Opinions are by Los Angeles Times reviewers. Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted.

OPENING IN HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEK

"American Radical" - An intimate and revealing portrait of Norman Finkelstein, a devoted son of Holocaust survivors and ardent critic of U.S.-Israeli foreign policy, called a self-hating Jew by some and an inspired revolutionary by others. Directed by David Ridgen. (1:24) NR.

"The Art of the Steal" - A documentary investigation into the long tug-of-war over the multibillion dollar Barnes collection of paintings suggests that what may be the biggest art heist of the century is happening right now, with public money and in plain sight. Directed by Don Argott. (1:41) NR.

"Children of Invention" - Two young children living outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their mother gets embroiled in a pyramid scheme and disappears. With Cindy Cheung, Michael Chen and Crystal Chiu. Written and directed by Tze Chun. (1:26) NR.

"The Cry of the Owl" - A troubled young man leaves the big city and his ex-wife for the tranquility of a small town only to be set up as a suspect in a murder case. With Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine. Screenplay by Jamie Thraves, from the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Directed by Thraves. (1:40) R.

"Green Zone" - Various intelligence-gathering agencies clash in the chaotic early days of the Iraq war when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences. With Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan, Yigal Naor, Khalid Abdalla and Jason Isaacs. Written by Brian Helgeland, based on the book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Directed by Paul Greengrass. (1:35) R.

"Mother" - When a mama's boy is convicted of a young girl's murder, his mother sets out to find the girl's killer and prove her son's innocence. With Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin. Written by Park Eun-kyo and Bong Joon-ho. Directed by Joon-ho. In Korean with English subtitles. (2:08) NR.

"Mystery Team" - A once-spunky band of kid detectives dedicated to solving child-sized mysteries such as "Who put their finger in the pie?" are now high school seniors who are called upon to investigate who killed the parents of a neighborhood girl. With Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson and Dominic Dierkes. Directed by Dan Eckman. (1:46) R.

"Our Family Wedding" - A newly engaged couple learn the hard way that the path to saying "I do" can be rife with familial strife. With Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Regina King, Hayley Marie Norman and Lance Gross. Written by Rick Famuyiwa and Gina Price-Bythewood. Directed by Famuyiwa. (1:30) PG-13.

"Remember Me" - A rebellious young man in New York City finds love after a family tragedy separates his family. With Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper and Lena Olin. Directed by Allen Coulter. (1:42) PG-13.

"She's Out of My League" - A teen romantic comedy in which an average Joe meets the perfect woman, but his lack of confidence and the influence of his friends and family begin to pick away at the relationship. With Jay Baruchel, Lindsay Sloane, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller and Debra Jo Rupp. Written by Sean Anders and John Morris. Directed by Jim Field Smith. (1:45) R.

"Toe to Toe" - At a politically correct prep school, two girls on the lacrosse team collide over racial and social differences. With Louisa Krause and Sonequa Martin. Written and directed by Emily Abt. (1:44) NR.

ALSO IN THEATERS

"Alice in Wonderland" - Alice returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. With Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas and Mia Wasikowska. Screenplay by Linda Wolverton, from the books by Lewis Carroll. Directed by Tim Burton. In Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D. (1:49) PG.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel" - The chipmunks head to school to save the music program in a battle of the bands where they face off against the Chipettes. With the voices of Zach Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate. Screenplay by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. Directed by Betty Thomas. (1:28) PG.

"Avatar" - An "avatar," a human mind in an alien body, finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver. Written and directed by James Cameron. Also in IMAX 3D. (2:30) PG-13.

"The Blind Side" - The true story of a young, homeless African-American boy taken in by a well-to-do white family to discover his potential as a student and a football player. Starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins and Jae Head. Written and directed by John Lee Hancock. (2:06) PG-13.

"The Book of Eli" - In the not-too-distant future, across the wasteland of what was once America, a lone warrior must fight to bring civilization the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. With Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson and Jennifer Beals. Written by Gary Whitta and Anthony Peckham. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. (1:58) R.

"Brooklyn's Finest" - In the course of one chaotic week, the lives of three conflicted New York City police officers are dramatically transformed by their involvement in a massive drug operation. With Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Will Patton, Lili Taylor and Ellen Barkin. Written by Michael C. Martin. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. (2:20) R.

"Cop Out" - Two longtime NYPD partners on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster. With Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak, Guillermo Diaz, Seann William Scott and Jason Lee. Written by Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen. Directed by Kevin Smith. (1:50) R.

"The Crazies" - A husband and wife in a small Midwestern town find themselves battling for survival as their friends and family descend into madness after a mysterious toxin in the water supply turns everyone exposed to it into mindless killers in this terrifying reinvention of the 1973 George Romero horror classic. With Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker. Directed by Breck Eisner. (1:41) R.

"Crazy Heart" - A broken-down country singer, Bad Blake, becomes involves with a journalist and takes stock of his career and his life. With Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell. Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb. Written and directed by Scott Cooper. (1:52) R.

"Dear John" - A young soldier home on leave falls in love with an idealistic college student during her spring vacation and over the next few years they meet only sporadically and correspond through love letters. With Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Henry Thomas, Scott Porter and Richard Jenkins. Screenplay by Jamie Linden, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. (1:48) PG-13.

"Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" - A young boy discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an ongoing battle between the gods. With Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano and Uma Thurman. Screenplay by Craig Titley, based on the book by Rick Riordan. Directed by Chris Columbus. (2:00) PG.

"Shutter Island" - Two U.S. marshals are summoned to a fortress-like island housing a hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the implausible disappearance of a multiple murderess from a locked room. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley and Max Von Sydow. Screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. Directed by Martin Scorsese. (2:18) R.

"The Tooth Fairy" - When a hard-charging hockey player, nicknamed "the tooth fairy" for separating opposing players from their bicuspids, discourages a youngster's dreams, he's sentenced to one week's hard labor as a real tooth fairy. With Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Stephen Merchant and Ryan Sheckler. Directed by Michael Lembeck. (1:42) PG.

"Up In the Air" - A corporate downsizing expert who cherishes his life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching 10 million frequent flier miles and after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams. With George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Directed by Reitman. (1:49) R.

"When in Rome" - A young New Yorker, disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome, where she plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors. With Kristen Bell, Danny DeVito, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard and Josh Duhamel. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. (1:31) PG-13.

"Valentine's Day" - The stories of a group of Angelenos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day are told in intersecting storylines. With Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane and Patrick Dempsey. Written by Katherine Fugate. Directed by Garry Marshall. (1:30) PG-13.

"The Wolfman" - Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman, is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father, he searches for his brother and discovers his horrifying destiny. With Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Art Malik. Screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self, based on the original film written by Curt Siodmak. Directed by Joe Johnston. (2:05) R.