Comfortable writing thrillers of the Bourne and Ocean’s variety, George Nolfi steps behind the lens for the first time to direct one. Equipped with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, his romantic sci-fi mind bender explores the bond between two people kept apart by fate. With dapper, semisupernatural G-men (Anthony Mackie, John Slattery), top-notch composer Thomas Newman’s tunes, and a Jon Stewart cameo, the movie has us ready to adjust.
It’s like: The Twilight Zone meets a chick flick.
Take: A fedora-topped date.
Premieres: Today
How we met Sam Wexler — through Josh Radnor’s Sundance Audience Award winner/directing debut about twentysomething New Yorkers coping with adulthood and ambition. Among the stories being juggled: An optimistic bald woman finds beauty in a nerdy beast, a couple deals with transition, and a man cares for something he found on the subway — a little boy. You’ll leave the theater happier than when you arrived, asking for seconds.
It’s like: Reality Bites for Big Daddy.
Take: A group, the more the merrier.
Premieres: Today
Cheerleader or mathlete, high school’s mean streets can sour even the perkiest teens. In Suzi Yoonessi’s multiple award-winning, Alaska-based dark comedy based on her short, cutesy doodles and heartfelt diary entries echo morbid reality and tragic loss. Trying to impress her douche bag of an ex, Team FUBAR captain Vanessa competes in the elite Snowstorm Survivor competition only to end up winning back her Eskimo roots. The best part: Elaine Hendrix’s stellar Coach Roach performance makes you want to crab walk again.
It’s like: Sixteen Candles meets Napoleon Dynamite.
Take: Whoever you want, chief.
Premieres: Today
Get hungry like the wolf for Michael Dowse’s raunchy comedy set in L.A. It’s totally ’80s, right down to its synthesizer and robot dance-off. Suncoast Video employee Matt (played by co-writer Topher Grace) has been pining over Tori since high school and finally makes his move at the epic Labor Day party. Due to the script’s excessive cocaine use, the reel collected dust for four years — wish we could personally thank Ron Howard for bringing this rad salute to John Hughes back to the future.
It’s like: Say Anything meets Superbad.
Take: Your blast from the past.
Premieres: Today
Hang onto your spoon bonnet — the classic romantic narrative gets a makeover of the spooky kind. Cinematographer-turned-director Cary Fukunaga’s second feature (art house success Sin Nombre, his first) focuses on the dark elements of Jane’s life, from the beatings she endures to the haunting secrets she unearths. Don’t worry, Brontë’s written romance is still alive — it’s just lurking behind billowing curtains and hiding in shadowy corners.
It’s like: Bright Star meets The Village.
Take: A break from reading and a girlfriend.
Premieres: March 11
Tempting tale of chilling savagery aside, Jordan Scott, daughter of one Ridley, directs the Toronto International/London Film Fest adaptation about a group of boarding school “mean girls” competing for their stunning teacher’s attention. Transplanting the drama from South Africa to England but sticking to author Sheila Kohler’s ominous tone, Scott’s directorial debut paints Miss G in a more tolerable light as she obsesses over the new girl, a Spanish aristocrat named Fiamma.
It’s like: Lord of the Flies meets a literal Fatal Attraction.
Take: Your girl crush.
Premieres: March 18
We’re heels over head for Tom McCarthy’s classic Sundance-style storytelling. In a matchup of morality vs. desperation, client-lacking attorney/high school wrestling coach Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) ditches the halo to score extra income and a winning season by way of a quiet yet loudly tattooed homeless teen wrestler. Yes, there’s conflict — a la Daddy’s Dyin’ … Who’s Got the Will — but all is not lost.
It’s like: The Blind Side in a Half Nelson.
Take: Dad. Family drama for you, sports comedy for him.
Premieres: March 18
Silly man Barry Blaustein of SNL sketch-writing fame releases more comedic originality in the form of dysfunction. A family dealing with the publication of its secrets in a novel written by the youngest comes together for the disconnected father’s 70th birthday party. In the movie world, peeps are crucial, and Blaustein’s Toronto International Film Festival comedy revolves around a stacked cast — Michael C. Hall as the dependable one, Rainn Wilson as the black sheep, Ben Schwartz as the culprit, and Sarah Silverman as the perpetual fuss box.
It’s like: Having the Tenenbaums over for dinner.
Take: Your bro — he enjoys a dark peep show.
Premieres: March 25
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