The Headliner

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

If you’re like me, the idea of spending good American money to hang out with all the weirdos at San Diego Comic-Con (which is happening right now, as you probably know, since you are on the Internet right now) is unthinkable, what with the noise and the crowds and the screaming and the attendees’ B.O. Starting with Super Size Me, though, Morgan Spurlock has specialized in films that document experiences most people would never want to undertake, and Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is very much in the same tradition.

New and Notable

Margaret

Don’t worry, you’re not losing your mind. Matt Damon looks crazy young in this trailer because Margaret, Kenneth Lonergan’s follow-up to You Can Count on Me, was delayed for years, and was only (barely) released last year. Was the studio right to sit on it, or were the critics right that it deserved a wider audience? Now you can watch and decide.

Being Flynn

Maybe I would be more interested in this if it retained the title of the book on which it was based (Another Bullshit Night in Suck City), or if it starred someone a little more charismatic than Paul “Wrung-Out Dishrag” Dano, or if Robert De Niro hadn’t been sleepwalking through all his roles since The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. But maybe this is your kind of thing.

Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe

Whoa, this looks like an even more hard-core Exit Through The Gift Shop! Intriguing!

The Magic of Belle Isle

Morgan Freeman plays a crotchety old writer turned back into a twinkly gentleman thanks to a friendship (OR MAYBE MORE) with a much-younger neighbor.

El Gringo

Here’s what I can glean from the trailer: In small-town Mexico, residents speak to each other in (accented) English, and American tourists are at serious risk of dehydration.

Black Limousine

If I were divorced from someone who’d be getting Friends residuals for the rest of her life and could therefore support me very nicely, I probably wouldn’t do a movie as dopey-looking as this, but in many ways, David Arquette and I are very different people.

The Philly Kid

Alt. title: Devon Sawa Finds His Level.

The Flowers of War

The Flowers of War also features Christian Bale playing a noble hero who puts his physical safety at risk on behalf of innocents, mostly in gloomy settings — in case you think you might want to skip The Dark Knight Rises and watch something that’s basically the same.

“In Theaters” VOD Pick

The Pact

Alt title: Casper Van Dien Finds His Level.

Anti-Choice Propaganda of the Week

Loving the Bad Man

Finally, a movie that glorifies the idea of not just raising your rapist’s baby but also having a relationship with said rapist while he’s in prison!

Early VOD Premiere of the Week

2 Days in New York

Chris Rock replaces Adam Goldberg as the love interest in this charming-looking sequel to 2 Days in Paris, from writer-director-star Julie Delpy. I like Goldberg and everything, but: upgrade!

Masochist’s Choice

American Reunion

I don’t know what musical instrument gets jammed in what orifice, and I don’t want to know.