Movies - March 21, 2010

Capsule reviews are by Kenneth Turan (K.Tu.), Betsy Sharkey (B.S.) and other reviewers. Compiled by Anthony Miller.

Openings

FRIDAY

Chloe A remake of the 2004 French film “Nathalie” about the effect of a mysterious young girl on the lives of a flirtatious college professor and his wife. With Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson. Directed by Atom Egoyan. (1:36) R. Story on Page D10

The Eclipse A widower still reeling from the death of his wife is plagued by terrifying apparitions and finds himself drawn to an empathetic author of supernatural fiction. With Ciarán Hinds, Iben Hjejle, Aidan Quinn and Hannah Lynch. Screenplay by Conor McPherson and Billy Roche, based on Roche’s “Tales from Rainwater Pond.” Directed by McPherson. (1:28) NR.

The Harimaya Bridge Daniel Holder’s father was killed fighting the Japanese in the Second World War so when Daniel’s beloved artist son Mickey takes a job in Japan teaching English, it creates a rift between them and leads to unexpected discoveries for Daniel. With Ben Guillory, Saki Takaoka and Misa Shimizu. Directed by Aaron Woolfolk. (2 hours) NR.

Harmony and Me After a breakup, a hipster wallows in his unrewarding job, a family devoid of warmth, a circle of indifferent friends and sad songs in a series of comically deadpan episodes. With Justin Rice, Kevin Corrigan and Kristen Tucker. Directed by Robert Byington. (1:15) NR.

Hot Tub Time Machine A group of best friends bored with their adult life wake up after a night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub to find themselves in the year 1986 and set out to change their futures. With John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan and Chevy Chase. Directed by Steve Pink. (1:40) R.

How to Train Your Dragon An animated comedy adventure of a misfit Viking teen who encounters a dragon that challenges his tribe’s tradition of heroic dragon slayers. With the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell. Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. (1:38) PG.

Sweetgrass The film follows the last sheepherders to trail their flocks up into Montana’s Beartooth Mountains for summer pasture. Directed by Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor. (1:45) NR.

Vincere A chronicle of the largely unknown story of the secret marriage of Benito Mussolini to Ida Dalser. With Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Fausto Russo Alesi and Filippo Timi. Directed by Marco Bellocchio. In Italian with English subtitles. (2:08) NR. Story on Page D8

Waking Sleeping Beauty A documentary which chronicles Disney from 1984 to 1994, when clashing egos, out-of-control budgets, escalating tensions combined to create one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history. With Roy Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner. Written by Patrick Pacheco. Directed by Don Hahn. (1:26) PG.

West of Pluto A look at a day in the lives of twelve Quebec high schoolers captures the nature of their teenage years. Written and directed by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault. In French with English subtitles. (1:35) NR.

Critics’ Choices

Ajami One of the five foreign-language Oscar finalists, this look at cultures in conflict in today’s Israel has a complex, elliptical structure, and uses unconventional filming techniques to tell a bleak and fatalistic story that’s conveyed with an unnerving sense of verisimilitude. (K.Tu., Feb. 19) (2 hrs.) NR.

An Education Invariably funny and inexpressibly moving in the way it looks at a young girl’s journey from innocence to experience, this film does so many things so well, it’s difficult to know where to begin cataloging its virtues. What’s easy is knowing where you’ll end up, which is marveling like everyone else at the performance by Carey Mulligan that is the film’s irreplaceable centerpiece. (K.Tu., Oct. 16) (1:35) NR.

The Art of the Steal An energetically entertaining if a bit one-sided documentary that shows how the Philadelphia establishment committed an act of cultural vandalism by engineering a move of the Barnes collection from its iconic home in suburban Merion, Penn., to a proposed new museum in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. It’s a move that illustrates as few other things how art and culture have become commodified into big money industries. (K.Tu., March 12) (1:41) NR.

Avatar Think of “Avatar” as “The Jazz Singer” of 3-D filmmaking. Think of it as the most expensive and accomplished Saturday matinee movie ever made. Think of it as the ultimate James Cameron production. Whatever way you choose to look at it, “Avatar’s” shock and awe demand to be seen. You’ve never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else. (K.Tu., Dec. 17) Also in Imax 3-D. (2:30) PG-13.

Cop Out There really is no good reason to recommend “Cop Out”; there are, however, about a dozen bad ones, starting with the fact that it’s the first gross-out comedy to come along since “The Hangover” that is actually a comedy and not just gross, although make no mistake, gross it is -- this is a Kevin Smith film after all -- so don’t say you weren’t warned. But there is enough ridiculous fun in the Tracy Morgan-Bruce Willis pairing as two of Brooklyn’s “finest” to get many of you past the squirm-inducing stuff. After some rough sledding, Smith seems like he’s come home in “Cop Out,” with his loose, easy style helping to take the edge off the R rating. It’s in the execution of high-concepts that Smith sometimes gets lost, but that doesn’t happen here. There isn’t a high concept in sight. (B.S., Feb. 26) (1:50) R.

Crazy Heart There’s a powerful symmetry at work here, a parallel between protagonist Bad Blake, a country singer whose entire life has led him to a nadir of disintegration, and star Jeff Bridges, whose exceptional film choices have put him at the height of his powers just in time to make Mr. Blake the capstone role of his career. (K.Tu., Dec. 16) (1:52) R.

Fish Tank Mia is 15, all elbows and anger, going at her life in a rundown apartment complex in Essex as if it were one long skirmish in British filmmaker Andrea Arnold’s exceptionally well-crafted drama, “Fish Tank.” Featuring newcomer Katie Jarvis, the 17-year-old so completely captures the innocence, cynicism and rage of a child of poverty and divorce on the edge of adulthood that it feels as if you are spying on Mia, so achingly real, so tangible does her world seem here. Again, the award-winning filmmaker gives us another sensitive and compelling story of Britain’s underclass. (B.S., Jan. 29) (2:02) NR.

The Ghost Writer Made by a filmmaker suddenly returned to the height of his powers, this is a thriller wrapped around a roman á clef about contemporary politics wrapped around director Roman Polanski’s trademark cynicism. An effortless blending of personal preoccupations with audience preferences that recalls the classic work of Alfred Hitchcock. (K.Tu., Feb. 19) (1:35) PG-13.

Green Zone As created by director Paul Greengrass, screenwriter Brian Helgeland and star Matt Damon, this risk-taking endeavor takes the narrative skills and drive Greengrass honed to perfection on “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “The Bourne Supremacy” and marries them to reality-based political concerns. More specifically, this is a red-hot action thriller that deals quite candidly and unapologetically with the situation in Iraq. (K.Tu., March 12) (1:35) R.

Invictus Blending entertainment, social message and history lesson, director Clint Eastwood’s latest film focuses on one particular moment in history, when South Africa’s newly elected leader Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, tried something so brazen, so risky, that his closest advisors were not only against it, they also thought it was political suicide. (K.Tu., Dec. 11) (2:12) PG-13.

North Face It is almost impossible not to be caught up in the spell of “North Face.” As riveting and exhilarating as it is heartbreaking, the film is loosely based on the 1936 attempt by two mountain-climbing teams to be the first to summit the Swiss massif dubbed “Eiger,” the ogre. But this is far more than man versus mountain. German director Philipp Stölzl captures the growing Nazi menace that played a significant role in this drama as deftly as the singular obsession of two country boys determined to reach Eiger’s peak and, they hope, immortality. (B.S., Feb. 12) (2:06) NR.

Precious Nothing quite prepares you for the rough-cut diamond that is “Precious.” A rare blend of pure entertainment and dark social commentary, this shockingly raw, surprisingly irreverent and absolutely unforgettable story of an obese, illiterate, pregnant black Harlem teen named Precious is one that should not be missed. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is impressive as the 16-year-old, but it is the boldness of Mo’Nique’s performance as her soul-destroying nightmare of a mother, that sweeps you away. (B.S., Nov. 6) (1:49) R.

The Princess and the Frog Go ahead and pucker up. Because long before “The Princess and the Frog” is over you’ll want to smooch the charming couple in this foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-warming animated twist on the old Brothers Grimm frog-prince fairy tale. Set in jazz age New Orleans, the film is a return to the lush, fluid beauty of hand-drawn animation. It’s an old-fashioned fairy tale set to music in the grand tradition of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is to say the neo-classic ‘90s brand of Disney animation. After so much computer-generated, motion-captured animation high-jinks, the film feels fresh -- a discovery, or a rediscovery, depending on your age. (B.S., Nov. 25) (1:35) G.

