RECENT RELEASES

THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION - "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" is superb, a film that considers sports, politics, roots and religion, kindness and harshness. Set in 1970 Sao Paulo, Brazil, the year Pele led the national team to victory in the World Cup, it focuses on a 12-year-old named Mauro (remarkable Michel Joelsas). Like Adrian Alonso in "Under the Same Moon," there's something real about these kid actors from other countries that escapes the Hollywood-machine-polished Dakota and Elle Fanning-types. Joelsas plays the son of a Jewish father and Christian mother, both political activists against the government's military regime who suddenly "go on vacation" (code for underground). The boy's dropped at his grandfather's apartment in an orthodox Jewish neighborhood. "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" is a coming-of-age story, for sure, but one that also touches on how sports unite a country, its factions and religions. "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation." Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes. Rated PG. 4 stars.

NIM'S ISLAND - The trouble is in what you expect - a Film or a film. "Nim's Island" is a film - a fun, hold-your-breath-at-points, adventure comedy starring America's current favorite child - Abigail Breslin. In "Nim's Island," her mother has died and she lives with her father, Jack (Gerard Butler), on a remote island where he does scientific experiments. The story is about Nim and her dad living the simple life, until a crisis hits. He hops on his boat for a day away to collect some special plankton, leaving Nim, who begs to stay for the birth of her turtle babies. Predictably, he gets caught in a storm. Meanwhile, author Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) is sitting at her computer in a San Francisco apartment, struggling with writer's block. The hero she's created - named "Alex Rover" - is a globetrotting adventurer whose books are among Nim's favorites. Problem is, Alexandra Rover is afraid to step out of her front door. One thing leads to another and soon the agoraphobic (and germophobic) Alexandra is on her way to help Nim find her father, or at least be with her if he's dead. "Nim's Island" is a film the whole family will enjoy and one that will leave you thinking that you, too, may be able to do some things you've been afraid to try. "Nim's Island." Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes. Rated PG. 3 stars.

LEATHERHEADS - "Leatherheads" is not quite the Super Bowl of football movies, but it's entertaining, kind of like one of those high-scoring Holiday Bowls, a blast all the way. Set in the early days of pro football, it's directed by affable George Clooney, who also stars as an aging player (he makes fun of his years) in a funky league with no rules and not many fans. As a filmmaker, Clooney has a sharp eye, capturing the period look of the mid-1920s in clothes and grand hotels (check those vintage phones!). John Krasinski, cool on TV's "The Office," is an Ivy League college football star who comes back a hero from World War I. Clooney persuades him to forgo law school and instead play for the struggling Duluth Bulldogs. Enter Renee Zellweger as a rarity of the era, a female newspaper reporter who discovers not all of Krasinski's wartime exploits were accurate. The cutting Clooney-Zellweger repartee is multilaughs-worthy. Is "Leatherheads" a great football film? Nope. But it isn't a fumble, either. "Leatherheads." Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. Rated: PG-13. 2 stars.

FLAWLESS - In "Flawless," a pair of amateur crooks tries to snaffle a fortune by raiding an obscenely rich British institution. So far, so familiar. But near the film's unthrilling climax, we finally see something new: a 70-something janitor (Michael Caine) chasing a 40-something executive (Demi Moore) through London's sewers. The story is set in 1960 at the fictitious London Diamond Corp., an equal-opportunity exploiter that abuses miners in apartheid South Africa and its lone female executive at headquarters. Laura Quinn (Moore) is brilliant, hardworking, an Oxford-educated Yank and, surrounded by the oldest boys in the old-boy network, unpromotable. The firm's janitor (Caine) senses her dissatisfaction. Soon, he's enlisted Quinn in a crackpot scheme to pluck a tidy fortune in polished stones from LonDi's vaults. Director Michael Radford's heist movie keeps you guessing, but most of time you're wondering what-the-heck? "Flawless" veers from the baffling to the obvious. Inexpertly cut, lacking color and short on clarity, "Flawless" is no gem. "Flawless." Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Rated: PG-13. 1 1/2 stars.

UNDER THE SAME MOON - "Under the Same Moon" tells the story of Rosario, a single mother who leaves her native Mexico. Her 9-year-old son, Carlitos, left behind with his grandmother, eagerly awaits her telephone calls every Sunday at the same time. Carlitos decides to go in search of his mother in Los Angeles after his grandmother dies and thus embarks on a journey where he comes across a variety of characters. Each encounter creates a panorama that shows us various facets of the immigration phenomenon: There's the smuggler who organizes the immigrants' journeys, and the young woman who wants to help children cross so she can pay for her brother's education. There's the pimp and the drug addict, the people who give food and shelter to the migrants, the businessmen who employ child labor and more. In spite of all the characters, the film manages to stay focused on the love between mother and son. Everyone will leave the cinema with some hope in their hearts. "Under the Same Moon." Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes. Rated: PG-13.

DRILLBIT TAYLOR - The title sounds like an open invitation for a "more excruciating than root canal" joke. But no need to grasp for cheap laughs, even if that's what "Drillbit Taylor" spends a good chunk of its 102 minutes doing. If anything, the movie - in which a parade of people gets their teeth knocked in - is more likely to make your molars ache with a case of the cutes. The story is something like "The Pacifier" aspiring to be "Fight Club" (a movie that's actually invoked here for a pretty good gag): Three geeks hire an allegedly deadly bodyguard to protect them from a couple of high school thugs. They land Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson) on the cheap, and get what they pay for: He's a Malibu bum who's more interested in fleecing than policing and whose fists of futility couldn't batter a fish stick. It's a movie that makes bloody revenge seem like another Wii game, and ain't that a kick in the teeth. "Drillbit Taylor." Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes. Rated: PG-13. 2 stars.

DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! - The essential message in "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" is respect. Horton's respect for the inhabitants of Whoville, whose world happens to be on a speck of dust. You know the story, of course, that Horton hears voices from the speck, decides to save it from destruction, and how he's mocked by disbelievers until the Whos, in a desperate attempt to save themselves - and Horton - make enough noise to confirm their existence. It's a simple story, told in 36 pages of text. Though there's considerably more going on in 88 minutes on film, the message is still clear. And what happens between the beginning and the end is a rollicking good time. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes. Rated: G. 3 1/2 stars.

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RATINGS

4 STARS - Excellent.

3 STARS - Worthy.

2 STARS - Mixed.

1 STAR - Poor.

0 - Forget It (a dog.)

Capsules compiled from movie reviews written by David Elliott, film critic for The San Diego Union-Tribune, other staff writers and contributors.

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