What to See This Weekend: 'Secretariat,' 'Life as We Know It'

Which will make your weekend complete: Diane Lane trudging through horse manure, or Katherine Heigl with baby poop on her cheek? Read on and decide.

New and Noteworthy: 'Secretariat'

Starring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Scott Glenn, Dylan Baker, Nelsan Ellis, Kevin Connolly
Directed by: Randall Wallace
What It's About: The famed 1970s Triple Crown winner, prepped for racetrack immortality by the housewife who owned him (Lane) and the trainer (Malkovich) who put him through his paces.
Why Should You See It? Because you like triumph-of-the-underdog sports movies. Because this one is Disney-certified family fare. Because of the pros in front of and behind the camera, including Wallace, the guy who wrote 'Braveheart.' And because there's buzz that 'Secretariat' could follow in 'Seabiscuit's' hoofprints on the race toward the Oscars.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Seabiscuit,' 'Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story,' 'National Velvet'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Director Randall Wallace on 'Secretariat' (VIDEO)
•Nelsan Ellis and Kevin Connolly on 'Secretariat' (VIDEO)
•Moviefone Minute: 'Secretariat' Premiere
•Reviews: Hollywood Reporter | Variety

'Secretariat' - Trailer No. 1

Also New: 'Life as We Know It'
What It's About: In this romantic comedy, singles Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel have nothing in common except mutual antagonism and being named in their friends' will as godparents to their baby. Forced to live together to raise the orphaned infant, the two find themselves falling in love. Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips 'Life as We Know It' - Trailer No. 1

'My Soul to Take'

What It's About: Horror guru Wes Craven's latest chiller is about an undead serial killer whose curse on a small town 16 years ago begins to claim the teens born the night he was killed. Didn't Craven make this movie 26 years ago, as the original 'Nightmare on Elm Street'? Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips

'My Soul to Take' - Trailer No. 1

In Limited Release

'It's Kind of a Funny Story' is about a teen (Keir Gilchrist of 'United States of Tara') who checks himself into a mental hospital, where he befriends a grownup with anger management issues (Zach Galifianakis) and even meets a cute girl (Emma Roberts). Showtimes & Tickets
'Nowhere Boy' is a biopic about the teenage John Lennon ('Kick-Ass' star Aaron Johnson), focusing on his relationship with the starchy aunt who raised him (Kristin Scott Thomas) and his early encounters with future bandmates Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'The Social Network' -- Until the Mark Zuckerberg comic book biography comes out in December, this Oscar-bound drama about the Facebook founder will have to do. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Let Me In' -- If you can't find a theater showing the movie in which Kick-Ass plays John Lennon, you can still catch this acclaimed horror tale starring his friend Bit Girl Hit Girl as a preteen vampire. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Never Let Me Go' -- Can't get enough of 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' costar Carey Mulligan or 'The Social Network's' Andrew Garfield? See the young hotties together, along with Keira Knightley, in this dreamy, dystopian drama. Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: The unstoppable Smith family continues its conquest of all media with 'The Karate Kid,' this summer's hit remake of the 1984 newcomer-vs.-bullies classic. There's no actual karate in the movie, which takes place in China, but there is kung fu, as taught to Will Smith spawn Jaden Smith by master Jackie Chan. Wax on, wax off. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: As Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel discover in 'Life as We Know It,' nothing turns smug, materialistic yuppie singles into decent folk quicker than inheriting a baby or a small child. (Side bonus: no messy pregnancy or childbirth necessary. Instant family!) It's a similar lesson to the one learned by Adam Sandler in 'Big Daddy' or Brittany Murphy in 'Uptown Girls,' or by Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson in 'Three Men and a Baby.' The definitive movie in the genre is probably 1987's 'Baby Boom,' in which rising corporate executive Diane Keaton suddenly finds herself inheriting a toddler, whom she promptly tries to deposit in the coat check room at a fancy restaurant. Gags about poop and unsuitable nannies inevitably ensue, but the payoff is Keaton's hilarious nervous breakdown in a rural veterinarian's office. Check it out, but book a sitter first. Buy or rent the DVD.

On My Netflix Queue: To remember the late Tony Curtis, who passed away last week, it's time for me to fire up the DVD of his finest performance, in 1957's still-coruscating 'The Sweet Smell of Success,' and remind myself that entertainment journalism isn't all sharks and weasels like the manipulative parasites played here by Burt Lancaster and Curtis. Then again, it's also no longer filled with people who can spout unforgettable, quotable lines ("You're a cookie full of arsenic." "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. That gives you a lot of leeway.") Buy or rent the DVD.
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: 'The Warrior's Way,' 'Black Swan,' 'I Love You Phillip Morris'

There's only one even moderately wide release this week, the action flick 'The Warrior's Way,' but the real action is at the arthouse, where several much-buzzed-about Oscar hopefuls (Natalie Portman! Jim Carrey! Ryan Gosling!) will jockey for your attention.

New and Noteworthy: 'The Warrior's Way'

Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox
Directed by: Sngmoo Lee
What's It About? In this hybrid Western/martial arts fantasy, Korean actor Jang plays an assassin hiding out in a small town in the Badlands after he refuses an assignment to kill an infant girl.
Why Should You See It? Genre blends can be fun and unpredictable. First-time director Lee gets support from a group of strong vets, including Oscar-winner Rush and frequent movie heavy Huston. The visuals look striking. And it's the only new wide release of the week, not to mention the only new action pic.
You Might Like It If You Like: The old 'Kung Fu' series, 'Shanghai Noon,' 'Ninja Assassin'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Reviews
'The Warrior's Way' - Trailer No. 1

In Limited Release

'Black Swan' is earning tons of buzz for Darren Aronofsky's hallucinatory direction, for Natalie Portman's ultra-intense performance as an unraveling ballerina, and for her steamy tryst with rival dancer Mila Kunis.
Showtimes & Tickets | Independent Spirit Award Nominations | Natalie Portman's Evolution | Exclusive Clip
'I Love You Phillip Morris' is an outrageous comedy/drama that's sparking Oscar talk for Jim Carrey for his cagey performance as a real-life con artist and prison-break expert who falls in love with a sweet-natured fellow jailbird (Ewan McGregor).
Showtimes & Tickets | CInematical Review
'All Good Things' is also based on a true-crime story, and it's prompting Oscar murmurs for both Ryan Gosling (as a New York real estate scion with some bleak secrets) and Kirsten Dunst (as his wife, who grows fearful as her husband's dark side emerges).
Showtimes & Tickets | Exclusive Clip | Exclusive Stills
'Night Catches Us' is a dark-horse awards contender, a drama about forbidden romance and Black Panther politics in 1970s Philadelphia, featuring Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie ('The Hurt Locker').
Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Tangled' - Disney's 3-D Rapunzel toon is a crowd-pleaser that seems to enchant boys and girls of all ages and hair lengths. | Showtimes & Tickets
•;Love and Other Drugs' - If newly crowned Oscars co-host Anne Hathaway walks away from her gig with a trophy, this will be why. | Showtimes & Tickets
•'The King's Speech' - If Colin Firth (and not Hathaway's co-host, James Franco), walks away with a trophy, this will be why. | Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: Even if you're not a Twihard, 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' is surely the best of the series so far, what with all the raging teen hormones, some heart-racing action sequences involving marauding vampires and feral werewolves, and that steamy love triangle involving Kristen Stewart, Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner's abs. DVD Available on Sat., Dec. 6. | More new DVD releases | What I Think I Know About 'Twilight': The Making of a Twi-Hard ...? | Chat With a 'Twilight' Virgin As She Watches 'Eclipse' For the First Time

Movie Homework: 'Black Swan' is earning comparisons to such classic ballet movies as 'The Red Shoes' and 'The Turning Point,' but it really owes more to a couple of classic 1960s dramas of psychological breakdown. One is 'Repulsion' (Buy or rent the DVD), Roman Polanski's thriller about a young woman (Catherine Deneuve) driven to extremes by her repressed sexuality and the isolating walls of her apartment. The other is 'Persona' (Buy or rent the DVD), Ingmar Bergman's landmark drama about two women who find their personalities melding. Both are good preparation for watching the intense, surreal, nightmarish journey of 'Black Swan's' high-strung Natalie Portman as she competes and merges with licentious Mila Kunis.

On My Netflix Queue: Hanukkah starts this week, so celebrate the Festival of Lights with a viewing of 'The Hebrew Hammer,' the blaxploitation-style spoof about a Jewish hero (Adam Goldberg) who must save Hanukkah from the schemes of Kris Kringle's evil son (Andy Dick). Hilarious whether you're a latke-eater or not. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

Weekend Movie Preview: 'Season of the Witch,' 'Country Strong'

January is often the no-man's-land of Hollywood's calendar, an island of misfit toys that are neither Oscar hopefuls nor surefire commercial hits. There's only one new wide release this week, 'Season of the Witch,' kicking off this season of the hard-to-market. New and Noteworthy

'Season of the Witch' (PG-13)

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore, Claire Foy, Robbie Sheehan
Directed by: Dominic Sena
What's It About? Two medieval knights (Cage and Perlman) must escort to a monastery a girl (Foy) suspected of being the witch who caused the Black Plague, for an exorcism meant to undo the curse. Cage's character suspects she is innocent, but along the way, it becomes clear that dark supernatural forces are at work.
Why Should You See It? There's not a lot of advance buzz about this film, which was initially supposed to be released last March, but we do know that no one does intense like Cage, and no one does grotesque like 'Hellboy' star Perlman.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Order,' 'The Name of the Rose,' 'The Seventh Seal'

Showtimes & Tickets
Nicolas Cage Interview | 47 Facts About Nicolas Cage | In Defense of Nicolas Cage

Watch a Scene From the Movie and Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

In Limited Release / Expanding

'Country Strong,' which finally opens wide this weekend, is a musical drama about a down-and-out Nashville country singer (Gwyneth Paltrow) who tries to reboot her career following a high-profile stint in rehab. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer

'Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune' is a documentary that examines the music and tragically short life of the 1960s protest singer. Showtimes & Tickets

'The Time That Remains' is an autobiographical comedy-drama from Palestinian director Elia Suleiman about the fraught history between the Palestinians and Israelis. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Blue Valentine' -- Watch for Oscar nominations for both Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in this intimate portrait of a marriage's sweet beginning and bitter ending. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'Another Year' -- Watch for an Oscar nomination for Lesley Manville as a freewheeling middle-aged Brit in Mike Leigh's comedy-drama. Showtimes & Tickets | Watch the Trailer
•'True Grit' -- Watch for an Oscar nomination for Jeff Bridges in the Coen brothers' bloody-good remake of the 1969 John Wayne classic.
Staying in This Weekend?
New on DVD This Week: The French satire 'The Dinner Game' (1999) was a hilarious farce about a yuppie who competes with his associates to see who can bring the most clueless buffoon to a dinner party, only to have the buffoon he picks inadvertently wreck his life. Last summer's American remake, 'Dinner for Schmucks,' both softens the satire and takes it to some bizarre, otherworldly land of absurdity. Here, the yuppie is Paul Rudd, while his unwittingly destructive idiot is Steve Carell. It has its moments, but for consistent laughs, brave the subtitles and rent the original. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: If the premise of 'Season of the Witch' sounds familiar, maybe that's because you've seen this tale more than once, albeit in a more modern context. A notable version was Dennis Hopper's 'Chasers' (1994), in which two Navy men (Tom Berenger and William McNamara) had to escort to trial a young woman ('Baywatch's' Erika Eleniak) who was a lot trickier than she seemed. That, in turn, was a virtual remake of 'The Last Detail,' in which the prisoner is hapless Randy Quaid and his naval escorts are Jack Nicholson and Otis Young. Nicholson being Nicholson (and this being 1973), he's determined to bend the rules and show nebbishy Quaid a hellraising good time on the way to the brig. No witches, no black plague, just a sweet, sad gem from '70s auteur Hal Ashby. Buy or rent the DVD

On Our Netflix Queue: Watching Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson going through the motions in the current 'Little Fockers,' it's easy to forget that these two are a unique comedy team, with their own offbeat rhythms and chemistry, who've made 10 movies together. The one we never get tired of is 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' where failed financial genius Stiller and substance-abusing novelist Wilson are part of a larger family dynamic that also wraps Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, and Bill Murray in director Wes Anderson's gentle lunacy. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: 'Morning Glory,' 'Unstoppable,' 'Skyline'

Isn't it supposed to be Oscar season? There may not be anything award-worthy this week, just some slick, polished entertainment, in the form of a romantic comedy and two thrillers.

New and Noteworthy: 'Morning Glory'

Starring: Rachel McAdams Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by: Roger Michell
What's It About? McAdams lands a TV producing job at a low-rated morning chat show, where she must manage on-air veterans Keaton (an acerbic diva) and Ford (a grumpy newsman who feels daytime fluff is beneath him). Wilson is along as a love interest, but as in 'The Devil Wears Prada,' this comedy is really about the platonic love-hate relationship between a Manhattan working gal and her prickly mentor (Ford).
Why Should You See It? It's written by Aline Brosh McKenna, the screenwriter behind 'Prada.' It's a rare chance to see Harrison Ford in a comedy. J.J. Abrams produced it. And it features, by all accounts, the sparkling star turn from McAdams we've been awaiting since 'The Notebook.'
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Devil Wears Prada,' 'Broadcast News,' 'Working Girl,' 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Exclusive: Harrison Ford talks 'Morning Glory,' 'Star Wars' prequels
•Reviews

'Morning Glory' - Trailer No. 1

Also New: 'Unstoppable'
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Directed by: Tony Scott
What's It About? Washington and Pine ('Star Trek') must stop a runaway train filled with explosive chemicals from wiping out a city.
Why Should You See It? Really, do you need to know more than that? How about that it was written by 'Live Free or Die Hard' screenwriter Mark Bomback? Or that it marks the fifth collaboration between Washington and action master Scott ('Top Gun')?
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,' 'Under Siege 2,' 'Runaway Train'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•'Unscripted' Interview with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (VIDEO)
•Reviews

'Unstoppable' - Trailer No. 1

'Skyline'

Starring: Eric Balfour, David Zayas, Donald Faison, Brittany Daniel, Scottie Thompson
Directed by: Colin Strause, Greg Strause
What's It About? Mysterious lights appear above Los Angeles that draw people toward what turns out to be an extraterrestrial threat that could wipe out humanity. Uh oh.
Why Should You See It? Um, 'cause 'Megamind' isn't really doing it for you in the sci-fi department?
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Independence Day,' 'District 9,' 'War of the Worlds'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•8 Ways to Stop an Alien Invasion (in the Movies)
•'Skyline' Exclusive Clip: When Aliens Attack
•Reviews

'Skyline' - Trailer No. 2

In Limited Release
'Cool It' is a documentary that allows Bjorn Lomborg -- an environmental scholar who believes global warming isn't as scary or as costly to fix as mainstream scientists say it is -- to make his case.
Showtimes & Tickets
'Tiny Furniture' is a microbudgeted indie about a 22-year-old woman (played by director Lena Dunham) trying to figure out what to do with her life after college.
Showtimes & Tickets
Still In Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Megamind' - Sick of Will Ferrell and Tina Fey yet? Didn't think so. | Showtimes & Tickets
•'Due Date' - Sick of Zach Galifianakis yet? Didn't think so. | Showtimes & Tickets
•'127 Hours' - In which mountaineer James Franco gives his right arm for a shot at an Oscar. By all accounts, a must-see; just don't eat first. | Showtimes & Tickets

Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: Even though the geekosphere totally grokked 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' the mass of moviegoers were indifferent to this comic-book-derived saga of a swain (Michael Cera) who must battle his inamorata's numerous supervillainous ex-boyfriends. But the innovative, videogame-inspired battles should look right at home on your TV. Buy the DVD | 10 Reasons Edgar Wright Wants You to See 'Scott Pilgrim' on DVD (VIDEO) | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework, Part 1: Probably no one will confuse the frothy 'Morning Glory' with a harder-hitting backstage look at the TV news business like 'Network.' Still, it's worth revisiting the 1976 satire, with its eerily prescient predictions about reality TV, populist demagoguery, corporate manipulation, and anything-for-a-Nielsen-uptick shamelessness. Buy or rent the DVD

Movie Homework, Part 2: 'Morning Glory's' Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton have worked together before, in the ensemble dramedy 'The Family Stone.' Keaton is the cancer-stricken matriarch trying to straighten out the lives of her unhappy adult children before she dies. McAdams is one of her kids, a bitter singleton who gets an unlikely Christmas present in the form of a discarded ex-boyfriend. Watch, chuckle, and weep. Buy or rent the DVD

On My Netflix Queue: In memory of my father-in-law, it's time to revisit one of his favorites, 1954's 'The Wild One,' in which the impossibly young Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin are bikers raising hell in a small town - and setting the standards for masculine cool and toughness for decades to come. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: Mystery Chills in 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Even though Halloween is nearly upon us, October has been fairly light on horror movies so far. That changes with this week's release of the highly anticipated 'Paranormal Activity' sequel and next week's release of 'Saw 3D.'

