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By AMANDA HENRY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 15, 2007

AMAZING GRACE

Welsh hottie Ioan Gruffudd ("The Fantastic Four") stars in this intelligent, inspirational biopic about abolitionist William Wilberforce, who campaigned for years to outlaw slavery in England. Among his allies is Albert Finney's John Newton, who wrote the eponymous hymn after renouncing his own involvement in the slave trade. Rounding out the cast are Michael Gambon and Romola Garai; Michael Apted directs.

PG; 117 minutes

LA VIE EN ROSE

Apparently legendary singer Edith Piaf, like so many famous people, had a nasty, horrible childhood, which may or may not explain why she throws so many tantrums — more than two hours worth — in this sprawling biopic. Those who prefer to remember Piaf, played here by Marion Cotillard, as a glamorous Parisian chanteuse rather than a dysfunctional diva may want to avoid mucking about in her back story.

PG-13; 141 minutes

OCEAN'S THIRTEEN

George Clooney and his charismatic cronies (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, etc.) are back for a third round of flashy, Las Vegas-set swindles. The target this time is Al Pacino, who has double-crossed their old buddy Elliott Gould in a casino deal. The details of the caper are as preposterous as ever; fortunately neither director Steven Soderbergh nor his all-star cast take any of it too seriously.

PG-13; 122 minutes

PARIS JE T'AIME

This collection of short films unites the leading international directors of the day around a single theme: the City of Lights. The entries range in tone from farce to political screed — and in quality, from cringe-worthy to sublime — but no one film sticks around too long to wear out its welcome. Participating auteurs include the Coen brothers, Tom Tykwer, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne and Gus Van Sant.

R; 110 minutes

PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Fans of Joe Wright's sublime 2005 adaptation of the Jane Austen novel may want to invest in this deluxe two-disc gift set of the evergreen love story, this time starring Keira Knightley and Mathew Macfadyen. Extras include six featurettes on subjects such as the politics of dating and stately homes of P&P, as well as a family tree, a copy of the original soundtrack CD and a collectible book.

PG; 129 minutes

SHREK THE THIRD

Sequelitis strikes Far, Far Away in this uninspired third outing for the megabucks franchise about a world filled with fairy-tale creatures and pop culture references, in equal numbers. This time around, Shrek is an unwilling heir to the throne who would rather see the crown on teen-age Artie (voiced by Justin Timberlake) — and isn't so sure how he feels about having a Mini-Shrek on the way either.

PG; 92 minutes

Synopses by Amanda Henry; ratings from The Associated Press

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