The Obvious: 

 

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa A botched rescue attempt strands Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) and his companions smack dab in the African wild. Sadly, as in Madagascar, Alex discovers he has little in common with the locals, having lived for so long in the city. His friends, meanwhile, begin to doubt they’ll ever make it back to the zoo. David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen reprise their voice roles in this hysterical animated sequel.

 

Zack and Miri Make a Porno Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been platonic friends for years. When they both find themselves in financial hot water, they hit upon the idea of making an adult film to bring in some easy money. But when “action” is called, these two friends discover that unspoken feelings for each other may threaten the whole enterprise. Writer-director Kevin Smith helms this comic look at the line between friendship and romance. 

 

The Secret Life of Bees Haunted by the death of her mother, 14-year-old Lily (Dakota Fanning) escapes the dreary life she lives on her father’s farm and heads to Tiburon, S.C., with her friend and caregiver, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), setting off on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. Set amidst the hotbed of racial tensions in the South in the 1960s, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s dramatic tale is based on the bestselling novel by Sue Monk Kidd.

 

Have Seen and Recommend: 

 

Vibes Linked by their supernatural gifts, psychic hairdresser Sylvia Pickel (Cyndi Lauper) and psychometrist Nick Deezy (Jeff Goldblum) are recruited by treasure hunter Harry Buscafusco (Peter Falk) to help him locate his missing son in the mountains of Ecuador. But when they arrive in South America, Silvia and Nick discover that Buscafusco has actually tricked them into helping him find a lost city made of gold.

 

Oh No! 

 

Depth Charge When a rogue Navy officer (Eric Roberts) and a team of mercenaries hijack a nuclear submarine and hold the world hostage, two honorable crewmen work to undermine the plot before the crazed commander can launch the weapons. Now they must engage in a lethal game of cat-and-mouse far beneath the waves as the clock ticks steadily toward doomsday. Terrence O’Hara directs this thriller that co-stars Jason Gedrick and Barry Bostwick.

 

Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous After her latest movie bombs at the box office and she discovers that her crooked accountant has robbed her blind, spoiled Hollywood starlet Megan Valentine (Jessica Simpson) impulsively decides to enlist in the U.S. Army. Now, the pampered princess must channel her inner solider in order to make it through basic training. Director Steve Miner’s lighthearted comedy also stars Steve Guttenberg, Cheri Oteri and Vivica A. Fox.

 

Smoke Jumper When the fire department blames Kristen Scott (Brooke Burns) for a rescue attempt gone wrong, claiming she can’t handle her job, the determined female firefighter joins an elite smoke jumper unit to prove that she has the mettle to be the best. But when a lethal wildfire interrupts her training, Kristen must find the courage to enter the deadly blaze and conquer her own pernicious doubts. Erin Karpluk and Rick Ravanello co-star.

 

Possibilities: 

 

Gumshoe Bingo-caller Eddie Ginley (Albert Finney, in a BAFTA-nominated performance) wants to make a career change in this hard-boiled detective spoof. So, he quits his job, buys a trench coat and starts his own detective agency. Soon, he’s engaged in a case reminiscent of the Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett novels he loves, featuring a femme fatale (Janice Rule) and a sinister fat man (George Silver). The film received a Best Screenplay BAFTA nod.

 

Inside Daisy Clover When teenager Daisy Clover (Natalie Wood) rises from beach-dwelling obscurity to Hollywood celebrity overnight, she quickly discovers that the glitter of 1930s-era Tinseltown hides a dark side of exploitation and fear. Now she must learn to smile for the cameras as she navigates the twisted world of manipulative studio executives, empty relationships and disintegrating mental health. Robert Redford, Christopher Plummer and Ruth Gordon co-star.

 

Our Man in Havana Inspired by Cold War paranoia, author Graham Greene penned this cynical comedy about vacuum cleaner salesman Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness), whose territory happens to be pre-revolutionary Cuba. Approached by an undercover intelligence agent (Noel Coward), Jim unwittingly agrees to provide espionage services to the British government. Director Carol Reed’s hilarious political farce earned a Golden Globe Best Comedy nomination in 1960.

 

Sex and the Single Girl Natalie Wood stars as Helen Gurley Brown in this farce loosely based on Brown’s book of the same name. Trying to land an interview with the noted psychologist, unscrupulous journalist Bob Weston (Tony Curtis) poses as a man seeking therapy for marital troubles. The two fall in love, but when Weston’s charade is nearly exposed, he must resort to ever-more-desperate trickery to avoid revealing his true identity. Lauren Bacall co-stars.

