BIG BUDGET FILMS
"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (PG-13 for mayhem and graphic violence) Action-oriented thriller about an elite team of gadget-equipped, military spies who venture to the ends of the Earth in search of the international arms dealer (Christopher Eccleston) masterminding a diabolical plot to plunge the planet into complete chaos. Supporting cast includes Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Arnold Vosloo and Sienna Miller.
"Julie & Julia" (PG-13 for sensuality and brief profanity) Nora Ephron directs this lighthearted bio-pic merging the memoir of celebrated chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) with that of her biggest fan, a suburban housewife (Amy Adams) who tried to cook 524 of her idol's famous recipes over the course of a single year. With Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina.
"Paper Heart" (PG-13 for profanity) Romantic comedy revolving around a jaded young woman (Charlene Yi) who meets the guy of her dreams (Michael Cera) while traveling across the country interviewing people for a documentary she's making about the meaning of love. Cast includes Seth Rogen, Jake M. Johnson and Paul Rust.
"A Perfect Getaway" (R for profanity, sexual references, graphic violence and drug use) Horror flick about a newlywed couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) whose backpacking honeymoon on Hawaii turns into a nightmarish struggle for survival when they discover that psychopaths are stalking and slaughtering tourists camping out on the beaches. With Timothy Oliphant, Kiele Sanchez and Marley Shelton.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
"Beeswax" (Unrated) Quirky ensemble comedy, set in Austin, Texas, centering on a couple of identical twins, one, a wheelchair-bound paraplegic (Maggie Hatcher), the other, a clothing store owner (Tilly Hatcher) who rekindles a romance with an ex-lover (Alex Karpovsky) in order to get legal help with a lawsuit filed against her by her business partner (Anne Dodge).
"Bliss" (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama based on Omer Zulfu Livaneli's incendiary best seller about a 17 year-old rape victim (Ozgu Namal) whose mortified Muslim parents (Emin Gursoy and Sebnem Kostem) ask her cousin (Murat Han) to perform an honor killing when she refuses to commit suicide after her loss of chastity. (In Turkish with subtitles)
"Cold Souls" (PG-13 for nudity and brief profanity) Paul Giamatti plays himself in this droll, sci-fi dramedy about an off-Broadway actor with performance anxiety who travels from New York to Russia to retrieve his medically-extracted soul from the ambitious, soap opera actress (Dina Korzun) who borrowed it. Cast includes David Strathairn, Emily Watson and Katheryn Winnick.
"I Sell the Dead" (Unrated) Horror comedy, set in 19th C. Ireland, chronicling a condemned grave robber's (Dominic Monaghan) confessing his and recently-beheaded partner's (Larry Fessenden) exploits to a priest (Ron Perlman) en route to the guillotine.
"Smile 'Til It Hurts" (Unrated) documentary revisits the rise of Up with People, the cult-like, faith-based singing sensation sponsored in the Sixties and Seventies by the Religious Right as a politically-conservative alternative to rebellious Rock & Roll.
