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OPENING

• The Da Vinci Code (2006) (PG-13: Disturbing images, violence, some nudity and sexual content). Dan Brown's megaseller comes to the screen, courtesy of director Ron Howard. "Code" follows a religious scholar (Tom Hanks) who gets embroiled in an ancient mystery involving the Catholic Church and a certain great painter. Reviewed by Christian Toto.

• The Lost City (2006)(R) — Andy Garcia attempts to evoke Havana during the late 1950s, on the eve of the Castro revolution, while portraying a prominent showman whose livelihood is at risk — the owner of a fashionable nightclub called El Tropico. The source material is a novel by the Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante. The cast also includes Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Tomas Milian and Ines Sastre. Exclusively at the Landmark E Street Cinema.

• Over the Hedge (2006) (PG: Slapstick violence and coarse humor). Woodland creatures wake from their winter sleep to find the forest wiped out by a new housing development. This animated comedy features the vocal talents of Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Garry Shandling and Steve Carell, among others.

• See No Evil (2006) (R) — The stalking vehicle for a new horror franchise, revolving around professional wrestling behemoth Kane as a "reclusive psychopath" called Jacob Goodnight, who boasts a steel-plated skull and razor-sharp fingernails. He's aroused from hiding in an abandoned hotel by a collection of petty criminals on a community service project. Directed by Gregory Dark from a script by Dan Madigan.

• Sir! No, Sir! (2006) (No MPAA rating: Adult subject matter) — A nostalgic-tendentious documentary feature about anti-war activists from the Vietnam War years, compiled by David Zeiger, whose subjects include the venerable Jane Fonda. Exclusively at the Landmark E Street Cinema.

NOW SHOWING

• Akeelah and the Bee (2006) (PG: Some mild language) — ***. A young South Central girl (Keke Palmer) catches the National Spelling Bee championships on ESPN and is hooked. She studies hard and sets her sights on winning the next year's competition. Angela Bassett plays the girl's mother and Laurence Fishburne is a helpful professor. "Akeelah" is predictable, mushy in spots and hardly cutting-edge. None of that matters when Mr. Fishburne is counseling young Akeelah. Their tender scenes, and the film's oversized heart, make it a warm and winning film for young and old. Reviewed by Christian Toto.

• American Dreamz (2006) (PG-13: Disturbing themes, sexual situations and adult language) — **1/2. Hugh Grant is the Simon Cowell-esque host of the country's most popular television show. President Staton (Dennis Quaid) hopes to boost his poll numbers by appearing on the program, while a terrorist group sees the singing show as a platform for its next murderous act. Writer-director Paul Weitz of "About a Boy" fame wrings some laughs out of touchy material but too much of the satire only skims the surface. Reviewed by Christian Toto.