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; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one younger than 17 admitted.

"Ajami" - A crime drama set on the streets of Jaffa, Israel's Ajami neighborhood - a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views among Jews, Muslims and Christians - told through the eyes of a cross-section of the city's inhabitants. With Shahir Kabaha, Fouad Habash, Ibrahim Frege and Scandar Copti. Co-directed by Copti and Yaron Shani. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. (2 hrs.) NR.

"Blood Done Sign My Name" - Based on the story of racial upheaval and ensuing social change provoked by the acquittal of a white father and son accused of murdering a black man in cold blood and in full public view in the 1970s in Oxford, N.C. With Nate Parker, Rick Schroder, Afemo Omilami, Lela Rochon, Nick Searcy and Michael Rooker. Written and directed by Jeb Stuart. (2:08) PG-13.

"Defendor" - The story of an everyday guy who comes to believe he's a superhero, told not only through his point of view but also that of his psychiatrist and a teenager he befriends. With Woody Harrelson, Sandra Oh, Kat Dennings and Elias Koteas. Written and directed by Peter Stebbings. (1:41) R.

"Easier With Practice" - An introverted writer becomes involved in a phone sex escapade. With Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill, Marguerite Moreau and Katie Aselton. Based on a story by Davy Rothbart. Written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. (1:44) NR.

"Formosa Betrayed" - An FBI agent investigates the brutal murder of a Taiwanese-American professor on U.S. soil. With James Van Der Beek, Wendy Crewson, John Heard, Will Tiao and Leslie Hope. Written by Tiao. Directed by Adam Kane. (1:48) R.

"Ghost Writer" - When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start, not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, perished in an unfortunate accident. With Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton and Eli Wallach. Co-written by Roman Polanski and Robert Harris. Directed by Polanski. (1:35) PG-13.

"The Girl on the Train" - A drama centered on a young woman who claims she was the target of an anti-Semitic attack and the subsequent media sensation it creates. With Emilie Dequenne, Catherine Deneuve and Michel Blanc. Written and directed by Andre Techine. In French and Hebrew with English subtitles. (1:45) NR.

"The Good Guy" - An ambitious young Manhattanite plays the game of love with a desirable Wall Streeter. With Alexis Bledel, Scott Porter, Bryan Greenberg and Anna Chlumsky. Written and directed by Julio DePietro. (1:30) R.

"Happy Tears" - Two dutiful daughters return home to deal with their 70-year-old father, his health, his new paramour and childhood memories. With Parker Posey, Demi Moore, Rip Torn and Ellen Barkin. Written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. (1:35) R.

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" - Oscar-nominated documentary examines an early 1970s figure who challenged the Nixon administration over the Vietnam War. (1:34) NR

"October Country" - A documentary portrait of a working-class American family struggling for stability while haunted by the ghosts of war and facing the challenges of recurring teen pregnancy, foster care and child abuse. Directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher. (1:20) NR.

"A Prophet" - The life of an illiterate young Arab is in danger when he is transferred to a penitentiary split between organized gangs. With Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup and Adel Bencherif. Written by Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain. Directed by Audiard. In French, Arabic and Corsican with English subtitles. (2:30) NR.

"Ran" - Chaos ensues when a warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons in an epic inspired by legends of the 16th century Japanese lord Mori Motonari and Shakespeare's "King Lear." Directed by Akira Kurosawa. In Japanese with English subtitles. (2:42) R.

"Red Riding Trilogy" - A three-part epic based on David Peace's series of novels revolving around the manhunt for the "Yorkshire Ripper," a serial killer who terrorized northwest England in the 1970s and 1980s. With David Morrissey, Mark Addy, Paddy Considine, Andrew Garfield, Rebecca Hall and Sean Bean. Adapted for the screen by Tony Grisoni. Directed by Julian Jarrold, James Marsh and Anand Tucker. (1. "1974," 1:45, 2."1980," 1:36, 3."1983," 1:44) NR.

"Teen Patti" - Two mathematicians test out a new theory in the real world. With Amitabh Bachchan, Madhavan and Ben Kinglsey. Directed by Leena Yadav. (2:20) NR.

"The Yellow Handkerchief" - Screenplay writer Erin Dignam and director Udayan Prasad have taken the plot outline of Yoji Yamada's appealing 1977 film and created original characters in a rural post-Katrina Louisiana, captured in evocative images by master cinematographer Chris Menges. This "Yellow Handkerchief" is a gentle, low-key road movie, centering on the eternal need to love and to trust, suffused in the humanist spirit. (1:42) NR.