Professor Lawrence Wetherhold might be imperiously brilliant, but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as downright flummoxed as the next guy.

His teenage daughter is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian literature in which he's an expert, Lawrence seems to be sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age.

When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay just as he accidentally encounters a former student, Janet, the circumstances stir him from his deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking consequences for himself and everyone around him.

Family adventure drama following the journey of a US Marines dog. War dog Max is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan where he was terrified by a nearby bomb explosion and witnessed his handler Kyle (Robbie Amell) being shot and killed by corrupt soldier Tyler (Luke Kleintank). To prevent him from being put down Max is adopted by Kyle's family and his younger brother, Justin (Josh Wiggins), who at first seems disinterested, begins to develop a close bond with the dog. When he discovers that Tyler is involved in some dodgy dealings over stolen weapons and that his dad Ray (Thomas Haden Church) is in danger Justin, with the help of his friends Chuy (Dejon LaQuake) and Carmen (Mia Xitlali) and the faithful Max, goes on a mission to save the day.

Children's double bill. 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' (2008) is a fantasy adventure based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. From the moment twin brothers Jared (Freddie Highmore) and Simon (also Highmore) move with their sister (Sarah Bolger) and mother (Mary-Louise Parker) into their great-great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn)'s run-down old house, strange things begin to happen. Unable to explain the unusual disturbances that seem to be occurring on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. Determined to prove his innocence, Jared enlists the help of his siblings in investigating what's truly responsible for the strange goings-on. Pretty soon, they uncover the truth of the Spiderwick estate and the magical creatures that inhabit it. 'Charlotte's Web' (2006) is a retelling of the EB White children's classic about the friendship that develops between a pig, a spider and a little girl. After the farm's prize sow gives birth to a grand litter, little Fern the farmer's daughter (Dakota Fanning) falls in love with the runt, whom she names Wilbur (voice of Dominic Scott Kay). After Fern's pleading with her father for Wilbur's life, the fretful little porker is no less haunted by visions of his demise/apple sauce-pairing and cries rather a lot. Charlotte (voice of Julia Roberts), a friendly spider, soothes him and becomes his firm friend. Together, they hatch a plan whereby Charlotte will spin words into her web and create a sensation so as the heat is drawn from the imminent pork rib BBQ. The film also features the voices of John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Reba McEntyre, Robert Redford and Sam Shepard.