New and Noteworthy: 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Starring: Katie Featherston
Directed by: Tod Williams
What It's About: Plot details for this prequel to last year's faux-documentary horror hit 'Paranormal Activity' have been largely kept under wraps, but we know that Featherston is back as Katie, and that the plot centers around a family that gets more than it bargained for when its members set up security cameras to capture the mysterious intrusions and disturbances in their house.
Why Should You See It? The same team that made the first film is back, including writer/producer Oren Peli, so the original movie's effective, less-is-more scare machinery should be intact.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Blair Witch Project,' 'The Last Exorcism,' 'Poltergeist,' 'Paranormal Activity'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Reviews | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

'Paranormal Activity 2' - Trailer No. 2

In Limited Release

•'Inhale' is a thriller in which Dermot Mulroney takes a hellish journey south of the border in order to score a black-market pair of lungs for his daughter, who's in desperate need of a transplant. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Kalamity' is also a thriller, in which a haunted Nick Stahl fears that his old hometown buddy (Jonathan Jackson) may be a killer. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Jackass 3D' - In which Johnny Knoxville learns that Roger Miller was right: You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Red' - In which poor Mary-Louise Parker, dragged along for the ride, shows just how good she is at reaction shots. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Hereafter' - In which 80-year-old Clint Eastwood, through much younger surrogate Matt Damon, explores the afterlife. Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: The Robert Rodriguez-produced reboot 'Predators' stars Adrien Brody as the leader of a group of killers on a strange planet being pursued by the dreadlocked alien hunters of the title. Dude nearly got stomped and/or eaten by dinosaurs, giant apes, and other beasties in 'King Kong,' so running in terror from Predators should be an easy gig for him. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: The 'Paranormal Activity' franchise's debt to earlier films -- the pretend documentary style of 'The Blair Witch Project,' the suburban horror of 'Poltergeist' -- is easy to spot, but the real granddaddy of this genre is probably 1979's 'The Amityville Horror.' Based on a purportedly true story (but not really), the film effectively charts the story of a family driven mad by the unseen menace haunting their new home. Good scenery chewing all around, especially by Oscar-winner Rod Steiger as the exorcist priest. Buy or rent the DVD

On My Netflix Queue: Now that 'Mad Men' is over for the season, how will I get my fix of square-jawed, fedora-wearing, men in Madison Avenue offices confronting their dissatisfaction with postwar conformity, media culture, marriage woes and Freudian nightmares from their past? How about with a three-martini lunch of Gregory Peck in the 1956 drama 'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit'? That should tide me over for a while. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,' 'You Again,' New Woody Allen

The past is never past; it's always present enough to keep tormenting you. That's the lesson for the protagonists of this week's new wide release movies, and it's true whether you're a disgraced financial titan, a woman who thinks she's long since outgrown her high school nerd years, or an abducted owlet.

New and Noteworthy: 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'

Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin
Directed by: Oliver Stone
What It's About: More than 20 years have passed since Stone's original 'Wall Street,' but lovably reptilian financier Gordon Gekko (Douglas) is finally back and ready to corrupt another young protégé. Out of prison and looking to get back into the game, Gekko gets his chance via the whiz-kid investment banker (LaBeouf) who's engaged to Gekko's estranged daughter ('An Education' star Mulligan).
Why Should You See It? It's a chance to see Douglas sink his fangs back into the juicy role that won him an Oscar. It's the most entertaining seminar on the massive financial collapse of 2008 you're likely to enjoy over popcorn. It's an Oliver Stone movie, and love him or hate him, Oliver Stone is seldom dull.
You Might Like It If You Like: The original 'Wall Street,' 'Boiler Room,' 'American Psycho,' 'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Two exclusive clips
•Is Oliver Stone planning a third 'Wall Street'?
•Reviews: The Hollywood Reporter | Entertainment Weekly | New York Magazine | Leonard Maltin

Six Second Review: 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'
'You Again'

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jimmy Wolk, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Betty White
Directed by: Andy Fickman
What It's About: Successful career woman Bell starts to feel like a high school loser again when she learns that the tormentor of her teen years (Yustman) is engaged to her brother. What's more, the same dynamic played out a generation earlier between Yustman's aunt (Weaver) and Bell's mom (Curtis). Thank goodness wacky grandma Betty White is there to lend some perspective.
Why Should You See It? Because of the sparkling cast, because you need a romantic comedy fix, or because you're not sick of Betty White yet.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'My Best Friend's Wedding,' 'Mean Girls,' 'The Proposal,' 'Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Exclusive 'You Again' Clip: Kristen Bell as a Nerd, Betty White Being Awesome
•Reviews: Orlando Sentinel

'You Again': Trailer No. 1

Also New: 'The Virginity Hit'

What It's About: Nerd's painfully humiliating quest to lose his virginity is filmed by his buddies and posted online. In other words, it's 'American Pie' for the YouTube era, which is why it's shot mockumentary-style, to look like found footage à la 'The Blair Witch Project' or 'The Last Exorcism.' In fact, it was written by the screenwriters of 'The Last Exorcism' and produced by Funny or Die founders Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips

'Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'

What It's About: Two young owlets, having escaped from the evil Pure Ones who would eradicate all owls, travel to the ends of the earth to find the legendary Guardians and enlist them to defend all of owl-kind from destruction. Zack Snyder ('300') directed this cartoon adaptation of Kathryn Lasky's series of children's books. Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips
In Limited Release

'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' is the latest Woody Allen dramedy of love and betrayal, featuring a typically star-studded cast (Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts). Showtimes & Tickets

'Buried' stars Ryan Reynolds as a contractor kidnapped in Iraq and entombed in a coffin. All he has at his disposal are 90 minutes of breathable air, a cell phone, and his wits. Showtimes & Tickets

'Waiting for "Superman"' is the latest documentary from 'An Inconvenient Truth' Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim. This time, he tackles our broken public education system. Showtimes & Tickets

'Howl' recounts the story behind the groundbreaking epic poem by Allen Ginsberg (played by James Franco) and the obscenity trial it provoked in the late 1950s. Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, and David Strathairn co-star. Showtimes &Tickets

'Enter the Void' is a sci-fi ghost story from provocateur Gaspar Noé ('Irreversible') about a dead drug dealer who continues to watch over his stripper sister from above in a neon-nightmare Tokyo. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'The Town' - Guess we have to start taking Ben Affleck seriously now, not just as an actor or a director of award-worthy crime thrillers, but also as a box office power. Showtimes & Tickets

•'Easy A' - 'The Scarlet Letter' gets the 'Clueless' treatment in this smart teen comedy that finally transforms the daffy, delightful Emma Stone into a star. Showtimes & Tickets

•'Devil' - This brutally efficient, M. Night Shyamalan-produced chiller about the elevator from hell runs a tight 80 minutes, so you'll have plenty of time afterward to start your new exercise regimen: taking the stairs. Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: The 'Gladiator' team of Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott move forward about a thousand years from ancient Rome to reboot 'Robin Hood' as a gritty historical drama that suggests how the combination of the Crusades in the Holy Land and feudal tyranny at home in England might have transformed weary veteran Robin into the arrow-shooting proto-kibbutznik of legend. Cate Blanchett co-stars as a similarly fierce Maid Marion. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: In 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,' Oliver Stone doesn't point the finger at any particular villain for triggering the 2008 financial meltdown; rather, the film suggests, the whole system is at fault, and it's so big that not even a Machiavellian manipulator like Gordon Gekko can halt it -- or be blamed too much for it. It's an explanation that recalls the moment in Stone's 'Nixon' where the Vietnam War protester tells the president, 'You can't stop it, can you?' Stone's Nixon, like Gekko, is forced to recognize that the system is bigger than he is, and that he is its servant, not its master. That recognition makes 'Nixon,' like the two 'Wall Street' movies, less a portrait of individual corruption than an epic meditation from Stone on How America Got Into This Mess. Buy or rent the DVD

On My Netflix Queue: Fall arrived this week, prompting another viewing of 'Far From Heaven,' with its lush autumnal hues (leaves as deeply red as Julianne Moore's hair) and its haunting, sad story of love and repression in a seemingly golden, bygone era. Can you think of a more beautiful depiction of the last blaze of color before winter's gray chill sets in? Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: 'Machete,' 'The American,' 'Going the Distance'

It's all about killers this weekend, either the blade- and gun-wielding kind ('Machete,' 'The American') or relationship killers, like 3,000 miles of separation ('Going the Distance').

Best Bet: 'Machete'

Starring: Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
What It's About: Building on the fake trailer in Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 'Grindhouse,' 'Machete' stars veteran tough-guy character-actor Trejo as an ex-federale who stumbles onto a vast conspiracy and dispenses vengeful justice via bladed weapons of all sorts. Tough chicks Alba and Michelle Rodriguez are on his side, while De Niro, Seagal, Johnson, and Fahey are the heavies. And then there's Lohan, doing her own thing, wielding a revolver and dressed as a nun.
Why Should You See It? Rodriguez brings his customary brio to the movie's cartoonishly over-the-top sex and violence, though he also weaves in a brazen polemic about immigration policy. The grim, Terminator-like Machete is certainly the role the stone-faced Trejo was born to play.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Grindhouse,' 'Sin City,' 'Desperado,' 'El Mariachi'
It's all about killers this weekend, either the blade- and gun-wielding kind ('Machete,' 'The American') or relationship killers, like 3,000 miles of separation ('Going the Distance').

Best Bet: 'Machete'

Starring: Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
What It's About: Building on the fake trailer in Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 'Grindhouse,' 'Machete' stars veteran tough-guy character-actor Trejo as an ex-federale who stumbles onto a vast conspiracy and dispenses vengeful justice via bladed weapons of all sorts. Tough chicks Alba and Michelle Rodriguez are on his side, while De Niro, Seagal, Johnson, and Fahey are the heavies. And then there's Lohan, doing her own thing, wielding a revolver and dressed as a nun.
Why Should You See It? Rodriguez brings his customary brio to the movie's cartoonishly over-the-top sex and violence, though he also weaves in a brazen polemic about immigration policy. The grim, Terminator-like Machete is certainly the role the stone-faced Trejo was born to play.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Grindhouse,' 'Sin City,' 'Desperado,' 'El Mariachi'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Will 'Machete' Ignite a Firestorm Over Its Immigration Stance?
•Red-band 'Machete' Trailer (Contains NSFW Language and Violence)
•Lego Version of the 'Machete' Trailer (Contains NSFW Language and Violence)
•Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review
•Critics' Reviews

'Machete': Trailer No. 1

Also in Theaters:
'The American'

Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Irina Björklund
Directed by: Anton Corbijn
What It's About: Like Clooney himself, Jack is an American living in a remote Italian town and romancing a beautiful Italian woman. He's also an assassin trying to lay low. But as anyone who's seen a movie about an assassin can tell you, there's no such thing as retirement for a hit man; there's always one last job. Still, this movie is more contemplative than most in the genre (and less action-packed than its marketing suggests).
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Professional,' 'Michael Clayton,' 'Under the Tuscan Sun,' 'Le Samourai'

Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips | What's Wrong With Critics -- and Why Do They Love 'The American'? | George Clooney's 10 Best Movies | Exclusive Photos | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review | Leonard Maltin's Review | More Critics' Reviews

'Going the Distance'

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Charlie Day
Directed by: Nanette Burstein
What It's About: In this romantic comedy, real-life on-again/off-again couple Barrymore and Long play a twosome who try to keep their summer romance going after she leaves New York for San Francisco.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Forget Paris,' 'He's Just Not That Into You,' '50 First Dates'

Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips | Our Favorite Romantic Comedy Scene-Stealers | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review | Critics' Reviews
In Limited Release

•'A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop' sees world-class director Zhang Yimou return to his film noir roots with a Chinese take on the Coen brothers' murderous love triangle 'Blood Simple.'
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Critics' Reviews

•'My Dog Tulip,' an animated film based on J.R. Ackerley's novel about the Alsatian who was his pet for 14 years, features the voices of Christopher Plummer, Isabella Rossellini and the late Lynn Redgrave.
Showtimes & Tickets | Critics' Reviews

•'The Winning Season' is a 'Hoosiers' for girls, featuring Sam Rockwell as a burned-out coach who gets a shot at redemption mentoring an Indiana high school girls basketball team. Emma Roberts co-stars.
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Critics' Reviews

•'Mesrine: Public Enemy # 1' tells the second half of the true-life French gangster saga begun in 'Mesrine: Killer Instinct.'
Showtimes & Tickets | Critics' Reviews

•'Last Train Home,' a documentary well-received earlier this year at Sundance, looks at a single family in order to examine the plight of migrant factory workers in China, separated for all but one day a year from their loved ones at home.
Showtimes & Tickets | Critics' Reviews
Still In Theaters, Still Awesome

