Movies: Now Playing and Coming Soon

OPENING WEDNESDAY

The Fantastic Mr. Fox: (PG) An animated Wes Anderson film based on a Roald Dahl story about farm folk who tire of the wily fox in their midst (voiced by George Clooney) and resolve to wipe out him and his kind.Old Dogs: (PG-13) Business partners John Travolta and Robin Williams are saddled with 6-year-old twins.

The Road: (R) Based on Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning novel about the post-apocalyptic trek of a father and son. An emaciated, coughing Viggo Mortensen struggles to find a haven for his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and a reason to go on living.

Cold Souls: (R) While rehearsing for a New York production of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," actor Paul Giametti (playing himself) feels overwhelmed by the character's melancholy. When he learns of a new procedure to remove souls, he decides to unburden himself. Limited run at the Nickelodeon.

MOVIE NIGHT

Check out family-friendly reviews of new releases at thestate.com/family.

NOW PLAYING

2012: (PG-13) Roland Emmerich's latest end-of-the-world spectacle concerns the confluence of disasters that some folks figure accompany the expiration date on the ancient Mayan calendar.

Amelia: (PG) This biography of aviation legend Amelia Earhart stars Hilary Swank.

Astro Boy: (PG) This Japanese TV series from the 1960s earns a big-screen outing, with the voices of Nicolas Cage, Eugene Levy and Freddie Highmore as the robot, Astro Boy.

Couples Retreat: (PG-13) Four couples are trapped in a resort where they're forced to fix their relationships.

Disney's A Christmas Carol: (PG) Robert Zemeckis made this motion-capture version of the Dickens holiday classic with digital versions of Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth and Jim Carrey, who plays several roles, including Scrooge.

Fame: Alan Parker's influential 1980 musical about students at New York City's High School of Performing Arts gets a "reimagining."

G-Force: (PG) An elite team of guinea pigs tries to stop an evil billionaire from world domination.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: (PG-13) Based on the action figure. Installment one explains how the series' evil-military machine came to be.

It Might Get Loud: (PG) Documentary on the artistry of the electric guitar features Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's The Edge, and The White Stripes' Jack White. Running until Tuesday at the Nickelodeon.

Julie & Julia: (PG-13) An intertwined adaptation of two books: the autobiography of chef and television personality Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and the journal of a 20-something blogger (Amy Adams) trying to commune with the legend.

Law-Abiding Citizen: (R) Gerard Butler stars in this thriller about a man whose family was murdered. He takes the law into his own hands when the justice system fails him.

Paranormal Activity: (R) Katie and Micah hope to capture evidence of a haunting with a video camera but are not prepared for the terrifying occurrences that follow.

Pirate Radio (R) Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy are among the stars of this Richard Curtis comedy about offshore rock radio in the UK in the '70s.

Saw VI: (R) The slasher series that will never die until you people stop buying tickets makes its annual Halloween season return.

Shorts: (PG) This family-friendly movie follows a small town going bananas over a magic rock.

Stepfather: (PG-13) Michael becomes increasingly suspicious of the new man, David, in his mother's life.

The Box: (PG-13) A dark fantasy about a family (Cameron Diaz, James Marsden) who receive a magical box, an offer of $1 million - and the promise that pushing a button to get the $1 million will kill someone they do not know.

The Fourth Kind: (PG-13) As in "Close Encounters," Milla Jovovich stars in this thriller about a therapist who notices startling similarities among victims of alleged alien abductions.

The Invention of Lying: (PG-13) In a world where everyone tells the truth, a man (Ricky Gervais) discovers that dishonesty can make someone rich.

The Men Who Stare at Goats: (R) George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges star in this film based on Jon Ronson's satiric novel about a reporter who stumbles across a soldier who claims to be a veteran of a U.S. Army paranormal battalion.

The Time Traveler's Wife: (PG-13) Based on the best-selling novel, Eric Bana stars as a librarian whose calendar hopping complicates his relationship with Rachel McAdams.

This Is It: Documentary that looks at singer Michael Jackson's last months as he prepared for a 50-date comeback tour. A limited two-week engagement

Toy Story 3-D: (PG) Pixar re-issues a double-feature of the two films, "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," this time in 3-D.

Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself: (PG-13) Taraji P. Henson stars, Gladys Knight sings and Tyler Perry dons the Madea dress for his latest sermon with a silly edge.

Where the Wild Things Are: (PG) The Spike Jonze version of Maurice Sendak's classic children's fantasy book stars Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine O'Hara.

- Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports