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

Alexandra
The latest from acclaimed Russian director Alexander Sokurov is the story of the elderly title character, who makes an arduous journey to visit her grandson after he's conscripted into the army of the Chechen Republic and finds herself bewildered by military life, which is strange and alien to her. Sounds a bit boring, and it could very well be, seeing as how Sokurov's The Sun is agonizingly dull and pointless. But then again, Sokurov's Russian Ark is breathtaking and impressive. It's hard to say which Sokurov will show up to the party this time around, but the critical reception is almost universally positive, so it's perhaps worth the gamble.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Body of War
This is a documentary, by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, telling the story of Kansan Tomas Young, who was moved to join the Armed Forces following 9/11, but stunned when he found himself shipped off to Iraq, where he was immediately struck by a bullet and left paralyzed and unconscious. During his slow and painful recovery, he became one of the Iraq War's most ardent opponents. And the movie itself is a none-too-subtle condemnation of the US invasion of Iraq. Reviews are mostly positive, but we bet you'll be walking out of the theater pretty angry.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Never Forever
When the Caucasian housewife of a succesful Asian American husband finds she can't conceive, she turns for help to an illegal immigrant from Korea and ends up jeopardizing everything she has. We can't say that sounds like our kind of thing, but the critics sure love it.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

My Brother Is an Only Child
This film tells the story of Italy during the '60s and '70s by telling the story of two brothers, one an ardent Communist, the other a rebellious Fascist. Their already antagonistic relationship is made even more complex when the Fascist falls for the Communist's girlfriend. Apparently the film is an homage to, and made in the style of, the Italian New Wave films of Bernardo Bertolucci and Marco Bellochio. This is another film that's getting a lot of rave reviews, and it sounds pretty fascinating. Probably worth a look.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

Then She Found Me
Helen Hunt stars in her directorial debut as a New York schoolteacher named April who hits the midlife crisis hard when her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies, and her real mother (Bette Midler), an eccentric talk show host, shows up out of nowhere. Things get even more complicated when April starts a relationship with the father of one of her students. The film also stars Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. The critics are a bit so-so on this one, and we can't say it sounds too interesting to us.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz East

Most Likely to Rule: Iron Man
We'll have a review of this comic book action movie later on this morning.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: UA Riverview, The Bridge

Most Likely to Suck: Made of Honor
This one is pretty much one cliche after another. Tom (Patrick Dempsey) is a sexy, successful guy who's lucky with the ladies and has a great best friend in Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). It's only when Hannah leaves on a trip to Scotland that he realizes that he loves her and resolves to ask her to marry him when she gets back—but of course when she does get back, she's already planning on marrying a wealthy Scotsman. She asks him, her closest friend, to be her "maid" of honor, and he accepts the position only to woo her and stop the wedding before it's too late. *yawn* We're pretty sure we've seen this movie already eight or nine times. The guy as a maid of honor is the only new gimmick it's got going for it. And that awful, pointless pun of a title. As of this writing, the film is sitting at a miserable 9% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. AVOID.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: UA Riverview

Black Lily Film Festival
The Black Lily Film and Music Festival is a multi-racial, generational and disciplinary women's arts festival. The Film Festival part is being hosted at the I-House this year, and showcases both emerging and established independent female filmmakers. Besides screenings, the festival also features workshops, panels, and lots of opportunities to network and train. The programming started yesterday, but continues pretty much non-stop throughout the weekend. Click through for more detailed information on the screenings, panels, and workshops.
Showing at: The International House

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery