What it’s about?: Eddie Murphy is terrific in Imagine That as Evan Danielson, an overworked financial advisor who is so immersed in his job he’s forgotten about Olivia, his daughter from an estranged marriage. When he is given custody for a week and he gets too busy with work, she retreats into her fantasy world, imagining a group of princesses who, as it turns out, really know their way around big business. When Dad figures out his daughter’s special blanket and otherworldly friends have the magic touch for investment advice, he becomes an instant superstar in his firm. But his newfound success soon sets up a confrontation with his chief rival, Johnny Whitefeather, whose presentations are often full of (Red) bull.

Who’s in it?: From Dr. Dolittle to Daddy Day Care, Murphy has carved out a solid alternative career as a star of family friendly movies. But none of those previous works play to his overall talents as a comedian better than Imagine That, in which he gets to merge his kid’s fantasy world with office politics for optimum laughs. The purely delightful premise, in which Murphy faces off with skeptical business partners, is perfectly toned to his talents and allows him to be widely appealing for both kids and their parents. As daughter Olivia, newcomer Yara Shahidi won out more than 3,000 girls and is wonderful, a real charmer who goes toe to toe with Eddie. Thomas Haden Church provides the perfect foil for Murphy as Whitefeather, a guy who plays off a phony Native American heritage and spouts nonsensical advice like he’s E.F. Hutton. As bosses vying for Murphy’s newfound talents, both Ronny Cox and Martin Sheen play it straight, lending the appropriate gravitas to their roles. Nicole Ari Parker is winning in her few scenes as Olivia’s mom.

What’s good?: Murphy’s comedic tendency to go way over the top (i.e. Norbit) is kept in check with great results. He’s totally believable as a stressed-out businessman, and his trip into his daughter’s imagination is handled realistically, mined for the optimum number of laughs without sacrificing credibility. Credit for this goes to Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge), an animation director making his live-action debut, for keeping cartoonish antics to a minimum and emphasizing heart and the father/daughter bond instead.

What’s bad?: The scenes between Murphy and Shahidi are so effortlessly charming and real that you wish there were more of them. (One highlight is when father teaches daughter to sing Beatles songs, which are heard throughout the film.) It’s the kind of thing Bill Cosby did so well on TV but could never pull off in movies. Murphy does.

Favorite scene: Murphy is in top comic form all the way and is never better than when he berates Littlefeather’s hokey presentation, then comes up with one based on his daughter’s doodlings that shows off the comic genius we haven’t seen in this actor’s comedy vehicles in quite a while.

Netflix or multiplex?: Imagine That is a family film in the truest form and ripe for an outing with your kids. If you don’t have any, rent one and go.

Bottom line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

What it’s about?: Thirty-five years after the pulse-pounding thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was made, this sleek, faster-paced remake not only improves on a good thing, it showcases a much different New York than its pre-9/11 predecessor. Like the 1974 version, the story revolves around the takeover of the lead car of a subway train by armed hoods headed by their crafty mastermind, Ryder. They kill a cop, take 18 people hostage and give authorities just one hour to deliver $10 million. (Inflation alert: In the first version, it was a paltry million.) It’s up to train dispatcher Walter Garber to negotiate with Ryder in a cat-and-mouse game where innocent lives are used as bait. As the film progresses, darker sides of both principals are revealed and become key parts of this ever-evolving time bomb of a movie.

Who’s in it?: In a wildly different bit of casting, The Taking of Pelham 123 stars Denzel Washington in the train dispatcher role played by Walter Matthau in the original, giving it more gravity and making it less sardonic than Matthau’s lighter take. For much of the movie it’s really a phone connection that brings Washington together with his nemesis Ryder, played to the evil, explosive hilt by John Travolta. Travolta’s bad guys (think Face/Off, Pulp Fiction) are always complex and intriguing, and Ryder is no exception, proving to be someone much different than we are originally led to believe. This is the actor’s best outing in some time and his “face-offs” with Washington give both stars grade-A acting opportunities. They deliver – and then some. Almost stealing the film is the original Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini, who plays a slippery NYC Mayor trying to keep the incident from spiraling out of control. Also worthy of praise is John Turturro, who’s very fine as a professional hostage negotiator who finds the tools of his trade don’t work very well in this situation.

What’s good?: Departing from the original film, which took its own sweet time and merged sly humor with suspense, Pelham 123 director Tony Scott puts his signature stamp on this version even before the opening credits are done, establishing a lightning-fast pace and tense tone of high-stakes drama from the outset. Moments of comic relief are kept to a minimum. Despite the high-tech approach, Scott keeps this Pelham from careening off the tracks by emphasizing Oscar winner Brian Helgeland’s (L.A. Confidential) smart repartée between the leads and old fashioned movie-making skills designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The riveting storyline is credible and believable at all times.

What’s bad?: Scott moves things along so quickly you wish there was time for more character development. This applies particularly to Ryder, whose reasons for turning bad aren’t so obviously black-and-white and certainly fit the times.

Favorite scene?: The first direct confrontation between Washington and Travolta is pure gold, as the two circle each other and try to spray their territory.

Netflix or multiplex?: Both. See the new version in a theater, and then go home and watch the DVD of the original. Or vice versa. Both are great examples of genre moviemaking at its best.

Bottom line: Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.