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

The Last Mistress
A film adaptation of the novel An Old Mistress starring Fu'ad Ait Aatou as Ryno de Marigny, and Asia Argento as Vellini, two lovers in 19th century Paris. They've been involved for nearly a decade when de Marigny tries to end the relationship because he's now engaged to a respectable young woman. But can he deny his past, and Vellini's passion? Period romances aren't always our cup of tea, but this one sounds vaguely intriguing, and the reviews are mostly positive. Could be worth a look.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Up the Yangtze
A documentary that takes a look at how China's massive Three Gorges Dam construction project is affecting the common people, many of whom have had to leave their ancestral homes for the project to move forward. In particular, the film follows two middle class citizens who now work on a luxury cruise ship that carries predominately Western tourists down the Yangtze River. Sounds like a fascinating examination of modern Chinese society, and reviews are almost universally positive. Check it out so you'll have interesting things to talk about during the Olympics.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Brick Lane
The story of a Bangladeshi woman who, at the age of 17, gets trapped in an arranged marriage to an older man and must move from her village to London. Homesick and unhappy, she tries to submit to her lot in life until she meets a hot-headed local man and embarks on an affair that forces her to take control of her life. Seems like a pretty cliche plot to us, and reviews are mixed; we'll skip it.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

Beauty in Trouble
Inspired by the Robert Graves poem of the same name, this Czech comedy/drama tells the romantic story of a young woman in Prague "dealing with multiple dilemmas: loving two men at once; choosing between sexual dependence and an assured future for herself and her children; and her relationship to her mother and step-father and with her mother-in-law." Sounds complicated! But not particularly interesting. And the reviews aren't all that great. We'll skip this one, too.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

War, Inc.
This is that movie that looks like Grosse Pointe Blank 2 that we've been waiting for for a long time. Once again John Cusack stars (who also co-wrote the film) as a troubled hitman, this time headed to the fictional Middle Eastern country of Turaqistan, which has been occupied by a private corporation run by a former US Vice President (Dan Aykroyd). The company has hired him to kill a Middle Eastern oil minister. As he plans the assassination, he must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer, organizing the high-profile wedding of outrageous pop star Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) as part of his cover. He also has to keep an eye on a sexy left wing reporter (Marisa Tomei). Ben Kingsley and Joan Cusack show up, as well. This spiritual successor to Grosse Pointe Blank looks like a brilliant and hilarious satire, so we definitely want to see it, despite its disappointingly low freshness rating.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

Most Likely to Rule: The Dark Knight
We'll have a review of this much-anticipated sequel to Batman Begins later on this morning.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: The Franklin Institute, Roxy Theatre, UA Riverview, The Bridge

Mamma Mia!
The film adaptation of the beloved stage musical featuring, and inspired by, the music of ABBA. The movie was directed by the same woman who directed the stage version—Phyllida Lloyd. It's about a young woman named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who's about to get married and wants her father to hand her off. The problem is, her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) has never told her the true identity of her father. So she narrows the list down to three potential candidates and secretly invites them all to the wedding. Wackiness ensues, the bride discovers the secret of her past, and Donna finds out it's never too late for a little romance. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård also star. Musicals can be good, and this one has a talented cast, but this Phillyist, at least, is not a huge fan of ABBA. And although the stage musical is well loved, the reviews of this adaptation are not very good. We recommend you stay away.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz East

Most Likely to Suck: Space Chimps
This computer-animated film from Twentieth Century Fox tells the story of the descendants of the first chimps in space. They're sent out by a scheming senator on a dangerous mission to overthrow a powerful tyrant who's taken over an alien world. Andy Samberg gives voice to the lead chimp, while Cheryl Hines and Patrick Warburton play his crew, Stanley Tucci plays the senator, and Jeff Daniels plays the tyrant. The ads for this are dumb and unfunny, and indeed it has, as of this writing, a horrific 0% freshness rating (although, admittedly, that's based on only six reviews). If you want to watch an animated movie this weekend, just go see Wall-E again.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: UA Riverview

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery