Like many holiday films, THIS CHRISTMAS mines the ample humor and drama of a family Christmas. Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine) is the matriarch to the large and loving Whitfield family, which consists of her three daughters--Kelli (Sharon Leal), Lisa (Regina King), and Mel (Lauren London)--and her sons--Michael (Chris Brown), Claude (Columbus Short), and Quentin (Idris Elba). They are an extremely attractive and successful bunch, but no sooner have they shared their first meal together than the hidden tensions begin to boil to the surface. Long-kept secrets come tumbling out, and the Whitfields soon engender enough drama to support several spin-off soap operas. There's interracial marriage, infidelity, gambling debts, an AWOL soldier, and repressed dreams of musical stardom, to name just a few of the issues they are forced to tackle in between stuffing the turkey and decorating the tree. Will their many problems and misunderstandings be resolved by Christmas day? Since this is a family holiday flick, the odds are, of course, quite good.

Despite the often heavy subject matter, the film has the glow and sheen of a lighthearted romantic comedy. The characters may be awash in drama, but they contend with their troubles in impeccable wardrobes and settings, so that even the barroom brawls have an almost cozy look to them. While some might feel the packed storyline was in more need of trimming than the tree, the tidy ending makes for perfect feel-good holiday fare. If only all family discord could end with a dance-off to Kool & the Gang! (1 hr. 57 min.)

Nancy is a divorced mother of three who is so busy raising her children that she's forgotten to take care of herself as well. With Christmas fast approaching, she decides to take her kids to the mall to meet Santa Claus, not knowing that her youngest daughter Emily has sensed her mother's sadness and is determined to use her time with Santa to make her mom happy again. Just a few days prior, Emily heard her mom say that all she wanted for Christmas was a compliment from a man, so that's exactly what she tells Santa. Ironically, Santa, as it turns out, is office supply salesman and struggling songwriter Benjamin, who ends up giving Nancy just what she wants for Christmas, and much, much more. (1 hr. 36 min.)

Country music star Toby Keith earns credit as screenwriter, producer, and star in this comedy based on his hit song with Willie Nelson. Keith plays a deputy who hits the road with his best friend (RODNEY's Rodney Carrington, who also cowrote the script) to rescue one of the men's girlfriends from a drug lord's clutches. The pair may be on a mission, but that doesn't mean they can't have a rip-roarin' good time along the way. In BEER FOR MY HORSES, Keith is joined by music legends Nelson and Ted Nugent, as well as Hollywood actors Claire Forlani and Tom Skerritt. (1 hr. 28 min.)

SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO is prolific Japanese cult director Takashi Miike's samurai tribute to the Spaghetti Western genre. With an irreverent style and an obvious knowledge of the oater canon, Miike sets out to celebrate the factory line artistry of films such as Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and Sergio Carbucci's DJANGO, while fully embracing the dazzling, post-modern aesthetic of movies such as KILL BILL and DESPERADO. And while homage and cinematic genre mash-ups can both be high on genuine artistic vision, it's clear from the supremely stylized opening prologue--with its transparent set pieces, outrageous kill shots, and cameo from that anointer of cult films himself, Quentin Tarantino--that Miike is out to have fun above all.

The story follows a Man With No Name gunfighter brought to a small village in Nevada to protect the townspeople from two rival gangs at war over a treasure hidden in the nearby hills. Themes of honor, tradition, loyalty, and family give the film some dramatic weight, but SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO primarily works as a high-octane action flick, albeit one made by a director with style and smarts. The samurai sword lust, kung-fu bar brawls, and John Woo-style operatic gun play remain completely gripping regardless of plot. Yet though the basic story has been told by everyone from Dashiell Hammett to the Coen Brothers to Akira Kurosawa, it's one that has clearly worked its way into the pantheon of contemporary myth and makes for solid dramatic ground on which an entertaining spectacle can unfurl. (1 hr. 38 min.)

Life couldn't be sweeter for Garfield, everyone's favorite feline. Parked on a comfortable chair in front of the television, feasting on his favorite dish, lasagna, and hurling insults at his beleaguered owner Jon, Garfield is the master of his universe. When Jon takes Garfield to visit beautiful veterinarian Liz Wilson, she gives Jon a pepped-up, tail-wagging, panting creature that represents everything that Garfield loathes. Garfield, meet Odie, a lovable, dim-witted dog. The wise-cracking cat is, for the first time in his nine lives, left speechless. The clueless Odie chases his tail till he's dizzy, crashes into walls, and barks without cause, all to the unbridled delight of Jon who eagerly welcomes Odie into his home. Odie turns Garfield's perfect world upside down. Garfield's solution: OUT, DARN DOG. When the hapless hound disappears into the evil clutches of local celebrity Happy Chapman, you would think Garfield would rejoice. But he feels responsible for t! he fate of another. With uncharacteristic energy, courage and selflessness, Garfield manages to pull himself away from his lazy life and spring into action. He's on the unlikeliest of impossible missions: to save Odie. (1 hr. 25 min.)

Set on a world populated entirely by robots, this is the story of a young genius, Rodney (Ewan McGregor), who wants to make robots capable of making the world a better place, but he finds his dream challenged by a corporate tyrant and a master inventor, Big Weld (Mel Brooks), while also being seduced by a sexy corporate robot, Cappy (Halle Berry). (1 hr. 29 min.)

Twenty thousand years ago, the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and creatures everywhere were fleeing the onslaught of the new Ice Age. In this time of peril, we meet the weirdest herd of any Age: a fast talking but dim sloth named Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo); a moody woolly mammoth named Manny (voiced by Ray Romano); a devilish saber-toothed tiger named Diego (Denis Leary); and an acorn-crazy saber-toothed squirrel known as Scrat. This quartet of misfits unexpectedly, and reluctantly, comes together in a quest to return a human infant to his father. Braving boiling lava pits, treacherous ice caves, freezing temperatures and a secret, evil plot, these "sub-zeros" become the world's first heroes! (1 hr. 21 min.)

Father Jonathan Keene isn't your standard Catholic priest. Instead of preaching, he has the unenviable task of shuttering churches that aren't profitable. But when his next target is in a picturesque fishing village the week before Christmas, the hard-hearted man may find redemption. David Wall, who bears a striking resemblance to THE WAY WE WERE-era Robert Redford, not only starred as Father Keene, he also directed, wrote, and produced this holiday drama. Wall's real-life wife and daughter played significant roles in the film as well.

Earl Montgomery (Martin Lawrence) is a cocky L.A.P.D. cadet who would probably be a great cop if it weren't for his rebellious behavior. When his attitude gets him kicked out of the police academy, he can only find employment as a lowly security guard at "National Security." After Earl accuses uptight police officer Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn) of harassment, Hank is stripped of his badge and ends up as a guard at National Security as well, where Earl's overzealous style of police work leads to the discovery of a sophisticated smuggling operation led by Nash (Eric Roberts) and a possible police cover-up. Now everyone wants Earl and Hank dead – though they just may kill each other first. (1 hr. 30 min.)

This movie, based on the classic holiday song of the same name, stars twin actors Cole & Dylan Sprouse, playing a little boy who after seeing his mom kissing "Santa Claus" does all in his power to make sure his family remains intact. The hilariously heartwarming lengths he goes through for his family make this holiday film a joy for the whole family. In the spirit of HOME ALONE and A CHRISTMAS STORY, this film has it's share of kid high jinx and pranks! Based on the classic holiday song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."

Move over Disney. Twentieth Century Fox's first in-house animated feature may not be "Beauty and the Beast,' but it has more freshness, more verve and more compelling characters than "Hunchback' or "Hercules.' (1 hr. 32 min.)

A true and moving story of a brave Scottish immigrant family and their losing battle against the rigors of the frontier wilderness. When the parents die, the children keep the family and their Wisconsin homestead together.

Alex D. Linz replaces that other kid and there's a new cast of villains, but the formula remains the same. (1 hr. 43 min.)

An updated version of the 1947 classic about a department-store Kris Kringle who brings joy to Christmas, by making Susan, a cynical little girl and her mother believe in Santa Claus. A warm and cozy film with just the right amount of nineties edge. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET stars Mara Wilson (the unbelievably adorable daughter of MRS. DOUBTFIRE) as Susan. (1 hr. 14 min.)

Billy Wilder's adaptation of Samuel Taylor's romantic comedy stars Audrey Hepburn in the title role. The daughter of the chauffeur (John Willliams) of the wealthy Larabee family, she becomes infatuated with the rakish, younger brother David (William Holden), while spying on their lavish parties as a teenager. Her father sends her to school in Paris to forget her romantic angst, but upon her return, the now fashionable young woman has suddenly become irresistible to David. Since his father and older brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart), who runs the family business, have engineered his forthcoming marriage to a wealthy heiress (Martha Hyer), they attempt to derail Sabrina's romance with David. To cool his brother's ardor, Linus temporarily puts David out of commission and begins dating Sabrina simply to distract her, but of course it's he who becomes distracted. When David recovers from his injury and learns that Sabrina is now interested in her brother, the festivities begin. Hepburn, the ultimate ingenue, defines charm in this pleasant comic diversion. (1 hr. 53 min.)

An extremely powerful and uplifting story about a family of black sharecroppers, the Morgans, set in rural Louisiana during the early 1930s, Martin Ritt's SOUNDER is so simple and effective that it evokes an emotional response from viewers of all ages. Even so, SOUNDER is not a children's film by any means; it treats serious, adult issues, and features some of the most deeply felt performances and mature relationships ever captured on film. SOUNDER's title comes from the name of the Morgan family dog that young David Lee Morgan takes with him while hunting with his father, Nathan. Unfortunately, times are so hard for the Morgans that when Nathan tries to steal a ham for his family, he is caught and sent to a labor camp. David, now the man of the house, sets out on a journey to find the camp where his father was sent. On his way, he comes across an all-black school where he enrolls, learning empowering lessons about black achievement in America. Based on the Newberry Award winning novel by William H. Armstrong, SOUNDER not only improves on its source material, but it is also one of the rare films about the black experience that moves people of all races. (1 hr. 45 min.)

Sixteen-year-old Katy McLaughlin dreams of fulfilling her family legacy by working on her father's ranch in modern-day Wyoming. Katy finds a wild mustang, which she names Flicka, and Katy sets out to break through to Flicka and make her a riding horse. But Flicka and Katy are more alike than she could have imagined. Like Katy, Flicka has a disdain for authority and is not about to give up her freedom without a fight. (1 hr. 50 min.)

Turbo Man action dolls are the christmas craze- in the spirit of real life Tickle-Me-Almo. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad mug shamelessly through this holiday slapstick about two guilt-wracked fathers racing around Minneapolis on Christmas Eve trying to buy their sons a sold-out Turbo Man. (1 hr. 28 min.)

Covers the period from 1963 to 1968; Produced and released in 1991.

Oliver Stone's self-proclaimed "countermyth," JFK mocks the doubtful veracity of the Warren Commission's findings on the Kennedy assassination and summarizes some of the myriad theories that have been proposed in its contest. Focusing on the investigation by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) into the activities of the FBI and other government agencies as well as their attempted cover-ups, Stone weaves fact and speculation into a compelling argument for the reopening of the case files. Garrison begins to investigate local links to the assassination, including Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones), David Ferrie (Joe Pesci), Guy Bannister (Ed Asner), Perry Russo (Kevin Bacon), and Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman). When the accounts of Ferrie, Russo, and others almost invariably diverge from the FBI versions of events, Garrison begins to suspect a cover-up. Widening his net, he interviews many of the original assassination witnesses and again finds little that coincides with the government's record. Combining interviews with an analysis of the physical evidence, Garrison's team posits the existence of a conspiracy to kill the president. A mysterious Col. X (Donald Sutherland) implies the orchestration of the conspiracy at the highest levels of government, and Garrison is ready to go to trial. Stone deploys video, different film stocks shot at varying speeds, and a dizzying style of montage while harnessing the talents of a large and extraordinary cast to create a film of undeniable power and excitement. (3 hrs. 9 min.)

Claude Chabrol's lifelong interest in the psychological lives of women finds a perfect vehicle in Gustave Flaubert's 1856 novel, MADAME BOVARY. Isabelle Hupert, Chabrol's frequent collaborator and muse, brings a detached and icy intensity to her portrayal of Emma, an ambitious farmer's daughter suffocated by her own life. When Emma meets meek country doctor Charles Bovary (Jean-François Balmer), she sees a ticket out of her meager existence. However, the lure of marriage and motherhood is short-lived, and soon Emma senses a new set of ever-encroaching snares and limits preventing her from fulfilling the fanciful destiny she constructs for herself out of her own desires and the romance novels that fuel them. When her outlets of novels and the odd ball at the local château cease to satisfy Emma's ravenous hunger for passion and luxury, she takes matters into her own hands, embarking on a double life of domesticity and adultery. Chabrol injects the film with his patented dark humor while remaining faithful to Flaubert's stinging depiction of the narrow world of 19th-century provincial life and its clash with female desires as fleshed out by the tragic figure of Huppert's immensely complicated but very real Emma. (2 hrs. 20 min.)