Weekend Movie Guide: See Locker, Stoning

Michelle Pfeiffer in a period piece is a welcome return to form. (Photo courtesy of Pathe )

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More than perhaps any weekend in recent memory, Americans are going to spend their money on the wrong movies starting today. The Hurt Locker is a vibrant, thrilling film about a bomb squad unit in Iraq. It ratchets tension so tightly you'll feel like you can barely breathe and features a star-making performance by Jeremy Renner. And yet it will likely be ignored by audiences. Similarly -- especially now given recent events in Iran -- The Stoning of Soraya M. is a film that everyone should see. Based on the actual murder of an Iranian woman falsely accused of adultery, it's a potent reminder of how little freedom still exists in the Islamic Republic.

The less said about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the better. It's stupid and violent. If you enjoy it, you are probably stupid and violent, too. My Sister's Keeper may as well be a movie of the week. Jason Patric typically chooses challenging, difficult material. Not this time (though I'm sure it's a sweet film). Cheri has Michelle Pfeiffer in her wheelhouse -- period dramas thick with wars of the heart. Brandon Routh stars in Life is Hot in Cracktown, a film that explores crack's insidious growth in the inner cities. Surveillance looks creepy as well. With a story about an FBI agent hunting a serial killer and David Lynch serving as producer, I expect it is.

Tickets, Showtimes, Reviews and Previews after the jump!