CinePhillyist

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend.

Starter for 10 - A romantic comedy set in '80s Britain, where a working class kid, along the way to achieving his dream of appearing on University Challenge (a TV quiz show), falls in love with his teammate and decides "to win her heart through his advanced general knowledge skills." Charles Dance and James McAvoy star. Can't say we're too interested in this one, but it would probably be good for some light entertainment.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Most Likely to Rule: The Namesake - The film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel by Jhumpa Lahiri about a family from Calcutta trying to adapt to their new home in New York without losing track of their cultural heritage. Kal Penn (yeah, that guy from Harold and Kumar) stars in a serious, dramatic role as the son who's essentially the main character of the story. Jacinda Barrett plays his girlfriend, and the film is directed by Mira Nair, who's almost as critically acclaimed as the book. Looks like a pretty moving and interesting film, and something more than your average fish-out-of-water culture clash story.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz Five

Dead Silence - Killer puppet movie, yay! This one's from the team behind Saw and the story is sort of vaguely like that of Nightmare on Elm Street: a popular ventriloquist is accused of murdering a child, so the people of the small town where she lives capture her, cut out her tongue, kill her, and bury her with her dolls. But now the town is haunted by the dolls; those who see them are said to die soon after. People are found with their tongues cut out. When a recently married man's wife dies mysteriously, he knows he must get to the bottom of the horrifying deaths and the town's curse. Probably it will be incredibly gory and stupid, but... killer puppets!!! We can't wait.
Trailer
Showing at: The Riverview

I Think I Love My Wife - Chris Rock stars in, wrote, and directed this film which, believe it or not, is a remake of a classic French comedy called Chloe in the Afternoon. Rock plays your typical successful business/family man who's bored with the daily grind and dreams of having passionate flings with other women. When a beautiful old friend comes back into his life, he finds himself tempted toward real infidelity. But don't worry; we're betting he'll stick with his wife. Just look at the title, for God's sake! We like Chris Rock, but this film just sounds boring and pointless.
Trailer
Showing at: The Riverview, The Bridge

Most Likely to Suck: Premonition - It's another eerie suspense thriller, this time with Sandra Bullock in the main role. She wakes up one morning to find that her husband, Dr. Doom (well, okay, no, it's just the guy who played Dr. Doom, Julian McMahon) has died in a car accident. Then she wakes up the next morning to find that it hasn't happened yet. Then things get even more confusing and crazy. It actually looks kind of interesting, but it is currently sitting at an astoundingly bad 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, so we're going to have to slap it with the most likely to suck this week.
Trailer
Showing at: The Riverview, The Bridge

Image Credit: Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery