Recent releases: 'When in Rome,' 'Edge of Darkness,' 'A Single Man'

"Legion" *

Actors gape in terror and awe as the skies darken, the biblical apocalypse begins, and bugs and people possessed by angels converge on a diner in the Mojave Desert. This disaster of a movie is profane, profanely silly and blasphemous to beat the band. The plot, such as it is, is all about fending off the forces of the Lord long enough to give humanity a little hope. Rated R; bloody violence, language. 1 hour, 40 minutes. By Roger Moore.

"The Lovely Bones" **

Director Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") throws off the delicate balance of Alice Sebold's best-selling novel by putting too much emphasis on her story's creepiest elements. still, he gets one thing stunningly right: the casting of young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement") as Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl who is murdered in 1973 and then watches for years from a kind of in-between state between heaven and earth as her friends, family and killer go about their lives. Rated PG-13; mature themes, violent content, language. 2 hours, 15 minutes. By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times.

"A Single Man" ***

With Colin Firth delivering a career performance that's pure elegance and heartache, "A Single Man" works as engaging drama as well as the sumptuous collection of images you'd expect from fashion designer-turned-director Tom Ford. Firth plays a gay English professor in 1962 L.A. who's meticulously planning a suicide because he can't bear the death of his longtime partner. The big-finned cars, narrow ties and stiffly sculpted hair evoke a beauteous world that's maybe too idealized but still a treat to behold. Rated R; disturbing images, nudity, sexual content. 1 hour, 39 minutes. By David Germain, associated Press.

"The Spy next Door" *

Jackie Chan plays Bob, an ace CIA agent who volunteers to babysit his girlfriend's kids to win them over. Then one of the kids accidentally downloads a top-secret formula from Bob's computer and Russian spies come calling. This is the sort of movie slop that makes make you long for less-irritating characters — like some Teletubbies or maybe Jar Jar Binks. Rated PG; action violence, rude humor. 1 hour, 34 minutes. By David Germain.

"When in Rome" *

Cute couple? Check. Romantic location? Check. Obstacles to romance? Yup. Wacky, witty friends for each young lover? Check. This leaden tale faithfully follows the trusted rom-com recipe, but it fails utterly to entertain. It's obviously an effort to turn Kristen Bell into America's new sweetheart, but the tiny and pretty actress demonstrates that she may not have the Meg Ryan-Julia Roberts-Sandra Bullock goods. As her love interest, Josh Duhamel has a light touch. It's Bell who makes this trip to the Eternal City feel interminable. Rated PG-13; suggestive content. 1 hour, 28 minutes. By Roger Moore.