The Pitch

When his personal and professional life implodes big-time, Nick Halsey (Ferrell) ends up living and boozing on his front lawn, where his fleeing wife has dumped all his stuff. A pregnant neighbor (Hall), a curious kid (Wallace) and Nick's ex-girlfriend (Dern) check in to signpost possible exits from his alcoholic dead-end.

The Scoop

Early previewers tout "Everything Must Go" as funny, fresh, smartly and sensitively written, a nuanced, non-melodramatic exploration of an Everyman's booze-fueled despair and possible second chances. (It's adapted from a Raymond Carver short story.) Consensus is that Will Ferrell triumphs, delivering a strong, honest performance with no comedic air quotes to undermine Nick Halsey's character and emotions. As with Jim Carrey, the question is whether audiences will take Ferrell seriously. Can he escape the funny box where success and his fan base have put him?

The Pitch

Kin to the wandering samurai Yojimbo, a hobo (Rutger Hauer) wielding a 20-gauge shotgun brings vigilante justice to Hope Town, a hellhole rife with violence, depravity and corrupt cops.

The Scoop

Jason Eisener aced the Tarantino/Rodriguez contest for best fake trailer to precede "Grindhouse" (2007) -- but "Hobo" was shown only in Canadian release. Now, following in the hallowed footsteps of "Machete," "Hobo" dives into major B-movie mayhem, featuring sex and gore galore. Sundance 2011 festivalgoers admired the kind of directorial energy and flat-out commitment to the genre Eisener brings to this homage to '70s exploitation flicks. Your guide fondly recalls when Hauer was one of the most beautiful actors alive (see "Blade Runner"); at 67, his vengeful hobo looks like an ancient bird of prey.

The Pitch

Following a botched holdup, a seriously demented mom (De Mornay) and her evil offspring head for their old homestead, undeterred by the fact that the joint now houses new tenants busy partying with friends in the basement. A slew of disgusting gore effects eventuate when the guests come upstairs to meet the Munsters.

The Scoop

Yet another director spawned by the "Saw" franchise, Bousman has been credited with some bloody good work in this honorable remake of Troma's '80s "masterpiece" -- until he starts reprising familiar "Saw"-style fun and games. Your guide takes an unhealthy delight in the casting of De Mornay, so memorable a "mommy" in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," as horror-movie matriarch, but would lay odds she won't hold a candle to Jacki Weaver in last year's "Animal Kingdom."

The Pitch

It's yuppies on spin cycle when a hotshot lawyer (Goodwin) sort of semi-accidentally falls into bed with her unrequited love from law school days (Egglesfield) who -- wouldn't you know it? -- is engaged to her best gal pal (Hudson). Add the best male friend and confidant (Krasinski) who hasn't been telling her everything in return, and yep, it's a rom-com free-fire zone.

The Scoop

This sounds about as generic as rom-coms come, and the available data is scarcely more encouraging. Goodwin, known mostly for her running role on HBO's "Big Love," has yet to make a mark on the big screen. Hudson excelled in 2000's "Almost Famous" and was fine in last year's "The Killer Inside Me," but a barren decade stretches between those titles. Director Greenfield's a TV-movie lightweight, Egglesfield's a soap-opera actor lightweight, and the talented Krasinski -- so deft and engaging as Jim Halpert on "The Office" -- has had terrible luck in picking film opportunities. What's on TV tonight?

The Pitch

The Woodman has maintained an info blackout on his first film shot entirely in Paris, so we can only repeat the official line: "A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better."

The Scoop

Barcelona brought out the best in Woody Allen (well, the best in this millennium, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"). Can the City of Light do less, especially with the picture slated for opening night at Cannes? McAdams went blond for the occasion, but risks being outshone by a dark-haired beauty: the first lady of France, Carla Bruni, no less. Others in the cast include Alison Pill, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody and Léa Seydoux, and as usual Allen has enlisted a first-rate cameraman, Darius Khondji ("Se7en").

The Pitch

Identifying himself as a heavenly gardener, a duplicitous angel (Ulliel, once a young Hannibal Lecter) alights in 19th-century France to offer grape-growing advice to a peasant. Sobran's (Renier) enhanced skills soon make him an asset to a winemaking aristocrat, and then the count's sexy widow (Farmiga), while his neglected wife (Castle-Hughes) grows understandably bitter.

The Scoop

Remember Niki Caro's acclaimed "Whale Rider" (2002), the charming Maori fable that earned 12-year-old Castle-Hughes an Oscar nom? The super-gritty "North Country" came next, garnering another Oscar nom for Charlize Theron's sexually harassed coal miner. With "Luck," the New Zealand helmer veers into magical realism, by way of Elizabeth Knox's best-selling fantasy -- a vintner's version of "Like Water for Chocolate"? Your guide confesses to loving movies that feature angels and will watch anything with Vera Farmiga in it. But caveat emptor: Toronto Fest reviews were most unkind.

The Pitch

The impending marriage of her best pal (Rudolph) puts unpretentious small-town girl Annie (Wiig) in a dicey situation. As maid of honor, she wants to do everything possible to make her friend's happy occasion a triumph, but how to cope with the snooty, filthy-rich beyotches who've been selected as bridesmaids?

The Scoop

"Saturday Night Live" de facto star Wiig co-wrote the picture and is also top-lining, and director Feig is the multitalented (actor and writer, too) veteran of such TV comedy gold as "Freaks and Geeks," "The Office," "Nurse Jackie" and the classic Cleveland episode of "30 Rock." There's no end of wonderful folk in the cast, from Jon Hamm (TV's "Mad Men") and Ellie Kemper ("The Office") to the now-deceased Jill Clayburgh. Now if only they all have something to do, as opposed to zipping by in wink-wink cameos.

The Pitch

Hesher (Gordon-Levitt), a greasy-haired drifter with The Finger tattooed on his back and "antisocial" otherwise writ large across everything he does, barges into a household that's been shattered by grief following the death of the mother in a car accident. Dad (Wilson) is a zombified basket case, while preteen son T.J. (Brochu) is harried by the neighborhood bully. Somehow, without ever ceasing to do his utterly unpredictable wild-man thing, Hesher makes a redemptive difference in the family's lives.

The Scoop

"Hesher" by Spencer Susser -- is this a "Daily Show" joke? Sorry, couldn't resist. Screened at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, the picture was co-written by David Michôd around the same time that gent was making his own very impressive dysfunctional-family crime movie, "Animal Kingdom." Gordon-Levitt is always a major plus, whether falling in and out of love ("(500) Days of Summer") or in and out of a dream ("Inception"). Now he gets to follow in the shambling footsteps of the cinema's archetypal antisocial interloper, Michel Simon's Boudu (as in Jean Renoir's "Boudu Saved From Drowning"). As for other career tracks, the Brochu kid went on to become part of the deadpan wild'n'crazy horror movie "Rubber," and Natalie Portman was in some movie about a swan. Yeah, check this one out.

The Pitch

In this post-apocalyptic action flick, the world is a wasteland ruled by vampires and surviving humans cower inside dark, walled cities controlled by the church. When a warrior priest's niece is kidnapped by vamps, he breaks his order's orders by going out after her.

The Scoop

Scott Stewart and Paul Bettany last teamed up on the not-entirely-beneath-contempt "Legion," and, no, "Priest" isn't a sequel. Supposedly drawn from a popular graphic novel, the movie's gotten lots of heat from fans outraged by its wholesale alteration of the original story (fallen angels vs. humankind). Bettany deftly combines ascetic and athletic, the ever-feline Maggie Q's got his back, and Stephen Moyer brings vampire cred from "True Blood." Could be a guilty pleasure, especially for connoisseurs of metaphysical action movies.

The Pitch

Critic John Anderson nails it: "Trying to summarize the plot ... will get you almost nowhere: A movie within a movie, it involves a North Carolina political scandal, a double suicide, multiple identities and myriad flashbacks, U-turns and pirouettes in the plotline."

The Scoop

"I love to play with the idea of complex reality and mixing memory with present time and the whole idea of reality versus fantasy," says legendary director Monte Hellman. "Nowhere" is the first feature since 1988's "Iguana" by the septuagenarian many consider one of the great American indie directors, and others consider unbankable. Your guide hopes that this late-career effort measures up to '60s and '70s masterpieces like "Two-Lane Blacktop," "Ride in the Whirlwind," "The Shooting" and "Cockfighter." Buy a ticket to ride!

The Pitch

A couple (Bello and Sheen) on the verge of divorce must suddenly cope with unbearable horror: They learn that, after shooting up his college, their son has killed himself.

The Scoop

Helmer Ku makes his feature-film debut with a grim tale that is sure to put off audiences hot for the latest escapist fare. But early reviews tout "Boy"'s avoidance of melodrama, while mining truth from top-notch performances by ace actors Bello ("A History of Violence") and Sheen ("The Queen," "Frost/Nixon"). The script skirts details of massacre and the media circus that ensues; the focus is on the emotional impact on the mother and father of a "monster." Were they responsible? Can the estranged couple find support in each other? When they hole up in a motel, their claustrophobic dance of rage and renewed passion, shot with a hand-held camera, becomes almost too real. Your guide suggests taking time off from Avengers and Green Lanterns to see how ordinary heroes make it through the day.

The Pitch

Toy industry big shot Walter Black (Gibson) has all but lost his career and his home life to a severe case of depression. Can he climb free of his malaise and reconnect with the world by starting to communicate by way of ... a beaver hand puppet?

The Scoop

You're wondering whether Mel Gibson himself should take a cue from this therapeutic approach? Actually, the movie was in the can and ready for release last year when the actor's blowup with his Russian girlfriend got smeared across tabloid covers and TV screens. Nearly a year later, after many took for granted that Gibson's movie stardom was history, the film is at last to see the light of day. Questions of the scandal aside, how does the movie shape up as the third directorial effort from Foster (whose 1991 debut "Little Man Tate" was rather intriguing, and the 1995 "Home for the Holidays" a drag)? The Oscar-winning actress co-stars, with noble support from Jones ("24" prez) and "Winter's Bone" star Lawrence.

The Pitch

The continuing piratical adventures of one Jack Sparrow (Depp), questing for the Fountain of Youth with friend Barbossa (Rush) and frenemies Blackbeard (McShane) and his daughter (Cruz).

The Scoop

To tell the truth, "POTC" 2 and 3 rather killed your guide's appetite for high-seas silliness in the company of an increasingly shticky Sparrow -- a little Keith goes a long way -- and ships full of grotesques played by largely wasted name actors. However, Mr. Depp never entirely lets his admirers off his hook, and here he's got McShane of TV's "Deadwood" and Cruz of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" for colorful company. Your ever-hopeful guide may have to buy a ticket for this farewell cruise.

The Pitch

You remember that pre-wedding trip to Vegas when these guys totally lost track of the bridegroom and also whatever happened during an approximately 24-hour period? Neither do they. However, the film was a smash and, moreover, hilarious enough to deserve it. We assume they've learned their lesson and this new trip to Bangkok will be decorous and uneventful.

The Scoop

There have been wonderfully entertaining movies that led to wretched sequels ("Ocean's Twelve"? "Ocean's Thirteen"?), but who wants to bet against this lovably demented cast, reunited with director Phillips? Besides, don't you want to see Thailand?

The Pitch

Po the Panda has found happiness and fulfilled his destiny; now dubbed the Dragon Warrior, our furry hero guards the Valley of Peace with the help of his fellow kung fu masters: Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper, Monkey. But a new villain rises, and he's armed with a weapon that can vanquish any master of kung fu.

The Scoop

Predictably, the success of "Kung Fu Panda" has spawned a sequel. No harm in that, you say, but your guide begs to disagree and invites you to revisit Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Like proliferating Shreks and Potters and Pirates, Pandas will turn into an unstoppable franchise, sweeping benumbed audiences through variations on the same story forever and ever and ever. Oh, well, the voice cast rules -- and it is kinda cool that the bad guy in "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a mad-hatter peacock!

The Pitch

Sometime during the 1950s, somewhere in the American Heartland, an 11-year-old commits himself to a quest for the meaning of life, which his mom and dad (Chastain and Pitt) have come to define in totally different ways. Jack (Penn) grows up and way out of innocence, but continues to wonder if it all means anything.

The Scoop

If "Tree" were directed by anyone but Terence Malick, that plot summary might sound hopelessly sappy and pseudo-mystical. But you have only to recall the lyrically gorgeous imagery of "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line," and it's instantly clear why the story line of "Tree" isn't really all that relevant. Malick's that rare big-screen artist who rarely compromises his visual poetry, which may explain why his latest film has taken such a long time to get released.

The Pitch

A young man (McGregor) who's just fallen in love with a wild child (Laurent) recalls the lesson of his recently deceased father (Plummer). After 44 years of marriage, the 75-year-old came out of the closet to become an happily adventurous gay man, even enjoying a young lover in his twilight years.

The Scoop

Who else but "Thumbsucker" writer-director Mike Mills would deliver an off-the-wall, autobiographical dramedy about a septuagenarian who bravely plunges into a totally game-changing lifestyle? Expect Plummer to be grand as a graying gay and McGregor to be totally convincing as an artist whose father's belated rite of passage prepares him for his own unconventional love affair. Though Mills' style has been criticized as arty and pretentious, his up-close-and-personal feel for human feelings and behavior has garnered nothing but praise.

The Pitch

How did the war between Professor X (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) begin? Find out in this origins chronicle of the mutant mega-powers' initial friendship, their fight against nuclear apocalypse, and the root cause of their mutual hatred.

The Scoop

James McAvoy calls his "First Class" flick a variation on "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a sci-fi bromance between two budding super-mutants. McAvoy's choice to play Charles Xavier as a brilliant, none-too-sensitive egotist rather than saintly from birth should add pizzazz to his evolution into super-good guy. One of the best screen actors on tap, Michael Fassbender ("Hunger," "Centurion," "Jane Eyre") will surely make his mutant Lucifer shine, as Magneto-to-be plummets from purity and grace. Cast is first-class -- especially superwomen Byrne, Jones and Lawrence -- but will "Kick-Ass" director Vaughn make a mash-up of this hot property?

The Pitch

A third-grader named Judy Moody (Beatty) is absolutely, positively determined to have the kind of nonstop adventures that will makes this the most supercalifragilisticexpialidocious summer ever.

The Scoop

It is what it is, a family-friendly adaptation of one of Megan McDonald's nine way-popular kids books about Judy, her little brother Stink and ever-game Aunt Opal (Graham). Thirteen million copies of these tomes are in print worldwide, and they've been translated into 22 languages. Will that book magic set the stage for a hit movie, like the "Wimpy Kid" debut flick?

The Pitch

Back in 1979, a bunch of smalltown kids shooting a Super 8 movie witness a horrific train crash that may not have been an accident. And the hairy scary is just getting started: Something's jonesing to get out of one of the container cars, and soon every dog has gone missing & and then people start disappearing, too. What was the Air Force transporting from Area 51?

The Scoop

J.J. Abrams, "Lost" and "Fringe" master of the mysterious, wrote and directed, creating an homage to the kinds of sci-fi flicks he loved as a child. Producer Steven Spielberg presumably cast his own brand of magic over the proceedings -- who better to envision out-of-this-world weirdness through the eyes of precocious children, shades of "E.T." and "A.I."? Good-guy grown-up Kyle Chandler brings cred from TV fave "Friday Night Lights," and smart little girl Elle Fanning showed amazing acting chops in last year's "Somewhere." What's not to like?

The Pitch

OK, there's this bunch of intergalactic warriors, an elite corps of superheroes who've been fighting through the centuries for, you know, peace and justice and all that good stuff. Now a really bad dude threatens the whole frakkin' universe, and the snobby Green Lantern boys are forced to recruit, reluctantly, a cocky human (Ryan Reynolds).

The Scoop

Maybe Martin Campbell's chops as a veteran action director ("The Mask of Zorro," "Casino Royale") and a remarkably tasty cast will make "Lantern" burn bright in the crowded superhero pantheon. Bland man-meat in "The Proposal," Reynolds earned kudos for "Buried" last year; once just a "Gossip Girl" star, Lively was a knockout skank in "The Town." And then we get into truly hot territory: super-silky Mark Strong, villainous in "Sherlock Holmes" and "Robin Hood"; gorgeously buff Angela Bassett; Temuera Morrison, unforgettable in "Once Were Warriors." Will talent galore distract us from all that neon-green spandex & or will there be giggling among the fan boys?

The Pitch

Mr. Popper (Carrey) paints houses, but his dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to correspond with folks who've actually traveled the icy wastes. When an explorer sends him a real live penguin, Mr. Popper gives it a home in his icebox. Soon a litter of 12 little waddlers arrives -- and not much later, the Popper's Performing Penguins show goes on the road.

The Scoop

Lots of grown-ups fondly recall reading the wonderful 1938 children's story by Richard and Florence Atwater, and Carrey's fan base will follow him anywhere (except into heavy drama and maybe "I Love You Phillip Morris"). Always a kick to have the legendary Lansbury on board, and Gugino (Popper's love interest, besides the penguins) can always be depended upon to be adorable. May the march of the penguins never end!

The Pitch

Elizabeth (Diaz) will never make Teacher of the Year. Nor will she ever have a "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" movie made about her -- or even a "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie." That's because our Miss Brooks talks real dirty, boozes, smokes dope and has her eyes peeled for some chump who will marry her out of pedagogical purgatory. Cold-shouldering Jason Segel, gym-teacher extraordinaire, this shark lady cruises substitute teacher and rich boy Justin Timberlake.

The Scoop

Young Kasdan's racked up a respectable résumé of transgressive comedy, including the underrated "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and TV's "Californication." If Diaz can tap deeply and unapologetically into her bad-girl kit bag -- and trust me, she's got one -- and Segel and Timberlake can keep up with her deliciously devilish misbehavin', your irreverent guide has high hopes for a hot mess o' funny.

The Pitch

An illegal alien, Carlos Riquelme (Bichir), works as a gardener for rich people in Los Angeles, and his greatest dream is that his son (Soto) should have more and better. But the lure of gang life and the threat of deportation cast shadows over the boy's future.

The Scoop

A standout as Fidel Castro in Soderbergh's "Che," Bichir has one of those beaten-up, beautiful faces you don't soon forget. His heartbreaking performance in "A Better Life" is being touted by early reviewers as Oscar-worthy, so keep an eye out for this labor of love by Chris Weitz ("Twilight: New Moon," "About a Boy"). Given Weitz's cinematic track record, your guide was surprised by his interest in this project -- he invested his own "vampire" money -- but turns out he's the grandson of famous Mexican silent film star Lupita Tovar, who crossed the border to work in Hollywood in the '30s. Could be this little film will go places ....

The Pitch

Racecar Lightning McQueen (Wilson) goes global when he signs on for the first-ever World Grand Prix. But being the fastest rod isn't all McQueen has to worry about, when he and best buddy Mater the tow truck find themselves embroiled in international espionage and spy-vs.-spy hijinks.

The Scoop

Doc Hudson's retired, out of respect for Paul Newman's passing, but "Cars 2" reportedly includes a tribute to the old racecar/star. Thankfully, the marvelous Michael Caine -- may he work forever! -- debuts as the voice of Finn McMissile, a British secret agent who looks a lot like a mustachio'd Aston Martin. Shades of James Bond & Lots of old friends from Radiator Springs are on the Pixar road again, so gear up to be overcome by comedic exhaust fumes all over again. (Please assure your giddy guide that John Lasseter really got the inspiration for "Cars" while dropping acid and viddying Nascar races!)

The Pitch

Larry Crowne (Hanks), who's worked in the same company since he got out of the Navy, suddenly finds himself downsized. Soon he's looking for a new career by going to college, along with a bunch of other variously unanchored folk. Adrift, Larry falls for his burned-out public-speaking teacher (Roberts). Will Larry ever find a new job, life, love?

The Scoop

Sounds like the comedic version of last year's "The Company Men," the brighter side of living through recession and unemployment. Directed by Hanks, co-written by Hanks and Nia Vardalos, "Larry Crowne" posts an outstanding cast but will almost certainly live or die on the funny power of Tom and Julia. Whatever this movie's faults, your besotted guide will lay odds that the deft and graceful pitch-and-catch between these likeable stars will be a beautiful thing. Expect laughter and the warming of cockles.

The Pitch

Emma (Cassidy) and Meg (Meester) head for Paris, looking for a good time, with teenage, soon-to-be stepsister Grace (Gomez) tagging along. Their tour's a bust until young Grace gets mistaken for a British heiress, whereupon the trio's whisked off to Monte Carlo for a vacation they'll never forget.

The Scoop

If you found "The Family Stone" as emotionally icky as your un-PC guide did, you will not be happy to hear that "Monte Carlo" (adapted from Jules Bass' "Headhunters") arises from the same directorial imagination. Surely every viewer under the age of 15 will flock to this "Glee"-ful frolic (Cory Monteith's around for boy décor), stocked with two Gossip Girls and a once-upon-a-time Disney princess, now Bieber squeeze. Cue squealing!

The Pitch

When Apollo 11 finds a Cybertronian spaceship on the dark side of the moon, it looks like the Decepticons may have an edge in their continuing rumble with the Autobots. You gotta know Sam Witwicky's back in the game.

The Scoop

Plot sounds like baby babble -- or Game Boy gabble. Be assured that in this third chapter of Michael Bay's demolition derby things will continue to blow up real good. Sky-scraping mechanical toys called Wheelie, Silverbolt and Ratchet will make a mess of some city, and Shia LaBeouf's witless Witwicky will furrow his brow and dash senselessly through the debris, with some girl (not Megan Fox, who got fired) hanging on for dear life. Real actors like Frances McDormand, John Turturro and John Malkovich will bank a bundle. Sheep are sure to flock to the box office.

The Pitch

In this improvised comedy-cum-road trip, two certified pranksters and real-life best pals (Coogan and Brydon) go on holiday in England's Lake District. Along the way, their pretend one-upsmanship leads to unexpectedly genuine clashes of ego and tests of friendship.

The Scoop

Director Winterbottom is a restless talent who happily ranges through disparate film genres, from "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" to "A Mighty Heart" to "The Killer Inside Me." Here he reunites with Coogan ("24 Hour Party People," "Tristram Shandy"), who's a loon of the highest order (remember his exploding director in "Tropic Thunder"?). And Brydon is a killer impersonator, channeling the likes of Michael Caine, Woody Allen and Sean Connery. Your guide plans to find a good seat in the stands from which to enjoy the comedic pitch-and-catch in this bizarro bromance.

The Pitch

You'd think working men (Bateman, Sudeikis, Day) would be grateful just to have a job in these hard times, but, no, they're busy plotting to murder their majorly hateful bosses (Spacey, Farrell, Aniston), on the advice of an ex-con with the elegant moniker of Motherf----- Jones (Foxx).

The Scoop

This one could be a real winner, fall-down-funny-wise. Seth Gordon has had his directorial paws all over TV's "Parks and Recreation," "Community" and "The Office," so the guy's clearly got comedic game. The cast boasts full-on dementoids like Sudeikis ("SNL"), Bateman ("Arrested Development") and Day ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"), and Spacey and Farrell aren't bad in a comedic pinch, either. Aniston's always the wild card -- great at double takes and deadpanning, rarely able to go the distance. Still, a sneak previewer raves that Jen brings down the house with the distaff equivalent of Tom Cruise's Les Grossman in "Tropic Thunder." Your guide advises attendance.

The Pitch

Two very different people spend the night together, celebrating graduation from college. From blue-collar stock, Emma (Hathaway) is an idealist aiming to make the world a better place, while super-rich Dexter (Sturgess) means to make it his playground. For the next two decades, the two friends keep running into each other as they live through shadow and sunshine. Where will their journey ultimately end?

The Scoop

Danish director Lone Scherfig last gave us "An Education," an affecting coming-of-age tale that garnered young Carey Mulligan an Oscar nom. Known for digging deep into character, with an eye for the kind of sadness that afflicts even the most fortunate, Scherfig may find heretofore unknown depths in the effervescent Hathaway. Last seen in Peter Weir's underrated "The Way Back," Sturgess has proved himself a full-fledged, three-dimensional actor who should go far. "One Day"'s premise may sound hokey, but your guide hopes deft direction will save the day.

The Pitch

A zookeeper (James) longs to fall in love, but figures no girl will look at him unless he gets a more glamorous job. In order retain the caretaker they all adore, his animal charges break their code of silence in order to teach the loveable oaf how to score.

The Scoop

Here's a novel idea: Get a big stewpot and throw in bits of "Toy Story," "Madagascar," "Night at the Museum" and "Dr. Dolittle." Stir it all up in a directorial broth left over from previous Sandler movies (think "The Wedding Singer," "The Waterboy," "Click"). Bring to boil with a big hunk of funnyman Kevin James (tainted by membership in Sandler's "Grown Ups" gang) and a bunch of stellar voices (Cher, Nick Nolte, Sandler, Stallone, et al.), then invite everybody's family over for lunch. It'll be a smash, a knock-'em-dead laff riot. Or not.

The Pitch

The absolute, ultimate, honest-to-goodness last bout in the epic Harry Potter vs. Voldemort championship tourney. You can bet your wizarding wand that there will be cheers, tears, gnashing of teeth.

The Scoop

As you might expect, the Noseless One wields every weapon at his disposal in this all-out war that will decide the fate of -- what else? -- the world. Everyone in the beloved Hogwarts gang has flown in for the apocalypse, which your guide hopes is a little more exciting than Part 1's draggy prelude. Seems like the fate of the world should be pretty much under control by now, given the superfluity of summer-movie superheroes: Harry, Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men, Captain America, Autobots and even a cowboy who looks suspiciously like James Bond.

The Pitch

In the desert West, a forlorn jazz trumpet player (Rourke) gets on the bad side of a very nasty gangster named Happy (Murray). Also at Happy's mercy is Lily (Fox), a carnival freak-show attraction by virtue of having been born with wings. Can the trumpet player and the angel make beautiful music together? More pressingly, can they survive the wrath of Happy?

The Scoop

The maiden directorial effort of screenwriter Glazer ("Scrooged," "The Recruit"), this wishful attempt to fuse fairy tale with neo-noir was supposed to give "Transformers" girl Megan Fox a chance to prove she can act as well as run, scream and pose. Dream on, Mr. Glazer. Despite lensing by master cinematographer Christopher Doyle and a supporting cast including Kelly Lynch, Rory Cochrane and Bud Cort, "Passion" received less-than-passionate reviews when showcased at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. After beating its wings in limbo for eight months, it lands on DVD three weeks after limited release.

The Pitch

In China in the 1800s, two little girls forge such a powerful intimacy that even when separated they stay spiritually in touch by writing notes in a secret language all their own, concealed in the folds of a silk fan. Nearly two centuries later, their descendants strive to preserve their own childhood friendship as they advance into adulthood in modern, dynamic Shanghai.

The Scoop

America's finest filmmaker of Asian descent -- pre-Ang Lee, anyway -- Wang ("Chan Is Missing") has taken his cue from the best-selling novel by Lisa See. The book covers the lives of the 19th-century characters as they mature, experience marriage and the birth and loss of children, and suffer the oppression of women in their culture. Playing out a parallel story in the ostensibly freer modern world is unique to the film. Here's hoping this is high-end Wang (his 1995 "Smoke" is a masterpiece) rather than irredeemable goop ("Maid in Manhattan").

The Pitch

That very famous honey-hungry bear and dear friends Christopher Robin, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga and Roo set out to find Eeyore a new tail. As one might expect, delightful adventures unfold.

The Scoop

This whimsical/philosophical adventure is traditionally animated, in the studio's classic, hand-drawn art style. John Cleese narrates and Jim Cummings ("Gnomeo and Juliet") voices everyone's favorite "bear of very little brain." Your guide knows many adults who find one lacking in character if one is not steeped in the Tao of Pooh, so best pack your little ones off to see this gentle animal fable.

The Pitch

Steve Rogers is the kind of guy who always gets sand kicked in his face by beach-blanket musclemen, so he volunteers for a top-secret experimental program -- and is soon sporting mega-abs and delts because he has been transformed into a supersoldier with a big A (for America) emblazoned on his blue mask.

The Scoop

Marvel freaks and fans, rejoice! Here's yet another gayly garbed superman prepared to rock and sock whatever evil's abroad in the world & or the universe. (Happily, it's Hugo Weaving who provides the evil, playing something called Red Skull.) Helmed by Joe Johnston, who made a shambles of "The Wolfman," and starring a generic-looking hunk (Evans was once Johnny Storm in "Fantastic Four"), "Captain America" doesn't make your patriotic guide want to stand up and salute. Still, Stan Lee might make a cameo appearance!

The Pitch

After one relationship too many goes south, two like-minded Manhattanites (Kunis, Timberlake) decide sex is enough -- better to leave behind all that emotional tsuris, so sure to end badly.

The Scoop

Yes, my friends, "Friends" does sound very much like "No Strings Attached," the recent sex-sans-emotions rom-com that eerily starred Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis' "Black Swan" alter ego. Guess sluttiness runs in the species. Your guide has three reasons to hope this second version can fly. First, Will Gluck previously helmed the very smart, very funny "Easy A." Second, unlike nice-guy Ashton Kutcher, Timberlake is a born actor who easily owns the screen, in comedy or drama. Third, it's possible that Kunis, so lovely to look at, has the makings of a real comedian.

The Pitch

In 1942, Sarah (Mayance) locks her little brother in a cupboard to keep him safe when the French police round up her family, along with thousands of other Jews, and imprison them inside the Paris Velodrome sans water, food and toilets. Almost seven decades later, an American journalist (Thomas) investigates what happened to Sarah after this shameful chapter in France's history.

The Scoop

If "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" was your cup of bitter tea, then "Key" should suit your tastes. Arestrup, superb in last year's "A Prophet," is a definite asset, and it's said that Kristin Scott Thomas delivers one of her best-ever performances as she plumbs past and present-day mysteries spawned by a child's long-ago act of desperation. Not surprisingly, there's plenty of guilt and redemption to go around, but your guide is a little put off by the fact that "Walled In," Paquet-Brenner's last directorial outing, was a widely panned horror film that opened on a young girl disappearing behind rising concrete. Can Paquet-Brenner graduate from low-brow trash to art-movie significance?

The Pitch

It's 1873 when an amnesiac cowboy (Craig) rides into a hardscrabble desert town and riles up Col. Dolarhyde (Ford), the badman who runs things in Absolution. But any previous animosity is forgotten when spaceships full of nasty aliens arrive and start kidnapping townspeople. The fate of humanity lies in the hands of a posse of gunslingers, citizens, outlaws, Apache warriors and a mysterious travelin' lady (Wilde).

The Scoop

Fed up with comic book movies featuring heroic hulks in tights, your guide is hot to see this sci-fi Wild West show, adapted from a graphic novel. Premise is stone-cold cool, you can't beat Craig in rugged action roles, and it's possible Han Solo might make a comeback, enabling us to forget his humorless, off-putting turn in "Morning Glory." And, happy days, the ineffable Walton Goggins, of "Shield" and "Justified" fame, is in the house. The script's by the team who slum with stuff like "Transformers" and TV's "Hawaii Five-0," then shine with "Star Trek" and TV's "Fringe." Can Favreau deliver another summer blockbuster on the order of "Iron Man"?

The Pitch

Seems like fortysomething Cal Weaver (Carell) has achieved la dolce vita: He loves his job, his kids, and the woman (Moore) he's adored since high school. But it all blows up when Emily confesses an affair, and klutzy Cal finds himself in a daunting dating market. Though a majorly cool dude (Gosling) mentors him in the art of studliness (shades of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), Cal's heart isn't in it.

The Scoop

On the strength of extremely positive test screenings, Warner Bros. is reportedly expecting this dramedy to be one of its biggest summer hits, up there with "Hangover II"! Hopefully, Carell will command the comic high ground with this one, delivering authentic emotion as well as ha-has (as he has during the winding down of "The Office"). With the likes of Oscar nominees Gosling and Moore backing him up, the bar is high. Directors Ficarra and Requa last gave us the fine-tuned rom-com "I Love You Phillip Morris," and screenwriter Dan Fogelman has penned brainy animated hits like "Tangled" and "Cars." The package promises much.

The Pitch

When big daddy Odin (Hopkins) kicks his smart-aleck son Thor (Hemsworth) out of Asgard, the big blond Norse god lands in New Mexico, stripped of his mighty Hammer. Much major hitting and kicking later, Thor must reckon with his resentful brother Loki (Hiddleston, Branagh's gaunt-faced co-star in the "Wallander" TV series), who has been up to no good, imperiling Odin, Asgard and Earth.

The Scoop

Is it possible that prestige actor-director Branagh ("Henry V," "Hamlet") reads Marvel Comics? Could he have discerned Shakespearean complexity in this Stan Lee fantasy about divine rulers and their unruly offspring? Whatever. "Thor" should deliver groovy F/X, epic battles and the edifying spectacle of a musclebound superhero getting it on with a human scientist so graceful and fragile she might be a ballet dancer (Portman). Your guide expects sequels.

The Pitch

Far, far away, in an enchanted forest, a tribe of small, blue, big-eared gnomes (sort-of) topped with stocking caps wage endless war with Gargamel, a wizard who screws up his evil plots more often than not. This time 'round, Gargamel manages to kick the Smurfs out of their world, clear into Central Park. How will they ever get home before the wizard (1) eats them; (2) makes them his slaves; or (3) steals their magical secrets?

The Scoop

Tell the truth. You've been jonesing for your Saturday morning fix of Smurf animations ever since the '80s, their TV heyday. No? What a Grinch! But surely your cockles will be warmed as you enjoy the adventures of Smurfette and all the other cleverly named Smurfs -- voiced by practically every celebrity known to humankind -- as they romp through the Big Apple, in both CGI and live action. However, your Guide warns you: There will be blood!

The Pitch

The tangled tale of Su Qi-Er, a great general and martial arts sensei whose adopted brother Yuan (Andy On) is eaten up by envy of Su's fighting skills, his family, his integrity. Cycles of bloody vengeance and madness continue for decades after Yuan destroys Su's happiness for good, turning him into a drunken beggar. Mayhem is achieved with spears and swords and martial arts techniques, including Five Venom Fists and Drunken Boxing. A good time is had by all.

The Scoop

Respected kung fu director Yuen Woo-ping ("Drunken Master," "Fist of the Red Dragon") hasn't made a movie in 14 years, and early reviews suggest that the wushu master may have lost his golden touch. Story lacks a coherent thru-line, and over-reliance on obvious wirework undercuts elaborately choreographed fights. One aficionado sniped at the "poorly constructed script filled with bland characterizations, annoying soap operatics and devolvement into ludicrously cliched and underdeveloped East-versus-West conflict." Your guide reads that as a "thumbs down."