There is an inherent hypocricy in any satire about our fascination with violence. Invariably, it tries for the best of both worlds, giving us a lot of violence and allowing us to assume moral superiority through ironic distance. Like the tabloid television show it features, “15 Minutes” gets to decry the depiction of violence by showing us examples of what it decries. This movie, its title a reference to Andy Warhol’s statement that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes, pits a cop who’s been on the cover of People Magazine against two killers from Eastern Europe who have figured out that in America “no one is responsible for what they do.”

Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Takarov) arrive in the United States from Eastern Europe with two goals. Slovak, just out of prison, wants to get his share of some stolen money. Razgul wants to find the America of the movies, especially the movies of his favorite director, Frank Capra. When they catch up with their old friend, it turns out the money is gone. Slovak kills the friend and his wife, while Razgul films it all with a stolen video camera. They set the apartment on fire, but a witness escapes.

Robert De Niro plays Eddie Flemming, a detective who appears frequently on a “Hard Copy”-style tabloid TV news program hosted by Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammer). He is in love with another television reporter who covers crime in New York (“Providence’s” Melina Kanakaredes). The uneasiness of their relationship stems in part from the tension between journalist and source and in part from his shyness in trying to propose to her — in Greek.

Flemming teams up with a young fire inspector named Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) when a fire turns out to be arson intended to disguise the two brutal murders. Warsaw’s commanding officer urges him to grab a little of Flemming’s spotlight: “The better you look, the more money I get to pay you guys overtime.” But Flemming warns that “this stuff hurts as much as it helps — probably makes them nervous downtown.” It does help. An elegant madam (Charlize Theron in an unbilled appearance) turns from wary to warm when Flemming comes by to talk to her, even gushing “what an honor!” But Flemming’s visibility makes him a target for two killers who want to get on television.

Slovak is mesmerized by American talk shows, looking up “self-esteem” in his Czech dictionary. He concludes that if they can get their crimes on television and explain that it was all because of their abuse as children, “not only will Americans believe me; they will cry for me.” Slovak and Razgul sell footage of one of their most shocking crimes to Hawkins, who piously insists that it is his obligation as a journalist to broadcast it.

Top-notch performances from all, especially Roden and Takarov in their first American roles, and some powerful cinematography and editing give this film a lot of energy. And it makes some clever points about the way we see fame and responsibility.

Parents should know that the movie is exceptionally violent, with graphic murders, including the death of a character we care about. Interestingly, the most upsetting crime is broadcast to a television audience but not shown onscreen. The movie has strong language and sexual references, including prostitution. Characters drink, smoke, and steal.

Families who see this movie should talk about how we determine who is responsible for violence and whether our society creates perverse incentives for those seeking their 15 minutes of fame. They should talk about what it is like to be famous, what is good about it and what is not so good.

Families who enjoy this movie will also enjoy “Heat.”

The classic English comedy written in 1967 by Peter Cook and starring Cook and Dudley Moore has been Americanized. In other words, it has less deadpan humor, sly wit, and existential comedy and more jokes about penis size. But it is still delicious fun and one of the best comedies of the year. It may not leave you bedazzled, but it will leave you happy.

Brendan Fraser is one of the most versatile actors around, which makes him a perfect choice for the role of Elliot, a nerdy guy who longs for the beautiful Allison. But after four years working in the same firm, he has managed to speak to her only once, and that was about the weather. When he whispers that he would give anything to have her, that is all the invitation that the devil (Elizabeth Hurley) needs to make him an offer he can’t refuse — seven wishes in exchange for his soul.

But as anyone who has ever read a fairy tale knows, wishes are a tricky business. Elliot wishes to be rich, powerful, and married to Allison. He is instantly all three — and a Colombian drug lord. And Allison hates him. Elliot stumbles his way through his wishes, each time adding in what he left out before only to find that he has created yet another loophole. He may be rich, smart, popular, sensitive, and well-endowed, but somehow it never works out the way he hoped.

Fraser is wonderful, almost unrecognizable as he moves from sensitive poet to basketball superstar. Hurley may not be up to the acting challenge, but she looks like a million bucks in a series of hilarous get-ups, and she has that most important attribute of a movie bad guy — an English accent. The rest of the cast does not have much to do beyond wardrobe switches as they play different roles in each scenario, but Frances O’Connor (Allison) has a great smile and Orlando Jones (of “The Replacements” and the 7-Up commercials) has a couple of good moments. Gabriel Casseus makes a strong impression as someone who gives Elliot some good advice.

Parents should know that the PG-13 rating comes from some relatively mild language, sexual humor (including references to homosexuality), comic peril, and comic drug use.

Families who watch this movie should talk about what wishes they would like to make, whether they would make them if they had a chance, and what the Devil means when she says that you don’t have to look very far for Heaven and Hell. Ask kids what they think a soul is, and whether it can be sold. What did Elliot learn from his mistakes? Why was it so hard for him to be likeable and to see how others perceived him at the beginning of the movie? How was he different after the wishes? Was the ending what they expected?

Families who enjoy this movie should see the original version (notice the names of the Devil’s dogs in the new version). They may also enjoy other “sell your soul to the devil” movies like “The Devil and Daniel Webster” and “Alias Nick Beal.”

Chicken Run” has arrived to the joy and relief of the many fans of Nick Parks’ Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit short films. In his studio’s first feature-length movie, a brave chicken plots an escape from a small Yorkshire chicken farm.

The stern and angry Mrs. Tweedy (voice of Miranda Richardson) and her brow-beaten (should we say hen-pecked?) husband have bullied their hens into producing eggs, but now they have set up a fierce-looking machine that turns chickens into chicken pies. Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha) is a smart, brave, loyal chicken who will not leave unless she can take the others with her. When an American circus rooster named Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson) arrives, Ginger gets him to agree to teach the chickens to fly over the fence, so they can find a place where they can live in freedom.

Parks is a master at creating a world that is enchantingly believable. The farm seems to be set in the 1950’s, and every detail, down to the last nail in the last board on the hen house wall, looks exactly as it should. Though his painstaking process produces only a few seconds of film footage each day, every frame is filled with vivid personalities who seem to be moving in real time, each creating an instantly recognizable character. One look at Mrs. Tweedy’s formidable Wellington boots marching into the hen yard for inspection, and we know everything about her. The chickens are highly individual, completely believable, and wildly funny, whether doing Tae-Bo-like exercises for increasing wing power or a celebratory Lindy hop. But I admit that my favorite characters are two forager/thief rats who are so completely charming that it is impossible to imagine anyone objecting to their stealing.

The movie also features Parks’ special talents for creating deliciously malevolent machines and split-second action sequences. Ginger and Rocky fall into the chicken pie machine for a scene that combines Rube Goldberg complexity of gears and operations with the breath-catching near misses of Indiana Jones.

Three cheers for producer Dreamworks, who let Parks be Parks and didn’t focus-group him into making something more linear and accessible. What that means, though, is that the movie does not have some of what both adults and kids expect in a G-rated movie. This is not a musical in which the heroine sits down 15 minutes into the story to sing about her dreams or adorable sidekicks provide comic relief.

This is not a script with jokes that children will necessarily understand. Indeed, given that most of the parents of today’s school-age children were born 20 years after the 1950’s, there are several jokes parents may not understand, like a pointed reference to the delay in the US entry into World War II and a couple of witty tributes to the classic movie, “The Great Escape.” The movie has a decidedly British point of view, with a wonderful range of accents that will be much more meaningful (and understandable) to English children than they are to Americans. Parks is like Bugs Bunny creator Chuck Jones, who, when asked whether he made cartoons for adults or children, replied, “I make them for myself and my friends.” But, as with Bugs Bunny, kids will enjoy the world created by this movie, and will rejoice in the chickens’ adventures.

Parents should know that although the movie is rated G, it may be too scary or hard to follow for children under 6 or 7. A minor character is killed off-screen and characters are in peril throughout the movie.

Families who see this movie should talk about why it was hard for Rocky to tell the truth, and even to understand what telling the truth meant, as when he said, “I didn’t lie to them, dollface. I just omitted certain truths,” and when he tells Ginger that if they want the chickens to perform they have to tell them what they want to hear. Talk, too, about Ginger’s perseverance in the face of “million to one” odds, and her refusal to escape without her friends, and about the importance of leadership and teamwork. Ask kids why Ginger had a dream of freedom that some of the other chickens could not even imagine, and what it meant to say that “the fences aren’t just around the farm – they’re up here on your head.”

Families who enjoy this movie will also enjoy Parks’ Wallace and Gromit videos: “The Wrong Trousers,” “A Grand Day Out,” and “A Close Shave.

The better you remember the early 70’s, the more you will enjoy this very funny movie. It purports to reveal the “Deep Throat” who gave the Washington Post the inside information that led to President Nixon’s resignation. And come to think of it, in many ways this makes more sense than what we’ve been led to believe is the real story. According to this film, the downfall of the Nixon administration was caused by two 15-year- old girls who are so dim that H.R. Haldeman (Dave Foley) says, “I’ve met yams who have more going on upstairs than those two.”

Besty (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene (Michelle Williams) are bubble-headed best friends who accidentally see a burgler breaking into the Watergate when they sneak out to mail in an entry to the “Why I should win a date with Bobby Sherman” contest at Tiger Beat magazine. The next day, they spot the same man (Harry Sherer as Gordon Liddy) while they are on a White House tour. Worried that they might tell someone, President Richard Nixon (Dan Hedaya) tries to co-opt them by appointing them “official White House dog walkers” and “secret teen advisors.”

At first the girls are thrilled, and they believe the President when he tells them that the massive shredding of documents they stumbled upon is for his hobby of paper mache. Arlene even develops a crush on “Dick” and is swooningly recording an Olivia Newton John song for him when she accidentally erases 18 1/2 minutes from one of his tapes. When she hears on the tape that he is not what he seemed, the two girls decide to talk to the Washington Post reporters and end up turning over the key evidence in a parking garage.

Boomer parents who lived through the 1970’s will enjoy this visit to the worst hair and clothes decade of the century. It is a clever tweak on the “Forrest Gump” concept, as the two girls turn out to be responsible for many of the best-remembered historical details of the era. “Satuday Night Live” and “Kids From the Hall” regulars appear as the people Woodward and Bernstein called “the President’s Men” (plus Rosemary Woods) and as Woodward and Bernstein themselves. All are terrific, and the under- appreciated Saul Rubinek is a stand-out as Henry Kissinger, far smarter than the people around him but so needy that he will try to persuade even the girls to agree with him. And Dan Hedaya, the only man in America with a five-o’clock shadow heavier than that of the real Richard Nixon, is sensational, needy, paranoid, and, in an hilarious dream sequence, positively endearing.

Some teens will enjoy it, even without a grounding in the history, but they will enjoy it more if they watch “All the President’s Men” first (Bruce McCulloch does a fine job parodying not just Carl Bernstein but also Dustin Hoffman playing Carl Bernstein). Parents should know that the explitives are not deleted and there is some very strong language, including puns relating to the President’s first name and a whispered explanation of the original meaning of “Deep Throat.” Betsy’s brother is a heavy drug user who is perpetually stoned, and some of his marijuana makes its way into the cookies the girls make for the President. Families will want to discuss the real events underlying the Watergate scandal and the impact it has had on the way we see the Presidency and the way the media covers the Presidents.

Video tip: This movie is reminiscient of the best movie ever about two girls with a crush on an impossible object: “The World of Henry Orient.” A funny and insightful glimpse into the stage of life where we rehearse our emotions by fixing on the unattainable, it is well worth watching. I noticed that “Dick” shares one important prop with “Henry Orient,” the super-modern one-piece telephone, and suspected that it was an homage to a classic film.

An evil and destructive spirit named Hexxus (voice of Tim Curry) is imprisoned in a tree by Magi, the leader of the fairies, who believes that all humans have been destroyed. Many years later, as Magi is teaching Crysta, her apprentice (voice of Samantha Mathis), they find that the humans have returned, and are cutting down all the trees. Crysta shrinks one of the humans, a young man named Zak, to save him from being hit by a falling tree, and teaches him about the importance of preserving the forest.

Highlights include Robin Williams as the aptly named “Batty Koda,” and gravel-voiced rapper Ton Loc as a Goanna lizard singing “If I’m Goanna Eat Somebody, It Might as Well Be You.”

There are some very scary moments and the magic characters may distract kids from the lesson about environmental conservation, but it does provide a good opportunity for discussions that may help in increasing sensitivity to environmental concerns.