Playing for Keeps, about a former soccer star struggling to stay relevant to his young son while fighting off the attention of a host of soccer moms, sadly, doesn’t look like a keeper, at least not for the lads, despite the tantalizing presence of Jessica Biel.  

Anna Karenina latches onto the idea of life played out on a constantly shifting Old World stage — jazzed up with a sensual restlessness and humor to equate 19th century society and the theater as realm both subject to rules of order that cannot be circumvented.  

Yann Martel’s bestselling novel captured the hearts and minds of readers from the moment of its release and kicked off feverish discussions for an adaptation, although the challenging story — about a young man adrift at sea with a Bengal tiger as his only companion — scared off several would-be Oscar-chasing helmers.  

Action-oriented second unit director Dan Bradley (The Bourne Ultimatum) cuts and pastes Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki and Josh Peck into sequences riddled with inconsistencies and plot holes so gaping that there’s no way even an ounce of blood or logic could be drawn.  

An evil spirit named Pitch (Jude Law) unleashes a full-out assault on the planet and it’s up to a team of Immortal Guardians to protect the children of the world in this animated adventure.  

n Silver Linings Playbook, we get Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), a former teacher, newly released from a mental institution after a violent psychotic incident, heading back into the hornet’s nest that he calls home, the South Philly domicile of his parents, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver).  

Stephanie Meyer’s epic teen saga of true love among humans, vampires and werewolves reaches its conclusion in this second part of Breaking Dawn.  

Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace now feel like warm-ups for newbie Bond star Daniel Craig, pacing laps before the full-on marathon. If you buy this analogy, then Skyfall must be seen as the race of Craig’s life, the one where he, in those final tough miles, breaks free of the pack with cool confidence and a steady hand at the helm (Road to Perdition director Sam Mendes).  

An old-school video game villain named Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) lumbers around smashing buildings that the game’s hero Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) repairs for points and acclaim. But, one day, Ralph desires to have a life beyond where he stays during off-hours — the muddy trash heap right across from Felix’s skyscraper filled with friends and family — and he goes off the grid to earn a gold medal.  

Five years after the mysterious disappearance of Katie (Katie Featherston) and her nephew, paranormal activities emerge in a new suburban community.  

More found footage to creep us out. This time, a true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) and his family move into a new home with a deep dark history that unspools in the home movies languishing in the attic.  

The independently produced feature film conclusion of this adaptation of Ayn Rand’s opus from television directing veteran John Putch (Cougar Town), who takes over for Paul Johansson, has Samantha Mathis stepping into the role of Dagny Taggart, the heroine who uncovers the answer to the global energy crisis and must do all she can to stave off an apocalyptic event.   

Kevin James and the Happy Madison (Adam Sandler) production team take a humorous and more broadly mainstream stab at Warrior, except they bypass all of the useless drama about brothers battling in the finale.  

In Seven Psychopaths, Colin Farrell plays a struggling screenwriter who stumbles into a criminal plot to earn money by kidnapping dogs for large ransoms. Things go awry when the writer’s bumbling crew (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) faces off against a dangerously deranged mob boss (Woody Harrelson).  

A young adopted girl (Yara Shahidi) in Iowa discovers her destiny when she takes up butter carving and faces off against the local hometown champion (Jennifer Garner). Butter sounds cheesy, but director Jim Field Smith has the talent to carve out a real winner.