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

Alpha Dog (Universal)
Extremely ugly drama, set amid the drug culture of affluent youths in Los Angeles and loosely based on true events, about a teenage dealer (Emile Hirsch) who, together with his clique (including Justin Timberlake), abducts the kid brother (Anton Yelchin) of a rival (Ben Foster) who owes him money, triggering unforeseen complications as their scheme spirals out of control. Writer-director Nick Cassavetes effectively conveys the nihilism and morally vacant lifestyles of his disaffected youths --- an indictment of irresponsible parenting as much as the corrosive influence of much of today's pop culture --- but the story is emotionally uninvolving and the overall raw tone and incessant sordidness, while perhaps accurately reflecting reality, are excessive. Pervasive rough and sexually explicit language, some strong violence, recurring drug content, delinquent behavior, several sexual situations with partial nudity, one involving minors, underage drinking and smoking, as well as scattered profanity and racial epithets. (O, R)

Breaking and Entering (Weinstein)
So-so drama about a London architect (Jude Law) --- living with a Swedish-American divorcee (Robin Wright Penn) and her autistic 13-year-old daughter --- who has an affair with the widowed Bosnian mother (Juliette Binoche) of a troubled boy who has broken into the architect's inner-city office, prompting a re-evaluation of his life and relationships against the city's evolving cultural landscape. Writer-director Anthony Minghella's film features good performances, but interweaves its themes of immigration, motherhood and economic disparity into a plot that's not terribly compelling, though its moral resolution involves forgiveness and reconciliation. Some rough and crude language and profanity, upper female nudity, a prostitute character, a couple of nongraphic sexual encounters, some sexual banter, infidelity and a condom reference. (A-III, R)

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Tartan)
Trenchant Romanian drama that follows the all-night odyssey of a dying old man, Mr. Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu), as he is shuttled from one hospital to the next, encountering indifference and insensitivity from the doctors and medical staff, with only a compassionate ambulance driver (Mioara Avram) to plead his case. Deliberately paced, filmed with an unvarnished look and featuring understated performances, director Cristi Puiu's perceptive commentary on health care, in charting Lazarescu's plight, poignantly brings attention to how uncaring bureaucracy and societal apathy can depreciate the dignity of a human being. Subtitles. Some rough and crude language and brief partial nudity. (A-III, R)

Fateless (ThinkFilm)
Holocaust drama about a Hungarian Jewish boy's (Marcell Nagy) coming-of-age experiences in various concentration camps, where, through relationships with fellow prisoners, he struggles to make sense of the atrocities around him and gain deeper insights about himself. Directed by Lajos Koltai from a script by Imre Kertesz based on the latter's semiautobiographical novel, the film, despite its grim subject matter, is visually graceful, and the intimate story conveys universal themes, such as the resiliency of the human spirit and its ability to discern beauty in even the darkest situations. Disturbing Holocaust images, brief partial and full prison camp nudity, and some rough and crude language. Subtitles. (A-III, R)

Three (Fox)
Pedestrian thriller about a seminary student (Marc Blucas) being stalked by a serial killer who's targeted him as retribution for some dark secret buried in their shared past, while a police psychologist (Justine Waddell), whose brother was also a victim, races to crack the case. Director Robby Henson's adaptation of author Ted Dekker's spiritually accented novel scores points for not indulging in the exploitative lurid excess common to this genre, yet despite a twist ending, the movie's flat writing, competent but colorless performances and overall made-for-TV vibe generate only low-grade suspense. Some violence, including several explosions and a shooting, mildly disturbing images and a few mildly crude expressions. (A-III, PG-13)

Office for Film & Broadcasting classifications: A-I -- general patronage; A-II -- adults and adolescents; A-III -- adults; L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling; O -- morally offensive.

MPAA ratings: G -- general audiences. All ages admitted; PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children; PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13; R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian; NC-17 -- no one 17 and under admitted.