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Made in China under the control of its communist government, co-produced by actors Edward Norton and Naomi Watts—who also star—The Painted Veil is nevertheless a beautiful motion picture about one Western couple's incredible journey into a primitive Chinese village.

Robert De Niro's story of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through one man's eyes, The Good Shepherd, is painstaking. It seems like forever before Mr. DeNiro, directing his second motion picture, wraps it up. Eric RothMatt DamonAngelina JolieMadonnaAlec Baldwin

As long as one is immunized against the dumbed down, revisionist history that contaminates Jumanji lookalike Night at the Museum, and a decent grasp of U.S. history is the only antidote, this Ben Stiller movie is mildly entertaining. Robin WilliamsOwen Wilson

In We Are Marshall, a tour de force sports drama instilled with an unwavering sense of purpose, a director who goes by the term McG has crafted an emotional movie with real power. Take the wife, take Mom, take the team—do not miss this redemptive treat. It is a winner. Matthew McConaughey

Best known as the creator and producer of the long-running CBS series The Waltons, Earl Hamner's work ranges from his early screenplays for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone to his script for the 1973 animated musical adaptation of E.B. White's novel, Charlotte's Web. The 83-year-old bestselling writer sat down to talk about remaking Charlotte's Web, his new book, and his classic Christmas television movie, The Homecoming, at his office in Studio City, California. Jeffrey KatzenbergRon Howard

Dreamgirls doesn't dazzle as much as it jumps, hollers and stomps in its sequined production and costume design, which it certainly does. It's an empty, overblown, gorgeous and occasionally entertaining show that passes the time. Jamie FoxxBeyoncéEddie MurphyDanny Glover

The Christmas season was in full swing over the weekend with four movies grossing more than $10 million overseas. Leading the pack was Eragon thanks to the sheer scope of its nearly global day-and-date launch. The fantasy claimed $30.3 million from 76 territories but ranked first in less than half of them. Denzel WashingtonClint Eastwood

Star vehicle The Pursuit of Happyness chased down the weekend top spot, exceeding two literary adaptations with presumably loyal followings, Eragon and Charlotte's Web. Compared to last year's King Kong opening, though, overall weekend business was down seven percent. Will SmithSteven SoderberghGeorge Clooney

If the annual list isn't finished with items wrapped and delivered, all is probably neither calm nor necessarily bright in this week before Christmas. Thanks to online shopping, all is not lost, especially for those on your list who love movies. DVDs make great gifts and several recent releases—heavy on nostalgic movies and television programs—are sure to please… Frank MarshallMarlon BrandoChris ColumbusMacaulay Culkin

Lacking the bittersweet charm and dry, light humor of the book and the 1973 animated adaptation, the live action remake of E.B. White's children's story, Charlotte's Web, is bland. Gary WinickDakota FanningJulia Roberts

Casino Royale topped the foreign box office for the fourth weekend in a row, claiming $35.5 million from 64 territories for a $246.5 million total. James Bond's newest adventure hit ten new markets, setting franchise records in each one, though its highest-grossing country was still the United Kingdom at $5.43 million (where its total stands at $80.1 million). Nancy MeyersMartin ScorseseClint Eastwood

Far from cataclysmic, Apocalypto led a modest weekend ravaged by the lack of broadly appealing pictures. Compared to last year when The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe drew $65.6 million alone, overall business was down 22 percent. Mel GibsonNancy MeyersCameron DiazKate WinsletJude LawJack BlackLeonardo DiCaprio

At the height of The Holiday, one of the romantic leads proposes that it's time to "celebrate being young and alive." Yes, 'tis certainly the season to smile and, for the most part, writer and director Nancy Meyers comes through with another happy, gooey confection. Cameron DiazKate WinsletRufus SewellJude LawJack Black

The season's most riveting, character-based movie is a politically anti-capitalist thriller called Blood Diamond. The goal-driven script by Charles Leavitt, who also wrote Peter Chelsom's tender The Mighty, is moved more by the idea that true love endures than by the picture's liberal orthodoxy. Leonardo DiCaprioEdward Zwick

Spending its third weekend atop the foreign box office, Casino Royale earned $43.7 million from 55 territories, pushing its total to a smashing $195.6 million. Given the far-reaching appeal of James Bond and the lack of significant direct competition, the franchise's 21st installment is poised to lead for several more weeks—December's only worldwide launch will be Eragon. Will FerrellDenzel Washington

Q. 'Happy Feet' and 'Casino Royale' have been the top two pictures respectively for three weekends in a row now, while 'Happy Feet', 'Casino Royale' and 'Deja Vu' repeated as the top three movies. How often does this happen?

Solid in their third weekends, Happy Feet and Casino Royale, the season's most broadly appealing pictures, topped the box office again and contributed to a seven percent increase over the same frame last year.

Writer Neal Gabler sat down with Box Office Mojo at the Walt Disney Studios to discuss his new biography of the entertainment giant's namesake and founder, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination.

Burbank, California—Neal Gabler's new biography of Walt Disney, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination sells itself. Fully indexed and with pages of comprehensive notes and photographs, this mammoth Knopf hardcover, which will undoubtedly be studied by Hollywood scholars for decades, achieves its ambitious literary purpose—the life story of the Hollywood titan whose uniquely American motion pictures and theme parks continue to evoke wonder and optimism.

Dominating the foreign box office, Casino Royale raked in $64.9 million at 6,458 screens in 50 territories over the weekend, propelling its total to $128.8 million in just two weeks. Denzel Washington