Bobby Coleman), to spend the summer with their father (Greg Kinnear) in a picture-perfect seaside Georgia town where she falls for Will (Liam Hemsworth) a hunky volleyball player who quotes Tolstoy and saves baby sea turtles. As these star-crossed lovers from different worlds learn important life lessons about love and forgiveness, broken hearts heal and second chances rule in a film calculated to please both teens their parents. Some scenes of teenage drinking, a few mildly crass terms, and brief images of a fire that could frighten very young viewers.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  The Bounty Hunter—Forgettable, frequently mean-spirited mix of romantic comedy and crime story begins with a former police officer-turned-bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) delightedly arresting his journalist ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) after she fails to appear for a court hearing, but the two quickly become entangled in a case of police corruption that leaves them dodging bullets and, far less successfully, a renewed hail of arrows from cupid's bow. Any potentially heartwarming elements in director Andy Tennant's predictable tale of rekindling romance get lost amid the frenetic shuffle as the rival protagonists use a Taser stun gun on one another as well as tackle and handcuff each other. Some action violence, scenes of torture, brief rear nudity, several sexual jokes and references, about eight uses of profanity, a bit of rough and much crude language.  L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Hot Tub Time Machine—Tasteless time travel comedy in which three former best friends (John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson) who have drifted apart over the years reunite and, with Cusack's geeky 24-year-old nephew (Clark Duke) in tow, embark on a road trip to a ski resort where a magically malfunctioning hot tub suddenly transports them back to 1986. As directed by Steve Pink, the tedious proceedings -- which see the pals reliving their supposed glory days of youthful drug- and sex-fueled hedonism, and dithering between the desire to preserve the past in order to ensure the future -- including the nephew's very existence -- and the temptation to improve their destinies by making better choices -- are at once artistically ramshackle and morally repugnant. Graphic nonmarital sexual activity, upper female and rear nudity, repeated drug use, about 10 instances of profanity, much sexual and some scatological humor, ceaseless rough and crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  How to Train Your Dragon—Robust animated fantasy about a teenaged Viking (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who goes against his own people by befriending and domesticating the creatures his society has been battling for 300 years. Directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois have fashioned an engaging boy's own action-adventure, based on Cressida Cowell's book, with impressive 3-D visuals and a constructive pacifist message. While not overly taxing on brain cells or the imagination, it constitutes an above-average family-oriented ride, keeping in mind younger children may be frightened at times. Much relatively intense fantasy action, some harsh descriptions of Viking-dragon mayhem, two instances of potty language, two mildly off-color references to body parts.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  Repo Men—Extremely violent futuristic thriller about two men (Jude Law and Forest Whitaker) whose job is to repossess artificial human organs when the recipient falls behind on exorbitant interest payments owed to a malevolent corporation. Despite a major twist involving virtual technology, there's scant evidence that director Miguel Sapochink wants to spin a profound science-fiction yarn, let alone offer a serious cautionary tale or insightful social satire; with no redeeming qualities to offset the butchery and degradation, it counts instead among the most distasteful and morally barren movies to appear in recent years. Unrelenting brutal, graphic violence; grisly images of surgical incisions and operations; instances of drug use; fleeting glimpses of bystanders engaged in sex acts; several implied or simulated nonmarital sexual encounters between the leading male and female characters; partial rear nudity; and pervasive rough, crude and profane language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
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  She's Out of My League—Raunchy romantic comedy in which a nerdy but good-hearted Pittsburgh airport security agent (Jay Baruchel) manages to attract the interest of a fetching, sophisticated party planner (Alice Eve), and endures a series of romantic ups and downs, as his three slacker best friends and co-workers (Mike Vogel, T.J. Miller and Nate Torrence) as well as his ornery ex-girlfriend (Lindsay Sloane) insist the relationship will never last. Director Jim Field Smith squanders potentially worthwhile themes about rejecting stereotypes and basing lasting attachments on personal rather than merely physical qualities, opting instead for a barrage of sophomoric antics and frequently distasteful sight gags. Pervasive sexual humor, rear nudity, brief nongraphic sexual activity, implicit approval of premarital sex, about 10 uses of profanity, and constant rough and crude language, including at least 40 uses of the F-word.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Our Family Wedding—Scattershot comedy, prone to physical gags, about the culture clash between two families when a Latina (America Ferrera) marries an African-American (Lance Gross). Director Rick Famuyiwa, who co-wrote along with Wayne Conley and Malcolm Spellman, leaves no stereotype untouched in this wildly uneven combination of "Father of the Bride" and "Abie's Irish Rose," but mostly manages to stay within tasteful boundaries. A fleeting instance of crass language and the implication of a premarital relationship. Probably acceptable for mature teens. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Remember Me—Less than memorable romantic drama about the relationship between an angst-ridden twentysomething New York bohemian (Robert Pattinson) and the university student (Emilie de Ravin) he initially dates as a practical joke to get back at her policeman father (Chris Cooper) for roughing him up and arresting him, but for whom he eventually falls in earnest. Director Allen Coulter's young sophisticates play cutesy when not dwelling on the losses -- his brother's early death and her mother's murder -- that help them bond. Along with glamorizing the couple's premature sexual union, as well as their eventual shacking up, Will Fetters' script moves toward a climax related to real-life events that many will find distastefully manipulative. Cohabitation, passionate, but nongraphic premarital sexual activity, a couple of uses of profanity, some sexual references and jokes, including a promiscuous character, frequent smoking, at least one drug reference, a few rough and numerous crude terms.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Green Zone—Idealistic but raw combat drama, set in the early days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, as a dedicated Army officer (Matt Damon) tries to discover why his unit's search for the Saddam regime's weapons of mass destruction continually comes up empty, and finds himself caught in a power struggle between a Defense Department intelligence agent (Greg Kinnear) who's indifferent to the justification for American intervention and a rogue CIA station chief (Brendan Gleeson) who believes the whole operation rests on a foundation of lies and fabrications. Director Paul Greengrass' uneasy mix of political conspiracy yarn and action adventure, loosely inspired by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran's 2007 bestseller "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," increasingly takes on the qualities of a personal crusade by its hero, thus blunting its ability to dissect larger questions of real-life morality. Considerable action violence, some of it bloody, torture, several uses of profanity, frequent rough and crude language.  L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Brooklyn's Finest—Seamy New York police drama chronicling a week in the lives of a cynical patrolman (Richard Gere) on the verge of retirement, an undercover operative (Don Cheadle) desperate for promotion to a safe desk job and a narcotics officer (Ethan Hawke) tempted to steal drug money to provide for his ill wife and growing family. Though Catholic imagery pervades director Antoine Fuqua's grim journey through Gotham's criminal underworld, faith provides no meaningful guidance to the conflicted characters as they cross legal and moral boundaries, and as the obscenity laden-script lurches from bloodshed to explicit scenes of sexuality. Frequent bloody violence, including beatings, shootings and strangulation, graphic nonmarital sexual activity, upper female nudity, a few uses of profanity, unremitting rough and crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Alice in Wonderland—Very loosely inspired by, but not recklessly departing from, Lewis Carroll's famous books, this 3-D fantasy-adventure mixes animation and live action as it follows its plucky Victorian heroine (Mia Wasikowska) -- here a 19-year-old -- down the rabbit hole into a strange, nonsensical realm where she conspires with the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and various frazzled fauna to end the despotic rule of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Although younger viewers will be frightened by certain sequences, director Tim Burton refrains from indulging in the more macabre or avant-garde aspects of the tale; and yet, while it conveys a salubrious message with vaguely Christian echoes, the film's aesthetic impact is lessened by the lack of a coherent visual style. Sequences of fantasy action and violence, including a skewered animal eyeball, human characters striking one another; images of mild animal cruelty, some discussion of beheadings, a character smoking a water pipe and one instance of light profanity.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
  
  
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  Cop Out—This vulgar buddy comedy follows two unconventional New York police detectives (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) as they try to recover the valuable baseball card Willis' character was planning to sell to finance his daughter's wedding but which was stolen by a petty thief (Seann William Scott), and passed on to a memorabilia-obsessed drug lord (Guillermo Diaz). As penned by Robb and Mark Cullen and directed by Kevin Smith, foul-mouthed dialogue and bullet-riddled action sequences drown out the mostly smile-free script's faint messages about marital trust and self-sacrificing parental love. Considerable, sometimes gory, action violence; a scene of torture; pervasive rough and crude language; about a dozen uses of profanity; and much sexual and scatological humor.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  The Crazies—A small-town sheriff (Timothy Olyphant), his deputy (Joe Anderson), the sheriff's doctor wife (Radha Mitchell) and her office assistant (Danielle Panabaker) fend off their neighbors who have been transformed into homicidal maniacs by an environmental accident affecting the local water supply while also struggling to evade capture by Army troops bent on quelling the outbreak at any cost. A potentially thought-provoking parable about ecological irresponsibility and military excess in an emergency is lost amid the bloodletting in director Breck Eisner's relatively lavish updating of George A. Romero's low-budget 1973 horror exercise. Excessive gory violence, some gruesome images, at least a half-dozen uses of profanity, pervasive rough and much crude language.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Shutter Island—Prolix psychological thriller set in 1954 follows a U.S. marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to a storm-swept island in Boston Harbor on which an asylum for the criminally insane becomes the venue for elaborately staged hysterics borne of trauma and guilt. Adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel, the picture amounts to a genre exercise for director Martin Scorsese, and affords DiCaprio and other respectable actors the chance to declaim excessively coarse dialogue in service of an overblown mystery. Pervasive rough, crude and crass language; frequent profanity; a number of sexual references and discussions of violent acts; many potentially disturbing images of corpses in a concentration camp setting and in connection with an act of infanticide; a number of fairly graphic episodes of gun violence; and an instance of partially obscured frontal male nudity.  O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
  
