Arts & Entertainment

As children, Betty Anne Waters and her brother, Kenny, survived bad parenting and poverty by leaning on each other for support. Kenny grows up to be something of a troublemaker, eventually being convicted for a murder he swears he didn’t commit. His sister believes him and, without even a high-school diploma, sets about going to law school in order to figure out a way to free him. She gets a GED, then graduates law school with the help of her only friend. She eventually gets the attention of O.J. Simpson defense attorney Barry Scheck, who runs an organization devoted to overturning wrongful convictions by analyzing DNA evidence with tests that were unavailable at the time the cases were tried. When he agrees to help her — if she can find the old blood evidence — Betty plows her way through the legal complications that stand between her brother and his freedom. This drama is inspired by a true story. Director: Tony Goldwyn. Cast: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher. Rated: R. Time: 1:47.

Based on the short story The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs by author George Moore, centering on the experiences of a 19th century Irish woman who poses as a man in order to work as a butler at an opulent Dublin hotel for the upper class. Maintaining her elaborate ruse over the course of two decades, Albert suddenly finds her dedication to the role challenged by the unexpected arrival of a painter who turns out to understand Albert better than anyone she could have imagined. Meanwhile, Albert finds her attempts to help pretty hotel maid Helen thwarted when Helen becomes enamored with a charming but callous handyman. Director: Rodrigo García. Cast: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson, Aaron Johnson. Rated: R. Time: 1:53.

During a high-speed car chase with the U.S. Border Patrol and a bleeding body in his back seat, Driver (Mel Gibson) violently crashes his car into the border wall as he tries to outrun them.

Driver survives the crash only to land inside a hard-core Mexican prison where he enters the strange and dangerous world of “El Pueblito.” He finds unlikely guidance from a 10-year-old kid who shows him the ropes.

While many critics are panning this flick, foreign residents in Mexico will appreciate its down and dirty look at a Mexican prison.

Gibson’s character reminds one of  the crazy cop he played in the Lethal Weapon flicks 25 years ago. It’s an action movie with an attitude, so don’t expect anything deep.

Director: Adrian Grunberg. Cast: Mel Gibson, Roberto Sosa, Daniel Jiménez Cacho, Peter Stormare, Dolores Heredia. Rated: R. Time: 1:35.

Two sets of crooks and one reluctant hero square off in this blend of comedy and action.

Tripp has been trying to catch the eye of pretty bank teller Kaitlin, and he thinks he’s come up with just the thing to get himself noticed — he shows up just as the bank is about to close for the day and asks her to break a hundred-dollar bill into loose change.

But Tripp’s attempt to meet cute goes wrong when two different sets of thieves invade the bank at the same time. Three are savvy criminals who have carefully worked out a plan for clearing out the vault, while the other two are half-bright rednecks who intend to crack open the ATM machines and take the cash inside.

Before long, both teams of crooks are trapped in the bank and find themselves constantly in each other’s way. Tripp is trying to find a way to protect Kaitlin and himself while foiling the robbers.

Director: Rob Minkoff. Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson, Mekhi Phifer, Pruitt Taylor Vince. Rated: NR. Time: 1:24.

A team of space explorers embarks on a fantastic voyage to the edge of the universe after making a profound discovery that hints at the true origins of the human race in this belated pseudo-prequel to director Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic Alien. Isle of Skye, Scotland: 2089. Archeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a cave drawing featuring a mysterious star pattern not found in our solar system. Upon comparing the image with similar other ones found at different archeological digs all over the planet, the pair realizes that they all match perfectly. They’re convinced that the image is an invitation, and set out on a high tech Weyland Industries ship called Prometheus to — just maybe — unlock the mysteries of mankind’s origins on Earth. Flash forward to Christmas Day, 2093. The crew of Prometheus awakens from stasis to learn they have arrived at their destination. With highly-intelligent android David assisting the mission, and chilly Weyland representative Meredith Vickers calling the shots, Captain Janet brings the ship down to the surface, landing next to a line of awe-inspiring structures that appear to have been built by intelligent beings. But when a small crew led by Elizabeth and Charlie explore the remote planet, the artifacts they find threaten to contradict everything mankind had been taught about its origins. But there’s a secret in this chamber that’s lain dormant for centuries, and now that it senses life, it finally sees an opportunity to escape. If it does, the trip that was supposed to answer all of our biggest questions about life could also be the one that seals the fate of every living creature on planet Earth. Director: Ridley Scott. Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce. Rated: R. Time: 2:03.

Upon discovering that a psychotic serial killer has been using his writings as inspiration, legendary author Edgar Allan Poe joins forces with a bright, young Baltimore detective to catch the maniac and end his reign of terror. Detective Emmett Fields was investigating a vicious murder when he realized the crime scene bore a striking resemblance to a mystery story that was just published in the local newspaper by Poe. Shortly after Poe is questioned by the authorities, detectives stumble upon another murder that seems to have been inspired by the author’s writings. Convinced that the killer will continue, Detective Fields recruits the reclusive author to help piece together a pattern to the crimes and stop the madman. Director: James McTeigue. Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally. Rated: R. Time: 1:51.