“American Promise” — This documentary chronicles two African-American boys’ educational experiences over 13 years, beginning in kindergarten at the prestigious, largely white Dalton School in New York City. Directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson. (2:15) NR.

“Big Ass Spider” — A 50-foot alien arachnid escapes from a military lab and rampages across Los Angeles. With Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar and Ray Wise. Written by Gregory Gieras. Directed by Mike Mendez. (1:20) PG-13.

“Big Sur” — An author struggling with success and inner demons seeks respite in three brief sojourns to a California cabin in this adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel of the same name. With Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth and Josh Lucas. Written and directed by Michael Polish. (1:21) R.

“Birth of the Living Dead” — A documentary about the making of George A. Romero’s landmark horror movie, “Night of the Living Dead,” and its enduring legacy. Directed by Rob Kuhns. (1:16) NR.

“Blood Brother” — A documentary about a Pittsburgh man who meets orphaned children with HIV while traveling in India and is inspired to stay and devote his life to caring for them. Directed by Steve Hoover. (1:32) NR.

“Blood and Ties” — A fledgling reporter’s close relationship with her doting father is rocked when an infamous child abduction case comes back into the news and she is struck by some chilling similarities. With Son Ye-jin and Kim Kap-soo. Written by Bin Sun Hwa. Directed by Kook Dong-seok. In Korean with English subtitles. (1:35) NR.

“Blue Is the Warmest Color” — A 15-year-old French girl enters into a long, passionate relationship with an older female art student. With Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos. Written by Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix. Directed by Kechiche. In French with English subtitles. (2:59) NC-17.

“Bridegroom” — A documentary about Shane Bitney Crone, who lost his boyfriend in a tragic accident and was ostracized by the deceased’s family in the aftermath. Directed by Linda Bloodworth Thomason. (1:20) NR.

“Bridging the Gap” — A documentary following the 500-year-old Vienna Boys Choir on an international tour. Directed by Curt Faudon. (1:26) NR.

“Capital” — The newly installed head of a giant European investment bank schemes and clings to power when an American hedge fund company tries to take over. With Gabriel Byrne and Gad Elmaleh. Written by Costa-Gavras and Jean Claude Grunberg. Directed by Costa-Gavras. In English and French, with English subtitles. (1:54) R.

“Diana” — A biopic about the last two years in the life of Princess Diana, including her secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. With Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews and Douglas Hodge. Written by Stephen Jeffreys. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. (1:47) PG-13.

“Enzo Avitabile Music Life” — A documentary portrait of the Neapolitan saxophonist, singer and songwriter Enzo Avitabile. Directed by Jonathan Demme. (1:19) NR.

“The Fifth Estate” — A drama based on the rise of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his quest to expose government and corporate secrets. With Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brehl, Anthony Mackie and David Thewlis. Written by Josh Singer. Directed by Bill Condon. (2:03) R.

“God Loves Uganda” — A documentary exploring the role of the American evangelical Christian movement in fueling state-sponsored homophobia in Uganda. Directed by Roger Ross Williams. (1:23) NR.

“Haunter” — A teenage girl is the only one in her family to realize they’re reliving the same day over and over again, and she begins to suspect the cause is supernatural. With Abigail Breslin, Stephen McHattie and Peter Outerbridge. Written by Brian King. Directed by Vincenzo Natali. (1:37) NR.

“Hellbenders 3D” — A team of blasphemous ministers whose duty requires them to live in a constant state of debauchery works to keep the world safe from demons. With Clifton Collins Jr., Clancy Brown and Andre Royo. Written and directed by J.T. Petty. In 3-D. (1:25) R.

“The Human Scale” — A documentary exploring how new modes of urban design are transforming cities around the world. Directed by Andreas M. Dalsgaard. (1:17) NR.

“Il Futuro” — An adolescent girl left to care for her younger brother after their parents’ death is persuaded by some unscrupulous acquaintances to seduce and help rob a blind, aging B-movie star. With Manuela Martelli, Luigi Ciardo and Alessandro Giallocosta. Written and directed by Alicia Scherson. In Italian and English, with English subtitles. (1:35) NR.

“I Am Divine” — A documentary about Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as the drag queen Divine, who found stardom collaborating with cult filmmaker John Waters. Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz. (1:30) NR.

“I’m in Love With a Church Girl” — A former high-level drug trafficker is torn between his old life and a new love. With Ja Rule, Adrienne Bailon and Stephen Baldwin. Written by Galley Molina. Directed by Steve Race. (1:58) PG.

“Immigrant” — A 9-year-old Russian immigrant comes of age and chases the American dream in 1970s Brooklyn. With Samuel J. Dixon, Harry Hamlin and Frederick Lawrence. Written and directed by Barry Shurchin. (1:28) NR.

“The Impaler” —10/31 To celebrate their high school graduation, seven friends head to Europe on vacation and stay at the castle of Vlad the Impaler, where centuries-old danger still lurks. With Gregory Lee Kenyon, Teo Celigo and Marcienne Dwyer. Written by Diana Busuioc. Directed by Derek Hockenbrough. (1:26) NR.

“Kill Your Darlings” —10/16 A drama portraying the formative years of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and other members of the Beat Generation, including their embroilment in a mysterious murder. With Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan and Ben Foster. Written by Austin Bunn and John Krokidas. Directed by Krokidas. (1:40) R.

“Last Love” — A widowed, world-weary professor living in Paris forms an unlikely bond with a free-spirited young dance instructor. With Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy and Justin Kirk. Written and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck. (1:55) NR.

“The Legend of Sarila” — An animated film about three young Inuit nomads who search for a legendary promised land to save their tribe. With the voices of Dustin Milligan, Rachelle Lefevre and Christopher Plummer. Written by Pierre Tremblay and Roger Harvey. Directed by Nancy Florence Savard. (1:22) NR.

“Let the Fire Burn” — An all-archival documentary about a 1985 clash between Philadelphia police and the black liberation group MOVE that resulted in a fire that killed 11 people and burned down 61 homes. Directed by Jason Osder. (1:35) NR.

“Life According to Sam” — A documentary about a Massachusetts boy diagnosed with the rare aging disorder progeria and the efforts of his physician parents to combat the disease. Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Fine. (1:33) NR.

“Lost for Words” — In Hong Kong, a newly arrived ex-Marine and a dancer from the mainland strike up a relationship despite cultural and religious differences. With Sean Faris, Grace Huang and Joman Chiang. Written by C. Joseph Bendy and Stanley J. Orzel. Directed by Orzel. (1:47) NR.

“Man of Tai Chi” — A young martial artist must compete in an underground fight club to protect his way of life. With Tiger Hu Chen, Keanu Reeves and Karen Mok. Written by Michael G. Cooney. Directed by Reeves. (1:45) R.

“Mondays With William” — A documentary about William Laga, a homeless, schizophrenic artist discovered and supported by a local gallery owner. Directed by Steve Beebe. (1:30) NR.

“The New Black” — A documentary examining attitudes toward gay marriage among African- Americans. Directed by Yoruba Richen. (1:20) NR.

“Nosotros Los Nobles” — A wealthy construction mogul fakes bankruptcy and moves his spoiled adult children into a poor neighborhood to teach them a lesson, but he is also forced to confront his own failings as a father. With Gonzalo Vega, Karla Souza and Luis Gerardo Mendez. Written by Gaz Alazraki, Adrian Zurita and Patricio Saiz. Directed by Alazraki. In Spanish with English subtitles. (1:48) PG-13.

“Not Yet Begun to Fight” — A documentary about a Vietnam veteran who brings five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to Montana to learn how to fly-fish and cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Directed by Shasta Grenier and Sabrina Lee. (1 hr.) NR.

“One P.M. Central Standard Time” — A documentary chronicling the challenges faced by “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite in gathering and delivering the news of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas in 1963. Narrated by George Clooney. Directed by Alastair Layzell. (1:30) NR.

“Paradise” — After narrowly surviving a plane crash and experiencing a crisis of faith, a wide-eyed 21-year-old from a conservative Montana town travels to Las Vegas to let go of her inhibitions. With Julianne Hough, Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer. Written and directed by Diablo Cody. (1:26) PG-13.

“The Paw Project” — A documentary chronicling a veterinarian’s quest to ban cat declawing. Directed by Jennifer Conrad. (1:13) NR.

“Sake Bomb” — A sarcastic video blogger takes his naive Japanese cousin on a road trip along the California coast to find a lost love. With Gaku Hamada, Eugene Kim and Marlane Barnes. Written by Jeff Mizushima. Directed by Junya Sakino. (1:22) NR.

“Sal” — A biopic about the last days of the actor Sal Mineo, the onetime teen idol who appeared in such films as “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Exodus.” With Val Lauren, James Franco and Vince Jolivette. Written by Stacey Miller. Directed by Franco. (1:25) NR.

“Spinning Plates” — A documentary chronicling the daily drama at three disparate restaurants: a cutting-edge fine-dining establishment, a 150-year-old diner and a fledgling Mexican eatery. Directed by Joseph Levy. (1:33) NR.

“The Square” — A documentary about the Egyptian revolution via protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, from the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 through military rule and the yearlong presidency of Mohamed Morsi, which ended in July. Directed by Jehane Noujaim. (1:43) NR.

“Toad Road” — In a dead-end town in Pennsylvania, a drug-addled slacker enters a relationship with a bright young woman who takes an interest in narcotics and a sinister local legend. With Sara Anne Jones, James Davidson and Jim Driscoll. Written and directed by Jason Banker. (1:16) NR.

“Torn” — Two women form an unexpected bond when their sons are killed in an explosion, but their new friendship is tested when evidence of a bomb implicates one of the young men. With Mahnoor Baloch, Dendrie Taylor and Faran Tahir. Written by Michael Richter. Directed by Jeremiah Birnbaum. (1:20) NR.

“2 Jacks” — A famous filmmaker returns to Hollywood after a long absence and seduces a beautiful woman, and 20 years later his son follows in his footsteps in this contemporary adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy short story “Two Hussars.” With Danny Huston, Sienna Miller and Jack Huston. Written and directed by Bernard Rose. (1:30) NR.

“Two: The Story of Roman and Nyro” — A documentary about songwriter Desmond Child; his lifelong partner, Curtis Shaw; and Angela Whittaker, the woman who would carry and birth their twin sons. Directed by Heather Winters. (1:11) NR.

“When I Walk” — A documentary chronicling a young man’s personal struggle with multiple sclerosis. Directed by Jason DaSilva. (1:25) NR.

“Why We Ride” — A documentary about the appeal of motorcycle riding and culture. Directed by Bryan H. Carroll. (1:29) PG.

“The Wicker Man: Final Cut” — A newly restored version of the 1973 thriller about a devout Christian cop to travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl. With Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt. Written by Anthony Shaffer. Directed by Robin Hardy. (1:32) NR.

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©2013 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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