THE BRIDESMAID
Handsome young Philippe (Benoit Magimel) is still living at home caring for his mother and sisters. When his mother decides to offer a statue in their garden -- a gift from Philippe's late father -- as a housewarming gift to her new beau, Philippe is unsettled by the gesture. His misgivings stem less from the thought of another man taking his father's place, however, than from a unusual attachment to the statue itself: an idealized image of classical beauty, soon embodied in Senta (Laura Smet), a stunning, strangely aloof bridesmaid he meets at his sister's wedding. Living alone in the basement of a ramshackle country estate inherited from her father, Senta is as mysterious and near-mythic as the statue she resembles. She tells Philippe fantastic stories about her life, and he is enchanted by her. Their passion for each other is obvious. When Senta one day challenges Philippe to prove his love by fulfilling a list of "must-dos," he readily accepts and soon becomes entangled in an ill-conceived -- and deadly -- quest for love and loyalty. As with his 1995 "La Ceremonie," director Claude Chabrol again draws from master crime writer Ruth Rendell, pronounced "the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world" by Time Magazine. In French with English subtitles. Vitals: Director: Claude Chabrol. Stars: Benoit Magimel, Laura Smet, Aurore Clement, Bernard Le Coq, Solene Bouton, Anna Mihalcea. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 110 min.,Mystery, Box office gross: $.108 million, First Run Features.

ERAGON
Fantasy adventure for young people based on the Christopher Paolini-penned bestselling fantasy novel about a youth whose discovery of a dragon egg leads him to become a knight and battle an evil king. The medieval-set tale revolves around a farm boy who learns he is the last of a breed of benevolent Dragon Riders, whose magical powers derived from their bond with the beasts. "Eragon" is the first book in the young author's epic "Inheritance Trilogy." Upon its initial release in hardcover by Knopf in August 2003, "Eragon" became a worldwide publishing phenomenon. The book was an instant bestseller and has since spent 87 consecutive weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List, and 21 consecutive months on Publisher's Weekly Young Adult Fiction Bestseller List, including nine months at No. 1. Eragon has sold 2.5 million copies in hardcover and paperback in North America alone, and the book has been published in 38 countries. Vitals: Director: Stefen Fangmeier. Stars: Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich,Christopher Egan, Gary Lewis, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Weisz. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 102 min., Fantasy, Box office gross: $73.659 million, Fox. 

THE NATIVITY STORY
The story of Mary and Joseph, culminating in their departure from Nazareth and their 100-mile journey to Bethlehem to birth Jesus. Vitals: Director: Catherine Hardwicke. Stars: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, Shaun Toub. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 101 min., Biblical Drama, Box office gross: $37.494 million, New Line. 

ROCKY BALBOA
Thirty years ago he was a man with no future, working for a small time loan shark on the South Side of Philadelphia. When blind luck landed him the chance to enter the ring against reigning champ Apollo Creed, it was the million-to-one-shot of a lifetime. And all he wanted was to go the distance. His courage and perseverance, both in life and in the ring, gave hope to millions. Now, glory (and four sequels) has come and gone and Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the one-time Italian Stallion, spends his evenings telling old stories to the patrons of his restaurant, Adrian's, named after his late wife, whom he quietly mourns. His son (Milo Ventimiglia) doesn't want to spend time with him; he's too busy trying to live his own life. Time and knocks have humbled Rocky, deformed his fists, slouched his shoulders and taken away all he had except his old stories, but in his heart he's still the same man. In his heart, he's still a fighter. Mason "The Line" Dixon is the reigning heavyweight champion distinguished only by the ease with which he took the title. Since he has never had to prove himself, never faced a truly equal opponent, he is considered by fans to be all skill and no heart, with no real future in the sport. Until a computer simulation matches him against Rocky Balboa in his prime. Who really would win if the two were evenly matched -- Dixon's skillful jabs and footwork versus Rocky's passion and blunt force trauma? Dixon's manager has an idea how to revitalize his client's career and suddenly, heavyweight boxing captures the public's imagination again. It seems like a lark, a joke even. But to Rocky, nearly twice the age of his opponent, the prospect of a fight with Dixon is the second chance he never thought he'd get -- a billion-to-one shot to prove to himself and to those he loves that while the body changes (Stallone is past 60) , the heart only grows stronger. Vitals: Director: Sylvester Stallone. Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Milo Ventimiglia, Geraldine Hughes, Antonio Tarver, Talia Shire. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 102 min., Action, Box office gross: $69.300 million, Sony.