An Unreasonable Man - Consumer activist or political party-pooper, love him or hate him, Ralph Nader and his career, from obscure public interest lawyer to presidential candidate, has been a roller-coaster ride rarely equalled in American public life. First-time filmmakers Henriette Mantel (a former Nader employee) and Steve Skrovan interview friends, enemies and Nader to get a portrait of the divisive figure.

Black Friday - A look at the March 12, 1993, terrorist bombings in Mumbai from the different perspectives of those involved. Based on S. Hussain Zaidi's book. In Hindi with English subtitles.

Hannibal Rising - There's no Anthony Hopkins to be found in this second prequel to The Silence of the Lambs,'' which traces Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lector's life from his childhood in Lithuania to his arrival in the United States as a young man. With Gaspard Ulliel, Dominic West, Charles Maquignon, Gong Li and Rhys Ifans. Written by Thomas Harris. Directed by Peter Webber. R for strong, grisly content and some language, sexual references.

The Last Sin Eater - Michael Landon Jr. directs this story involving an Appalachian community that believes a 'sin eater' can discharge the dead of their sins. With Louise Fletcher and Henry Thomas. PG-13 for thematic elements and some intense sequences of violence.

Norbit - Eddie Murphy co-stars with himself again in this story of a hapless nice guy (Murphy) raised by an old Chinese man (Murphy) and forced to marry a monster of a woman (Murphy) but who pines for his childhood love (nope, Thandie Newton). Screenplay by Eddie Murphy, Charles Murphy, Jay Scherick and David Ronn. Directed by Brian Robbins. R for some sex-related humour.

Puccini for Beginners - A heartbroken lesbian (Elizabeth Reaser) finds herself caught in a love triangle when she begins relationships with a man (Justin Kirk) and the man's most recent ex-girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) at the same time. With Jennifer Dundas, Tina Benko and Brian Letscher. Written and directed by Maria Maggenti.

Samoan Wedding - Think Wedding Crashers Polynesian style, as four friends famous for their wedding day high jinks must find proper dates before the next ceremony or risk being banned forever. With Oscar Kightley, Robbie Magasiva, Shimpal Lelisi and Iaheto Ah Hi. Written by Kightley and James Griffin. Directed by Chris Graham.

The Situation - An American war correspondent in Iraq finds herself covering a treacherous story involving a ghastly act by U.S. troops - and romantically torn between an American intelligence officer and an Iraqi photographer. With Connie Nielsen, Damian Lewis and Mido Hamada. Written by Wendell Steavenson. Directed by Philip Haas.

Unconscious - The sexual taboos of early 20th century Barcelona in the time of Freud are the basis of this story of a brother and pregnant sister-in-law (Luis Tosar and Leonor Watling) caught up in a search for the woman's suddenly missing husband. In Spanish with English subtitles. Written by Dominic Harari, Joaquin Oristrell and Teresa Pelegri. Directed by Oristrell. R for sexual content including dialogue and some drug material.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - Hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger and Michael Myers, an aspiring mass murderer (Nathan Baesel) invites a documentary film crew along for his debut killing spree in the small town of Glen Echo, Md., while deconstructing the archetypes of the horror genre for them. With Angela Goethals, Scott Wilson, Robert Englund and Zelda Rubinstein. Written by Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve. Directed by Glosserman. R for horror violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use.

Music and Lyrics - Hungry for a comeback, a washed-up '80s pop star (Hugh Grant) teams up with a shy songwriter (Drew Barrymore) to come up with a hit song for the singer to perform with a current pop icon. With Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston and Campbell Scott. Written and directed by Marc Lawrence. Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls - The star of Madea's Family Reunion puts the wigs away to write and direct this romantic story of a single father (Idris Elba) struggling to keep custody of his children. With Gabrielle Union, Louis Gossett Jr., Tasha Smith and Tracee Ellis Ross. PG-13 for thematic material, drug and sexual content, some violence and language.

Because I Said So - Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore star as a mother and daughter bound by a mutual dependence so neurotically obsessive it makes the affair in Last Tango in Paris look breezy. Fearing young Millie's (Moore) imminent spinsterhood, Daphne (Keaton) places a personal ad and interviews the candidates herself. This, more or less, is how Millie ends up dating a handsome musician (Gabriel Macht) of whom her mother disapproves and a smug architect (Tom Everett Scott) she's vicariously crazy about. Directed by Michael Lehmann, Because I Said So rejects recognisable (and therefore funny) human behaviour for a formula so trite it became self-parodic long ago. (1:42) PG-13.

The Messengers - When a big-city family moves to an isolated North Dakota sunflower farm, the kids start seeing things that go bump in the night and try to warn their clueless parents. With Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller and John Corbett. Screenplay by Mark Wheaton. Story by Todd Farmer. Directed by Danny Pang and Oxide Pang. PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing violence and terror.

Los Angeles Times