•'The Last Exorcism' - Did that bizarre, abrupt ending make sense to you? Maybe you need to see this low-budget chiller again. Showtimes & Tickets | Eli Roth Talks 'The Last Exorcism,' Satan, and Why This Isn't Another Gore-Filled Bloodbath | 'Last Exorcism' Campaign Scares Unsuspecting Chatroulette Users | Critics' Reviews

•'Takers' - Last week's box office champ, this stylish heist film seems to appeal to everybody. So said Sony's polling, which found the audience evenly divided between women and men, and between people under 25 and over.
Showtimes & Tickets | Moviefone Minute: 'Takers' Premiere (Video) | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review | Critics' Reviews

•'Mesrine: Killer Instinct' - Spend a night with 1960s French gangster Vincent Cassel; make it a double feature with its follow-up, 'Mesrine: Public Enemy #1.' Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Critics' Reviews
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: 'Harry Brown' stars Michael Caine as a quiet British senior who goes all 'Gran Torino' on the thugs that invade his neighborhood. (Buy or rent the DVD) 'Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?' reunites the cast of the 2007 dramedy for a couples retreat in the Bahamas, where more dirty laundry gets aired. (Buy or rent the DVD) Owen Wilson voices the comic-strip Great Dane in the live-action version of ''Marmaduke.' (Buy or rent the DVD)

Also Out This Week: 'Machete' star Danny Trejo has a supporting role in underground mixed martial arts drama 'Beatdown.' (Buy or rent the DVD) Future Spider-Man Andrew Garfield stars in 'The Red Riding Trilogy,' three films about the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper who terrorized England in the 1970s and '80s. (Buy or rent the DVD). Differences between British and French attitudes toward romance are lampooned in 'French Film.' (Buy or rent the DVD) More new DVDs

Movie Homework: Professional killers in movies used to be quiet fellows, men of few words. Think Edward Fox's methodical presidential assassin in 'The Day of the Jackal' (Buy or rent the DVD) or Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 'Terminator' (Buy or rent the DVD). It wasn't until Quentin Tarantino came along in the early '90s, with his gunmen who could endlessly and hilariously discuss the rules of tipping at restaurants in 'Reservoir Dogs' (Buy or rent the DVD) or the protocol of foot massages in 'Pulp Fiction' (Buy or rent the DVD) that the standard movie hit man became a nattering chatterbox. Unfortunately, most screenwriters can't write dialogue as scintillating and funny and musical as Tarantino's. Note to movie gunmen: You should be like film stars. That is, we're fascinated to watch you at work, doing your day job, but we don't need the oral equivalent of Twitter and Facebook posts telling us what you ate for breakfast. Maybe George Clooney's brooding hit man in 'The American' and Danny Trejo's taciturn killer in 'Machete' can bring back an era of silent, stoic assassins. As Trejo's character puts it, "Machete don't text."

On My Netflix Queue: It's easy to forget that Labor Day is about more than firing up the barbecue grill one last time. It's about remembering the struggles of working folks. Which means it's time once again to watch 'Norma Rae.' (Buy or rent the DVD). Or at least 'Office Space.' (Buy or rent the DVD)
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' and Big Stars in Small Movies

We're in the limbo between summer popcorn-movie season and serious Oscar-movie season. So there's only one new wide release this week, which is still more likely to spark popcorn sales than awards buzz. Keep an eye out, though, for big stars among this week's rush of art-house movies.

New in Theaters: 'Resident Evil: Afterlife'

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
What It's About: In the fourth installment of the popular videogame/horror franchise, Jovovich is back as zombie-fighter Alice. Five years after the zombiepocalypse, she's the Omega Woman, looking for survivors. Rumors that Los Angeles is a haven for the uninfected turn out to be, um, overly optimistic.
Why Should You See It? This one's shot in state-of-the-art, James Cameron-approved 3-D. Fans of the games should inside references and more fidelity to the game play. For everyone else, well, it's another opportunity to see the waiflike Jovovich prove once again that she's actually a credible, sleek action heroine.
You Might Like It If You Like: The first three 'Resident Evil' movies, 'Aliens,' '28 Weeks Later' We're in the limbo between summer popcorn-movie season and serious Oscar-movie season. So there's only one new wide release this week, which is still more likely to spark popcorn sales than awards buzz. Keep an eye out, though, for big stars among this week's rush of art-house movies.

New in Theaters: 'Resident Evil: Afterlife'

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
What It's About: In the fourth installment of the popular videogame/horror franchise, Jovovich is back as zombie-fighter Alice. Five years after the zombiepocalypse, she's the Omega Woman, looking for survivors. Rumors that Los Angeles is a haven for the uninfected turn out to be, um, overly optimistic.
Why Should You See It? This one's shot in state-of-the-art, James Cameron-approved 3-D. Fans of the games should enjoy inside references and more fidelity to the game play. For everyone else, well, it's another opportunity to see the waiflike Jovovich prove once again that she's actually a credible, sleek action heroine.
You Might Like It If You Like: The first three 'Resident Evil' movies, 'Aliens,' '28 Weeks Later'

Short on time? Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review of 'Resident Evil: Afterlife'

•Showtimes & Tickets: 3-D | 3-D IMAX | 2-D
•On the Scene: 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' Set Visit
•Milla Jovovich on Girl Fights, Being a Mom & 'Resident Evil'
•Trailers & Clips

'Resident Evil: Afterlife': Trailer No. 2

'The Romantics'

Starring: Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel
The movie's a Little Chill, with several recent college grad pals reuniting for a wedding, where an old romantic triangle involving the maid of honor (Holmes), the bride (Paquin), and the groom (Duhamel) resurfaces. Galt Niederhoffer directed this adaptation of her own novel.
• Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Reviews: Cinematical | The Hollywood Reporter

'I'm Still Here'

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
It's either a documentary of a movie star's epic meltdown, an extended Method acting exercise, or a massive put-on. The film recounts the recent exploits of Joaquin Phoenix as he publicly renounced acting in favor of hip-hop. Making his directing debut is Phoenix's brother-in-law, Casey Affleck.
• 'I'm Still Here' Timeline: Milestones in Joaquin Phoenix's Countdown of Crazy
• Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Reviews: Cinematical | Variety

Short on time? Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review of 'I'm Still Here'

Also in Theaters (Limited Release)

•'Legendary' is an inspirational wrestling drama produced by WWE (you read that right) about a youth who decides to follow his brother (John Cena) and late father into the ring. Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover co-star.
Interview with John Cena | Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Reviews: Entertainment Weekly

•'Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?' Well, he's the idiosyncratic 1970s singer-songwriter who's the subject of this documentary.
Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews: Time Out New York | Village Voice

•'Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould' is another documentary about an idiosyncratic musician. This one asks whether the celebrated classical pianist's quirks were real personality tics or just something he did in public to cultivate an eccentric image. (Sounds like this would make a good double feature with 'I'm Still Here.')
Showtimes & Tickets | Reviews: Village Voice | The New Yorker | Time Out New York

•'Heartbreaker' offers a rare chance to see Vanessa Paradis (Johnny Depp's inamorata) in a French romantic comedy, in which professional romance-buster Romain Duris is hired to end her romance with her fiancé, only to strike sparks with her himself.
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Reviews: Entertainment Weekly | Variety

•'Lovely, Still' shows it's never too late for romance, as seniors Ellen Burstyn and Martin Landau discover.
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Reviews: New York Magazine

•'Bran Nue Dae' is an Australian road-movie musical set amid the social upheavals of the 1960s. Geoffrey Rush co-stars.
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips | Reviews: Chicago Reader | Roger Ebert for Chicago Sun-Times
Still In Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Machete' - Milla Jovovich isn't the only action heroine on screen this weekend. Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba are no slouches either, and even Lindsay Lohan gets to show off her shooting skills.
Showtimes & Tickets | Will 'Machete' Ignite a Firestorm Over Its Immigration Stance? | Red-band 'Machete' Trailer (Contains NSFW Language and Violence) | Lego Version of the 'Machete' Trailer (Contains NSFW Language and Violence) | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review | Critics' Reviews

•'The American' - A lot of people were enraged by this movie, since it's not the action-packed ride its ad campaign suggests. It's certainly not for everyone, but it does boast George Clooney, a hot naked Italian babe, and some thoughtful, Euro-style, existential action drama.
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips | What's Wrong With Critics -- and Why Do They Love 'The American'? | George Clooney's 10 Best Movies | Exclusive Photos | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review | Leonard Maltin's Review | More Critics' Reviews

•'The Tillman Story' - Watch for this acclaimed Afghanistan War documentary, about the military cover-up surrounding the death of NFL star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman, to expand into more theaters over the coming weeks
Showtimes & Tickets | Trailer | Critics' Reviews
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: 'Killers' is a romantic comedy/action pic starring Katherine Heigl as a woman who discovers that new hubby Ashton Kutcher is actually a spy with a license to kill. (Buy or rent the DVD) 'MacGruber' is Will Forte's expansion of his recurring 'Saturday Night Live' parody of 'MacGyver' into a full-length feature. (Buy or rent the DVD) Michael Douglas stars in 'Solitary Man' as a divorced man in need of redemption, but with a talent for self-sabotage. (Buy or rent the DVD)

Also Out This Week: Bryce Dallas Howard plays a strong-willed heiress in 1920s Memphis in the unearthed Tennessee Williams gem 'The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond.' (Buy or rent the DVD) Hal Holbrook earned Oscar talk last year as an aged farmer fighting to hold onto his land in 'That Evening Sun.' (Buy or rent the DVD) More new DVDs

Movie Homework: Why wait until you're middle-aged to have a midlife crisis? As 'The Romantics' is only the latest movie to show, you can have one when you're barely out of college. In fact, some recent grads barely give themselves enough time to frame their diplomas before they start brooding over their wasted potential and uncertain futures. The classic model for this, of course, is Dustin Hoffman's aimless Benjamin Braddock in 'The Graduate' (Buy or rent the DVD), but he had to endure his quarterlife crisis pretty much all by himself; most mid-20s-malaise movie characters prefer to commiserate in groups of fellow alumni. After all, college (in the movies, at least) may be less a launching pad for adulthood than a cocoon for extending adolescence, leaving graduates unprepared for the harsh economic and emotional realities of the real world, but suffering the indignity of having to grow up fast is at least easier among friends.

So it is with the Me Decade hedonists of 'The Last Days of Disco' (Buy or rent the DVD), the '80s Brat Packers of 'St. Elmo's Fire' (Buy or rent the DVD), and the '90s Gen X slackers of 'Reality Bites' (Buy or rent the DVD) and the woefully underrated 'Kicking and Screaming' (Buy or rent the DVD). Besides 'The Romantics,' the most recent example is the adorable comedy 'Post Grad' (Buy or rent the DVD), in which Rory Gilmore Alexis Bledel confronts the horrible current job market for new college graduates with the aid of just one former classmate (Zach Gilford of 'Friday Night Lights'), the once-platonic friend she suddenly sees in a new light. That's the other lesson of these quarterlife crisis films, from 'The Graduate' on: adulthood may not work out the way you thought it would, but it's never too late to fall in love with someone you couldn't imagine as a romantic prospect during your undergraduate years.

On My Netflix Queue: You don't have to be a sci-fi geek to love 'Forbidden Planet,' the classic 1956 space opera that cleverly updates Shakespeare's 'The Tempest.' Highlights include a lovably clunky robot, a pioneering all-electronic music score, and the delightfully stolid Leslie Nielsen, back when he was considered a sober-minded man of action and not a deadpan comic genius. It's just out on Blu-Ray, so now's your chance to see it again, or for the first time. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here

What to See This Weekend: Ben Affleck Goes to 'Town,' Emma Stone Causes a Scandal

Oscar-hopeful season kicks off in earnest this weekend with the release of dramas 'The Town' and "Never Let Me Go.' Which isn't to say that there's not also plenty of frivolous fun ('Easy A,' 'Devil,' 'Alpha and Omega').