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Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief—A mildly troubled New York high school student (Logan Lerman) discovers his true identity as a demigod -- offspring of the Greek sea god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) and a human mother (Catherine Keener) -- and embarks on a quest to prevent a war among the deities of Mount Olympus, assisted by a semi-divine teen girl warrior (Alexandra Daddario) and a courageous but untested adolescent satyr (Brandon T. Jackson). Director Chris Columbus' glossy but shallow screen version of the first in novelist Rick Riordan's best-selling series of children's novels relies on some slick special effects to keep the adventure moving forward, though the titular hero's transformation from a 12- to a 17-year-old introduces elements unsuitable for some of the book's younger fans, while parents who see the tale's mythological premise as more than a literary device will hesitate to allow impressionable youngsters to view it. Pagan themes, brief domestic discord, a few instances of sexual innuendo, a couple of crass terms. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010




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  Valentine's Day—Ensemble romantic comedy, directed by Garry Marshall, charting the amorous ups and downs of a series of interconnected Los Angelinos over the titular holiday, including a newly engaged florist (Ashton Kutcher) and his live-in fiancee (Jessica Alba), a teacher (Jennifer Garner) and her doctor beau (Patrick Dempsey), a long-married couple (Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo) preparing to renew their vows, and a pair of 18-year-old high school students (Emma Roberts and Carter Jenkins) planning to lose their virginity together. As unengaging as it is unwieldy, screenwriter Katherine Fugate's tale of loves lost and found rejects marital infidelity, but otherwise takes the full physical expression of affection as a given, before marriage, before college and between members of the same gender. Implicit approval of nonmarital sexual activity and homosexual acts, partial nudity, adultery and phone-sex themes, sexual references and jokes, brief irreverent humor, a half-dozen crude and some crass terms.  O -- morally offensive. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  The Wolfman—Alternately spooky, savage and silly, this remake of the 1941 monster classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. tells of a decent if troubled man (Benicio Del Toro) periodically transformed into a hirsute beast after returning to his ancestral estate in England following the brutal murder of his brother in 1891. Striking a tone that might be described as "visceral camp," director Joe Johnston entertains by rendering the trappings of lycanthrope lore with first-rate special effects and actors -- Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving -- willing to feast on the material. Frequent episodes of moderately graphic violence including fleeting images of human entrails, decapitations and severed limbs; an instance of partial upper female nudity; several references to prostitution; one use of profane language. A-III -- adults. (R) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  From Paris With Love—A Paris-based American diplomat and low-level CIA agent (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) yearns to be a real spy but finds himself bewildered when assigned to partner a trigger-happy visiting operative (John Travolta) whose wild pursuit of drug dealers and terrorists sees the pair cutting a bloody swath through the French capital's criminal underworld while the novice's prolonged absence from home causes friction with his live-in Gallic girlfriend (Kasia Smutniak). As directed by Pierre Morel, the proceedings are occasionally amusing but far more often gleefully violent, with Adi Hasak's F-word heavy script glamorizing the mayhem and winking at the Travolta character's tawdry encounter with a streetwalker. Constant, sometimes bloody action violence, offscreen sexual activity with a prostitute, cohabitation, drug use, a couple of profanities, pervasive rough and much crude language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  Dear John—This frequently sentimental drama, set in South Carolina, charts the love-at-first-sight romance between a Special Forces sergeant (Channing Tatum) home on leave to visit his mildly autistic father (Richard Jenkins) and an affluent college student (Amanda Seyfried), their prolonged separation due to his reenlistment following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and their efforts to maintain their bond by long-distance letter writing. Though the portrayal of the conflicted filial relationship is moving, director Lasse Hallstrom's adaptation of Catholic writer Nicholas Sparks' best-selling 2006 novel focuses mostly on the emotionally unrealistic evolution of the lovers' attachment, and endorses its premature consummation along the way. Nongraphic premarital sexual activity with partial nudity, a few uses of profanity, at least four instances of the S-word. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
  
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  Edge of Darkness —After his adult daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is brutally murdered, a Boston police detective (Mel Gibson) investigates her secretive work for a nuclear research firm (led by Danny Huston), aided by her fearful boyfriend and co-worker (Shawn Roberts) and by a shadowy fixer (Ray Winstone) whose loyalties are ambiguous. In a reasonably absorbing but gritty adaptation of the acclaimed 1985 BBC miniseries of the same title, director Martin Campbell mixes sometimes shocking violence into a stark tale of loss and corruption, and skirts the dark edges of vigilantism. Complex moral issues, considerable and sometimes bloody violence, an implied premarital relationship, a few uses of profanity, much rough and some crude language. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2010
  
  
  
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  When in Rome—Perky romantic comedy about a work-obsessed New York museum curator (Kristen Bell) who travels to Rome for her sister's (Alexis Dziena) wedding and falls for the best man (Josh Duhamel), but their path to bliss takes a detour when she defies local custom by removing several coins from the "Fountain of Love," causing the quartet of eccentric strangers who deposited the change (Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Jon Heder and Dax Shepard) to become hopelessly infatuated with her. While the youthful, slightly pixilated priest (Keir O'Donnell) who performs the nuptials comes in for some gentle ribbing, director Mark Steven Johnson's pleasantly diverting, blithely illogical ensemble piece is mostly worry-free with only a fleeting scene of newlywed friskiness barring endorsement for teens. Brief nongraphic marital lovemaking with implied nudity, mildly irreverent portrayal of a clergyman and a few crass expressions.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
  
  
  
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  Legion—Theologically skewed apocalyptic horror outing in which a despairing God unleashes hordes of demonic angels to destroy human civilization but, rebelling against the plan, the archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) battles to defend a remote roadside cafe (owned by Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton) long enough for its pregnant waitress (Adrianne Palicki) to give birth to humanity's future savior. Director and co-writer Scott Stewart's feature debut intersperses relentless violence with metaphysical mush to create a long, grim slog that leaves viewers feeling as besieged as the characters (also including Lucas Black and Tyrese Gibson) trapped in the lonesome eatery. Convoluted religious themes; constant, though mostly nongraphic, violence; an out-of-wedlock pregnancy; a couple of uses of profanity; much rough language (including at least 25 uses of the F-word); and some crude and crass terms. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010
  
  
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  Extraordinary Measures—Engaging medical drama, based on actual events, about the often prickly partnership between a successful pharmaceuticals executive (Brendan Fraser) -- two of whose children (Meredith Droeger and Sam M. Hall) are afflicted by the same rare and fatal disease -- and the eccentric scientist (Harrison Ford) whose pioneering but underfunded research may offer the only hope of saving the kids. Director Tom Vaughan's adaptation of Geeta Anand's 2004 book "The Cure," which also features Keri Russell as the businessman's rock-solid spouse, makes no mention of the Catholic faith that helped to sustain the real-life dad, but does chart his relentless, against-the-odds struggle to overcome the illness, a battle which initially seemed likely to derail his career and deprive him of what little time he might have left to spend with his son and daughter. Brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, at least five uses of profanity, about a dozen crude and a half-dozen crass terms.  A-III -- adults. (PG) 2010
  
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  Tooth Fairy—Feeble fable in which a disillusioned minor-league hockey player (Dwayne Johnson) who discourages children from dreaming big and denies the existence of the titular sprite is sentenced by the matriarch of Fairyland (Julie Andrews) to spend two weeks as a winged tooth fairy, a secret mission that complicates his relationship with his girlfriend (Ashley Judd) and threatens his macho standing among his teammates (including skateboarding star Ryan Sheckler). Director Michael Lembeck's mostly family-friendly comedy, which also features Stephen Merchant as Johnson's officious but good-hearted pixie mentor, never really takes flight, while scenes of unnecessary roughness on the ice and an out-of-place exchange about the onset of puberty preclude endorsement for all. Moderate hockey violence, some mild sexual references and brief scatological humor.  A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2010
  
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  The Book of Eli—This unexpectedly contemplative and lyrical, if violent, homage to spaghetti Westerns, martial arts films and religious faith follows a lone hero (Denzel Washington) as he traverses a post-apocalyptic landscape using his considerable fighting skills to safeguard the only extant copy of the King James Bible. Director siblings Albert and Allen Hughes have succeeded at making an entertaining and relatively substantive movie, while refraining from saturating the proceedings in blood or prolonging the violent passages. Still, some moviegoers will find the pairing of scripture with stylized aggression unnecessary and avoidable. Intermittent strong violence including gun- and swordplay and a killing intended to be merciful, much rough language, some crude language, and brief sexual innuendo. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2010
  

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  Youth in Revolt—Sometimes witty but consistently sex-focused coming-of-age comedy about a lonely California teen (Michael Cera) whose sophisticated cultural tastes make him a fish out of water in his divorced parents' (Jean Smart and Steve Buscemi) lowbrow world, and his obsessive love for a like-minded girl (Portia Doubleday) he meets on vacation at a trailer park. Director Miguel Arteta's adaptation of "Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp" -- the first in C.D. Payne's series of novels about the titular adolescent -- sees Cera developing a suave but amoral alter ego willing to cause mayhem to help his timid original reunite with, and lose his burdensome virginity to, the object of his desire. Explicit animated images of intercourse, nongraphic premarital (and probably underage) sexual activity, masturbation, drug use, at least one profanity, much sexual humor and considerable rough and crude language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2010

