CinePhillyist

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

Most Likely to Suck: Freshman Orientation - Oh, lovely. Another comedy where a straight guy pretends to be gay for some stupid reason. We're already really tired of this genre. This one is also crossed with another of our least favorite genres, the college sex comedy. A freshman guy discovers that a freshman girl is trying to get into a sorority, and in order to do so she needs to bring an obviously gay guy to a party. He, of course, becomes that gay guy in order, paradoxically, to get into her pants. Did we mention the film was produced under the title Home of Phobia? Ugh.
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Live-In Maid - A film by Jorge Gaggero set in Buenos Aires about an elderly socialite who's fallen on hard times - so much so that she's having a hard time paying her housekeeper, who's lived with her for 35 years. This is a particular problem since the housekeeper is just finishing building a house of her own. When she does finally get it done and move into it, her old boss ends up on her doorstep looking for work, and they find themselves having switched places. It's a drama about class and relationships, and it sounds quite interesting.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Most Likely to Rule: Eastern Promises - A History of Violence duo of director David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen team up here again for another movie about violence. The story follows Anna (Naomi Watts), who, in her job as a midwife, witnesses a teenager dying while giving birth and becomes obsessed with translating the girl's diary, which is written in Russian. But her digging gets her in trouble with a dangerous organized crime family composed of head Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his son Kirill (Vincent Cassell), and driver Nikolai Luzhin (Mortensen). A History of Violence was really quite excellent, so we have high hopes for this one.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz Five

Send a Bullet - This sounds like a really interesting and intense documentary that takes a look at the huge economic disparities in Brazil and the terrible cycles of violence, the rampant corruption, and the brutal kidnappings brought on by them. Probably not exactly an upper, but certainly worth a viewing.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz Five

The Brave One - We'll have a review of Neil Jordan's latest, starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, and Naveen Andrews, later on this morning.
Trailer
Showing at: Roxy Theatre, UA Riverview, The Bridge

Across the Universe - It's Julie Taymor's much anticipated Beatles musical! Taymor is known for Titus, her Shakespeare film adaptation, and her work on The Lion King stage show. This film, both based on and scored entirely with Beatles songs, is a "hallucinogenic musical" that follows star-crossed lovers Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) as they are swept apart and then back together again by forces beyond their control. Along the way they meet Dr. Robert (Bono) and Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard). Sounds fantastic!
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz East

Dragon Wars (D-War) - After he saw the commercial for this film, this Phillyist thought, "Oh my God, that looks awful! I can't wait to see it!" The plot goes like this: Jack (Robert Forster) sees a young man named Ethan get zapped by a mystical force from a chest in his antique shop and reveals to him that he has been filled with the spirit of an ancient warrior who long ago saved his beloved from giant monsters named Buraki, who can transform from serpents to dragons and back again, and who command a huge army of other dangerous creatures. Now Ethan has to find the current incarnation of the ancient warrior's beloved and join forces with her to save the world from the creatures, who presently burst forth and begin ravaging the land. This movie can't not be awful, but it might be amusing, and/or have some fun action and special effects sequences. A great big dumb movie to end your summer with.
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview

Mr. Woodcock - Seann William Scott plays a man who comes home to see his widowed mother (Susan Sarandon) only to discover that she is planning to marry his hated junior-high gym teacher, the sadistic Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). Horrified, he sets out to stop the marriage any way he can - and meanwhile finds himself trying to settle some old scores. This actually sounds like a pretty good premise, but it could also be very uncomfortable to watch unless you're into that kind of comedy.
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery