Abduction

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Rated: PG13.

Twilight series star Taylor Lautner stars in director John Singleton’s thriller about a teen who finds himself in mortal danger after realizing that his entire childhood has been built on lies. Realizing that the people who raised him aren’t his real parents after stumbling across a childhood photo of himself on a website devoted to missing children, the frightened teen flees for his life as FBI agents Frank Burton (Frank Molina) and Sandra Burns (Antonique Smith) race to protect him and uncover the truth about his mysterious past. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

There Be Dragons

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Rated: PG13.

Ambitious journalist Robert Torres (Dougray Scott) travels from London to Spain in order to research controversial Opus Dei founder Josemaría Escrivá (Charlie Cox) for an upcoming book, but hits a dead end when his secretive father, Manolo (Wes Bentley), refuses to speak as an official source. Later, as Robert searches desperately for the answers, he discovers that his father and Josemaría grew up together in the same town, and forged a powerful friendship while attending seminary school together. But at some point their paths diverged; Manolo went to fight in the Spanish Civil War as Josemaría embraced his faith. When Manolo fell for a stunning revolutionary (Olga Kurylenko) who shunned his affections in favor of a powerful military man (Rodrigo Santoro), his fate was sealed by his uncontrollable rage. But it’s never too late to forgive, and now if Manolo can accept the dark truth about his difficult past, he may have one last shot at redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Higher Ground

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Rated: R.

Actress Vera Farmiga makes her feature directorial debut with this adaptation of Carolyn S. Briggs’ autobiography, This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost. Haunted by a low sense of self-worth ever since her childhood in the 1960s, Corrine finds her happy family falling apart by the time she reaches high school, and seeks comfort in the arms of talented young guitarist Ethan. Later compelled to join a tight-knit fundamentalist community that offers both security and spiritual nourishment, Corrine and Ethan discover a sense of peace that ultimately proves short-lived once the more conservative tenets of the congregation start to take priority. Her illusions of the ideal faith-based community shattered, Corrine begins to question her entire belief system as her life starts to unravel once again. Joshua Leonard and John Hawkes co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

I Don’t Know How She Does It

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Rated: PG13.

A working mother strives to balance her demanding career with the stress of raising two young children and maintaining a healthy marriage in this comedy adapted from the best-selling novel by Allison Pearson. By day, Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) works for a Boston-based financial management firm; by night, she’s a devoted mother to two adoring children and the happily married wife of out-of-work architect Richard (Greg Kinnear). Though balancing those two worlds has its fair share of challenges, Kate generally manages to come out on top thanks to the support of her best friend, Allison (Christina Hendricks), who’s had plenty of experience balancing kids and a career. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Kate’s sharp-as-a-tack junior associate assistant, Momo (Olivia Munn), possesses a fear of children and a strong work ethic. Just when Kate lands a lucrative new account that will see her traveling across the country on a regular basis, however, her new business associate Jack (Pierce Brosnan) reveals his flirtatious side and Richard receives a job offer he can’t turn down. Though it looks as if Kate and Richard couldn’t possibly take on any more responsibility, the demands of modern living ensure they’ll never have a dull moment, even if they try. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

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Rated: R.

A young girl inadvertently unleashes a race of ancient monsters while exploring her father’s 19th century mansion in this horror remake written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by newcomer Troy Nixey. Introverted Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison) has just moved in with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes), when she realizes that their sprawling estate holds its fair share of secrets. Descending into the depths of the house, Sally gains access to a secret lower level that has lain undisturbed for nearly a century, when the original builder vanished without a trace. When Sally accidentally opens the gateway that kept the creatures locked up tight, she realizes that in order to prevent them from destroying her family she must convince her skeptical father that monsters really exist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tuesday, After Christmas

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A man involved with two women mistakenly brings them together in this drama from Romanian filmmaker Radu Muntean. Paul (Mimi Branescu) is a man edging into middle age who has been married to Adriana (Mirela Oprisor) for ten years. Paul and Adriana have a warm and loving relationship and an eight-year-old daughter, Mara (Sasa Paul-Szel), but Paul has grown restless and vaguely disenchanted with his marriage. Paul has been having an affair with Raluca (Maria Popistasu), a younger woman who makes her living as a dentist, and he feels an excitement with her that’s missing from his marriage. During the Christmas season, Mara needs to have her braces adjusted and Paul is unable to get an appointment with their usual orthodontist; he arranges for Raluca to take care of the matter, and unintentionally causes Raluca and Adriana to meet face to face. The two women become aware that they’re both in love with the same man, forcing Paul to make a decision that’s bound to bring pain to more than one person in the equation. Marti, Dupa Craciun (aka Tuesday, After Christmas) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Inside Out

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Rated: PG13.

