CinePhillyist

Thank You for Smoking - Directed by Jason Reitman (who has grown up quite a bit since he was credited as "Kissing Boy" in Kindergarten Cop), this satire tells the story of Nick Naylor (played by the wildly talented Aaron Eckhart), Big Tobacco's chief spokesman and spinmaster, who'll stop at nothing to make cigarettes look good to the public, until he realizes how he himself is starting to look in the eyes of his son. Sounds like it could get a little corny at the end there, but the satirical bits are probably pretty great. Also included in the film's huge cast of stars are Maria Bello, Sam Elliott, Rob Lowe, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, and Katie Holmes.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz Five

Inside Man - Spike Lee's latest is about "the perfect bank robbery" which, we assume, goes awry. But you never know, maybe it'll work out this time. Chief among the robbers (and, eventually, hostage-takers) is Clive Owen as Dalton Russel, and chief among the detectives trying to handle the situation is Denzel Washington as Keith Frazier, who learns via Jodie Foster's Madeliene White that there's more to the robbery than there at first appears (there always is!). We used to like heist movies, but we're pretty bored of them now, and we're way, way past bored of movies where Denzel Washington plays a yelling cop, but we do love us some Clive Owen, and we're curious what the twist is here, so we're kind of on the fence about this one. Unfortunately the trailer doesn't help to clear up our confusion, offering as it does both intriguing bits and disappointingly familiar bits.
Trailer
Showing at: Riverview, The Bridge

Stay Alive - Firmly in the tradition of recent Asian horror films (like Ringu) and their remakes (like The Ring), Stay Alive tells the story of a group of pretty young teens who discover that a mysterious online game holds secret dangers - specifically, as the tagline of the film succinctly puts it, "You Die In The Game - You Die For Real." It's really hard to imagine this film being anything more than a totally crappy and by-the-numbers entry in a rapidly aging genre. We're not even sure how they can stretch the premise out for longer than about a half hour (after the teens figure out the problem, why wouldn't they just...stop playing?). But that's not to say we wouldn't see it if our friends were going and there was nothing else to do. So, in other words, we won't judge you too harshly if you decide to waste your money on it.
Trailer
Showing at: Riverview

Most Likely to Suck: Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector - Do we even have to say anything about this one? Sigh. In this poorly conceived vehicle for red-neck stand-up expert Larry the Cable Guy, the stupid, ignorant, disgusting Larry is cast hilariously against type as a stupid, ignorant, disgusting, but decidedly non-cable guy health inspector. The trailer, which traditionally with comedy films is loaded with all the best bits, contains not even one joke that made us laugh even a little. But if you want to torture yourself with this turd, be our guest.
Trailer
Showing at: Riverview

Image Credits: AffichesCinema.com, OhmyNews