film

"LIFE ON MARS: SERIES 2." (2007. NOT RATED. ACORN MEDIA. $59.99. FOUR DISCS.)

To the depressingly short list of shows you wish had never ended, prepare to add the original British version of "Life on Mars."

The end of the world has come to a theater near you, and more apocalyptic visions are due:

"2012": A Roland Emmerich special-effects doomfest, starring John Cusack. It opened Nov. 13.

"The Road": Based on Cormac McCarthy's tale of a father and son on a grim trek in post-apocalypse America, the movie stars Viggo Mortenson. It opens Nov. 25.

Dene McGriff wants to make sense out of the last days -- the end of times. He has turned to the Bible. Others have turned to ancient calendars, prophecies and even movies.

All see the same message: The end is near.

Hollywood serves up a heaping of hope in the days before Thanksgiving, although one comes in a palatable PG-13 package and the other with a provocative, harrowing R.

"The Blind Side" and "Precious" focus on young people who, without the kindness of strangers and their own determination, would be doomed to horrid existences.

A look at how the movies stack up:

A guide to movies from a family perspective:

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Mature tweens and up.

-- What you should know: This is the second movie based on Stephenie Meyer's best seller about a human girl, her vampire boyfriend and, now, a werewolf rival.

-- Language: About nine stronger versions of "heck" or "darn."

The most popular movie of all time -- winner of eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture -- was first released 70 years ago.

All those years of playing a stoner in director Kevin Smith's movies have left actor Jason Mewes in a bit of a haze.

"If someone says, 'Hey, let's get Jason Mewes to play a cop in this movie,' somebody else will say, 'But, hey, isn't he that stoner dude from the Kevin Smith films?' So, yeah, it definitely makes (casting agents) second guess me," says the actor.

"2012" is based loosely on the belief that the world as we know it will end on Dec. 21 of that year. The date corresponds loosely to information gleaned from the writings of ancient Mayan culture, when the "Long-Count Calendar" of 5,126 days turns over and the result is -- what, exactly?

A guide to movies from a family perspective:

"2012"

-- Rated: PG-13.

-- Suitable for: Middle-schoolers and up.

-- What you should know: The world is in peril and then destroyed, by earthquakes, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, toppling buildings, ash clouds and other disasters, in this movie that runs 2-1/2 hours.

It's almost axiomatic to say that Pixar movies are just as enjoyable for adults as they are for kids.