New and Noteworthy: 'The Town'

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively
Directed by: Ben Affleck
What It's About: After making his feature directing debut in 2007 with the acclaimed 'Gone Baby Gone,' Affleck returns to the world of Boston crime dramas with this adaptation of Chuck Hogan's novel 'Prince of Thieves,' this time starring and co-scripting as well. It's Stockholm syndrome in reverse when Affleck, leader of an accomplished team of bank robbers, falls for a lovely hostage (Hall) and finds his loyalties divided between her and his tight-knit, family-like crew.
Why Should You See It? The Boston-bred Affleck certainly knows the turf, works well crafting the performances of other actors and (lest we forget) is already an Oscar-winning screenwriter. He's out to prove 'Gone' was no fluke, and early word is he's done so. Plus, the film has plenty of action, not to mention the man you can't get enough of, Jon Hamm.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Departed,' 'Mystic River,' 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle' Oscar-hopeful season kicks off in earnest this weekend with the release of dramas 'The Town' and "Never Let Me Go.' Which isn't to say that there's not also plenty of frivolous fun ('Easy A,' 'Devil,' 'Alpha and Omega').

New and Noteworthy: 'The Town'

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively
Directed by: Ben Affleck
What It's About: After making his feature directing debut in 2007 with the acclaimed 'Gone Baby Gone,' Affleck returns to the world of Boston crime dramas with this adaptation of Chuck Hogan's novel 'Prince of Thieves,' this time starring and co-scripting as well. It's Stockholm syndrome in reverse when Affleck, leader of an accomplished team of bank robbers, falls for a lovely hostage (Hall) and finds his loyalties divided between her and his tight-knit, family-like crew.
Why Should You See It? The Boston-bred Affleck certainly knows the turf, works well crafting the performances of other actors and (lest we forget) is already an Oscar-winning screenwriter. He's out to prove 'Gone' was no fluke, and early word is he's done so. Plus, the film has plenty of action, not to mention the man you can't get enough of, Jon Hamm.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Departed,' 'Mystic River,' 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•The 10 Best Heist-Movie Disguises
•Reviews: Cinematical | Variety | indieWIRE's Leonard Maltin

'Easy A'
Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci
Directed by: Will Gluck
What It's About: Reading 'The Scarlet Letter' in English class, high-schooler Olive (Stone) discovers that letting people know you're sexually active is still a way to make yourself a scandal-magnet in your community. Even if, as in Olive's case, it's not true.
Why Should You See It? Gawky geek bombshell Stone ('Superbad', 'Zombieland') at last gets to carry a movie and show off her full comic range, with the help of an ace supporting cast. Plus, seeing this is a lot easier than actually, y'know, reading 'The Scarlet Letter' yourself.
You Might Like It If You Like: '10 Things I Hate About You,' 'Clueless,' 'She's All That,' or any other teen comedy that cribs liberally from classic works of literature

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Moviefone Minute: 'Easy A' Premiere
•Moviefone Minute: 'Easy A' Screening with Emma Stone and Will Gluck
•Reviews: Cinematical | Hollywood Reporter

'Easy A': Trailer No. 1

Also New: 'Never Let Me Go'
What It's About: Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro ('The Remains of the Day'), Mark Romanek's beautifully shot drama stars Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightley and future Spider-Man Andrew Garfield as friends raised in an English boarding school, bred and groomed for a horrific purpose. Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips

'Devil'
What It's About: The first film in 'The Night Chronicles,' a series of low-budget horror features produced by M. Night Shyamalan, this one finds several office workers trapped in an elevator with Satan himself. (Think of it as a vertical version of Sartre's 'No Exit.') Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips

'Alpha and Omega'
What It's About: For once, wolves are the heroes in this 3-D cartoon that sends two of them (voiced by Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere) on a cross-continental journey back to the national park they call home. Showtimes & Tickets | Trailers & Clips
In Limited Release

'Catfish' is a Sundance-fave documentary, in which filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman learn a valuable lesson about social media: that people you meet on the Internet aren't necessarily who they say they are. (Hard to say more about this acclaimed, idiosyncratic tale without spoiling it.) Showtimes & Tickets

'Jack Goes Boating' marks the directing debut of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Oscar-winning actor stars opposite Amy Ryan in this romantic drama about two couples, one coming together, the other coming apart. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Resident Evil: Afterlife' -- Watch Milla Jovovich kick zombie butt again, this time in 3-D and IMAX. Showtimes & Tickets

'Takers' -- 'The Town' faces some stiff competition from this stylish heist caper, still going strong in its fourth week in theaters. Showtimes & Tickets

'I'm Still Here' -- We're pretty sure this chronicle of actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix's epic two-year meltdown is a massive Method acting stunt. But what if it isn't? Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: An ancient hex, James Bond's ex (Gemma Arterton), special effects, Jake Gyllenhaal's pecs -- that's what you get in 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,' the sprawling Disney action spectacle from Jerry Bruckheimer, based on the popular videogame. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework, Part 1: Need proof that Ben Affleck can act? See 'Hollywoodland,' in which his portrait of the life and mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves offers not only a poignant character study but also an ironic commentary on Affleck's own thwarted desire to be taken seriously in Hollywood. Buy or rent the DVD

Movie Homework, Part 2: 'Easy A' is full of references to high school syllabus staple 'The Scarlet Letter.' The best and most faithful of the dozen or so filmed versions of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel is the Emmy-winning 1979 PBS mini-series, starring Meg Foster as the adulterous Hester Prynne. (Stay away from the thoroughly absurd Demi Moore version.)

On My Netflix Queue: Harold Gould, who passed away earlier this week, was an elegant, mustachioed character actor who tended to play dapper gents with a mischievous twinkle in their eyes. Exhibit A: Woody Allen's Tolstoy parody 'Love and Death,' in which Gould plays a snobby, hot-tempered Russian nobleman who challenges Allen's cowardly peasant to a duel, with unexpectedly wacky results. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here