By David Weiner
9:33 AM PDT, September 2, 2011
A selection of popcorn thrillers and art house contenders fill theaters this weekend. Get the breakdown on what to see…
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'Saving Private Perez' (limited)
Lionsgate
Who's in it: Miguel Rodarte, Jesus Ochoa, Joaquin Cosio
Director: Beto Gomez (Pink Punch)
The Plot: When his brother is lost in Iraq, a Mexican drug lord recruits a band of mercenaries to go on a suicide mission and rescue him.
Reason to see it: Laugh-out-loud and action-packed with just the right amount of pop culture references, Perez puts Mexican cinema back on the map.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Beto Gomez (Pink Punch)
The Plot: When his brother is lost in Iraq, a Mexican drug lord recruits a band of mercenaries to go on a suicide mission and rescue him.
Reason to see it: Laugh-out-loud and action-packed with just the right amount of pop culture references, Perez puts Mexican cinema back on the map.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'Seven Days in Utopia' (limited)
Who's in it: Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, Melissa Leo, Robert Bear, Madison Burge
Director: Matt Russell
The Plot: A young golfer melts down on the pro circuit and learns to get his mojo back with the help of an eccentric rancher in a small Texas town.
Reason to see it: A classic folksy Duvall gives Zen instruction to a hot-headed golf maverick to show him that golf is just as much a mental game as it is physical.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Matt Russell
The Plot: A young golfer melts down on the pro circuit and learns to get his mojo back with the help of an eccentric rancher in a small Texas town.
Reason to see it: A classic folksy Duvall gives Zen instruction to a hot-headed golf maverick to show him that golf is just as much a mental game as it is physical.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life' (limited)
Music Box Films
Who's in it: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones
Director: Joann Sfar
The Plot: The life of '60s French pop star Serge Gainsbourg is examined, from his childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris to his work as a painter and jazz musician, his visionary pop star triumphs and his decadent life and loves.
Reason to see it: A Cesar award-winning film, comic book artist Joann Sfar interprets the life of the French icon with a clever, surrealistic style accompanied by an incredible, '60s-era time-capsule soundtrack.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Joann Sfar
The Plot: The life of '60s French pop star Serge Gainsbourg is examined, from his childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris to his work as a painter and jazz musician, his visionary pop star triumphs and his decadent life and loves.
Reason to see it: A Cesar award-winning film, comic book artist Joann Sfar interprets the life of the French icon with a clever, surrealistic style accompanied by an incredible, '60s-era time-capsule soundtrack.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame' (limited)
Who's in it: Andy Lau, Binbing Li, Deng Chan, Carina Lau, Tony Leung
Director: Hark Tsui (Peking Opera Blues, Once Upon a Time in China)
The Plot: Someone -- or something -- is out to prevent the coronation of China's first-ever Supreme Empress, and it's up to the ancient world's greatest detective to solve the case with his potent mix of wisdom and martial arts prowess.
Reason to see it: Magnificently choreographed fights and stunning visuals underline this incredible Sherlock Holmes meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style mystery from Hong Kong master Hark Tsui.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Hark Tsui (Peking Opera Blues, Once Upon a Time in China)
The Plot: Someone -- or something -- is out to prevent the coronation of China's first-ever Supreme Empress, and it's up to the ancient world's greatest detective to solve the case with his potent mix of wisdom and martial arts prowess.
Reason to see it: Magnificently choreographed fights and stunning visuals underline this incredible Sherlock Holmes meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style mystery from Hong Kong master Hark Tsui.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'A Good Old Fashioned Orgy' (limited)
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Who's in it: Jason Sudeikis, Lucy Punch, Leslie Bibb, Lindsay Sloane, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Martin Starr, Tyler Labine, Don Johnson, Will Forte, David Koechner
Director: Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck
The Plot: A 30-year-old partier decides to throw one final, all-out bash -- and get naked -- with his friends after his father informs him that he's selling their awesome vacation home.
Reason to see it: Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis is on a big-screen roll with this year's Hall Pass and Horrible Bosses, but can he get a hat trick with this over-the-top comedy?
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck
The Plot: A 30-year-old partier decides to throw one final, all-out bash -- and get naked -- with his friends after his father informs him that he's selling their awesome vacation home.
Reason to see it: Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis is on a big-screen roll with this year's Hall Pass and Horrible Bosses, but can he get a hat trick with this over-the-top comedy?
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'The Debt' (nationwide)
Focus Features
Who's in it: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Jesper Christensen, Marton Csokas, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson
Director: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love)
The Plot: In 1997, shocking news reaches a pair of retired Mossad secret agents about their former colleague. They thought their 1960s mission to track down a Nazi war criminal was accomplished, but startling new revelations compel one of the spies to take matters into their own hands.
Reason to see it: Operating in two different time periods, this compelling, edge-of-your-seat spy thriller has a top-notch cast filmed on location in Tel Aviv, the U.K. and Budapest.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: John Madden (Shakespeare in Love)
The Plot: In 1997, shocking news reaches a pair of retired Mossad secret agents about their former colleague. They thought their 1960s mission to track down a Nazi war criminal was accomplished, but startling new revelations compel one of the spies to take matters into their own hands.
Reason to see it: Operating in two different time periods, this compelling, edge-of-your-seat spy thriller has a top-notch cast filmed on location in Tel Aviv, the U.K. and Budapest.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'Apollo 18' (nationwide)
The Weinstein Company
Who's in it: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen
Director: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego (Nomadas)
The Plot: In decades-old recovered footage of NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, two American astronauts sent on a secret expedition discover unimaginable horrors.
Reason to see it: Inspired by the "found footage" horror movie genre pioneered by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, this inventive thriller takes the genre into space, where no one can hear you scream. The tagline says it all: "There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon."
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego (Nomadas)
The Plot: In decades-old recovered footage of NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, two American astronauts sent on a secret expedition discover unimaginable horrors.
Reason to see it: Inspired by the "found footage" horror movie genre pioneered by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, this inventive thriller takes the genre into space, where no one can hear you scream. The tagline says it all: "There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon."
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
'Shark Night 3D' (nationwide)
Relativity Media
Who's in it: Katharine McPhee, Joel David Moore, Chris Zylka, Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack, Donal Logue
Director: David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 2)
The Plot: A group of college friends descend on a beautiful lake house in the Louisiana Gulf, only to find themselves trapped and fending off the jaws of killer sharks.
Reason to see it: From the director of Snakes on a Plane, it's now Sharks in a Lake! Nubile bodies, shark attacks and a sinister scenario in 3D provide the perfect escapist fare without any piranhas.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.
Director: David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 2)
The Plot: A group of college friends descend on a beautiful lake house in the Louisiana Gulf, only to find themselves trapped and fending off the jaws of killer sharks.
Reason to see it: From the director of Snakes on a Plane, it's now Sharks in a Lake! Nubile bodies, shark attacks and a sinister scenario in 3D provide the perfect escapist fare without any piranhas.
To help you decide: Watch the trailer.