THE PARENT TRAP 
(Starz on Comcast) Glossy, earnest, but not terribly involving remake of the 1961 original. Lindsay Lohan spunkily recycles the double role originated by Hayley Mills, playing twin sisters separated since birth, meeting, then scheming to reunite their long-divorced parents. Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid bring charm to those roles, but can’t do much about the transparent string-pulling. (PG: runs through Nov. 12)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE 
(Comcast Movies and Events) Keke Palmer plays an 11-year-old prodigy who rises from her underperforming South Los Angeles public school all the way to the National Spelling Bee. Written and directed by Doug Atchison, the movie is a triumph of cliché-wrangling, but its power is surprising: It’s the rare Hollywood movie to credibly dramatize the plight of a truly gifted black child. Angela Bassett plays Akeelah’s mother, and the regal Laurence Fishburne plays her coach. (PG; runs through Nov. 12) WESLEY MORRIS
