New In Theaters: Dec 11

Wide Releases:
Invictus: The best looking Rugby movie ever, and as a bonus it finally brings Nelson Mandela to the big screen in what should be the feel good inspirational movie of the year.

Expanding into Wide Release:
The Princess and the Frog: After a 10 year drought, Disney finally returns to the formula that netted them a annual hit from 1989 to 1999, and I only wonder what took them so long.

Limited Releases:
The Lovely Bones: The director of the Lord of the Rings brings us a sharp looking thriller told from the unique point of view of a murder victim watching from the visually stunning afterlife.
Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year: An everyman comedy coming to us from the exotic land of Bollywood, and unfortunately the trailer while charming, gives us nothing to go on.
A Single Man: A good wordless trailer, but one that leaves us wondering whether the final product can deliver in a meaningful way.
The Slammin' Salmon: Broken Lizards uninspired looking followup to the low brow but mildly funny Beerfest.

Pick of the Week: This is a tough one this week between Invictus and The Lovely Bones. If You asked me which film I thought would be better, the answer would be Invictus. It's a film from a proven director telling a familiar yet powerful story. But that's the problem; it plays it too safe. I know exactly what I'm getting myself into and ultimately that's less interesting than something like The Lovely Bones, which earns my pick of the week. This movie seems to be trying to approach the tired thriller genre from a new perspective. It's trying to tackle a depiction of the afterlife on film and all the metaphysical questions that go with it, and from the looks of its beautiful. But a film with this type of ambition has a much greater chance of falling flat on its face, or at least missing the mark on one or more goals creating an uneven experience. But I don't care because there's also a small chance it gets all right and we have something truly unique and special and magical. And that's why we go to the movies in the first place. Of course, The Lovely Bones has an extremely limited release for a while, so among the wide releases I say go ahead and see Invictus and I can just about guarantee a positive experience.