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ASSIGNED NUMBERS

Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest, depending on quantity and context.

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March 2

Ponyo [2009] [G] - 0.3.2
Animated feature set in the seas of Japan, where a young girl-fish hybrid (voiced by Noah Cyrus) sets out to become a real human girl. She washes up on shore in a pickle jar, befriends a five-year-old boy (voiced by Frankie Jonas) after he saves her, and as the boy and the fish fall in love, they search for the magic required to make their relationship real on land and under the sea. Also with the voices of Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Selena Gomez, Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Lily Tomlin. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, John Lasseter & Brad Lewis. Originally in Japanese, dubbed in English. [1:41]

2012 [2009] [PG-13] - 3.7.5
Disaster movie postulating that an ancient Mayan prediction about the world coming to an end in 2012, will come true even earlier. As humanity struggles to survive the global cataclysm, a single dad (John Cusack) finds himself in a unique situation, which might allow him to save his family. Also with Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Roland Emmerich. [2:38]

Where the Wild Things Are [2009] [PG] - 1.4.1
In this adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's classic, a rambunctious boy (Max Record), feeling misunderstood at home, lashes out against his mother (Catherine Kenner) and runs away to a world he has created for himself: Surrounded by monsters that crown him their king, he rules his new family, until he realizes that he misses his own family. Also with the voices of James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker and Paul Dano. Directed by Spike Jonez. [1:34]

March 9

Capitalism: A Love Story [2009] [R] - 0.4.5
Michael Moore documentary outlining the infatuation the American people have with capitalism, and how large corporations and the banking industry are controlling the government and making sure laws allow them to maximize profits at the expense of ordinary people. [2:07]

Old Dogs [2009] [PG] - 4.4.4
Longtime pals and business partners (John Travolta and Robin Williams) run into unexpected obstacles when the ex-wife of one of the men (Kelly Preston) shows up with 7-year-old twins, and kids and dogs overwhelm the two men and disrupt their business negotiations. Also with Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Bernie Mac and Rita Wilson. Directed by Walt Becker. [1:30]

Planet 51 [2009] [PG] - 3.3.2
When an astronaut (the voice of Dwayne Johnson) lands on a presumably uninhabited planet and finds a population of aliens, he needs help to get back to his spaceship or he'll be marooned. Because they fear that he is there to harm them, the only one who is willing to help him is a young alien teen (voice of Justin Long), who really just wants to get on with his life. Also with the voices of Gary Oldman, John Cleese, Freddie Benedict, Jessica Biel and Seann William Scott. Directed by Jorge Blanco. [1:31]

Precious [2009] [R] - 8.8.10
Tyler Perry's and Oprah Winfrey's movie adaptation of the novel "Push" by Sapphire, an emotional journey into the life of a young, illiterate, overweight and pregnant teenager (Gabourey Sidibe) who has endured a life of sexual abuse and incest. She enrolls in an alternative school that pushes her life into a new direction. Also with Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd and Lenny Kravtiz. Directed by Lee Daniels. [1:49]

Up in the Air [2009] [R] - 6.2.7
A film adaptation of Walter Kim's book "Up in the Air," about a corporate downsizer (George Clooney), who constantly travels around the country from one assignment to another. He is confronted with the lack of purpose and companionship in his life when his company grounds him and he no longer has to spend 320 days a year in the air. Also with Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Zach Galifianakis, and Jason Bateman. Directed by Jason Reitman. [1:49]

March 16

Armored [2009] [PG-13] - 1.6.5
A group of armored car guards plans what they think is the perfect crime, which will involve "no bad guys." When the heist goes wrong and a man is killed, the group begins to turn on each other. With Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Fred Ward, Milo Ventimiglia, Skeet Ulrich, Columbus Short and Andre Jamal Kinney. Directed by Nimrod Antal. [1:25]

Astro Boy [2009] [PG] - 1.4.1
A brilliant scientist, who has developed a robot technology that he envisions being used to help humanity, is convinced to share his creation with a power-hungry politician who wants to use robots as a weapon. When the scientist's young son is killed during the testing, he is determined to build a new robotic boy in his likeness. But he realizes that seeing the boy robot only makes his grief deeper, and the boy robot ends up abandoned in a junkyard where he befriends humans left behind when almost everyone abandoned the planet surface for a spiffy new home hovering in the sky. With the voices of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Matt Lucas and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by David Bowers. [1:34]

Broken Embraces [2009] [R] - 8.4.5
Drama that centers around a blind writer (Lluis Homar) as he uncovers his torrid past: His life is filled with flashbacks that relate a story of unscrupulous power, guilt, and love. Also with Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo and Jose Luis Gomez. Directed by Pedro Almodovar. In Spanish with English subtitles. [2:08]

Did You Hear About the Morgans? [2009] [PG-13] - 4.4.4
A husband and his wife (Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker), separated because of the husband's infidelity, find themselves in the witness protection plan after having witnessed a murder. Apart from being transplanted to a remote town in Wyoming, they must also live under the same roof and come to terms with their imminent divorce. Also with Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Kelly and Wilford Brimley. Directed by Marc D. Lawrence. [1:43]

The Fourth Kind [2009] [PG-13] - 2.6.4
Based on 40 years of alleged UFO sightings, radar anomolies and unexplained human disappearances in northern Alaska, this film follows a psychotherapist (Milla Jojovich) as she investigates sleep disturbances and UFO sightings with the help of her mentor (Elias Koteas) and a local sheriff (Will Patton). The film mixes allegedly real footage of alien abductees with re-enactments by actors. Also with Corey Johnson, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Enzo Cilenti, Daphne Alexander, Alisha Seaton, Tyne Rafaeli and Mia McKenna Bruce. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. [1:38]

Ninja Assassin [2009] [R] - 3.10.6
A clan of warriors takes in orphans and trains them to be ruthless assassins. When one boy grows to adulthood, he questions the leader and acts against the clan, and soon he has to fight his former comrades. With Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles and Rick Yune. Directed by James McTeigue. [1:39]

The Princess and the Frog [2009] [G] - 3.3.1
A modern 2-D animated adaptation of the classic fairytale set in the French Quarter of New Orleans: A prince has been transformed into a frog by an evil voodoo magician and when he mistakenly gets kissed by a non-princess, rather than turning back into a human, she is turned into a frog as well. Together, the two journey with a musical alligator and a heartsick firefly. With the voices of Oprah Winfrey, Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, and Jenifer Lewis, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jimmy Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Ritchie Montgomery, Terrence Howard and John Goodman. Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker. [1:35]

March 23

The Blind Side [2009] [PG-13] - 4.4.4
An African-American teen is accepted into an exclusive school based on the promise of his performance in sports. When it is discovered that he is homeless and spends his nights in the gym, a local woman takes it upon herself to welcome him into her home and her family. Based on a true story. Also with Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon and Kathy Bates. Directed by John Lee Hancock. [2:08]

Fantastic Mr. Fox [2009] [PG] - 1.4.3
Animated feature about Mr. Fox (George Clooney), who's well known for his incomparable chicken catching skills but promises his wife (Meryl Streep) he'll give it up and become a newspaper man. After some time passes, he is frustrated and longs for adventure, so with the help of his opossum friend (Wallace Wolodarsky) begins to plan one last, big catch. Also with the voices of Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson. Directed by Wes Anderson. [1:28]

The Men Who Stare at Goats [2009] [R] - 6.5.7
A recently jilted newspaper man (Ewan McGregor) follows a far fetched story about an elite group of U.S. service men trained by the military in psychic warfare that includes mind-over-matter techniques. Also with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Rebecca Mader, Stephen Lang, Nick Offerman, Tim Griffin and Waleed Zuaiter. Directed by Grant Heslov. [1:33]

March 30

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel [2009] [PG] - 2.3.2
Alvin and the Chipmunks find themselves without Dave when he is injured and must recuperate in the hospital, and so end up staying with Dave's slacker cousin who couldn't be less interested in them and sends them to school. There they must deal with the bullies on the football team, try to save the music department from budget cuts and do an all or nothing throw-down against the Chipettes. Also with Zachary Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, Wendie Malick and the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate. Directed by Betty Thomas. [1:28]

An Education [2009] [PG-13] - 6.1.4
Set in London in 1961, this coming-of-age story involves a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl (Carey Mulligan) who is seduced by a charming thirtyish playboy (Peter Sarsgaard) and learns more than she bargains for about love, life and herself. Based on the memoir of Lynn Barber. Also with Emma Thompson, Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike. Directed by Lone Scherfig. [1:40]

Sherlock Holmes [2009] [PG-13] - 4.7.2
A reinterpretation of the Sherlock Holmes character as a brilliant swashbuckler, with Robert Downey Jr. in the title role and Jude Law as his friend Dr. Watson. The game is afoot when an executed criminal (Mark Strong) seems to have come back to life and threatens to rule Britain by using magic. Also with Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Geraldine James and Kelly Reilly. Directed by Guy Ritchie. [2:08]