BIG BUDGET FILMS
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (PG for mild epithets) Animated adventure, inspired by the beloved children's best seller of the same name about a town where a mad scientist's (Bill Hader) atmospheric experiment gone horribly wrong leads to food falling from the sky like rain. Voice cast includes Anna Faris, Mr. T, Andy Samberg, Al Roker and Will Forte.
"The Informant" (R for profanity) Steven Soderbergh directs this fact-based legal thriller about a corporate executive-turned-star witness (Matt Damon) who testifies against his former employer and other agri-business companies in a federal price-fixing case. With Patton Oswalt, Scott Bakula and Melanie Lynskey.
"Jennifer's Body" (R for profanity, sexuality, gory violence and brief drug use) Megan Fox plays the title character in this horror comedy about a popular high school cheerleader who starts seducing and devouring male classmates after a satanic ritual leaves her possessed by a demon. With Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons and Amy Sedaris.
"Love Happens" (PG-13 for profanity and sexual references) Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart co-star in this romance drama about a still-grieving, widowed self-help guru who falls in love with an empathetic florist attending of one his seminars. With Martin Sheen, Sasha Alexander and Judy Greer.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
"35 Shots of Rum" (Unrated) Claire Denis ("Chocolat") directs this bittersweet drama examining the strains on the close relationship of a widowed train engineer (Alex Descas) and his young daughter (Mati Diop) when she starts dating a handsome neighbor (Gregoire Colin) while he finds himself attracted to a longtime friend (Nicole Dogue). (In French and German with subtitles)
"Bright Star" (PG for mature themes, sensuality, smoking and mild epithets) Oscar-winner Jane Campion (for "The Piano") wrote and directed this 19th Century costume drama about the three-year romance of poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his neighbor Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) which ended prematurely when he contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 25.
"The Burning Plain" (R for sexuality, nudity and profanity) Oscar-nominated scriptwriter Guillermo Arriaga (for Babel) makes his directorial debut with this elliptical ensemble drama revolving around the flashbacks of a promiscuous restaurant manager (Charlize Theron) whose life intersects with a host of Mexican and American characters in a variety of ways. With Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence and Joaquim de Almeida.
"Dil Pole Hadippa" (Unrated) Female empowerment flick about a feisty Punjabi girl (Rani Mukherjee) who dons a turban and a beard to pass for a man in order to play in the World Cup Cricket Tournament. Complications ensue when she finds herself falling head-over-heels for her team's captain (Shahid Kapur).(In Hindi with subtitles)
"Disgrace" (Unrated) South African drama about a 52 year-old college professor (John Malkovich) who goes to live on his lesbian daughter's (Jessica Haines) farm after being fired for sleeping with a student (Antoinette Engel). (In English, Xhosa, Afrikaans and Zulu with subtitles)
"Marina of the Zabbaleen" (Unrated) Middle East documentary about an 11 year-old girl who lives outside Cairo with her family next to a garbage dump in a community of Coptic Christians forced to forage through 2,000 tons of toxic trash a day just to survive. (In Arabic with subtitles)
"Falling Awake" (R for violence, brief sexuality and pervasive profanity) Romance drama about a promising musician (Andrew Cisneros) from the Bronx who is inspired to pursue his dream by the beautiful young woman (Jenna Dewan) from Brooklyn who steals his heart. With Nestor Serrano, Julie Carmen and Chris Kazi Rolle.
"The Most Dangerous Man in America" (Unrated) Whistleblower bio-pic about Daniel Ellsberg, the high-level, U.S. government official who leaked 7,000 pages of classified secrets known as The Pentagon Papers to the New York Times in 1971 in order embarrass the Nixon Administration into admitting that the Vietnam War was unwinnable.
"Paris" (R for profanity and sexual references) Melancholy drama about an ailing chorus line dancer (Romain Duris) reduced to observing Paris' hustle and bustle from his apartment balcony while waiting for a heart transplant. With Juliette Binoche, Melanie Laurent and Fabrice Luchini. (In French with subtitles)
"Splice" (Unrated) Sci-fi thriller about a couple of rogue scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) who cross legal and ethical lines to blend human and animal DNA to create a dangerous winged hybrid creature which poses a threat to the future of mankind.
