Call it religion. Or if that makes you uncomfortable, go with the more general "spirituality."

Whatever you call it, it's everywhere at the multiplex these days.

In movies as varied as the dead serious "The Road," the uplifting family picture "The Blind Side," the biting comedy "The Invention of Lying" and even James Cameron's sci-fi opus "Avatar," issues of faith and morality and mankind's place in the universe are all the rage.

Not all of these movies embrace religion. Some question human gullibility. Some ask for evidence of a higher purpose in what often seems a random universe. But whether they encourage prayer or doubt, they're all part of the zeitgeist.

But why now?

"There are two schools of thought about that," said Greg Wright, an editor at www.Ho llywoodJesus.com, a Web site that examines popular culture from a religious perspective.

"The more paranoid elements of our culture tend to think Hollywood has a proactive agenda, that producers have a grand scheme to use movies to shape the thinking of audiences. I don't subscribe to that school.

"I believe that Hollywood gives audiences what audiences want to see. If people don't want to see movies with certain messages, they won't buy tickets.

"So if there's a trend out there, it's one reflecting what people are already thinking and feeling."

And what are we thinking?

Sister Rose Pacatte, who reviews movies for the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles, says it isn't mere coincidence that a new animated version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" came along in 2009. She notes that the film was released in the wake of an economic crisis fueled by greedy self-interest on an unprecedented scale.

"Being a good man of business will not save your soul. That's an essential message of 'A Christmas Carol' and one emphasized by this version," she said.

Dickens' tale may have little to say about God and Jesus, but it stresses charity and the dangers of poverty and ignorance, she noted.

"Social justice is a religious question," Sister Rose argued. "It's a moral question, an ethical question. It touches our humanity at its deepest level, which is spiritual and religious. It's not just about us, it's not about the gospel of individualism, but about our obligation to others."

Other current films, while not overtly religious, stress the idea of human beings as dependent on one another and responsible for one another's well-being.

Sister Rose pointed to "Up in the Air," in which George Clooney plays a loner whose job is to fire downsized employees and who has attempted to insulate himself from all human commitment.

"In some ways it's a modern 'Christmas Carol,' with Clooney's character becoming a bit more human, becoming more aware of himself and others."

"Avatar" depicts humanity as a rapacious race represented by a soulless corporation and largely incapable of appreciating the simple ecological spiritualism of an alien race.

Of course, some films put religion front and center.

"Of these films, 'Blind Side' has the most evangelical world view," said Mark Moring, senior associate editor at Christianity Today. "It's a movie based on real people who are devout Christians and whose faith clearly played a big part in their reaching out to this young homeless man and turning his world around."

That "The Blind Side" has become a runaway hit should further encourage Hollywood to deal with religious themes, Moring said.

"When 'The Passion of the Christ' came out in '04, it showed Hollywood they could make lots of money with in-your-face spiritual themes. It taught them they don't have to be afraid of going with religious if not specifically Christian ideas. 'Blind Side' reinforces that."

Wright at Hollywood Jesus.com believes that "the market dynamics of film are just beginning to sort out what happened in the wake of 'The Passion of the Christ.' Given that film production cycles can take several years, I expect to see more religious-themed films in coming months."

Most likely the big studios quickly will lose interest in faith-themed subject matter, Wright predicted.

"Hollywood is all about cycles. This one will pass," he said. "The films that really matter, that actually have something to say, are the indie titles that sneak into the Hollywood distribution system or make their way to home video or the film festivals.

"That's where the real future of spiritual movies is — with niche independent filmmakers who are finding distribution channels that work for them."

MOVIES WITH RELIGION

Here's a list of recent and upcoming movie releases with apparent faith-based themes.

• "The Road" — In the wake of an undisclosed disaster, a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander a barren land, searching for sustenance and avoiding roaming cannibal bands. Unrelentingly bleak, this cinematic version of Cormac McCarthy's novel is about one man's attempt to preserve what's left of humanity's goodness and innocence in his child. Though the film is never openly religious, many see it as a spiritual quest; McCarthy has spoken of his book as a sort of Christian allegory.

• "The Invention of Lying" — Ricky Gervais' comedy unfolds in an alternative universe where everybody compulsively tells the truth. But one man learns how to fib, and before long he's telling whoppers. In an effort to placate his unhappy fellow men, he declares that the world is run by a big man in the sky. He codifies rules of behavior and writes them down on the lid of a pizza box. (What ... no stone tablets?) And having no defense against prevarication, everyone believes him. This comic parable on the origins of religion is biting, but Gervais' beaming delivery softens the blow. (Due on DVD in January.)

• "The Book of Eli" — Denzel Washington plays a lone man fighting his way across post-apocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that allegedly holds the secrets to saving humankind.

• "Legion" — God has lost all hope in humankind and sends his legion of angels to earth to bring on the Apocalypse in this supernatural action thriller. In a remote truck stop diner named Paradise Falls, the archangel Michael joins a group of strangers to defend the diner's waitress, who is pregnant with the messiah.

• "A Christmas Carol" — Charles Dickens wasn't particularly religious, but he sure knew how to punch our spiritual buttons. This computer-animated retelling from director Robert Zemeckis (with Jim Carrey as a superlative Scrooge) doesn't diminish Dickens' message: Devote your life to the almighty dollar (or pound sterling) and you'll spend eternity in the chains of your own making.

• "Avatar" — James Cameron's futuristic epic is about the efforts of humans to exploit the mineral wealth of a distant planet. Problem is, it's already occupied by blue-skinned primitives who believe that everything on their world — animals, plants, the very dirt they walk on — is imbued with spiritual power that must not be disturbed. Human greed vs. alien enlightenment ... a timely theme.

• "The Blind Side" — In the holiday season's most unexpected sleeper, a homeless boy (Quinton Aaron) is adopted by a wealthy Memphis family (Sandra Bullock is the force-of-nature mom), and with the family's love, dedication and disposable income, the kid raises his grades and becomes a terror on the football field. It's the true story of Baltimore Ravens lineman Michael Oher, and writer/director John Lee Hancock lets us know that the family's charity is Christian.

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service