Big Budget Films

Baby Mama (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor and a drug reference) Class-conscious comedy about a single career woman (Tina Fey) who wants to have a baby but ends up hiring a crass surrogate mom (Amy Poehler) from the other side of the tracks after learning that she only has a one-in-a-million chance of getting pregnant herself. Supporting ensemble includes Greg Kinnear, Sigourney Weaver, Maura Tierney, Romany Malco and Dax Shepard.

Deal (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality and brief drug use) Burt Reynolds is back in this casino caper as an aging poker hustler who comes out of retirement to show the ropes to a cocky college student (Alex Harrison) only to have his young protégé prove to be his stiffest competition in the World Poker Championship. With Shannon Elizabeth, Vince Van Patten and Charles Durning.

Deception (R for sexuality, profanity, brief violence and drug use) Ewan McGregor stars in this whodunit about an accountant who finds himself the prime suspect in both a woman’s disappearance and multi-million dollar heist after he frequents a kinky sex club at the suggestion of his attorney pal (Hugh Jackman). With Maggie Q, Natasha Henstridge and Michelle Williams.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo (R for profanity, sexuality, crude humor and drug references) John Cho and Kal Penn reunite to reprise their title roles for another politically-incorrect adventure. This go-round, the nerdy stoners find themselves on the run after being mistaken for terrorists while aboard an airplane. Cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Roger Bart, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Beverly D’Angelo.

Rogue (R for profanity and horror violence) Australian horror flick about a sightseeing cruise through an Outback wildlife reserve which turns into a terrifying nightmare after the captain (Radha Mitchell) accepts a dare from an American passenger (Michael Vartan) to steer the boat into unchartered waters where they find themselves stalked by a man-eating crocodile.

Independent
& Foreign Films

Roman de Gare (R for brief profanity and sexual references) Romance mystery about a popular crime novelist (Fanny Ardant) whose best sellers might have been ghostwritten by an escaped serial killer (Dominique Pinon) posing as the fiance’ of a just-dumped hairdresser (Audrey Dana) in need of a beau. (In French with subtitles)

Standard Operating Procedure (R for profanity and disturbing images involving torture and graphic nudity) Oscar-winner for Best Documentary Errol Morris (for Fog of War) Man’s dissects the Abu Ghraib scandal in an effort to make sense of man’s inhumanity to man and the failure of the U.S. military to abide by the Geneva Conventions.

Stuff and Dough (Unrated) Mobster drama about a cash-strapped street punk (Alexandru Papadopol) who agrees to drive a package from Constanta to Bucharest for the neighborhood crime boss (Razvan Vasilescu) only to find himself being shadowed by a mysterious jeep. (In Rumanian with subtitles)

Then She Found Me (R for profanity and sexuality) Helen Hunt makes her scriptwriting and directorial debut and stars in this dramedy about a NYC schoolteacher who, saddened by the death of her adoptive mother (Lynn Cohen) and abandoned by her immature husband (Matthew Broderick), gets a new lease on life when she’s courted by the father (Colin Firth) of one of her students and also tracked down by the birth mother (Bette Midler) she never knew. Featuring a cameo by Salman Rushdie.

Up the Yangtze (Unrated) The effects of the rush to modernization on a rapidly-changing China are examined by this enlightening documentary shot from the perspective of young people employed by a cruise ship on the Yangtze River. (In Mandarin and English with subtitles)

Without the King (Unrated) Swaziland is the subject of this shocking documentary about Africa’s last reigning absolute monarchy. The impoverished nation is ruled by King Mswati III, a despot who treats himself to a lavish style which includes numerous palaces, a fleet of expensive cars, designer wardrobes and 14 wives, while his subjects are suffering from starvation, a 42% AIDS rate and a life expectancy of only 31.

Published in : Entertainment, Opening This Week

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