BIG BUDGET FILMS
Crank (R for sex, expletives, nudity, drug use and graphic violence) Jason Statham stars in this high-octane thriller about an adrenaline-driven hit man injected with a lethal poison which will kill him if his heart rate drops who only has an hour to save his girlfriend (Amy Smart), find an antidote, and to wreak bloody vengeance on the creeps who want him dead. With Dwight Yoakum and Efren Ramirez.
Crossover (PG-13 for sex and expletives) Inner-city drama about a couple of best friends and basketball phenoms, one (Wesley Jonathan), determined to attend UCLA to become a doctor despite pressure from agents to turn pro right after high school, the other (Anthony Mackie), a dropout whose NBA hoop dreams were dashed when he took the rap on an assault charge to help keep his homeboy out of jail.
Idiocracy (R for profanity and sex-related humor) Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge wrote and directed this sci-fi comedy about an underachiever (Luke Wilson), picked as the guinea pig in a top-secret, Pentagon hibernation program, who awakens 500 hundred years in the future to discover he's suddenly the brightest person on the dumbed-down planet. With Steven Root and SNL alum Maya Rudolph.
Lassie (PG for moments of peril and mild epithets) Classic collie franchise is revived for another heartwarming adventure. Set in Scotland on the eve of World War II, this installment has the anthropomorphic pet reluctantly sold to a rich Duke (Peter O'Toole) before embarking on a hazardous, 500-mile journey to reunite with the little boy (Jonathan Mason) who raised him and just in time for Christmas.
The Wicker Man (PG-13 for disturbing images, profanity, violence and mature themes) Nicolas Cage stars in Neil LaBute's remake of the 1973 horror flick based on the Anthony Shaffer novel of the same name. With the setting shifted from Scotland to an island off man, story still revolves around the disturbing disappearance of a young girl at a secretive pagan community whose inhabitants are not inclined to help the police crack the case. With Leelee Sobieski and Ellen Burstyn.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Andy Warhol (Unrated) Four-hour documentary from Ric Burns revisits the life and times of the endlessly enigmatic artist/pop icon who envisioned the day when everyone would enjoy 15 minutes of fame.
Looking for Kitty (R for profanity and sexual references) Native New Yorker Edward Burns wrote, directed and co-stars in this unlikely-buddy whodunit about a high school baseball coach (David Krumhotlz) from upstate who hires a down-and-out private investigator (Burns) to help track down his wife who ran away to Manhattan with a second-rate rock star.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (PG for mature themes) Dysfunctional family drama about an aging widower (Ken Takakura) who travels from Japan to China to videotape the favorite folk opera of his estranged, terminally-ill son (Kiichi Nakai) with hopes of reconciling the deep rift between them. (In Mandarin and Japanese with subtitles)
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (NC-17 for graphic sexual content) Expose' uncovers the hypocrisy involved in Hollywood's movie rating system and the behind-the-scenes shenanigans which profoundly influence American culture