Playing at local movie theaters

COLLATERAL— ** 1/2 — Tom Cruise is unconvincing in this muddled thriller about a hitman who hires a cabbie (Jamie Foxx) — at gunpoint. Running time: 127 minutes. R (violence, profanity, gore, vulgarity, brief drugs).

LITTLE BLACK BOOK — * 1/2 — Brittany Murphy is at her most irksome in this painfully unfunny romantic comedy. Running time: 105 minutes. PG-13 (vulgarity, violence, profanity).

METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER — ** 1/2 — This overlong but still interesting documentary profiles the veteran heavy-metal act, warts and all. Running time: 139 minutes. Not rated, probable R (profanity, violence, brief drugs, vulgarity, sex, brief nudity).

SAINTS AND SOLDIERS — *** — Corbin Allred's solid performance propels this gripping World War II drama, about soldiers trying to survive the Malmedy Massacre. Running time: 91 minutes. PG-13 (violence, gore, mild profanity, ethnic slurs).

S21: THE KHMER ROUGE DEATH MACHINE — *** — A chilling documentary about the atrocities performed by Khmer Rouge soldiers, told from the perspective of survivors. Vietnamese with subtitles. Running time: 100 minutes. Not rated, probable PG-13 (violent images, vulgarity).

NEW MOVIE WEDNESDAY

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT — This sequel to the 2001 sleeper hit finds Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) preparing for marriage. Julie Andrews co-stars. To be reviewed when it opens next week. G (slapstick violence).

KIDS MATINEES

AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON — * — Teen spy Frankie Muniz heads to Merry Old England in this irksome sequel. Running time: 101 minutes. PG (violence, vulgarity, mild profanity, brief drugs). (SCERA: Monday-Thursday)

MAGIC IN THE WATER — ** — This fantasy about a lake creature is basically the "Free Willy" story with dinosaurs. Running time: 98 minutes. PG (profanity, vulgarity). (SCERA: Monday-Thursday)

RUGRATS GO WILD — ** 1/2 — Though it starts slow, this pairing of characters from "Rugrats" and "The Wild Thornberrys" is pretty fun. Running time: 81 minutes. PG (mild vulgarity, animated violence). (University Mall: daily except Sunday)