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El Sicario, Room 164

Rated: NR.

The word sicario originated in Roman-governed Palestine, and originally referred to the Sicarii, a Jewish sect known for using concealed daggers to slay ruling officials; today, however, it has evolved into a generic term for a hired killer. This documentary from director Gianfranco Rosi visits one of the most notorious of all contemporary sicario. Filming takes place in a low-rent motel room, situated on the border between the United States and Mexico. A nameless hitman, based in Ciudad Juárez, candidly acknowledges his own responsibility for the execution of hundreds of individuals, as well as his immediate role in the torture and kidnapping of those victims. At one time, he says, he was simultaneously in the upper echelons of the Chihuahua State Police and multiple Mexican drug cartels. Now, as the cameras roll, there is a $250,000 contract on his life and he lives from day to day as a fugitive, seated in a hotel room, with a black mesh hood over his face. As an extended interview without cutaways or reenactments, the central account emerges solely from the harrowing, uncensored reflections of its felonious subject. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Struck By Lightning

Rated: NR.

High school senior Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) was destined for bigger things than his close-minded small town could ever offer. He was on a path to greatness, but destiny had a different plan when he was suddenly killed by a bolt of lightning in his school parking lot.Demonstrating that life is what happens while you’re busy planning your future, Carson recounts the last few weeks of his life via witty, insightful flashbacks, including a blackmail scheme targeting the popular kids in school that he concocts with his best friend (Rebel Wilson, BRIDESMAIDS), and a home life that includes a mother (Allison Janney, JUNO, “The West Wing”) who’s more interested in the bottle than her son’s future and an estranged father (Dermot Mulroney, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING) who suddenly appears with a pregnant fiancée (Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”).

Parker

Rated: R.

A principled thief seeks vengeance against the gang of criminals who left him for dead following a major heist as author Donald E. Westlake's pulp anti-hero returns to the screen under the assured direction of Hollywood veteran Taylor Hackford (The Devil's Advocate, Ray). When veteran thief Hurley (Nick Nolte) assembles a crackerjack crew for a big heist at the Ohio State Fair, his fiercely independent protégé Parker (Jason Statham) is the perfect man to take the lead on the job. Together with Melander (Michael Chiklis), Ross (Clifton Collins Jr.), Hardwicke (Micah Hauptman), and Carlson (Wendell Pierce), Parker successfully pulls off a daring daytime heist that nets the crew more than $1 million. But when Parker respectfully declines Melander's offer to invest their take in an ambitious diamond heist with a massive potential payday, he is unceremoniously shot and left for dead. Unfortunately for Melander and his gang, Parker is still very much alive, and he's determined to have his revenge. With the help of Hurley and Hurley's daughter Claire (Emma Booth), Parker manages to learn that the heist will take place in West Palm Beach, FL, and he travels there to pose as a wealthy Texan seeking to purchase a new home. Meanwhile, astute real-estate agent Leslie Rodgers (Jennifer Lopez) quickly sees through Parker's game and asks to get a cut of the action. Now a team, Parker and Leslie figure out that the gang is planning to hit a high-profile jewelry auction. All they have to do is wait until Melander and his men have pulled off the heist. Once the jewels are secure and the thieves are lying low at a local house, the stage will be set for Parker to take his revenge and make a small fortune in the process. ~ Rovi

The Last Stand

Rated: R.

A border-town sheriff pulls out the heavy artillery to prevent an escaped drug kingpin from blasting his way into Mexico in this sun-scorched action opus starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Kim Jee-Woon (I Saw the Devil, The Good, the Bad, and the Weird). A former LAPD hot shot who opted for an easier life after becoming the sole survivor of a bloody drug raid, Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) retreated from the city to become sheriff of Sommerton Junction -- a small town on the U.S./Mexico border. He's just adjusting to life at a more leisurely pace when infamous drug-kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) stages a daring escape from an FBI convoy, and sets his sights on Mexico. With a hostage to guarantee his safe-crossing and a violent mercenary named Burrell (Peter Stormare) clearing him a path to the border, Cortez races south in a custom Corvette ZR1 that can outrun anything on the road. Meanwhile, Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) realizes that should Cortez manage to slip through Sommerton Junction, he may well be lost forever. At first it seems that Sheriff Owens' skeleton crew will be no match for Cortez's speeding juggernaut. But when Owens decides to stand his ground with the help of Sommerton Junction's finest, Cortez comes up against an immovable force with enough firepower to stop him dead in his tracks. Johnny Knoxville, Luis Guzman, and Rodrigo Santoro co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Beautiful Creatures

Rated: PG13.

