The Headliner

Our Idiot Brother

Paul Rudd and what seem to be a bunch of his friends assemble for this understated story of a lovable goof (that’s Rudd, the titular idiot) who’s not so much a fuck-up — prison sentence to the contrary — as he is too sweet and gullible for our fallen world. The cast is no joke: not just Rudd’s former onscreen love interests Rashida Jones and Elizabeth Banks, but also Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, Elizabeth Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel, and Adam Scott, among many other luminaries. It’s a delightful little story, and Rudd’s preternaturally earnest Ned is kind of irresistible.

New and Notable

Like Crazy

Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones play a couple torn apart by her heedless decision to defy the expiration of her visa, after which U.S. immigration officials honestly have no choice but to punish her by keeping her out of the country, or maybe that’s just this legal immigrant’s perspective on the story.

LOL

Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus play mother and daughter (why not?) in this rote-looking, cinema-bypassing coming-of-age story. I wasn’t onboard until they got to the shopping montage — am I right, ladies?!

Hijacked

Given that it features thick-neck all-stars Randy Couture, Dominic Purcell, Vinnie Jones, and Holt McCallany, I have to assume the only reason Channing Tatum isn’t in the mix is because they couldn’t afford him.

Le Havre

With its accordion music and giant baguette, the trailer might lead you to believe that Le Havre will be a typical French pastry. Then authorities open up a shipping container full of African immigrants, one of them slips away, and things take an unexpected turn.

Much Ado in Mostar

This documentary presents Mostar, a city still that’s been ethnically segregated since the Bosnian war, as residents from both sides gather to stage a production of Much Ado About Nothing.

It’s a Wonderful Afterlife

If this latest film from Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha is to be believed, the only thing worse than getting set up on dates by your Indian mother is if (or when) she starts murdering people. I don’t know; this looks weird.

ATM

Characters in horror films have been menaced in parking garages and elevators, so why not an ATM vestibule?

Sacrifice: The Orphan of Zhao

If you liked Kung Fu Panda but wished it had more swords, and also people, this might be the film for you.

“In Theaters” VOD Pick

Klown

“Plays like a superior, and way grosser, version of The Hangover,” says Aaron Hillis of The Village Voice (as quoted in the trailer). Also, it’s Danish. I’m sure Denmark is thrilled by this accolade.

Weird Indie of the Week

Freak Dance

“Wildly uneven,” says my friend who just watched this. Even the trailer is uneven, but it’s from UCB Comedy (Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Amy Poehler are all in it, in what appear to be small roles), so it probably has a few redemptive, good scenes, at least.

Early VOD Premiere of the Week

The Tall Man

Someone — or something — abducts Jessica Biel’s kid in this cheap-looking thriller. Do not confuse it with The Tall Guy, a cute old Jeff Goldblum–Emma Thompson comedy that would probably be a better use of your time.

Masochist’s Choice

Girls Gone Dead

Ron Jeremy’s in it; the end.