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  The Lovely Bones—Narrating from beyond the grave, a 14-year-old girl (Saoirse Ronan) recounts her murder at the hands of a psychopath (a squirm-provoking Stanley Tucci) and the effects of the crime on her devastated parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz), her boozy but sensible grandmother (Susan Sarandon) and her sensitive younger sister (Rose McIver), who eventually joins the obsessive dad in a determined hunt for redress. Director and co-writer Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-selling 2002 novel features a visually rich, though theologically vague vision of "the In-Between," a picturesque purgatory in which the youthful heroine is trapped as she works through her rage and desire for revenge, but the attempt to blend genres with a story that mixes elements of suspense, emotion-driven drama and a morality tale about the limits of human justice and the dangers of fixation eventually becomes scattershot. Themes of perversion and crime, gory images, scenes of harsh violence, brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, at least one use of profanity and of the F-word, a few crude and crass terms.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009
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  It's Complicated—A decade after their divorce, a couple (Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin) reconnect and have an affair, despite his second marriage to a much younger wife (Lake Bell) and her budding romance with an architect (Steve Martin). Though it highlights the lasting emotional toll exacted on children when their parents split, writer-director Nancy Meyers' aesthetically smooth-running romantic comedy is aptly titled from a Catholic moral perspective, since -- assuming their union was valid to begin with -- the pair's seeming adultery, presented as a daring feminist adventure for Streep's well-delineated character, would in fact be marital lovemaking, yet the breach of trust with the new "spouse" can hardly be excused, and adds a further twist to an ethically tangled story demanding careful evaluation by mature viewers. Complex moral issues; skewed values; implied sexual activity, some of it adulterous; off-screen masturbation; fleeting rear nudity; considerable drug use; some sexual references and humor; and a half-dozen crude or crass terms. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2009
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  Sherlock Holmes—This vigorous but frequently violent addition to the chronicles of the iconic sleuth sees Holmes (entertainingly sly Robert Downey Jr.) and his perennial sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) on the trail of a Satan-worshipping homicidal aristocrat (Mark Strong) who has inspired a wave of public panic by apparently rising from the dead after his execution, while Watson's plans to abandon detective work to marry the young woman (Kelly Reilly) for whom he's fallen, as well as the appearance of a femme fatale (Rachel McAdams) who has bested and befuddled Holmes in the past, heighten the tension. As envisioned by director Guy Ritchie, this brawny Sherlock slugs his way through several bone-crunching square-offs across Victorian London while investigating the dark doings of the Masonic-style secret society to which the errant lord belonged and which may hold the key to his seemingly supernatural powers. Considerable action violence, occult themes, satanic activity, brief irreverence, a sexual situation, a few sexual references and jokes. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009

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  Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel—Harmless but mostly routine comedy with music, mixing animation and live action, in which the familiar trio of harmonizing rodents (voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney) have a series of slapstick misadventures, eventually winding up in the inept care of a gadget-obsessed slacker (Zachary Levi), becoming school students, and entering a singing competition that pits them against a group of chipmunk divas (voices of Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate). A bit of gently rude humor aside, director Betty Thomas' extension of the 50-year-old franchise, which includes hit recordings, a pair of TV cartoon series and this feature's 2007 predecessor, "Alvin and the Chipmunks," is unobjectionable, though its positive lessons about choosing loyalty over selfishness come wrapped in an entertainment package that feels somewhat shopworn. A-I -- general patronage. (PG)
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  Avatar—Among the most expensive and highly anticipated films ever made, director James Cameron's visually arresting science-fiction adventure sends a paraplegic soldier (Sam Worthington) to a planet called Pandora where he falls in love with a native princess (Zoe Saldana) and must choose between her ecologically enlightened culture and his own violent, rapacious species. Amid passages resembling a Vietnam War movie, a western -- pitting bellicose interlopers against spiritual natives in harmony with their natural environment -- and a Disney animated musical, Cameron marshals impressive resources to tell an entertaining story, though whether the aliens' pantheistic religion is meant to be a model for humanity or merely an indigenous cult remains unclear. Frightening action sequences with much intense, war-related violence, an implied sexual encounter, partial upper female and rear nudity, a consistently sensual undercurrent, frequent profanity, considerable crude and crass language A-III -- adults. (PG-13)

• Nine—Glossy but morally shallow musical drama -- set in 1965 Italy and based on the life of Federico Fellini -- in which a celebrated film director (Daniel Day-Lewis) suffers a creative and personal crisis, scrambling to conceal the fact that his latest work, about to go into production, has no script, and struggling to maintain his relationships with his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his favorite actress and muse (Nicole Kidman) and his costume designer confidante (Judi Dench). Director Rob Marshall's adaptation of Arthur L. Kopit and Maury Yeston's 1982 Broadway hit, itself an homage to Fellini's "8 1/2," treats adultery as a symptom of sophistication, and present the Catholic Church as, by turns, irrelevant, repressive and hypocritical. Pervasive negative portrayal of Catholicism, brief nongraphic adulterous sexual activity, recurrent adultery theme, partial upper female and rear nudity, a couple of uses of profanity, a few crass terms. O -- morally offensive. (PG-13)
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  Invictus—Uplifting sports drama, based on actual events, about South African President Nelson Mandela's (Morgan Freeman) campaign to unite his country behind the national rugby team (led by Matt Damon), once a widely hated symbol of white privilege under apartheid, as it became an unlikely contender in the 1995 World Cup competition. Adapted from John Carlin's book, "Playing the Enemy," director Clint Eastwood's account effectively chronicles how Mandela transformed the race for the championship into an opportunity to break down lingering racial prejudice and to demonstrate the generosity and openness to reconciliation of the newly empowered black majority, a salutary tale whose moral and artistic merits counterbalance the elements listed below, making it probably acceptable for mature teens. Brief scenes of violence, at least one use of the F-word, a few instances of crude and crass language and some mild sexual references. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009