A supernatural love story set in the South which tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan, a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena, a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. The film is based on the first novel in the best-selling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Side Effects

Rated: R.

Rooney Mara stars as Emily Taylor; her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) is a young businessman who, as the film opens, is soon to be released from prison after serving a few years for financial fraud. Overcome with stress, the mentally fragile Emily performs a quasi-suicide attempt and is put in the care of Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), a workaholic psychiatrist who convinces Emily to see him once a week for therapy. Jonathan is intrigued enough by Emily's story to seek counsel from her former therapist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). One night Emily commits a horrific act that she claims not to remember because she was taking the medication prescribed to her by Jonathan, leading to a very public legal battle that leads to Jonathan taking a major public blow to his reputation. This turn of events prompts the chastened doctor to look deeper into Emily's past. Directed by Steven Soderbergh from a script by his regular collaborator Scott Z. Burns. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Stand Up Guys

Rated: R.

Three geriatric criminals reunite to recapture the glory of their lawless youth, but find their celebrations interrupted when one is put into a difficult position by a vengeful mob boss. Nearly 20 years after refusing to inform on his partner-in-crime, Val (Al Pacino) emerges from prison a free man. Waiting for him at the gate is his old friend Doc (Christopher Walken), who quickly takes him out on the town with the mischievous Hirsh (Alan Arkin) to stir up some trouble. It's been far too long since the trio raised hell on the streets, and they're all eager to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, one of the three is harboring a secret that will test their longtime friendship unless they can finally come to terms with their troublesome past. Julianna Margulies co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Gatekeepers

Rated: PG13.

Charged with overseeing Israel’s war on terror-both Palestinian and Jewish- the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service is present at the crossroad of every decision made. For the first time ever six former heads of the agency agreed to share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions. The Gatekeepers offers an exclusive account of the sum of their success and failures. It validates the reasons that each man individually and the six as a group came to reconsider their hard-line positions and advocate a conciliatory approach toward their enemies based on a two-state solution.*Note: In Hebrew with English subtitles.

Texas Chainsaw

Rated: R.

Terror comes ripping right through the silver screen in this sequel that picks up exactly where Tobe Hooper's shocking 1974 classic left off. For decades, people in Newt, Texas, had been vanishing into thin air. When a horrified young girl escaped from the Sawyer house after seeing her friends butchered like cattle, the townspeople's worst fears about the reclusive clan were confirmed. Enraged, the locals formed a mob, burned down the blood-soaked abattoir, and methodically killed every member of the family. But in the blazing chaos of that fateful night, one of the Sawyers slipped away into the darkness. For decades it seemed as if the nightmare had ended. But when a young woman named Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) receives word that her distant grandmother has passed away, willing her a secluded Victorian mansion in the Texas desert, the discovery of a dark secret hidden deep in the cellar reveals the Sawyer's legacy of evil lives on. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cloud Atlas

Rated: R.

Directors Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski team up to helm this adaptation of David Mitchell's popular novel Cloud Atlas. The trio have put together an all-star cast, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Grant, to play various characters over the course of several different historical time periods. The various narrative threads weave in and out of each other, painting a portrait of mankind's quest for tolerance and peace throughout the ages. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom

Rated: NR.

Two brothers are forced to work together to stop the spread of an incriminating videotape in this independent comedy. Would-be novelist Frankie (Charlie Hunnam) lives in the desert to avoid his family, and with good cause -- his older brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd) has spent much of his life videotaping Frankie in humiliating circumstances, and was waiting with a camcorder when Frankie was dumped during his own wedding. (Bruce posted the wedding video on the Internet, where it has been viewed three million times.) Shortly after being released from rehab, Bruce records Frankie's less than satisfying rendezvous with Lassie (Lizzy Caplan), and when a copy somehow finds its way to an on-line porn site, Frankie is desperate to have it taken down before too many people see it. Bruce is angry that his brother is getting in the way of his career as a "filmmaker" until he learns Lassie is the daughter of Jack (Chris Noth), a washed-up action star who befriended Bruce in rehab. Bruce thinks Jack might be his ticket to making real movies in Hollywood, except for the actor's violent mood swings and unbending loyalty to his daughter. 3, 2, 1 . . . Frankie Go Boom also stars Ron Perlman, Whitney Cummings and Nora Dunn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi