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Opinions are by Los Angeles Times reviewers. Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (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 younger than 17 admitted.
OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK
"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 Hallstrom. (1:48) PG-13.
"District 13: Ultimatum" - An elite police officer and a reformed vigilante must join forces again using martial arts to bring peace to the neighborhood by any means necessary before a proposed nuclear air-strike wipes it off the map. With Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle. Screenplay by Luc Besson. Directed by Patrick Alessandrin. (1:35) 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.
ALSO IN THEATERS
"Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel" - The chipmunks head to school to save the music program in a battle of the bands where they face off against the Chipettes. With the voices of Zach Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate. Screenplay by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. Directed by Betty Thomas. (1:28) PG.
"Avatar" - An "avatar," a human mind in an alien body, finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver. Written and directed by James Cameron. Also in IMAX 3D. (2:30) PG-13.
"The Blind Side" - The true story of a young, homeless African-American boy taken in by a well-to-do white family to discover his potential as a student and a football player. Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins and Jae Head. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock. (2:06) PG-13.
"The Book of Eli" - In the not-too-distant future, across the wasteland of what was once America, a lone warrior must fight to bring civilization the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. With Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson and Jennifer Beals. Written by Gary Whitta and Anthony Peckham. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. (1:58) R.
"Crazy Heart" - A broken-down country singer, Bad Blake, becomes involves with a journalist and takes stock of his career and his life. With Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell. Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb. Written and directed by Scott Cooper. (1:52) R.
"Daybreakers" - Humans have become an endangered species, hunted and forced into hiding after a mysterious plague transforms the majority of the world's population into vampires. With Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Sam Neil, Vince Colosimo and Isabel Lucas. Written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. (1:38) R.
"Edge of Darkness" - A veteran Boston homicide detective embarks on a mission to find out about his 24-year-old daughter's secret life after she is murdered on the steps of his home. With Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic and Shawn Roberts. Written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell. Based on the television series written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Directed by Martin Campbell. (1:48) R.
"Extraordinary Measures" - Based on the true story of John Crowley, a man who risked his family's future to pursue a cure for his children's life-threatening disease. With Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell and Courtney B. Vance. Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs. Directed by Tom Vaughan. (1:46) PG.
"It's Complicated" - A divorced mother becomes caught up in a love triangle when she renews a romance with her ex. With Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers. (1:54) R.
"Leap Year" - A woman follows her boyfriend to Ireland to ask him to marry her, but complications arise when she is stranded and must enlist the help of a surly Irishman. With Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott and John Lithgow. Written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. Directed by Anand Tucker. (1:40) PG.
"Legion" - When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse, and an out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for survival of the human race. With Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Jon Tenney and Charles S. Dutton. Written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. Directed by Stewart. (1:40) R.
"The Princess and the Frog" - This animated musical marks the return to hand-drawn animation in this modern twist on a classic tale set in New Orleans. With the voices of Anika Noni Rose, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings and Jenifer Lewis. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. (1:35) G.
"Sherlock Holmes" - Guy Ritchie directs the newest portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective and his stalwart partner Dr. Watson. With Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Kelly Reilly. Directed by Ritchie. (2:14) PG-13.
"The Spy Next Door" - Bob Ho, an undercover CIA superspy, decides to give up his career in espionage to settle down with his next-door neighbor and girlfriend but must win over her three opinionated kids. With Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Madeline Carroll, Will Shadley, Alina Foley, Magnus Scheving, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. Written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer. Directed by Brian Levant. (1:32) PG.
"The Tooth Fairy" - When a hard-charging hockey player, nicknamed "the tooth fairy" for separating opposing players from their bicuspids, discourages a youngster's dreams, he's sentenced to one week's hard labor as a real tooth fairy. With Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Stephen Merchant and Ryan Sheckler. Directed by Michael Lembeck. (1:42) PG.
"To Save a Life" - After a childhood friend's death, an all-star athlete realizes he must change his life to make a difference. With Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Josh Weigel, Steven Crowder and D. David Morin. Written by Jim Butts. Directed by Brian Baugh. PG-13.
"Up In the Air" - A corporate downsizing expert who cherishes his life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching 10 million frequent flier miles and after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams. With George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Directed by Reitman. (1:49) R.
"When in Rome" - A young New Yorker, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome, where she plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors. With Kristen Bell, Danny DeVito, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard and Josh Duhamel. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. (1:31) PG-13.
"The Young Victoria" - In the turbulent first years of her reign, Queen Victoria falls in love. With Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann and Mark Strong. Written by Julian Fellowes. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee. (1:44) PG.
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