New films from a family perspective; includes 'Eagle Eye,' 'Rodanthe'

A guide to movies from a family perspective:

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua"

-- Rated: PG.

-- Suitable for: Preschoolers and school-age children who can sit attentively through a 90-minute movie.

-- What you should know: Drew Barrymore speaks for the title character, a pampered dog who is dognapped in Mexico and must try to find her way home to Beverly Hills.

-- Language: Nothing objectionable.

-- Sexual situations and nudity: None.

-- Violence/scary situations: Lots, although generally mild. It starts with Chloe being kidnapped and forced into a dog-fighting pit with a menacing Doberman and continues as Chloe goes on the road.

-- Drug or alcohol use: Brief scene of adults drinking wine in a restaurant.

"Flash of Genius"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Middle-schoolers and above.

-- What you should know: Greg Kinnear stars in this real-life story about the Detroit inventor of intermittent windshield wipers, whose idea was stolen.

-- Language: One f-word and a smattering of other vulgarities, and some uses of "Christ."

-- Sexual situations and nudity: Some affection between a husband and wife, but nothing notable.

-- Violence/scary situations: Kinnear's character is hospitalized after a mental breakdown.

-- Drug or alcohol use: Champagne or other alcoholic drinks served to adults.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Teens and older moviegoers.

-- What you should know: Michael Cera ("Juno") and Kat Dennings play high-school seniors who, with assorted others, roam around New York one crazy night.

-- Language: Titillating and with some common four-letter words, but generally mild.

-- Sexual situations and nudity: A couple start to undress each other in a scene that ends in off-camera sex. Kisses are exchanged, a few minutes of a gay revue is shown and there is brief talk about orgasms.

-- Violence/scary situations: A drunken girl gets lost and two young men butt heads.

-- Drug or alcohol use: Teens drink and one girl gets incredibly drunk in scenes played for laughs.

"'Eagle Eye"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Teens and older moviegoers.

-- What you should know: Shia LaBeouf, in what he considers his first adult role, plays a brainy college dropout who is framed for terrorism and goes on the run at the behest of a faceless voice that contacts him by all manner of modern technology.

-- Language: One use of the f-word and various other profanities.

-- Sexual situations and nudity: Mild. A joke is made about herpes and a kiss exchanged.

-- Violence/scary situations: Lots, with explosions, car chases and crashes, a man who is burned to death by high-voltage wires, exchange of gunfire and innocent lives -- including that of an 8-year-old boy -- are targeted or put in jeopardy. Plus, there is a quick shot of an accident victim in an open coffin at a funeral.

-- Drug or alcohol use: Adults are briefly shown drinking, with one scene set in a bar.

"Nights in Rodanthe"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Mature tweens and up.

-- What you should know: Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel. She is the separated mother of two whose life is changed when she pitches in at a friend's beachside inn and meets a divorced doctor with amends to make. Cast also includes James Franco, in a small role, Mae Whitman and Scott Glenn.

-- Language: Generally mild, with a few crude or vulgar phrases.

-- Sexual situations and nudity: A couple is shown in bed, and while the camera largely stays on their heads and shoulders, it's obvious they're having sex.

-- Violence/scary situations: A hurricane heads for Rodanthe, a surgery goes awry and an act of nature takes a human toll, too.

-- Drug or alcohol use: Lots of wine, whiskey or beer consumption.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)