 

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist When his painfully recent ex-girlfriend (Alexis Dziena) shows up at a gig his band is playing in the city, Nick (Michael Cera) grabs the first girl he sees (Kat Dennings) and asks her to pretend that she’s dating him — but only for the next five minutes. He never expected their fauxmance to turn into something real. Still, the more time they spend together, the more it seems like they’re falling in love.

 

The Good Student Nerdy teacher Ronald Gibb (Tim Daly) has trouble hiding his tiny crush on gorgeous student Ally (Hayden Panettiere), which all starts to look very bad for Ronald once Ally is kidnapped and he’s the last person to be seen with her. As Ronald becomes the main suspect, the suburban community turns upside down in this dark comedy, also starring William Sadler as Ally’s entrepreneurial father and Sarah Steele as the spunky Amber Jinxs.

 

Inside Moves After a failed suicide attempt resulting in a crippled leg, Roary (John Savage) finds comfort, friendship and revelation at — of all places — Max’s Bar, a local watering hole. There, he finds he’s not the only handicapped person around: there’s Jerry (David Morse) the bartender and former basketball star with a bad leg, and Louise (Diana Scarwid, in an Oscar-nominated performance) the waitress with emotional damage. Richard Donner directs.

 

Yentl Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s story, this Oscar-winning musical stars Barbra Streisand as Yentl, the bookish daughter of a Talmud teacher who instructs her even though it’s forbidden to teach the sacred text to girls. Determined to continue her schooling after her father dies, Yentl disguises herself as a boy to gain entry to a yeshiva. There, she meets the brilliant Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), who only has eyes for Hadass (Amy Irving).

 

Love Comes Lately Based on Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer’s writings, this whimsical tale from director Jan Schütte follows charmer Max Kohn (Otto Tausig), an 80-year-old author who escapes life’s doldrums by losing himself in his imagination’s colorful creations. Elizabeth Peña portrays Max’s daffy cleaning lady, while Rhea Perlman, Barbara Hershey and Tovah Feldshuh play the disparate women in his romantic orbit.

 

Documentaries and Music: 

 

The Singing Revolution James and Maureen Castle Tusty’s moving documentary recounts Estonia’s fight for independence from Soviet occupation, telling the remarkable story of the hundreds of thousands of protestors who gathered in public to voice their dissent through song. After 50 years of rule by the oppressive Soviet regime, the people of Estonia gave life to a grassroots movement for change by staging passionate rallies and singing forbidden patriotic songs.

 

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway This program captures the final Broadway stage performance of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning musical “Rent,” filmed live in Manhattan’s Nederlander Theatre, where the play ran for 12 years. Following a group of young artists struggling with life and love in the era of the AIDS epidemic, the production features show-stopping renditions of songs such as “One Song Glory,” “I Should Tell You,” “I’ll Cover You,” “Will I?” and more.

 

k.d. lang: Live in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra Backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, critically acclaimed vocalist k.d. lang wows fans with her distinctive voice in this concert filmed at St. Luke’s Church in London during her world tour in support of 2008’s “Watershed” album. Highlights from this thrilling performance include “Coming Home,” “Wash Me Clean,” “Western Stars,” “Smoke Rings,” “I Dream of Spring” and lang’s singular interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” 

 

The Weird: 

 

Black Swarm When she moves back to her small hometown, policewoman Jane Kozik (Sarah Allen) discovers that lethal mutant wasps are stinging townsfolk, then incubating their young inside the victims’ zombielike bodies. Now Kozik, an exterminator (Sebastien Roberts) and a beautiful entomologist (Jayne Heitmeyer) join forces to stop the insects before the entire village falls prey to their sinister stings. David Winning directs this creepy horror film.

 

Dead Noon When long-dead Wild West outlaw Frank (Robert Bear) rises from the grave, he leads a bloodthirsty posse of skeletons, zombies and undead cowpokes in a raid against an unsuspecting modern town. Now it is up to the local sheriff (Scott Phillips) to strap on his spurs and square off against the hellish gang in a supernatural showdown at the stroke of dead noon. Andrew Wiest directs this horror-Western hybrid that co-stars Lillith Fields.