Banished from his home for being more man than mouse, Despereaux (Broderick) is befriended by Princess Pea (Watson) who teaches him the value of reading books (instead of eating them) as well as a fellow outcast, Roscuro the Rat (Hoffman), who is interested in hearing the stories Despereaux has learned. When Roscuro is shunned by the princess, however, he plots her kidnapping, putting Desperaux’s human-sized bravery to the test.

Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet first began work on Despereaux, though he eventually left the project to continue development on a Jacques Tati-scripted project that may or may not be his next film. Chomet was temporarily replaced by Corpse Bride co-director Mike Johnson, though the giant mouse ears wound up being handled by veteran animator Robert Stevenhagen and Flushed Away’s Sam Fell. This is definitely the second most-interesting animated project of the year (nothing is beating WALL·E) and it’s cool to see Chomet’s influence lingering in the trailer. Given the derth of family films this holiday season, Despereaux is the champion by default — even if the marketing and promotion for this one seemed to peter out early.

In an exotic divided land, Delgo, an adventurous dreamer but naive teenager, must rally his group of troubled youth and some unlikely friends to protect their world from conflict between the terrestrial Lockni people, who harness the mysteries of the land. And the winged Nohrin people, who rule the skies. They live – segregated – in an uneasy peace until Delgo was framed for a crime he did not commit. After enlisting the help of a unlikely friend to escape a Nohri prison, Delgo discovers Imhoff is in danger so he must unite the two races against a common foe.

For a moment there, we thought this animated offering had already come and gone, but then we remembered: It’s been around since 2003, back when co-star Val Kilmer missed out on a role in Collateral. With a murky premise and a look that might remind you of the old Dungeons & Dragons arcade game, Delgo should perform as well as Fly Me to the Moon, at best …

Rated PG for sequences of fantasy action violence.

Hector(Karra Elejalde) is an ordinary man who’s moving to a new house with his wife(Candela Fernandez). One evening, while he’s looking through his binoculars, he sees what he believes to be a naked girl in the woods. He decides to go there just to find that same girl(Barbara Goenaga) laying on a rock. Suddenly, a man with a pink bandage covering his face, stabs Hector in his arm with scissors. Then a chase starts, leading Hector to a time machine that brings him back nearly an hour in the past. The young man in charge of the time machine(Nacho Vigalondo) explains to Hector (Hector 2) that he must not interfere with the other Hector (Hector 1) so he can go into the time machine again, leaving one Hector instead of two. Things complicate, and Hector 2 is hit by a car, injuring his face. To stop the bleeding, he covers his face with a bandage that turns into pink because of the blood. Then Hector 2 realizes he has to stab Hector 1 and chase him to the time machine, but things go wrong and his wife ends up dead by falling from the ceiling of Hector’s house. Hector 2 returns to the time machine and asks the young man to bring him back to the past a few seconds earlier than the last time (becoming Hector 3). Hector 3 hits Hector 2 with a car, so he can turn into the man with the pink bandage and go after Hector 1. After that, he returns to his house with the young girl from the woods, and hides his wife in order to save her from falling. Then he cuts the young girl’s hair to make her look like his wife, and convinces her to climb up the ceiling. Obviously, the girl dies instead of Hector’s wife. The film ends with Hector 3 (now the only Hector) and his wife waiting for the police to come.

It seems as though this year, more so than in any past year, any non-U.S. film that generates Stateside buzz is snatched up and put on the development track to Remakeville. That’s the case with short filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo’s feature debut, which is being handled by Children of Men screenwriter Tim Sexton as a potential project for David Cronenberg. While Timecrimes hasn’t received the same favorable-across-the-board reception as, say, Let the Right One In (which will be directed by Cloverfield’s Matt Reeves for a January 2010 release, FYI) it just might fare better with a slightly re-tinkered premise, if you believe one of the smarter online reviewers out there.

Rated R for nudity and language.

Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.

Originally Russell Crowe was set to star opposite Kidman in this paean to the antipodean outback, but everyone’s favorite bad boy balked at the salary, stating, “I don’t do charity work for major studios.” Charming or surly? In stepped Wolverine to help Mrs. Keith Urban herd cattle, and while we couldn’t be happier that Jackman and Kidman will play dueling cheekbones, the combination of dust, sweat, and livestock seems a far cry from Luhrmann’s usually spangled-and-sumptuous milieu. This better deliver more than cattle or you’re looking at the Australian Atonement come Oscar time.

An Update, with an Even Cattier Quote: In response to reports that Fox pressured Luhrmann to go with a more-uplifting ending than the one screened to test audiences, the director had this to say: “You really think that on my films people tell me what to do? I don’t think so — on my films I decide.” Additionally, Luhrmann said it will be a surprise as to which of the three endings he shot will end up attached to the final print.

‘Quantum of Solace’ continues the high octane adventures of James Bond from ‘Casino Royale’. Picking up literally days where the previous film left off, after being betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Having captured Mr. White, and in pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and ‘M’ interrogate Mr. White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper to steal Bond’s casino winnings is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an MI6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille, a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and major force within the mysterious criminal organisation known only as ‘Quantum’.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano. Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in Bolivia, giving General Medrano control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land which is, however, a main source of the South American water supply. In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists, and even ‘M’ herself, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop Quantum from getting its way.

Is Bond losing his edge? With the Jason Bourne’s and Jason Statham’s of the world busting the roof off of Hollywood’s typical car-chasing action genre, 007 can’t really rest on his martini-sipping laurels anymore. Don’t think we didn’t notice you pulling up in a Honda rental car in Royale, Bond. The parkour stunts and blood stains on your tux were a nice touch, though. Keep it up. You know, we’ll keep coming back for more, and who knows, you might see us in a Quantum cardigan; it is autumn, after all. P.S. The reviews from the world premiere have been decidedly mixed.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.