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.

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