A Prophet Part prison film, part crime story, part intense personal drama, this masterful new film by French director Jacques Audiard is an answered prayer for those who believe that revitalizing classic forms with contemporary attitudes makes for the most compelling kind of cinema. (K.Tu., Feb. 26) In French, Arabic, and Corsican with English subtitles. (2:30) NR.

Shutter Island Director Martin Scorsese has created a divinely dark and devious brain tease in the best noir tradition with its smarter-than-you’d-think cops, their-tougher-than-you’d-imagine cases to crack, and enough nods to the classic genre for an all-night parlor game. It’s 1954 when Leonardo DiCaprio’s U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, played by Mark Ruffalo, are dispatched to an asylum for the criminally insane to investigate a dicey disappearance. But there are deeper mysteries here and it turns out that Scorsese has a lot more on his mind than a crazy inmate on the loose. Meanwhile, Teddy has a few skeletons of his own. There are flaws, but none lethal and, in the end, Scorsese gives us a new noir classic with DiCaprio -- brilliant as Teddy -- races to solve the case and hang onto his sanity at the same time. (B.S., Feb. 19) (2:18) R.

A Single Man We’re always looking for those performances that define an actor, where we can sit back and simply watch the talent soar. “A Single Man” is that film for Colin Firth, until now probably best known for his work in the “Bridget Jones” films. His portrayal of George, the single man in question, should change all that. Fashion designer Tom Ford has constructed an impressive directing debut out of Christopher Isherwood’s dark novel, with our tragedy beginning on the day George has determined will be his last. (B.S., Dec. 11) (1:39) NR.

Up in the Air Director/co-writer Jason Reitman makes it look easy. In this comic drama about a road warrior played by George Clooney, he blends entertainment and insight, comedy and poignancy, even drama and reality, things that are difficult by themselves but a whole lot harder in combination. This film does all that and never seems to break a sweat. (K.Tu., Dec. 4) (1:49) R.

The White Ribbon We don’t go to Michael Haneke films for comfort, but to gaze through a glass darkly. That vision -- tense, provocative and unnerving -- is on full display in “The White Ribbon,” which could be considered a culmination of this difficult director’s brilliant career. Set in an ordinary German village on the eve of World War I, the film looks at the children who would survive that war and grow into the generation that would bend to Hitler’s sway. History hovers over “White Ribbon” with the force of impending doom. These children will inherit this world of sin and sorrow and the consequences will be catastrophic. Whatever responsibility we might feel for future generations after seeing a cautionary tale like this one, well that’s just one of the questions Haneke leaves us to figure out. (B.S., Dec. 30) (2:24) R.

The Young Victoria Starring Emily Blunt as the 18-year-old queen of England circa 1837, the film is a rich pastiche of first love, teen empowerment, fabulous fashion and fate. Together with Rupert Friend as Prince Albert, as we follow them through courtship, coronation and just beyond, they create a couple you’ll want to see again. But until then, “The Young Victoria” is a great place to start. (B.S., Dec. 18) (1:44) PG.

Also in Theaters

3 Idiots To leery American moviegoers, the title might sound like something eminently dismissible, but in the month since its initial Asian release it’s become the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever. It’s easy to see why too, as director Rajkumar Hirani’s coming-of-age epic toggles entertainingly between a close-knit trio of engineering school students and their fortunes 10 years later. Sporting a culturally resonant message (about following one’s passion), it boasts a hard-to-resist genre multi-pack of college high jinks, familial drama, screwball romance, inspirational heart-tugging, tragedy, musical interludes and even an identity mystery. (Robert Abele, Jan. 29) (2:44) NR.

45365 A cinema-verite documentary about the inhabitants of the small town of Sidney, Ohio. Directed by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross. (1:31) NR.

Alice in Wonderland The combination of director Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll’s fantasy classic sounds promising, but despite the presence of Johnny Depp the finished product is only mildly successful, more like a Burton derivative than something he actually did himself. (K.Tu., March 4) In Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D. (1:49) PG.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Perhaps not since “The Godfather Part II” have we seen a sequel that matches the mastery of the film that came before it -- all the pathos, the brio, the epic sweep, the cheese balls. Indeed, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” only builds on the wit, the whimsy and the shredding bass that was 2007’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” which turned them into 21st century pop sensations. Love is in the air this time around with a girl-group called the Chipettes. There are hijinks, lowjinks, and the Chipettes cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” you know “If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it?” is not to be missed. Seriously. (B.S., Dec. 23) (1:28) PG.

