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January 4, 2007 12:50 am

HHH CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) As the new James Bond, Daniel Craig is a godsend to fans who've been yearning for a tough, take-no-prisoners star as 007. Craig is all that and more, whether he's charming the ladies as his chiseled pecs come out of the surf (à la Halle Berry) or chasing an agent through a dangerous construction site. The tale takes us back to the beginning for Bond. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity. [RF]

HHH CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) With the best child actress around in the lead and a straightforward telling of the story, this is a treat enjoyed by all who are young at heart. Animals who figure in the tale of Wilbur, a remarkable pig, are voiced by a long list of Hollywood stars, from Julia Roberts to Oprah Winfrey to Robert Redford. Sam Shepard provides a nice base as the narrator of this E.B. White story. Dakota Fanning is impressive beyond her years as Fern, the farm girl who saves a runt pig named Wilbur. The title's spider helps to find a way to keep Wilbur from becoming Christmas bacon. [RF, RA, M]

HH ERAGON (PG) Hard-core "Lord of the Rings" fans may be tempted to call this "swords and sorcery light," but that's not really giving this tale of dragons and an evil wizard its due. There's a cool, computer-generated dragon and enough action scenes to do the story justice. As the young hero, Eragon, Edward Speleers has the good looks to have teenage girls flooding the cineplex. Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich are on hand to steady the drama. Eragon gets a dragon's egg, which hatches into the magic creature that can help save the kingdom from an oppressive king. Rated PG for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences and some frightening images. [RF, RA, M]

HH THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) This film about the creation of the CIA is fascinating in spots, but ends up being a snoozer because it's too long and it's short of enough pulse-quickening moments to bring the spy game to life. Matt Damon does his best to make the film's central character, Edward Wilson, an interesting example of the type of blue-blood, Ivy League "Bones Men" at the core of the first U.S. intelligence agency. But going for bookish and cold, his character becomes somber and overdone. Rated R for some violence, sexuality and language. [RF, RA, M]

HHH HAPPY FEET (PG) This animated tale of singing and dancing emperor penguins is a hoot . Into a community where little penguins find an identity and a spouse by singing, a youngster is born who can't sing, but can dance up a storm. The story becomes the way the youngster, Mumble (Elijah Wood), proves his worth by using his talent to track down the cause of the disappearance of fish in the penguins' habitat--a forced message. Rated PG for some mild peril and rude humor. [RF, RA, M]

HHH THE HOLIDAY (PG-13) Characters played by Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are treated badly by men and want to get away to forget about them. They swap houses for the holidays: L.A. digs for an English cottage. Diaz's L.A. gal meets Winslet's brother (Jude Law), and romance blooms in the cottage. Meanwhile, Winslet's sad miss meets Black, who manages to be quirky enough to be appealing. The film delivers a fun holiday tale with enough romance and funny moments to work. Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language. [RF, RA]

HHH NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) While this is entertaining in spots, it doesn't wow the way I hoped it would. A big problem: It gets into its whole supernatural plot way too quickly. A down-on-his-luck guy (Ben Stiller) takes a job at a museum of history, only to find out that all the animals and historical figures come to life each night. It would have been more fun to see this happen in drips and drabs, and then have Stiller's character struggle to cope with it. Still, any film with Robin Williams, Owen Wilson and Mickey Rooney can't be all bad. Rated PG for mild action, language and brief rude humor. [RF, RA, M]

HHH THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) This tale of one father's struggle to make a good life for his family is a heartfelt success. Will Smith, convincing without overdoing the emotion, plays the father, Chris Gardner, fallen on hard times. A smart and Navy-trained individual with a wife and a child, Gardner lands a spot in a dog-eat-dog training program to learn about selling stocks for a major brokerage. The hurdles cleared by this real-life character give the film a power that builds to an emotional crescendo. Smith does a masterful job with this role, bringing to life the determination this humble hero has inside. Rated PG-13 for some language. [RF, RA, M]

HH ROCKY BALBOA (PG) If you can get past the fact that Sylvester Stallone's face looks like a Claymation figure, this is fun to watch. That's a surprise, because when most of us heard Rocky was heading back into the ring, we shuddered. But this film is better than the last few, mainly because it centers on the Rocky we first met. Here, he's mourning the loss of Adrian, telling old stories in his restaurant, when the chance for a fight comes along. You'll be surprised how the theme music gets to you when he starts training for the fight. Rated PG for boxing violence and some language. [RF, RA, M]

HH WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) This tale of the tragic loss of 75 players and coaches of the Marshall football team in 1970, and of the season that followed, has some power and weight simply because of the story. But an uneven performance by Matthew McConaughey and waffling direction by McG almost ruin it. It's an intriguing tale of how the president of the college and others there fought to restart a football program wiped out by the tragedy. Matthew Fox and David Strathairn are better as the assistant coach who skipped the flight and the college president who's convinced that bringing the program back would honor those the school has lost. Rated PG for emotional thematic material, a crash scene, and mild language. [RF, RA, M]