The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Final Cut (Lions Gate)
Gloomy sci-fi thriller set in a future where humans can have memory chips implanted at birth which record their entire lives and which are edited into sanitized memorial films to be shown at their funerals. The story centers on the best editor --- or "cutter" --- in the business (Robin Williams), who becomes entangled in a dangerous game with a former associate (Jim Caviezel) over the implant of a corrupt corporate bigwig. Directed by Omar Naim, the film raises some intriguing ethical questions but is weighed down by its cheerless performances and slumberous pacing. Brief violence, an implied sexual encounter and some crude language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III --- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 --- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Ray (Universal)
Jamie Foxx gives a bravura performance as Ray Charles, in this superior biographical film which traces the legendary singer's life, from childhood and early blindness in rural Florida to his rise from obscure pianist to chart-topping superstar, as he battles heroin addiction and navigates his solid home life with romantic liaisons on the road. Foxx's impersonation is amazingly accurate, but the entire cast is first-rate, and Taylor Hackford's direction seamlessly melds the satisfying, often exciting, musical numbers with the solid dramatic aspects of the story, which ends on an inspirational note in 1966 with Charles conquering his drug dependence. A handful of crude and profane words, sexual innuendo, racial epithets, drug use and discreet sexual situations. (A-III, PG-13)

Saw (Lions Gate)
Gory thriller about two strangers (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell) who awake to find themselves chained in a subterranean chamber and learn that their imprisonment is part of a serial killer's macabre mind game. Directed by James Wan, the film starts off well, but after an intriguing first 20 minutes, any hopes of suspense are dashed by a stomach-churning barrage of stylized sadism parading as entertainment, which nosedives from lurid to laughable in the final reel. Much graphic violence and recurring rough and crude language. (O, R)

Sideways (Fox Searchlight)
Bittersweet comedy about a depressed novelist and wine aficionado (Paul Giamatti), who, in lieu of a bachelor party, treats his womanizing, though soon-to-be-married, best friend (Thomas Haden Church) to a last-hurrah tour of Northern California wineries that becomes a midlife journey of self-discovery. Based on a novel by Rex Pickett, director Alexander Payne's odd-couple road movie serves as a poignant meditation on love, loneliness, fellowship and failed ambition, but is unfortunately stained by some graphic scenes. Several explicit sexual encounters, including one scene with full frontal nudity, a few implied sexual encounters, brief drug content, and much rough and crude language and humor. (L, R)