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Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde Recent Harvard Law grad Elle Woods takes her fashion savvy to Washington, D.C., where she tries to get an animal-testing bill passed in Congress. A sequel to the smash 2001 comedy. Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (“Kissing Jessica Stein”) from a screenplay by Kate Kondell. Returnees from part one include Reese Witherspoon (“Sweet Home Alabama”) as Elle, Luke Wilson (“Old School,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “Alex & Emma,” “Masked & Anonymous”) as Emmett, Jessica Cauffiel (“Valentine”) as Margot, Alanna Ubach (“Blue Moon”) as Serena McGuire, and Jennifer Coolidge (“Zoolander”) as Paulette Bonafonte. Newcomers to the series include Sally Field (“Say it Isn’t So”), Bob Newhart (“In & Out”), Regina King (“Down to Earth,” “Daddy Day Care”), Mary Lynn Rajskub (“Punch-Drunk Love”), and Lauren Cohn (“Catch Me If You Can”). PG-13: Some sex-related humor. July 2. MGM. Madame Sata Portuguese-language drama, based on a true story and set in the infamous Lapa slum district of 1920s Rio de Janeiro, about the sordid life of criminal, prostitute, cabaret star and homosexual Joao Francisco dos Santos. Screenwriter Karim Ainouz (“Behind the Sun”) makes his feature directorial debut from his own script. With Lázaro Ramos (“Women on Top,” “The Three Marias”), Marcelia Cartaxo, Flavio Bauraqui, Felippe Marques, Emiliano Queiroz and Renata Sorrah. 103 min. July 9 in New York. Wellspring.   Masked and Anonymous Drama, set in a nation torn by civil war, about a washed-up musician who prepares for his last benefit concert. Based on the unpublished short story “Los Vientos del Destino” by Enrique Morales. Larry Charles (TV’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov. With Bob Dylan (“Renaldo and Clara”), Angela Bassett (“Sunshine State”), Penelope Cruz (“Waking Up in Reno,” “Don’t Tempt Me”), Jessica Lange (“Titus,” “Prozac Nation”), Luke Wilson (“Old School,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “Alex & Emma,” “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde”), John Goodman (“Storytelling”), Jeff Bridges (“K-PAX,” “Seabiscuit”), Cheech Marin (“Spy Kids 2”), Val Kilmer (“The Salton Sea”) and Ed Harris (“The Hours”). Flat. 113 min. PG-13: Some language; brief violence. July 25 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.   My Life on Ice French-language comedy, set in Rouen, France, about a 16-year-old, living alone with his mother, who sets out to document his life with a video camera. Written and directed by Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau (“The Adventures of Felix”). With Ariane Ascaride (“The Town is Quiet”), Jimmy Tavares, Jonathan Zaccai, Lucas Bonnifait and Hélène Surgère (“Time Regained”). Also known as “Ma Vraie Vie à Rouen.” 102 min. July 11. Wellspring.   On the Run French-language thriller about a psychopath who escapes from prison after 15 years and soon finds himself having to find new allies when the old ones betray him. First installment of the already-completed three-feature series “The Trilogy” written and directed by Lucas Belvaux and starring Belvaux (“Madame Bovary”), Catherine Frot (“Chaos”), Dominique Blanc (“A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries”), Ornella Muti (“Somewhere in the City”) and Gilbert Melki (“Venus Beauty Institute”). Also known as “Cavale.” Flat. 111 min. July 18. Magnolia.   Seabiscuit Great Depression drama, based on the true story, about a former bicycle repairman who teamed with a boxing-champion-turned-jockey to turn a small, knobby-kneed horse into a racing legend. Based on the book by veteran sportswriter Laura Hillenbrand. Written and directed by Gary Ross (“Pleasantville”). With Tobey Maguire (“Spider-Man”), Jeff Bridges (“K-PAX,” “Masked & Anonymous”), Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”), Elizabeth Banks (“Catch Me if You Can”), William H. Macy (“Welcome to Collinwood”) and Gary Stevens. Also known as “Four Good Legs.” Scope. July 25. Universal. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life The comely, artifact-chasing adventurer goes in search of the fabled Pandora’s Box – in an effort to keep it from evildoers who want to use it as a weapon of mass destruction. A sequel to the 2001 blockbuster. Directed by Jan de Bont (the “Speed” series, “The Haunting”) from a screenplay by Dean Georgaris. Returnees from part one include Angelina Jolie (“Life, or Something Like It”), Noah Taylor (“Max”) and Chris Barrie (TV’s “Red Dwarf”). Newcomers to the series include Djimon Hounsou (“Biker Boyz”), Ciaran Hinds (“Road To Perdition”), Til Schweiger (“Driven”), Ronan Vibert (“The Pianist”), Gerard Butler (“Reign of Fire”) and Hong Kong action movie vets Simon Yam and Terence Yin. Scope. 100 min. July 25. Paramount.   The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Sci-fi action thriller, set in 1898 England, about a diverse group of heroes commissioned by Queen Victoria to stop an evildoer from conquering the world. Loosely based on the comic book series created by Alan Moore (“From Hell”). Directed by Steve Norrington (“Blade”) from a screenplay by Alex Ayres and comic book writer James Robinson (“Starman”). With Sean Connery (“Finding Forrester”) as adventurer Allan Quatermain, Peta Wilson (TV’s “La Femme Nikita”) as vampire slayer Mina Harker, Jason Flemyng (“The Good Thief,” “The Hairy Tale”) as shape-changer Henry Jekyll, Naseeruddin Shah (“Monsoon Wedding”) as the submarine captaining Nemo, Max Ryan (“Kiss of the Dragon”) as Dante Inferno, Richard Roxburgh (“Moulin Rouge”) as the Fantom, Tony Curran (“Blade II”) as the invisible Rodney Skinner, Stuart Townsend (“Trapped”) as the age-defying Dorian Gray, and Shane West (“A Walk to Remember”) as visiting American policeman Tom Sawyer. Scope. July 11. Fox.   The Magdalene Sisters Drama, set in 1964 Ireland, about four young girls who are sent to live in horrifying convents operated by the sadistic and abusive Magdalene Sisters of Mercy. Written and directed by Peter Mullan (“Orphans”). With Geraldine McEwan (“Food of Love”), Dorothy Duffy, Annie-Marie Duff (“Enigma”), Eileen Walsh (“Nicholas Nickleby”), Britta Smith (“The Closer You Get”) and Nora-Jane Noone. Flat. 119 min. July 18 in New York and Los Angeles. Miramax.   Mondays In The Sun Spanish-language drama, set in Northwestern Spain and based on a true story, about a group of laid-off shipyard workers who dream of building respectable lives for themselves – even as they haplessly wander in and out of bars, relationships and dead-end jobs. Directed by Fernando León de Aranoa from a screenplay by Aranoa and Ignacio del Moral. With Javier Bardem (“Before Night Falls,” “The Dancer Upstairs”), José Ángel Egido (“Open Your Eyes”), Nieve de Medina (“Spanish Fly”), Serge Riaboukine (“Safe Conduct”), Enrique Villén (“The Day of the Beast”), Celso Bugallo (“Butterfly”), Joaquín Climent (“Goya”) and Luis Tosar. Also known as “Los Lunes al Sol.” Flat. 113 min. July 25 in New York and Los Angeles. Lions Gate.   Northfork Drama about a Montana town about to find itself at the bottom of a lake, thanks to the construction of a new dam. The “Twin Falls Idaho”-”Jackpot” team of writer-director Michael Polish and screenwriter Mark Polish reunite. With James Woods (“John Q”), Nick Nolte (“The Good Thief,” “The Hulk”), Kyle MacLachlan (“Me Without You”), Daryl Hannah (“A Walk to Remember”), Anthony Edwards (“Jackpot”), Peter Coyote (“Femme Fatale”), Graham Beckel (“Dark Blue”) and Claire Forlani (“AntiTrust”). 103 min. PG-13: Brief sexuality. July 11 limited. Paramount Classics.   Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Action-adventure, set in the 17th century, about a mannerly (if bloodthirsty) pirate who teams with a governor's daughter to prevent treacherous rivals from reversing an ancient curse. Directed by Gore Verbinski (“The Mexican,” “The Ring”) from a screenplay by Terry Rossio & Ted Elliot (“Treasure Planet,” “Shrek”). With Johnny Depp (“From Hell”), Geoffrey Rush (“The Banger Sisters”), Orlando Bloom (the “Lord of the Rings” series), Keira Knightley (“Bend it Like Beckham”), Lee Arenberg (“Dungeons & Dragons”) and Jonathan Pryce (“What a Girl Wants”). Scope. July 9. Buena Vista.