Parents’ guide to new movie releases

'A Christmas Carol'

Rating: PG for scary sequences and images.

What it's about: A bitter, old miser learns to give his cash and himself to others after ghosts show him the consequences of his stinginess.

The kid attractor factor: Animation (motion-capture), a few gags and some spooky ghosts.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Charity changes you and how others look at you -- for the better.

Violence: A couple of deaths, some scary corpses and spirits.

Language: Humbug.

Sex: Not in this Dickens, oh no.

Drugs: Wine and beer are served.

Parents' advisory: Not the warmest or funniest "Christmas Carol," but a great introduction to the story for small children.

'An Education'

Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content and for smoking.

What it's about: Smart teenager is pursued and charmed by an older man in '60s London.

The kid attractor factor: A teen, demanding to be treated as an adult, making grown-up mistakes.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Yes, they're nags, but parents and teachers are nagging for a reason.

Violence: None.

Language: Quite clean, considering.

Sex: Yes, nothing graphic.

Drugs: Cigarettes, wine.

Parents' advisory: A "coming-of-age" film that offers sober life lessons for the teenager in your family.