American Gangster brings the charismatic Denzel Washington to the screen as a vicious bad man for a change. He doesn’t usually play the villain, but in this African-American version of “The Godfather” he excels as a gangster in Harlem trying to outwit cop Russell Crowe. Washington works his way up the ladder in the drug trade, and Crowe is determined to stop him. With Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Armand Assante. Universal Pictures
“Awake” stars young Hayden Christiansen (“Star Wars”), who remains conscious but paralyzed during surgery, thereby experiencing “anesthetic awareness.” His new wife (Jessica Alba) experiences psychological problems of her own. Terrence Howard and Lena Olin co-star. Weinstein Company/ MGM
“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” has a stellar cast of Oscar winners and nominees, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris. Famed director Sidney Lumet puts the cast through its paces in this suspense thriller about a family facing its worst enemy”itself! THINKFilm
“Beowulf” is the legendary warrior of classic literature. Ray Winstone displays his magnificent abs as he battles the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of the beast’s ruthless mother, played by Angelina Jolie. With Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman, Brendan Gleeson. From Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis. Paramount Pictures
“Control” is a true story of rock singer Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) and his band Joy Division in London. Married at 19 to Debbie (Samantha Morton), Ian discovers he has epilepsy. He and his band become hits, but he is falling into a depression. Strife with his wife plunges him into despair, and things end badly. With Alexandra Maria Lara and Harry Treadaway (“The City of Ember”). Weinstein Company
“The Golden Compass” is a huge extravaganza based on “Northern Lights,” the first book of Philip Pullman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning fantasy trilogy called “His Dark Materials.” The special effects kick in when a young girl goes on a magical quest in a parallel universe. Nicole Kidman looks wonderful, and so does Daniel Craig. Ian McShane is a fine character star. New Line Cinema
“Gone Baby Gone” is actor Ben Affleck’s directing debut. Little brother Casey Affleck (so good in Brad Pitt’s “Jesse James”) plays a baby-faced detective who is dogged in his determination not to give up in his quest to find a missing 4-year-old girl. Set in the Afflecks’ real hometown of Boston, the movie is getting buzz as the best crime film of the year. Michelle Managhan, Morgan Freeman, Amy Madigan. Miramax Films
“Holly” stars Ron Livingston as an American slacker who tries to save a Vietnamese girl from sex slavery in Cambodia. French actress Virginie Ledoyan, Germany’s Udo Kier, Chris Penn and Thu Nguyen also star. Priority Films/ Slowhand Releasing
“Love in the Time of Cholera” stars Spain’s heartthrob Javier Bardem in author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s classic novel about a decades-long romance during a time of pestilence. Italy’s Giovanna Mezzogiorni, Mexico’s Catalina Sandino Moreno and Peruvian Benjamin Bratt rounding out the international cast. New Line Cinema
“Margot at the Wedding” is already creating Oscar buzz for Nicole Kidman’s performance. The film is both funny and heartbreaking in its view of a family in distress. There aren’t any likeable characters in the film and nobody to really root for, so “The Wedding” leaves you cold. Jack Black, John Turturro, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Paramount/ Vantage
“No Country for Old Men” is a tale of murder and mayhem from the Coen brothers. Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, Javier Bardem again shows up when a small fortune in drugs and cash sets in motion violence and struggle for the contraband. Gruff Tommy Lee Jones, handsome Josh Brolin (so good in “American Gangster”) and Woody Harrelson also star. Miramax Films
“The Savages” stars Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as a brotherly rival to sister Laura Linney. Their deep-seated resentments come to the surface as they are trying to find an elder-care facility for their ailing father (Philip Bosco). Tamara Jenkins wrote the screenplay. Fox Searchlight
“Things We Lost in the Fire” is a drama about two people brought together by fate. Oscar winners Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro star as people whose lives have been shattered in different ways. It’s depressing but ultimately uplifting. David Duchovny and Alison Lohman co-star in this gripping tale. Paramount Pictures/ DreamWorks
“This Christmas” highlights the humor and problems that a large African-American family experience during the holidays. Written by Preston A. Whitmore, a talented African-American himself. Starring Mekhi Phifer, Sharon Leal, Delroy Lindo, Loretta Divine, Chris Brown, Idris Elba, Keith Robinson, Laz Alonso and Columbus Short. Sony/ Screen Gems.