The following films have been recently reviewed by the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting.

An American Haunting (After Dark)
Spookily atmospheric, well-acted thriller based on the "true story" of the "Bell Witch" case, the only documented case in the U.S. of a spirit causing the death of a person, as the Bells, an 1818 Tennessee couple battle ghostly horrors in their home and the possession of their daughter, after a woman thought to be a witch curses the family. Writer-director Courtney Solomon builds up an atmosphere of heady suspense that never lets up, and although there's lots of generalized demonic violence, there's little bloodshed. Some intensely violent episodes including a hair-raising wolf attack, an attempted suicide, questioning of God's existence and omnipotence, and subtle sexual revelations of an adult nature. (A-III, PG-13)

Down in the Valley (THINKFilm)
Offbeat but quite interesting story of easygoing South Dakota ranch hand (an impressive Edward Norton) who romances the much-younger, rebellious teenage daughter of a San Fernando Valley police officer, and befriends her painfully shy younger brother, against the father's wishes. Writer-director David Jacobson's initial "young lovers" romance shifts tone dramatically midway with a shocking twist, and becomes a suspenseful drama that pays homage to elements from the classic Westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks. Considerable profanity, rough language and crude expressions, a couple of shootings, gun use by a minor, intense domestic discord, premarital sex and nongraphic sexual encounters, and drug use. (L, R)

Goal! The Dream Begins (Touchstone)
Familiar but satisfying sports drama about an undocumented Mexican migrant who is given an opportunity to escape his father's hardscrabble fate and fulfill his dream of playing professional soccer when a former British scout visiting Los Angeles offers him a tryout with a top-tier English soccer team. Directed by Danny Cannon, the film's feel-good underdog theme coupled with Becker's appealing performance scores, despite a formulaic script, underdeveloped characters and an overlong length. A few crude expressions, suggested drunkenness and carousing, implied sexual situations and some sports roughness, limiting its appropriateness to older adolescents and up. (A-II, PG)

Hoot (New Line)
Amiable family-friendly drama about an eighth-grader who moves with his parents to small-town Florida, where he is caught up in the crusade of an enigmatic boy and his stepsister to save a colony of burrowing owls whose habitat is threatened by a real-estate developer hoping to bulldoze the endangered birds' nesting zone to make way for a pancake franchise. Directed by Wil Shriner and based on Carl Hiaasen's award-winning children's book, the film's warm message about friendship, respect for nature and taking a stand for what's right is handicapped somewhat by a weak script and a slow-starting plot, and the saucer-eyed critters get very little screen time. Some schoolyard bullying and a few mildly crass expressions. (A-I, PG)

Just My Luck (20th Century Fox)
Lightweight if likable romantic comedy set in New York about a girl with uncanny luck and a guy with none, who magically swap fortunes through a chance encounter at a masquerade ball, winding up on polar ends of the luck spectrum and falling for each other, though neither realizes the other is the cause for the karmic reversal. Directed by Donald Petrie, the fairy tale's cute conceit has the bad luck of being wrapped in a limp and predictable script, though its sweet-natured message about valuing love over success is commendable. Some crude language and innuendo, a couple of crass sight gags, a sexual gesture and a situation involving a male "escort." (A-III, PG-13)

The Lost City (Magnolia)
Wistful and deeply personal drama set in 1950s' Cuba on the eve of Castro's communist revolution about three brothers (including Andy Garcia, who also directs) caught in the political unrest that ultimately tears them and their island home apart. While the sprawling story needs tightening, Garcia's well-acted love letter to the country he left as a child is full of passion and gorgeously captures the beauty and energy of the island, its culture and especially its music, in exploring themes of longing and loss. Some violence, including several graphic executions, a suicide, a brief voodoo reference, and a few rough and crude expressions. (A-III, R)

Mission: Impossible III (Paramount)
Third installment in the franchise which finds secret-agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team of spies battling a ruthless arms dealer (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who kidnaps Ethan's fiance to get back the doomsday device they snatched from him. As popcorn entertainment, director J.J. Abrams' thrill ride doesn't disappoint, piling on the action fireworks and pulse-pounding excitement, but, like the previous two films, is otherwise an empty exercise in adrenaline-charged excess. Pervasive action violence, including an intense execution scene, a few disturbing images, a suggested sexual encounter, and some crude language and profanity. (A-III, PG-13)

Over the Hedge (DreamWorks)
Computer-animated comedy about a rascally raccoon who offers to "help" a group of woodland creatures (humorously voiced by Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Garry Shandling, William Shatner and Eugene Levy, among others) stockpile food for the coming winter by raiding the suburban housing development that has sprung up on their forest doorstep, but not telling them that he intends to use the purloined provisions to save his own fur. Based on a comic strip, directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick's good-naturedly entertaining and visually cheery fable relies on nutty sight gags over story, but imparts a commendable message about family and acting unselfishly, while offering some funny commentary on our consumer society. Some mildly crude humor, a few rude expressions and innuendo, and recurring comic action violence. (A-I, PG)

Poseidon (Warner Bros.)
Reasonably effective but inferior remake of 1972's luxury-liner disaster film, as a tidal wave capsizes the vessel, and a sparring father and daughter, her boyfriend, a professional gambler, a single mother and child, and a Latina stowaway attempt to flee through the bottom of the boat. The character setup is dispatched within minutes, and once disaster strikes director Wolfgang Petersen keeps the action going, with above-average special effects and decent performances. A few instances of profanity and crass expressions, intense but not gruesome disaster violence, brief veiled sexual exchange, gambling and a suicide attempt. (A-II, PG-13)

Saving Shiloh (New Dog)
Gentle boy-and-his-dog tale completing the trilogy based on Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Newbery Award winning children's books. Here the titular beagle's young owner reaches out to befriend the pooch's ornery previous owner, whose attempts to amend his mean-spirited ways are met with suspicion by the rest of the townspeople, who suspect him of involvement in a murder mystery. Despite modest production values, director Sandy Tung's disarming film wins you over with an earnest, redemptive message about opening your heart to others. Some mild menace and peril involving children and a homicide subplot. (A-I, PG)