Under tutelage from their professor (Kevin Spacey), six college students come up with a system to beat the Las Vegas casinos at blackjack.

It works, until one of the maths geniuses (Jim Sturgess) gets cocky and is caught by a casino security chief (Laurence Fishburne). Loosely based on a true story. ***

Penelope

A wealthy family's daughter (Christina Ricci) is afflicated with a disfiguring birth defect, the result of a family curse that can only be broken when she is loved by one of her own blue-blooded kind. Despite the affections of one man (James McAvoy), Penelope runs away to the city, where she is befriended by a free-spirited young woman (Reese Witherspoon). ***

Never Back Down

A tough new kid in town (Sean Faris) has a troubled past, and refuses to fight, but when he's threatened by the local bullies, he's forced to unleash his mixed-martial-arts prowess. Djimon Hounsou co-stars. **

Juno

Winner of this year's Oscar for best original screenplay, this is the story of a quirky teenage girl (Ellen Page) who gets pregnant by her indecisive boyfriend (Michael Cera) and ponders giving the baby up for adoption. At Scala, House, Paragon, SFW CentralWorld. ****

Memory

Psychiatrist Krit (Ananda Everingham) is in over his head as he takes care of a troubled little girl while at the same time finds himself falling dangerously in love with the girl's overprotective mother, Ing-orn (Mai Charoenpura). With English subtitles at some cinemas.