CinePhillyist

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

The Savages - Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play siblings who are forced to live together again with their estranged father when his mind goes and there's no one else to take care of him. Not surprisingly, they drive each other crazy, but ultimately "start to realize what adulthood, family and, most surprisingly, each other are really about." Which sounds kind of corny. But with that talent in the cast, and all the great reviews it's getting, we're guessing this one's actually quite good.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz Five

Most Likely to Suck: P.S. I Love You - We'll admit we're biased against romantic comedies and "chick flicks," but this thing just looks awful. And the critics seem to agree. If it matters to you, the film stars Hilary Swank as a woman who seems to have it all - until the love of her life, Gerry (Gerard Butler), dies and leaves her devastated. But a series of messages prepared by Gerry before his passing begin arriving at random times, encouraging her to get back out into the world and live again. Kathy Bates plays the woman's mother, and Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow play her best friends. This Phillyist will be over here, playing the guy not going to see the movie.
Trailer
Showing at: Roxy Theatre, UA Riverview

The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) - The true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (played here by Mathieu Amalric), a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of French Elle, "who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state." Although he has little hope for the future, he ultimately realizes he can still achieve "a life without boundaries." Is it a truly inspiring film, or just another "inspirational" movie that makes you want to throw up? The freshness rating suggests the former.
Trailer
Showing at: Ritz East

Charlie Wilson's War - Another "true story" movie, this one is about Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a congressman from Texas who, with the prodding of his lover Joanne (Julia Roberts) and the help of CIA Agent Gust (Philip Seymour Hoffman, again), manages to form unlikely alliances amongst "Pakistanis, Israelis, Egyptians, arms dealers, law makers and a belly dancer" in order to help the Mujahideen fight the Communists in Afghanistan during the '80s. We're betting the film (directed by Mike Nichols) has little to do with reality, but it does appear to be entertaining, and that's what's really important, right?
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview

National Treasure: Book of Secrets - Nicolas Cage is back in another ridiculously unlikely, historically inaccurate archaeological adventure. This time he's looking for the 18 missing pages of John Wilkes Booth's diary to clear his family's name (apparently an ancestor has been implicated in the assassination of Lincoln) and to find the secrets contained in the pages that uncover a huge global conspiracy. Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel are back, Helen Mirren stars as Cage's mother, and of course Bruckheimer is producing again. With him in the producer's chair, you know you're going to get a big dumb action movie with lots of special effects and pretty much no thought involved whatsoever. We can't say we enjoy that kind of thing very much, but if you do, here you go.
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview, The Bridge

Most Likely to Rule: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - We'll have a review of Tim Burton's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical later on today.
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview, The Bridge

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - A comedy parody of the life story of every drugged-out, sexed up rock and roll star who ever was, this faux "behind the music" story stars John C. Reilly as the titular character. It looks pretty clever and funny, and is getting surprisingly good reviews, so it's probably worth a viewing.
Trailer
Showing at: UA Riverview, The Bridge

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery