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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Zac Efron sees dead people -- and talks with them, too -- in "Charlie St. Cloud" (Universal).

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Doctor Doolittle meets James Bond in "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (Warner Bros.), a clever and funny 3-D spy adventure for the entire family. This follow-up to the 2001 comedy "Cats & Dogs" seamlessly blends live action, puppetry, and computer animation as -- unbeknownst to their beloved human owners -- the two species of the title must join forces to save the planet from one very bad kitty.

Salt

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Angelina Jolie makes a weak script reasonably compelling in "Salt" (Columbia/Relativity). But, though well-acted, director Phillip Noyce's action thriller is also thoroughly violent.

Ramona and Beezus

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Though ostensibly set in a more-or-less contemporary suburb of Portland, Ore., the gentle, winning comedy "Ramona and Beezus" (Fox) occupies a nostalgia-tinted world so idyllic that you half expect one of the characters to announce, somewhere along the line, that a lovely family called the Cleavers just moved in next door.

Inception

NEW YORK (CNS) -- With "Inception" (Warner Bros.) -- an action film resting on a science-fiction premise -- writer-director Christopher Nolan achieves a tour de force of spectacle and suspense. But, like many a less-sophisticated offering in the action genre, this ingenious brainteaser is rife with explosions and gunplay.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

NEW YORK (CNS) -- By the time viewers sit through the two flashbacks -- one set in the Middle Ages, the other a mere 10 years ago -- that are required to get "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (Disney) rolling, they will likely have a sense that director Jon Turteltaub's generally inoffensive but routine fantasy adventure is on track to do more lumbering than levitating.

Predators

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Toward the end of "Predators" (Fox), a character camouflages himself by covering his torso with mud. That's an apt symbol for this dreary sci-fi sequel which, despite a halfhearted last-reel lesson about the need to maintain civilized values, is mostly a bespattered survey of nasty ways to die.

Despicable Me

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Though he aspires to be the world's most terrible villain, Gru (voice of Steve Carell) -- the character at the heart of "Despicable Me" (Universal), an enchanting 3-D animated comedy -- is, in reality, only a slightly wicked rogue who ultimately proves to be a softhearted hero.

The Last Airbender

NEW YORK (CNS) -- "The Last Airbender" (Paramount) presents a potential dilemma for Catholic parents.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Though it sticks to a tried-and-true recipe that will undoubtedly delight the legions of enthusiastic followers who have made the franchise it extends a box-office blockbuster, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (Summit) may strike less-committed viewers as occasionally over-familiar.