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“Bride Wars”

C Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson play Jersey girls, lifelong friends until an undignified bridal turf war brings out the worst in both of them. Dreaming of the perfect wedding day at the perfect place, the Plaza, at the perfect time, in June, the young women throw themselves into a tizzy over DJs and guest lists that would make many feminists cringe. We stop caring long before the women learn it’s all about the love. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG (suggestive content, language and some rude behavior). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 29 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE Should greatly entertain girls 8-16, but many parents will wince at the movie’s over-the-top stereotype of female lust for things and appearances.

“Not Easily Broken”

C Based on the novel by T.D. Jakes, this marriage-in-crisis melodrama stars Morris Chestnut as a has-been baseball player struggling to stay connected to his bread-winning wife, played by Taraji P. Henson. The story, filled with African-American screen cliches, is baked straight from the Tyler Perry recipe. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG-13 (sexual references and thematic elements). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 36 minutes.

“Revolutionary Road”

A Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as a 1950s couple stuck in suburban desperation as undefined yearnings eat at their souls. They have the house, the car, the kids, the good paycheck, the drinks, the cigarettes, everything they need except a purpose they take joy in. With a devastating character played by Michael Shannon, whose “madness” takes the form of seeing straight through them. Directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”); based on the famous 1961 novel by Richard Yates. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (language and some sexual content/nudity). At Regal Tara. 1 hour, 59 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE The movie includes an implied self-induced abortion, explicit sexual situations, marital infidelity, toplessness, profanity and much drinking and smoking. For college-age cinema buffs.

“The Unborn”

Not screened for review. A young woman (Odette Yustman) is haunted by a tortured, demonic spirit, and the only one who can help is Gary Oldman, who plays a rabbi. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language, including some sexual references). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 28 minutes.

STILL SHOWING

“Australia”

B An Australian “Gone With the Wind,” a sweeping romantic melodrama and broad family entertainment. With Nicole Kidman as a British society figure, Hugh Jackman as a rough-hewn cattle drover, and Brandon Walters wonderful as the young Aborigine who narrates. Gorgeous film, strong performances, exhilarating images, a powerful but sometimes uncertain consideration about Australian racism. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (some violence, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language). At metro theaters. 2 hours, 45 minutes.

“Bedtime Stories”

C Adam Sandler plays a down-on-his luck uncle caring for his sister’s (Couteney Cox) kids while she’s out of town, which includes telling impromptu bedtime tales that come true in real life when the kids pitch in on the storylines. With no success in serious films, an inexpressive face and a gift for making weird noises, Disney may have found its new Tim Allen in Adam Sandler. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG (some mild crude humor and mild language). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 35 minutes.

“Bolt”

B+ Bolt (voiced by John Travolta), who doesn’t realize he only plays a superdog on television, gets lost and must travel cross-country to get home. One of his companions on the trip is the hamster Rhino (Mark Walton), a devoted fan of Bolt’s TV show. This may be the best animated movie since “The Incredibles.” (Robert W. Butler, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG (some mild action and peril). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 30 minutes.

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”

A A German 8-year-old may not know what goes on at the “farm” his SS soldier father is running, but that doesn’t stop him from befriending a young boy wearing “striped pajamas,” who works there. This is the most heartbreaking film about the Holocaust since “Schindler’s List.” (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG-13 (mature thematic material involving the Holocaust). At Regal Snellville Oaks Stadium 14 and Barrett Commons 24. 1 hour, 33 minutes.

“Cadillac Records”

C Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Beyonce Knowles star in the story of Chess Records, the label dubiously run by Leonard Chess that made history by bringing black artists, including Etta James, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, to white turntables. This is a competent but misshapen movie that whitewashes some of the more interesting parts of the story. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated R (pervasive language and some sexuality). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 49 minutes.

“Changeling”

A- Clint Eastwood’s film made me feel sympathy, and then anger, and then back around again. It’s the factual account of a mother whose boy disappeared, and of a corrupt LAPD running wild. Angelina Jolie stars as the mother, John Malkovich plays a crusading reformer, and Jason Butler Harner is riveting as the serial killer. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (violence, language). At Venture Value Cinemas. 2 hours, 20 minutes.

“City of Ember”

B+ The tale of an underground city, and the two kids who try to save it when its power grid starts to falter. Critic Roger Moore says “City of Ember” is good enough to turn on a new generation of sci-fi fans to the glories of movie dystopias. Rated PG (mild peril and some thematic elements). At Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 32 minutes.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

C+ A splendidly made film based on a profoundly mistaken premise: A man is old when he is born and an infant when he dies. It’s impossible to identify with or care deeply about a story —- however well-told —- that’s essentially a gimmick. Good performances by Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, many others. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking). At metro theaters. 2 hours, 47 minutes.

“The Day the Earth Stood Still”

C Alien beings land in Central Park with a message only Jennifer Connelly finds out, and she pleads with Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) to save the human race. A good-looking, well-made remake of the 1951 classic; pity the plot stands still. Co-starring Kathy Bates. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (some sci-fi disaster images and violence). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 43 minutes.

“Doubt”

A In a Catholic grade school in 1964, a stern nun (Meryl Streep) rules with severe perfectionism. The new parish priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is gentler and more progressive. A sweet young nun (Amy Adams) suspects something that places them all on a collision course. And the mother (Viola Davis) of the school’s only black student faces up to Streep in a towering supporting performance. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (thematic material). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 44 minutes.

“Eagle Eye”

C+ Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan play strangers forced to follow the commands of a mysterious woman, only to realize they’re being framed as terrorists. Roger Moore of McClatchy/Tribune says the overloaded thriller is cluttered and derivative. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of action and violence, and for language). At Town Center Value, Venture Value Cinemas and Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 48 minutes.

“Fireproof”

Not screened for review. On the verge of a divorce, a firefighter and his wife are challenged by his father to try a 40-day experiment called “the Love Dare.” Starring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea. Rated PG (thematic material and some peril). At metro theaters. 2 hours, 2 minutes.

“Four Christmases”

C Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn lead a stellar cast through four lackluster holiday vignettes, each a visit to the homes of the couple’s divorced parents. There are big enough laughs to make it marginally better than last year’s holiday movie crop, but “A Christmas Story” it’s not. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG-13 (some sexual humor and language). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 30 minutes.

“Frost/Nixon”

A The famous 1977 interviews of Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) by David Frost (Michael Sheen), played as a duel with both men troubled by private agendas. Nixon wants both to conceal and reveal. Frost has gambled all his money on wringing a Watergate confession out of Nixon. Begins as an inside look at the TV news business, tightens into a spellbinding thriller. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (some language). At Phipps Plaza, UA North Point Market and Barrett Commons 24. 2 hours, 2 minutes.

“Gran Torino”

B+ Clint Eastwood directs himself as a cantankerous, racist, beer-chugging retired autoworker who keeps his shotgun ready to lock and load. Dirty Harry on a pension, we’re thinking, until we realize that only the autoworker retired; Dirty Harry is still on the job. The movie is about his touchy relationship with the Asians next door, during which he discovers his better nature, but not without a lot of growling. Funny at times, violent and sad. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (language throughout and some violence). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 56 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE High-schoolers with patience for character studies may take to this film. There are brief bursts of violence, grim threats and the sight of a bruised and bloodied young woman who has been raped.

“The Haunting of Molly Hartley”

C God and Satan duke it out for the soul of a troubled girl in this cynical addition to the teen-scream genre. Tame and inoffensive (unless you’re on the Lord’s side), the film is no more than a big-screen lasso for the “Gossip Girl” and “Supernatural” demographic. (Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times) Rated PG-13 (strong thematic material, violence and terror, brief strong language, and some teen drinking). At Venture Value Cinemas. 1 hour, 27 minutes.

“I’ve Loved You So Long”

B+ Kristin Scott Thomas in a strong performance as a woman released from prison after 15 years and returning to live with a sister and brother-in-law, who does not greet her warmly. The event in her past is not widely known about in the present, and that causes her a social minefield and employment problems. Set in the French city of Nancy, with Scott Thomas effortlessly acting in French. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (thematic material and smoking). At Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. 1 hour, 57 minutes.

“Let the Right One In”

B+ A disturbing story of two lonely and disturbed Swedish 12-year-olds, one of whom is a vampire and has been 12 for a very long time. Dark, bloody, despairing, sometimes faintly funny. Takes vampires as seriously as the “Nosferatu” of your choice. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language). At Plaza Theatre. 1 hour, 54 minutes.

“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”

B Same characters, same challenge: Can wild animals survive in the wild? Our heroes tape together a crashed airplane and try to fly it home, but end up dealing with volcanoes and drought. Brighter and funnier than the original. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG (some mild crude humor). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 28 minutes.

“Marley & Me”

B An upperwardly mobile husband (Owen Wilson) and wife (Jennifer Aniston) go through life’s trials and tribulations alongside their destructive but lovable Labrador, Marley. A rare tear-jerker that doesn’t make you feel guilty in the morning, with an open-hearted performance by Wilson. (Christopher Kelly, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG (mature themes). At metro theaters. 2 hours.

“Milk”

A Extraordinary performance by Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first self-identified gay person to win public office in America. Following him from a personal turning point to the leadership of a powerful political and social movement, the film never objectifies him as a hero, but as an ordinary man: kind, funny, flawed, shrewd, idealistic, yearning for a better world. Deeply involving, emotionally inspiring. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (language, some sexual content and brief violence). At Lefont Sandy Springs, Regal Tara and Regal Hollywood 24. 2 hours, 7 minutes.

“Nights in Rodanthe”

B Based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel, this romance stars Diane Lane and Richard Gere as strangers dealing with personal crises who find themselves together at a North Carolina coastal inn with a big storm approaching. Carrie Rickey of McClatchy/Tribune says it’s a potent weeper. Rated PG-13 (sensuality). At Picture Show at Merchants Exchange and Town Center Value.

“Quantum of Solace”

C A disappointment. No Q, no Miss Moneypenny, no suave and seductive James Bond, and a Bond girl under-named … Camille. The evil villain’s globe-threatening scheme is to control the water supply in Bolivia. Daniel Craig is handsome, agile, muscular, dangerous. Everything but Bond, who has been replaced by an identikit action hero mixed in with incomprehensible CGI. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and action and some sexual content). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

“Rachel Getting Married”

A Jonathan Demme directs this comedy-drama about a dysfunctional wedding. Anne Hathaway plays an abrasive young woman sprung from rehab to attend her sister’s nuptials. Roger Ebert says the film is like theme music for an evolving new age. Rated R (language and brief sexuality). At Regal Hollywood 24, Mansell Crossing and Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. 1 hour, 51 minutes.

“The Reader”

B+ A 15-year-old boy and a trolley car operator in her 30s (Kate Winslet) begin an affair in 1958 Germany that unfolds in flashbacks as the adult Michael (Ralph Fiennes) encounters his former lover while she’s being tried for a war crime. May not be emotionally satisfying, but it provokes a mulling over of the Holocaust like few films in recent memory. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated R (some scenes of sexuality and nudity). At metro theaters. 2 hours, 3 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE There are verbal descriptions of an atrocity involving the deaths of women and children, a grim visit to a one-time death camp, a suicide, explicit sex scenes with nudity and smoking. Ideal for college students.

“Role Models”

B The premise is completely formulaic and potentially cheesy: A couple of buddies get arrested and, for their community service, must serve as big brothers to a pair of misfit kids. You know from the beginning many life lessons will be learned. But it’s the hilariously crude way that director David Wain approaches this concept that makes the film so disarming. (Christy Lemire, Associated Press) Rated R (crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity). At Town Center Value, Venture Value Cinemas and Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 39 minutes.

“The Secret Life of Bees”

B+ Sue Monk Kidd’s popular novel comes to the screen. Dakota Fanning plays a motherless teenager in the 1960s South who goes to live with a caretaker (Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson) and her bee-keeping sisters. Critic Roger Ebert says the parable defies harsh reality, but in a good way. Rated PG-13 (thematic material and some violence). At Picture Show at Merchants Exchange. 1 hour, 50 minutes.

“Seven Pounds”

B Will Smith plays a deeply manipulative IRS agent whose badge allows him into others’ lives. He falls in love with Rosario Dawson but, strangely, he doesn’t act on it. He is cruel to a blind man (Woody Harrelson), but why? His motives remain deeply hidden until the graceful, moving revelations at the end. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 40 minutes.

“Slumdog Millionaire”

A Bridges the two Indias, cutting between poverty and the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The story of an orphan born into a brutal early existence. A petty thief, impostor and survivor, he improvises his way up through the world and remembers everything he has learned. A miraculous entertainment by Danny Boyle. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R (some violence, disturbing images and violence). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 56 minutes.

“The Spirit”

C Set in the darkness and snow globe flurries of the City, this supernatural/comic noir film follows its hero (Gabriel Macht) in hot pursuit of his nemesis, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). Most of us will get the jokes and hardboiled Dashiell Hammett dialogue, but the result is a graphic-novel fanboy’s dream. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 35 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE There are skull-pounding fights, off-camera suicides, the vaporization of a kitty, guns and explosions, profanity and smoking. OK for teens, but dull.

“Synecdoche, New York”

A The great screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, in his first film as a director, uses a theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to show the ebb and flow of a human life, its attempts to control others, its negotiations with reality, dream, hallucination and madness. I needed to see it twice to begin to absorb its greatness. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated R. At Plaza Theatre. 2 hours, 4 minutes .

“The Tale of Despereaux”

C An animated fairy tale with Matthew Broderick giving voice to a fearless mouse out to save a kingdom despairing over a queen’s death and a lack of good soup. Heavy hitters, including Dustin Hoffman and William H. Macy, can’t help. There are too many lessons, characters, settings and story threads, leaving precious little space in Despereaux’s tale for heroism and humor. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated G. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 34 minutes.

“Transporter 3”

C+ A perfectly acceptable brainless action thriller starring the steely eyed, taciturn Jason Statham, who makes his deliveries on time and with no questions asked —- except this time, when he starts caring for his cargo (the delightfully freckled Natalya Rudakova). Two stunt sequences of remarkable complexity and reckless foolishness. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (sequences of intense action and violence, some sexual content and drug material). At Southlake Pavilion 24 and Barrett Commons 24. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

“Twilight”

C+ A teenage romance between fresh-faced Kristen Stewart and the distant, aloof, handsome, dangerous Robert Pattinson, who plays a vampire. Lush, beautiful, preposterous, based on the runaway best-seller. Primary audience: 16-year-old girls. They’ll love it. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (some violence and a scene of sexuality). At metro theaters. 2 hours, 2 minutes.

“Valkyrie”

B Tom Cruise is unfussy and stoic as Claus von Stauffenberg, the SS officer who planned to kill Hitler to save Germany. An objective account of this almost forgotten true story, providing a very human window into history. Also stars Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard and Tom Wilkinson. (Roger Moore, McClatchy/Tribune) Rated PG-13 (violence and brief, strong language). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 54 minutes.

PARENTS GUIDE There are some intense war scenes, but few graphic injuries. Von Stauffenberg loses a hand and an eye in battle, but we see this only as he’s recovering There are explosions, executions by firing squad, hangings and suicides, rare profanity, brief mild sexual innuendo and smoking.

“Yes Man”

C Jim Carrey stars as a bank loan officer who attends a lecture by a self-help guru and agrees to say “yes” to everything. The problem is, this new policy makes scenes into obvious setups with entirely foreseeable consequences. Zooey Deschanel is bewitching as his new love, and Terence Stamp is darkly Stampian as the Guru of Yes. (Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate) Rated PG-13 (crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity). At metro theaters. 1 hour, 44 minutes.

ABOUT PARENTS GUIDE

The AJC wants to help parents make the best choices for their children’s entertainment. PARENTS GUIDE generally highlights popular PG-13 and R-rated movies your kids may be interested in seeing and is collected from columns by Jane Horwitz of the Washington Post Writers Group.