Info: Opens today in theaters everywhere; rated PG-13 for violent content, some thematic material and language; 123 minutes.

When you have two Oscars for Best Actress, what mountains are left to conquer? The definitive inspirational-teacher movie, I suppose. That's what Hilary Swank and screenwriter-director Richard LaGravenese ("Living Out Loud") attempt with this earnest drama based on the real-life experiences of novice teacher Erin Gruwell, who coaxed her recalcitrant Long Beach, Calif., students to keep journals about the poverty and gang violence in their lives. Swank's scenes with the students (notably April Lee Hernandez and singer Mario) spark with such energy that the rest of the movie, in which Gruwell battles a jaded supervisor (Imelda Staunton) and her dismissive husband (a very un-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey), remind you how formulaic it all is.

- Sean P. Means

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Info: Opens today at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for aberrant behavior involving nudity, violence, sexuality, and disturbing images; 147 minutes.

Slasher flicks don't get more richly detailed and historically stylized than this 18th-century tale. Based on Patrick Süskind's best-seller, "Perfume" tells of a Parisian street urchin (Ben Whishaw) with a sensitive nose and an obsession with capturing the scent of beauty - even if it means killing women to preserve their smell. Director Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") applies layers of period costumes, rich visuals, a plummy narration (by John Hurt) and strategically placed ham-acting (Dustin Hoffman as an Italian perfumer, Alan Rickman as a protective father) to hide the movie's central ickiness. Revulsion may give way to unintentional laughter when Tykwer gets to the movie's punch line, featuring the largest open-air orgy I've ever seen in a commercial film. But there's something, radiating out from Whishaw's cipher of a performance, smelly at the core of "Perfume" that no amount of artifice can cover up.

- Sean P. Means

Code Name: The Cleaner

Info: Opens today in theaters everywhere; rated PG-13 for sexual content, crude humor and some violence; 91 minutes.

Cedric the Entertainer stars as a guy who wakes up next to a dead FBI agent and a suitcase full of money - and can't remember anything about his previous life. That is, except for apparent flashbacks where he sees himself as . . . an obese military special ops officer? He takes off with the cash and, while he doesn't seem to mind the whole dead man thing, he does worry when it seems bad guys are out to get him. Is he a janitor or a special agent? It's kind of a cool premise; the problem is, no one here takes the material to its full comic potential. And DeRay Davis steals what comedy there is as a goofy janitor who wants to be a rapper. Lucy Liu and Nicollette Sheridan just embarrass themselves as Cedric's love interests and each other's enemies.

- Christy Karras

Happily N'Ever After

Info: Opens today in theaters everywhere; rated PG for some mild action and rude humor; 87 minutes.

In this fractured fairy tale, the line "I wish we could mix it up a little - make it a little edgier" comes not from a studio executive but from a purple sprite called Mambo (annoyingly voiced by Andy Dick), minion to a wizard in charge of balancing good and evil in all the stories in Fairytaleland. Unfortunately, "edgier" here means a thin "Shrek" rip-off in which Cinderella's stepmom, Frieda (voiced by Sigourney Weaver), commandeers the wizard's magic and calls in all the trolls, ogres and witches to rewrite the fairy tales, leaving it up to Cinderella (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Prince Charming's put-upon servant Rick (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.) to save the day. Though there are one or two funny gags (like the Seven Dwarves as commandos), the typographical flourish in the title is the most clever thing about "Happily N'Ever After."

- Sean P. Means

Thr3e

Info: Opens today in theaters everywhere; rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and terror; 105 minutes.

"Thr3e" is not boring, but the plot is a thin, tired retread - which means it's pretty much like any other run-of-the-mill PG-13 freakfest. Kevin, a seminary grad student (Marc Blucas), is terrorized by a serial killer who seems bent on ruining his life in retaliation for a childhood insult. He has to keep saving victims from the killer, who calls him just before each murder with riddle-style warnings delivered in an inexplicably and goofily distorted voice. Director Robby Henson (who specializes in this sort of thing) keeps the action going nonstop, which is the best thing about the movie, especially since that gives us little time to think about just how silly it is. The weirdest aspect of all: It was made by Fox Faith, a studio purportedly specializing in uplifting, spiritually themed fare. Twisted this is. Uplifting it ain't.

- Christy Karras