American Radical An intimate and revealing portrait of Norman Finkelstein, a devoted son of Holocaust survivors and ardent critic of U.S.-Israeli foreign policy, called a self-hating Jew by some and an inspired revolutionary by others. Directed by David Ridgen. (1:24) NR.

The Blind Side Watching “The Blind Side” is like watching your favorite football team; you’ll cheer when things go well, curse when they don’t, and be reminded that in football, as in life, it’s how you play the game that counts -- though winning doesn’t hurt either. (B.S., Oct. 20) (2:06) PG-13.

Blood Done Sign My Name Based on the story of racial upheaval and ensuing social change provoked by the acquittal of a white father and son accused of murdering a black man in cold blood and in full public view in the 1970s in Oxford, N.C. With Nate Parker, Rick Schroder, Afemo Omilami, Lela Rochon, Nick Searcy and Michael Rooker. Written and directed by Jeb Stuart. (2:08) PG-13.

The Book of Eli A lean, stark, surprisingly effective headliner in Hollywood’s ongoing apocalyp-alooza, “The Book of Eli” marks a return to form for co-directors Allen and Albert Hughes. A sly Old Testament “Mad Max”-y sort of Western, the film may traffic in familiar landscapes and archetypes, but it allows its cast the space and time to make the characters breathe. “The Book of Eli” works, even if the preservation of Christianity isn’t high on your personal post-apocalypse bucket list. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 15) (1:58) R.

The Bounty Hunter A down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, a reporter chasing a lead on a murder cover-up. With Jennifer Anniston and Gerard Butler. Written by Sarah Thorp. Directed by Andy Tennant. (1:46) PG-13.

Brooklyn’s Finest It’s an old-style potboiler about desperate cops in dire straits that overcooks both its story and its stars, with Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle and Richard Gere the main ingredients left to stew. It’s also the latest compromised cop drama from director Antoine Fuqua, at best only echoing the electrifyingly unpredictable thrill of 2001’s “Training Day.” Instead, the complexity a drama like this demands gets lost amid the cliches, leaving “Brooklyn’s Finest” never able to live up to its name. (B.S., March 5) (2:20) R.

City Island A family’s bizarre and layered lies to one another come unraveled. With Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Steven Strait, Alan Arkin and Emily Mortimer. Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta. (1:43) PG-13.

The Crazies As epidemic scenarios go, “The Crazies” has solid underpinnings for going in any direction: bloody social commentary or nasty good time. But if George Romero’s chaos-fueled 1973 original, pockmarked with troops-versus-civilian shootouts and bureaucratic bickering, was intended to mirror a fractured society’s uneasy pulse (think: Vietnam), Breck Eisner’s loud, squishy and jokey redo simply reflects other movies. Nearly every scare in “The Crazies” is telegraphed, whether by suddenly too-tight photography or shrieky crescendos of sound. The movie’s attitude toward carnage, meanwhile, is the most schizoid, asking us to toggle between emotional loss, over-the-top giggles and -- in an ill-advised Holocaust allusion -- moral outrage. (Robert Abele, Feb. 26) (1:41) R.

The Cry of the Owl A troubled young man leaves the big city and his ex-wife for the tranquility of a small town only to be set-up as a suspect in a murder case. With Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine. Screenplay by Jamie Thraves, from the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Directed by Thraves. (1:40) R.

Daybreakers A decade after a vampire plague has swept the globe, the remaining human population is no more than rapidly dwindling food stock. Any higher intentions are brought crashing down by predictability, wooden characters, giggle-inducing attempts at scares and cinematography so gloomy it should be checked for serotonin deficiency. This isn’t the film to relieve our collective vampire fatigue. (Michael Ordona, Jan. 8) (1:38) R.

Dear John A young soldier home on leave falls in love with an idealistic college student during her spring vacation and over the next few years they meet only sporadically and correspond through love letters. With Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Scott Porter and Richard Jenkins. Screenplay by Jamie Linden, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Directed by Lasse Hallström. (1:48) PG-13.

Defendor Writer-director Peter Stebbings hopes you chuckle at his crime-fighter’s idiosyncrasies but he’s after more than laughs with this shaggy-dog character study. Through flashback interviews with a court-appointed forensic psychiatrist (Sandra Oh), we learn that Arthur Poppington, a.k.a. Defendor (Harrelson, completely winning in his clench-jawed purposefulness), dons his costume both to escape and avenge the pain that came when his mother abandoned him as a child. Stebbings is more interested in deconstructing heroism than creating a concrete world, sapping the movie of the immediacy it needs to come alive. Its naive earnestness has its charms, but like its title character, “Defendor” never takes flight. (Glenn Whipp, Feb. 26) (1:41) R.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid The adventures of wise-cracking middle school student Greg Heffley, who must somehow survive the scariest time of anyone’s life: middle school. Based on the best-selling illustrated novel by Jeff Kinney. With Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris and Devon Bostick. Directed by Thor Freudenthal. (1:31) PG.

Formosa Betrayed is a mostly pedestrian political thriller whose basis in true events adds little to the film’s excitement or entertainment value. Director Adam Kane, working from a talky script, tries to keep things moving apace but is undermined by the film’s jarring, time-hopping structure and a clunky use of Taiwanese archival footage and mind’s-eye flashbacks. (Gary Goldstein, Feb. 26) (1:48) R.

From Paris With Love A low-level CIA operative finds himself the target of a crime ring he’s trying to bust on his first real assignment. With John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak and Richard Durden. Screenplay by Adi Hasak, based on a Story by Luc Besson. Directed by Pierre Morel. (1:35) R.

Frozen Three snowboarders are stranded on the chairlift before their last run, left dangling high off the ground with no way down. With Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore and Emma Bell. Written and directed by Adam Green. (1:34) R.

The Girl on the Train Suggested by a real-life incident of reported anti-Semitism, this film by French director André Téchiné is, as always, concerned with the human dynamics of a given situation, with the mysteries of interpersonal behavior and the paradoxes and contradictions of the way people act. (K.Tu., Feb. 19) In French and Hebrew with English subtitles. (1:45) NR.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo A disgraced journalist and computer hacker explores the cold-case disappearance of a Swedish teen heiress. With Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace and Peter Haber. Based on the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. In Swedish with English subtitles. (2:32) R.

The Good Guy If you’ve ever wondered whether it is even possible for a fast-track Wall Street player to have a heart, “The Good Guy” makes a run at answering that question. The film stars Alexis Bledel as Beth, the good girl stranded on that dangerous corner, with Scott Porter as her hot broker/boyfriend Tommy and Bryan Greenberg as the new guy who might be falling for her too. First time writer-director Julio DePietro delivers a more-clever-than-most window into modern urban yuppie mating rituals, tracking just how tough it is to keep a grip on love and the corporate ladder at the same time. (B.S., Feb. 19) (1:30) R.

Greenberg A single, 40-ish ex-musician finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother and connects with another lost soul, his brothers personal assistant Florence. With Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans and Greta Gerwig. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach. (1:47) R. Story on Page D5

Hubble 3D In this documentary, moviegoers journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. Written and directed by Toni Myers. In IMAX. (:45) G.

It’s Complicated The problem with this romantic comedy about the menopausal crowd starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, is that it’s not nearly complicated enough. The film is the latest from writer/director Nancy Meyers, who has been working through her issues on screen for at least 20 years. She’s given us her thinnest slice of comic relationship angst yet, proving, I guess, that you actually can be too thin. (B.S., Dec. 25) (1:58) R.

The Killing Jar The patrons of a roadside diner become hostages after suspecting a return of the disturbing murders of a family in a nearby county. Starring Michael Madsen, Harold Perrineau, Amber Benson, Danny Trejo and Jake Busey. Written and directed by Mark Young. (1:41) R.

Legion Movies this ludicrous pull back from all-out camp at their own peril. So, while Kevin Durand’s louche archangel Gabriel is a juicy howler, the mini-chamber dramas of faithlessness and bruised hope among the mortals, as concocted by director Scott Stewart and credited co-screenwriter Peter Schink, are snooze-worthy, cliché-ridden afterthoughts. (Robert Abele, Jan. 25) (1:40) R.

The Lovely Bones By turns warmly sentimental, serial-killer sinister and science-fiction fantastical, Alice Sebold’s novel was an unlikely book to achieve world-wide success. In Peter Jackson’s film version, those mismatched elements come back to haunt the story, so to speak, making the final product more hit and miss than unblemished triumph. (K.Tu., Dec. 11) (2:16) PG-13.

Mother When a mama’s boy is convicted of a young girl’s murder, his mother sets out to find the girl’s killer and prove her son’s innocence. With Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin. Written by Park Eun-kyo and Bong Joon-ho. Directed by Joon-ho. In Korean with English subtitles. (2:08) NR.

My Name Is Khan Karan Johar’s sweeping epic in the melodramatic Bollywood manner emerges as a potent, engaging and timely entertainment. Shahrukh Khan stars as Rizwan Khan, whose Asperger’s syndrome goes undiagnosed until the death of his loving mother sends him off to San Francisco to live with his younger brother. The film evolves from the story of a man with Asperger’s learning to live a successful, happy life to that of a man who embarks, in the wake of tragedy and violence, on an odyssey to declare to President Obama, “I am a Muslim and I am not a terrorist.” Khan and co-star Kajol, major Bollywood stars, are highly appealing and equal to the demand of their emotion-charged roles. (Kevin Thomas, Feb. 13) (2:25) NR.

Neil Young Trunk Show The director of “Neil Young: Heart of Gold” once again attempts to capture Young’s musical and spiritual soul on film, this time during two Pennsylvania shows in the Chrome Dreams II tour. Directed by Jonathan Demme. (1:22) NR.

October Country A documentary portrait of a working class American family struggling for stability while haunted by the ghosts of war and facing the challenges of recurring teen pregnancy, foster care and child abuse. Directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher. (1:20) NR.

Our Family Wedding Instead of invitations, they should be sending out apologies for “Our Family Wedding,” a cake-and-kisses comedy that has disaster written all over it. The film stars America Ferrera of “Ugly Betty,” and Lance Gross, a resident of Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne,” as the secretly betrothed Lucia and Marcus. Race as much as romance and a wedding on the fly is at the heart of the matter. But the filmmakers waste a chance to take a smart cut at the cultural clashes that are sure to follow. (B.S., March 12) (1:30) PG-13.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief As directed by the risk-averse and reliably commercial Chris Columbus, “Percy Jackson” has standard Hollywood product so written all over it that the fact that it is unadventurous and uninteresting can be figured out from the film’s advertising and promotion material alone. There’s clearly a lot of classical mythology to be learned from “The Lightning Thief,” but that’s the best that can be said of it. “Abandon all hope ye who enter here” is what the poet Dante put on Hades’ gates, and unwary adults tempted by this film should take that line very much to heart. (K.Tu., Feb. 12) Directed by Chris Columbus. (2 hrs.) PG.

Prodigal Sons Returning to her hometown in Montana for the first time since her sex change, a transgendered filmmaker sets out to document her reunion at the high school where she had formerly been a star quarterback and hopes to make peace with her classmate and long-estranged, brain-damaged adopted brother, Marc. Things do not go as planned. Directed by Kimberly Reed (1:26) NR.

The Red Baron Baron Manfred von Richthofen is, at the age of only 24, is the crack pilot of the German aerial combat forces over the skies of WWI Europe, a man both feared and respected by the enemy. With Matthias Schweighöfer, Joseph Fiennes, Lena Headey and Til Schweiger. Directed by Nikolai Mullerschon. (2 hours) PG-13.

Remember Me There’s only one thing that loves Robert Pattinson more than his legions of hysterical teenage fans and that’s the camera. Which helps but doesn’t quite save the earnest new romantic drama “Remember Me,” whose filmmakers hang everything on those chiseled cheeks and moody eyes. The “Twilight” star has definitely figured out how to look the part, wearing “brooding” like a James Dean leather jacket, what he hasn’t yet found is a way past those soulful eyes into the soul itself. (B.S., March 12) (1:42) PG-13.

Repo Men Set in the near future when artificial organs can be bought on credit, a heart transplant patient struggling to make payments on his recent purchase goes on the run before his ticker is repossessed. With Jude Law, Forest Whitaker and Liev Schriber. Written by Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner, based on Garcia’s novel. Directed by Miguel Sapochnik. (1:41) R.

The Runaways The story of Joan Jett, Cherie Currie and their all-girl band the Runaways. With Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Stella Maeve, Scout Taylor-Compton and Michael Shannon. Written and directed by Floria Sigismondi. (1:45) R.

See What I’m Saying This documentary follows the journeys of four deaf entertainers through a single year as their stories intertwine and culminate in some of the largest events of their lives. With C.J. Jones, Robert DeMayo, T.L. Forsberg and Bob Hiltermann. Directed by Hilari Scarl. (1:31) PG-13.

She’s Out of My League There is one particular question that has long bothered and befuddled some of our greatest minds -- Freudians, Jungians, Judd Apatowians, Seth Rogenians and other noted R-rated auteurs alike: Can an attractive female fall in love with a schlub? So props to “She’s Out of My League,” which stars Jay Baruchel, for wading into the fraught and frothy surf of the “I’m not worthy” genre of films. And more props for doing so with a disarming sentimentality and a certain decency along with the requisite raunch and repressed rage. (B.S., March 12) (1:45) R.

Sherlock Holmes Briskly directed by Guy Ritchie and starring an expert Robert Downey, Jr., this 21st-century look at the great Victorian detective has been tripped up by a series of misadventures that leave us wishing for the film that might have been. (K.Tu., Dec. 25) (2:09) PG-13.

The Spy Next Door On the ground or twirling in a stunt harness above it, Jackie Chan brings an air of determined good cheer to even the most metallic of clunkers “The Spy Next Door” operates on familial bonding by way of humiliating pranks, which in better circumstances might go by the name of slapstick. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 15) (1:32) PG.

Stolen A small-town police chief who works to uncover the truth behind the mummified remains of a boy found in a box, buried for 50 years. With Jon Hamm, Josh Lucas, James Van Der Beek, Rhoma Mitra and Joanna Cassidy. Written by Glenn Taranto. Directed by Anders Anderson. (1:30) R.

Surviving Crooked Lake A coming of age story about four 14-year-old girls who encounter death and overcome extreme adversity on a summertime canoe trip to the North Woods, where everything that can go wrong does. With Alysha Aubin, Candice Mausner, Stephanie Richardson and Morgan McCann. Written and directed by Sascha Drews, Ezra Krybus and Matthew Miller. (1:27) PG-13.

Tales From the Script A documentary about Hollywood screenwriters showcases first-person experiences from A-listers to newcomers and includes interviews with Allison Anders, Shane Black, John Carpenter, Frank Darabont, Bruce Joel Rubin and Paul Schrader. Directed by Peter Hanson. (1:45) NR.

Terribly Happy After a nervous breakdown, a Copenhagen police officer is transferred to a small provincial Jutland town to take on the mysteriously vacated marshal position and subsequently gets mixed up with a married femme fatale. With Jakob Cendergren, Kim Bodina and Lene Maria Christensen. Screenplay by Henrik Ruben Genz and Dunja Gry Jensen, based on a novel by Erling Jepsen. Directed by Genz. (1:40) NR.

Toe to Toe At a politically correct prep school, two girls on the lacrosse team collide over racial and social differences. With Louisa Krause and Sonequa Martin. Written and directed by Emily Abt. (1:44) NR.

The Tooth Fairy The poster’s the funniest thing about the project: Dwayne Johnson, sporting a pair of fairy wings larger than his forearms, glaring at the camera. Johnson’s a game and antic presence, but saddled with this material -- he comes perilously close to tiring out the audience with all the nervous activity and the mugging. Working in a lower key, Billy Crystal is good for a chuckle or two as an elder fairy statesman. (Michael Phillips, Jan. 22) (1:42) PG.

Valentine’s Day To paraphrase that Southern philosopher Mama Gump, “Valentine’s Day” is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Because the man handing out this particularly box is “Pretty Woman’s” Garry Marshall, the hearts-on-sleeves sentimentality won’t come as a surprise. (B.S., Feb. 12) (1:30) PG-13.

The Wolfman Here’s the surprise of “The Wolfman,” starring Benicio Del Toro -- there isn’t one. No bite either, or humor, or camp. And the real killer -- almost no spine-tingling dread. Also starring, and squandering, the talents of Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving, the film is built around the ancient myth of the cursed creature -- part man, part wolf, part of the time. (B.S., Feb. 12) (2:05) R.

The Yellow Handkerchief Screenplay writer Erin Dignam and director Udayan Prasad have taken the plot outline of Yoji Yamada’s appealing 1977 film and created original characters in a rural post-Katrina Louisiana, captured in evocative images by master cinematographer Chris Menges. This “Yellow Handkerchief” is a gentle, low-key road movie, centering on the eternal need to love and to trust, suffused in the humanist spirit. Cohn has assembled a quartet of gifted actors who are captivating under Prasad’s perceptive direction. (Kevin Thomas, Dec. 17, 2008) (1:42) NR.

All movies are in general release unless noted. Also included: the film’s running time and ratings. MPAA categories: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one 17 and younger admitted.