• The Road—This moving but relentlessly grim drama, set in the wake of an unspecified apocalypse, follows the desperate journey of a father (Viggo Mortensen, mesmerizing) and son (fine newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they travel through a devastated America encountering cannibals, thieves and shell-shocked survivors (notably Robert Duvall) on their way to what they hope will be a marginally better life along the coast. Occupying the pitted no-man's-land between a Samuel Beckett play and "The Road Warrior," director John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a stark examination of one man's efforts to preserve, and pass on, humane values, refreshed only by the instinctive goodness of his youthful companion, though his quasi-idolatrous view of the boy, like the borderline-blasphemous sentiments expressed by other characters, would be unacceptable in a less extreme context. Complex moral and theological issues, grisly images, cannibalism and suicide themes, rear and brief partial nudity, a few uses of profanity, occasional rough and crude language. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2009
  
  
  
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  The Princess and the Frog— Enchanting animated musical, set in 1920s New Orleans, in which a voodoo sorcerer (voice of Keith David) casts a spell that complicates the lives of a visiting prince (voice of Bruno Campos), the headstrong heiress he hopes to marry (voice of Jennifer Cody) and her industrious working-class best friend (voice of Anika Noni Rose). As directed and co-written by John Musker and Ron Clements, the lavish hand-drawn romance, which also features delightful voice work by Michael-Leon Wooley as a jazz-loving alligator and Jim Cummings as a Cajun firefly, emphasizes the value of love over material wealth and provides quality entertainment for all ages, though images of fire-breathing masks and evil sprites may scare some tots.  A-I -- general patronage. (G)
  
  
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  Old Dogs— Passable comedy in which a sports marketing executive (Robin Williams) learns, seven years after the fact, that his quickly annulled second marriage produced fraternal twins (Conner Rayburn and Ella Bleu Travolta) whose mother (Kelly Preston), on the eve of being imprisoned briefly for an environmental protest, entrusts the kids to his care, distracting him from work on a major business deal, much to the annoyance of his longtime partner and best friend (John Travolta). Its morally murky back story aside, director Walt Becker's dizzy dad escapade is mostly harmless, though a talented cast can do little with David Diamond and David Weissman's thin, derivative script. A drunken wedding, a few instances of vaguely sexual and mildly scatological humor, some rough slapstick. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) 2009
  
  
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  The Twilight Saga: New Moon—Lovelorn gothic romance sequel in which a well-mannered vampire (Robert Pattinson), anxious to protect the mortal high school student (Kristen Stewart) who has captured his heart from the less controlled members (especially Jackson Rathbone) of the undead clan with which he lives, breaks off their relationship and disappears, but the American Indian friend (Taylor Lautner) to whom she turns for solace not only wants to be more than mere pals, he has a supernatural secret of his own. With temptations of the flesh kept at bay for fear of temptations of the blood in director Chris Weitz's adaptation of the second book in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series of young-adult novels, the chaste but intermittently violent proceedings play out against a picturesque background ranging from the misty Northwest to the sunny hills of Tuscany. Considerable action violence, a vague sexual reference, at least one mildly crass term.  A-II -- adults and adolescents.  (PG-13)
  
  
  
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  The Blind Side —Inspirational family drama, based on real events, in which a wealthy white couple (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw) in Memphis, Tenn., offer shelter to a homeless black student (Quinton Aaron) from their children's (Lily Collins and Jae Head) school and, as he becomes an increasingly integral part of their clan, help him to hone his football skills while also hiring a determined tutor (Kathy Bates) to raise his academic standing. Driven by Bullock's field-sweeping performance as the feisty, religiously motivated adoptive mother, writer-director John Lee Hancock's unapologetically Christian tale of human solidarity across racial and class divides, adapted from Michael Lewis' 2006 best-seller "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," is funny, shrewd and ultimately uplifting. Brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, at least one profanity, a few sexual and drug references, a half-dozen crass terms.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009
  
  
  
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  Planet 51—Delightful animated comedy based in a galaxy far, far away where little green aliens live in a 1950s "Happy Days"-style suburbia, complete with white picket fences, backyard barbecues and monster movies playing at the drive in. When a real alien, in the shape of a human astronaut (voice of "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson), drops from the sky, all heck breaks loose as this E.T. tries to return home with the help of a gaggle of teens led by a shy would-be astronomer (voice of Justin Long). Some mildly suggestive humor aside, co-directors Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez's generally wholesome film, which features positive life lessons about friendship, loyalty, and acceptance of others, offers fun for all ages.  A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2009

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  Fantastic Mr. Fox —Droll stop-motion animated adventure, set in the animal world of rural Britain, in which the titular vulpine creature (voice of George Clooney), now a respectable newspaper columnist with a wife (voice of Meryl Streep) and son (voice of Jason Schwartzman), tries to recapture his wild past as a chicken thief poaching on local farms, but his renewed raiding, abetted by his daring nephew (voice of Eric Anderson), enrages a trio of mean-spirited farmers whose escalating countermeasures endanger the whole burrowing community. A touch of menace and a fleeting joke about Mrs. Fox's youthful indiscretions aside, director and co-writer Wes Anderson's clever, lovingly crafted adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1970 children's book offers sophisticated family entertainment, with abundant fun for youngsters and a few insights into the tensions and paradoxes of human nature for adults. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) 2009
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  2012—In the disaster movie to end all fiasco flicks, a doomsday cataclysm results in billions losing their lives as the earth's crust breaks apart, dismantling civilization and rearranging the continents. Director Roland Emmerich gives his special-effects wizards license to test the limits of the technically plausible and morally palatable, while asking moviegoers to take heart as the scenario affords a White House geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a divorced science-fiction writer (John Cusack) the chance to exhibit altruism, even as their exploits are interspersed with disturbing apocalyptic imagery, including the destruction of St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Considerable crude and crass language, much profanity, a rough gesture and a few instances of sexual innuendo.  A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2009
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  The Men Who Stare at Goats—Fact-based satire, set during the early stages of the Iraq War, in which an eccentric military veteran (George Clooney) regales a reporter (Ewan McGregor) with the history of a secret Army unit (led by Jeff Bridges) to which he once belonged that experimented with psychic and paranormal techniques of warfare. Director Grant Heslov's mildly diverting, though disorganized adaptation of Jon Ronson's 2004 best-seller, which also features Kevin Spacey as the squad's selfish nemesis, sends up the soldierly excesses of both the Cold War era and the more recent conflict, but also showcases pantheistic New Age spirituality and implicitly condones its main characters' indulgence in some questionable high jinks. Rear and brief upper female nudity, neo-pagan religious practices, drug use, a dozen instances of profanity, frequent rough and crude language. A-III -- adults. (R) 2009
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  Law Abiding Citizen—Brutish, blood-soaked and ultimately nonsensical revenge fantasy in which, following the murder of his wife and young daughter, an inventor who specializes in killing terrorists (Gerard Butler), goes on an elaborately staged rampage, eventually making deals with a prosecutor (Jamie Foxx)  in his search for "justice." Director F. Gary Gray and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer begin with an homage to the hyper-violent "Death Wish" films and concoct an implausible ending reminiscent of an old “Scooby-Doo” cartoon.  A rape, explicit torture, gun and knife violence, explosions, rear male nudity, pervasive rough and crass language.  O -- morally offensive

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Last modified: August 19, 2010