“Pirate Radio” (R, 1 hour, 55 minutes)

American high-schoolers 17 and older will be surprised to learn that England, the land of the Beatles, allowed almost no rock or pop music on state-owned BBC radio in the mid-1960s. So “pirate” stations broadcast from boats, until the British government shut them down. “Pirate Radio” is a hooty bit of nostalgia about that era. It is not for under-17s because of its hints of sexual promiscuity, implied sexual situations, near-nudity, drug use and drug references, drinking and strong profanity. The crackerjack cast under writer/director Richard Curtis (“Love, Actually,” R, 2003) includes Philip Seymour Hoffman as an American deejay, Rhys Ifans as his chief rival on the air, January Jones (of TV’s “Mad Men”) as a groupie, Tom Sturridge as a shy teenager sent by his socialite mother (Emma Thompson) to work on the boat, and Kenneth Branagh as the Cabinet minister bent on shutting them down. There is a scary disaster at sea.

“The Blind Side” (PG-13, 2 hrs., 6 min.)

Based on a nonfiction book by Michael Lewis, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” the movie chronicles how a wealthy Memphis decorator, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), took a homeless teenager under her wing. Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) eventually joined the Tuohy family, went to college on a football scholarship and today plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

Sandra Bullock stars as Leigh Anne, who sees Michael walking coatless one night after a basketball game. Her son, S. J. (Jae Head), tells her that Michael attends his Christian academy. Leigh Anne insists that Michael come home with them and sleep over. Her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), is tentative, but willing. The film includes mildly crude language, overt and implied racial slurs, brief nonlethal violence, drinking, drug references and implied drug use, a car crash, and a briefly implied marital sexual situation.

OK for many kids 10 and older:

“Planet 51”PG— Most of the jokes in this computer-animated feature about an American astronaut landing on a distant planet are geared to adults, yet the story seems aimed at kids. The film’s complicated premise, its reliance on crude humor (toilet jokes and penis jokes, too) and its slow spots make it iffy for kids under 10.

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” PG— Although it sticks pretty closely to Dickens’ classic fable, this film is too frightening and humorless for kids under 10. All the “visitations” are quite chilling, starting with Marley’s ghost (Gary Oldman). Happier moments are overshadowed by the film’s overall dourness. There are many scary, spooky, nightmarish scenes, vertiginous flying with the spirits, and a shot of a 19th century Londoner taking snuff.