Couples Retreat

Follows four Midwestern couples at a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there for couples' therapy, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort's therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a comedic look at real world problems faced by all couples.

Director: Peter Billingsley. Stars: Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Jean Reno, Peter Serafinowicz, Kali Hawk, Tasha Smith. 2009, 114 mins., comedy.

A Serious Man

Academy Award-winning directors-writers Joel and Ethan Coen return to their comedy roots with this original and darkly humorous story about one ordinary man's journey through faith, family, delinquent behavior and mortality. "A Serious Man" is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where the Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and "F-Troop" is on TV. It's 1967 and Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larry's unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny (Aaron Wolf) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy Ableman blithely make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances for tenure at the university. In addition, a graduate student and his father seem to be trying to bribe Larry for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person - a mensch - a serious man?

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen. Stars: Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf, Sari Wagner, Jessica McManus, Adam Arkin. 2009, 106 mins., comedy.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Based on the best-selling book about a love that transcends time. Clare (Rachel McAdams) has been in love with Henry (Eric Bana) her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler - cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry's travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

Director: Robert Schwentke. Stars: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean. 2009, 107 mins., romance.

The Stepfather

When Michael Harding returns home from military school, he finds his mom is madly in love with her charming live-in boyfriend David. At first, David appears to be the ultimate nice guy and an ideal future husband and stepfather. But when Michael and his girlfriend start delving into David's past, they begin to discover a dark and dangerous side to Michael's new "daddy." Remake of the 1987 film.

Director: Nelson McCormick. Stars: Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard, Sherry Stringfield. 2009, 104 mins., thriller.