An ex-con gets sucked back into a life of crime immediately after serving a 13-year prison sentence for manslaughter, and fights to protect the woman he loves and her young daughter from his dangerous former best friend. Back in the day, AJ (Triple H) would have done anything to protect his best friend, Jack (Michael Rapaport), a two-bit gangster and the son of Dr. Vic (Bruce Dern) — the city’s toughest crime boss. When Jack became the victim of a violent attack, AJ killed his assailant without a second thought. When the judge throws the book at AJ, the hardened convict looks forward to the day he’ll get out of prison and start a small business. Meanwhile, Jack marries Claire (Parker Posey), the love of AJ’s life, and together they raise a daughter, Pepper (Juliette Goglia). The very day Jack picks up AJ from prison, the short-fused thug gets an itchy trigger finger that could land his buddy right back behind bars. The situation grows increasingly tense as Dr. Vic attempts to handle the situation quietly just as he comes under investigation by Louisiana Tax Board agent Martha (Julie White) for dealing in counterfeit cigarettes. When Jack flees and Dr. Vic decides that the only way to get the job done right is to do it himself, AJ realizes that Claire and Pepper are in mortal danger and races to their rescue. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Straw Dogs

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Rated: R.

A Hollywood screenwriter and his wife come under attack from her ex-flame and his vicious friends in director Rod Lurie’s remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 home-invasion classic. In the wake of her father’s death, Amy (Kate Bosworth) returns to her rural Southern hometown with her husband, David (James Marsden). Her goal is to put her childhood home on the market while David works on his latest screenplay. Meanwhile, David hires Amy’s high school boyfriend Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård) and his crew to rebuild the roof on the secluded country home. But the more time Charlie’s work crew spends working on the roof, the greater tensions begin to grow between Amy and David. Every time Amy walks outside, the work stops and the ogling begins. When David attempts to avert confrontation by firing the crew before the job is finished, former high school football star Charlie snaps, deciding that if he can’t have Amy on his own terms, he’ll take her by force. Later, when night falls, Charlie’s gang besieges the house, forcing David and Amy into a desperate fight for their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Warrior

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Rated: PG13.

Two estranged brothers and Mixed Martial Arts fighters confront the forces that tore their family apart as they prepare to do battle in the ring in this drama from director Gavin O’Connor (Pride and Glory). Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) is an ex-Marine from Pittsburgh who’s never quite shaken his troubled past. Upon learning that the purse in an upcoming MMA tournament is the largest in the league’s history, Tommy recruits his father, Paddy (Nick Nolte), a former coach and recovering alcoholic, to whip him into shape in time for the competition. Meanwhile, as Tommy steadily ascends the ranks by defeating one powerful opponent after another, his brother, Brendan, struggles to provide for his family with his job as a public school teacher. A former MMA fighter with a devastating punch, Brendan begins to wonder if he, too, could have a shot at winning the coveted purse. In time, Brendan and Tommy both emerge as dark horse contenders in the competition, setting the two brothers on a brutal collision course. But Tommy and Brendan’s biggest battle won’t be fought in the ring — it will be fought in their hearts and minds. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tanner Hall

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Rated: R.

Three privileged girls at a cloistered New England boarding school find their social lives thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a manipulative new student and an affair that spells the end of their innocence. With the arrival of fall, Fernanda (Rooney Mara) returns to Tanner Hall to complete her senior year. Fernanda has always been the most level-headed of her small trio of friends — which also includes mischievous Kate (Brie Larson) and spitfire Lucasta (Amy Ferguson) — though the unexpected appearance of embittered, emotionally damaged new girl Victoria (Georgia King) finds the subtle cracks in their longtime friendship suddenly beginning to show. Almost immediately after arriving at Tanner Hall, Victoria has managed to turn the three friends against one another. And by all appearances, she’s just getting started as Fernanda finds herself increasingly drawn to Gio (Tom Everett Scott), a married family friend. As the upheaval in Fernanda’s social life starts to clash with the pangs of first love in her private life, each of the girls begins to realize that the support of good friends will be the factor that helps them make the successful transition into womanhood. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi