Feb 23, 2007 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 3 min read

A historical drama (“Amazing Grace”), an inspirational tale (“The Astronaut Farmer”), an acclaimed import (“The Lives of Others”), a psychological thriller (“The Number 23”), and a television adaptation (“Reno 911! Miami”) are arriving in theaters on this weekend of the 79th annual Academy Awards (which will be bestowed on Sunday night). The new films (with all dates subject to change) opening at a theater near you include:

– “The Abandoned,” with Anastasia Hille in an R-rated supernatural thriller from Spain. The story follows a woman who returns to her home in native Russia and then faces numerous strange occurrences, including coming face-to-face with a ghost that looks exactly like her.

– “Amazing Grace,” with Ioan Gruffudd (“Fantastic Four”) in a PG-rated biography of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the forward-thinking British politician who headed the abolition movement in England and fought to pass a law to end the slave trade in the late 18th century. Albert Finney (“Tom Jones”) portrays John Newton, the reformed slave-ship captain who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace” and urged Wilberforce to continue to fight for his cause. The supporting cast includes Rufus Sewell (“Dark City”), Michael Gambon (“Sleepy Hollow”), Toby Jones (“Infamous”) and, in his screen debut, African-music pioneer Youssou N’Dour. Michael Apted (“Coal Miner’s Daughter”) directed.

– “The Astronaut Farmer,” with Billy Bob Thornton (“School for Scoundrels”) in an uplifting PG-rated melodrama about a hard-working rancher who once was an astronaut and had an opportunity to blast off with NASA. Due to a family tragedy, he was never able to do that, so he convinces his wife (Virginia Madsen of “Firewall”) and three children to help him build a rocket in his barn and blast into space.

– “The Lives of Others,” with Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe and Sebastian Koch in a political drama that is set before the fall of the Soviet government and reveals the surveillance methods used by the East German government to spy on citizens. The R-rated import follows a party loyalist who begins to question his allegiance after being ordered to infiltrate the life of a playwright and his girlfriend and report on them.

– “The Number 23,” with Jim Carrey (“The Truman Show”) in an R-rated psychological thriller about an ordinary guy who blames a series of numbers for causing his world to be turned upside down. Virginia Madsen also stars in this film, which was directed by Joel Schumacher (“The Phantom of the Opera”).

– “Reno 911! Miami,” with the cast of the Comedy Central series leaving their home base to attend a police convention. They soon become involved in a battle against terrorists in this R-rated romp that’s filled with gross gags.

At the buck$ office

Nicolas Cage was on fire at the box office last weekend.

The star plays the title role in “Ghost Rider,” based on a Marvel comic about a superhero who rides a motorcycle and explodes into flames. The PG-13 adaptation enjoyed an impressive opening of more than $44 million.

According to the Associated Press, the top-10 movies last weekend were:

1. “Ghost Rider” ($44.5 million)

2. “Bridge to Terabithia” ($22.1 million)

3. “Norbit” ($16.8 million)

4. “Music and Lyrics” ($14 million)

5. “Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls” ($12.1 million)

6. “Breach” ($10.4 million)

7. “Hannibal Rising” ($5.5 million)

8. “Because I Said So” ($5 million)

9. “The Messengers” ($3.8 million)

10. “Night at the Museum” ($3.7 million)