CinePhillyist

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

Witnesses or Svjedoci
Set in a small town in Croatia during the civil war of the early '90s, this film adaptation of the novel Plaster Sheep tells the story of the investigation into the murder of a Serbian smuggler and loan shark. The story is told from multiple perspectives and only slowly does the reason for the murder become clear. Sounds interesting, and the majority of critics seem to have enjoyed it. Probably worth a viewing.
Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Does anybody else think of Peter Pettigrew every time they hear the title of this movie? Just us, huh? Ah, well. It actually has very little to do with Harry Potter (although it does star Moaning Myrtle as the villain of the piece), but is instead a period comedy set in 1939 London. It follows an out-of-work middle-aged governess (Frances McDormand) who shows up for an interview for the position of social secretary and finds herself swept up into the dizzying, glamorous world of American actress and singer Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). She's quickly living it up for the first time in years, falling for a man, and trying to help Delysia navigate her career and complex love life, which includes relationships with three different men. Sounds like it could be fun, it's got a talented cast, and the reviews are generally good, so you might want to try it out.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

U2 3D
Billed as "the first three-dimensional concert film in movie history," this film features footage culled from several U2 shows on their 2005-06 Vertigo tour – and that's it. There are no interviews, just concert footage. Of course, if you like U2, it's a must-see, but given the impressive freshness rating (91% as of this writing), it might be worth it even if you just don't hate the band.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: The Franklin Institute

10,000 B.C.
They're advertising the fact that this movie comes from the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow as if that's a good thing. So it seems pretty clear this film was not made for us, or for any other film critic (as the current freshness rating of 13% should attest to). It's about a young hunter whose girlfriend gets kidnapped by a group of mysterious warlords. He puts a group together and they set out to track her down and save her. On the way, they discover there are civilizations beyond their own, and they start gathering supporters who have also been raided by the warlords. They fight prehistoric predators and harsh weather to finally find their way to an empire beyond imagination, which they must bring down to save all civilization. Oh, and we suspect they're also fighting for FREEDOM!!! because that always sells well to American audiences. This is bound to be a big, stupid, ridiculous, impossible-to-believe thrill ride. We're sure it'll be fun, if you can turn off your brain for a while. As for us, we'll give it a miss.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Roxy Theatre, UA Riverview, The Bridge

Most Likely to Rule: The Bank Job
We should have a review of this Jason Statham heist movie later on this morning.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: UA Riverview

Most Likely to Suck: College Road Trip
Hey, whaddaya know, it's our least anticipated movie of 2008! So bad it doesn't even have a freshness rating! It stars TV's Raven-Symoné as a high school student visiting a bunch of potential colleges in the unwanted company of her overprotective cop father, who's played by Martin Lawrence. Which means there are actually two horrible Martin Lawrence comedies in the theaters at the same time (the other being, of course, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins). Which further means that the apocalypse should be close at hand. We suspect that very few of the wacky misadventures that occur in this film will be funny in the least, but if you think otherwise, by all means, go and check it out. Just remember, we warned you!
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: UA Riverview, The Bridge

DON'T Miss This Double Feature!
Another brilliant themed double feature from the good people at Exhumed Films, this time featuring two "Don't" films: Don't Open the Window and Don't Go in the House. The former is a zombie movie known under many other titles (including Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) and is a Spain/Italy co-production set in England (!) about two young people who discover that a local farmer's attempt to use radiation as a form of insect control has accidentally resurrected the recently deceased. Oops! Unfortunately for our leading man, the cops suspect him of the resulting murders. The second film is a slasher movie that Quentin Tarantino calls one of the most disturbing films he's ever seen. It's about a guy who "stalks women at discos, takes them home, then hangs them upside-down in a special steel-walled room and sets them on fire." Wow. Apparently the latter film is pretty unpleasant, but this still might be a fun double feature.
Showing at: The International House, tonight only

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery.