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

Henry Poole Is Here
Luke Wilson plays the Henry Poole of the title, a man shattered by circumstances beyond his control and determined to live out the rest of his life in isolation. But his plans are complicated when a neighbor discovers a stain on his wall with seemingly miraculous powers, and invites her pastor (George Lopez) over to check it out. And meanwhile Henry finds himself attracted to the beautiful young divorcee next door, and starts a silent friendship with her daughter, an eight-year-old amateur spy who hasn't spoken a word since her parents' break-up. Of course eventually he'll find that life is worth living after all, and so forth and so on. There are some pretty amusing ideas here, such as George Lopez playing a pastor, but it also sounds like it could be really corny, and the mixed reviews are not encouraging.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Most Likely to Rule: Trumbo
This is a documentary about Dalton Trumbo, the celebrated screenwriter who was Hollywood royalty until he got blacklisted, but who then won an Academy Award anyway. It's based on a play by Trumbo's son, Christopher, and adapted for the screen by him. The film features performances of some of Dalton's letters (he turned his talents to letter-writing after being forced underground), clips from his films, and archival and contemporary interviews with those who knew him best. His is a fascinating and moving story, and a cavalcade of stars has come forward to read his work and talk about him in this movie. We don't see how it could be anything less than fantastic.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

In Search of a Midnight Kiss
This romantic comedy is about a 29-year-old man named Wilson who's just suffered the worst year of his life. As New Year's Eve approaches, he finds himself penniless and alone, and ready to just jump into bed and give up on life. But his best friend Jacob talks him into posting a Craigslist personal ad, which leads him to Vivian, a freewheeling young woman determined to be with the "right" man at the stroke of midnight. They have an eventful and colorful trip through the nighttime streets of L.A., and make a heartfelt emotional connection. The movie has a cheesy sound to it, but all the critics love it, so perhaps it's worth a trip to the theater.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Woody Allen's latest looks sexy and funny, and it's getting a lot of very positive reviews. It stars Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as two young American women on a summer holiday in Barcelona. Hall is Vicky, the sensible, engaged one, while Johansson plays Cristina, who's emotionally and sexually adventurous. They're drawn into a series of unconventional romantic entanglements with Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a charismatic painter who's still involved with his tempestuous ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). Apparently everybody ends up in bed together. Sounds like fun!
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Ritz Five

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The latest installment in the Star Wars franchise is a computer-animated film set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. We'll have a review of the movie later on today.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: Roxy Theatre, The Pearl, UA Riverview

Most Likely to Suck: Mirrors
In writer/director Alexandre Aja's latest film, Kiefer Sutherland stars as a former policeman-turned-security guard who discovers something sinister lurking in the mirrors of a crumbling museum. We still remember being simultaneously impressed and disappointed with Aja's Haute Tension when we saw it at the Philadelphia Film Festival some years ago. This film's rather tired, finding-horror-in-the-ordinary plot—reminiscent of so many recent Asian horror films—coupled with the fact that the movie was apparently not screened for critics, leads us to believe it may be more disappointing than impressive.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: The Pearl, UA Riverview

Tropic Thunder
We should have a review of this rather controversial action comedy later on today.
Trailer - Freshness
Showing at: The Pearl, UA Riverview, The Bridge

Image via Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery