Per Melita Movies

A haunted family receives an unwelcome visitor who seeks to absolve them of their sins in this grim thriller from comic book writer-turned-filmmaker Philip Gelatt. As the Smith family struggles to break free of the lingering stigma that turned them into small-town pariahs, smooth-talking Southern gentlemen Nick (Patrick Breen) shows up on their doorstep claiming that he needs a place to sleep for the night because his car has broken down. Later, at the dinner table, a casual conversation between Nick, father Matt (Richard Bekins), mother Marilyn (Betsy Aidem), and daughter Gloria (Alexandra Chando) quickly turns dark, hinting at something deeply sinister hidden just beneath the surface of the Smiths' picture-perfect home. Meanwhile, brother Quentin (Charlie Hewson) and his girlfriend, Lynne (Nina Lisandrello), hatch a plan to leave their small town behind for a fresh start elsewhere. Unfortunately for the Smiths, Nick has other plans. But later, as the true nature of the family's dark past becomes known, the unwanted intruder realizes that he may be in over his head. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young man with a religious calling begins following a very different path in this independent drama based on a true story. Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg) is a Hasidic Jew in his late teens who lives with his family in Brooklyn. Sam's father, Mendel (Mark Ivanir), runs a fabric store and Sam helps out when he isn't busy with his rabbinical studies. But Mendel isn't an especially good businessman, a fact that's become very obvious to Sam, and his uncertain financial future has caused his fiancée's parents to call off the couple's upcoming wedding. Sam is also suffering from a bit of jealousy toward his best friend, Leon (Jason Fuchs), who seems to have better luck in both life and academics, so when Leon's older brother, Yosef (Justin Bartha), offers Sam some good-paying part-time work, he's more than interested. Sam is instructed to fly to Amsterdam, pick up a parcel, and bring it back; it's not until he comes home to New York that it dawns on Sam that he's transporting drugs, but between the hefty payroll, the charm of Amsterdam-based ecstasy wholesaler Jackie Solomon (Danny A. Abeckaser), and the beauty of Jackie's sexy paramour, Rachel (Ari Graynor), Sam begins to think life in the drug game might be just the thing for him after all. The first feature film from director Kevin Asch, Holy Rollers received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man who can't walk meets a woman who envies his condition in this offbeat black comedy. Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) lost the use of his legs when he was eight years old in an auto accident that also claimed the lives of his parents. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Isaac has enjoyed a successful career as the host of a talk show on a New York City public radio outlet. One day, Isaac is told an odd story about a man who arrived at a local hospital and demanded to have his legs amputated; the man was part of a secret subculture of able-bodied folks who wish to be paraplegics, using wheelchairs when they can and attempting to deaden their legs through artificial means. Isaac becomes fascinated with the idea of these wannabes, and begins studying the phenomenon for a piece on his show. Isaac's research leads him to Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a sexy but mysterious blonde who collects and restores Chinese art. Fiona is also the owner of a wheelchair she doesn't really need, and Isaac, who is increasingly attracted to her, wants to know all about her role in the fake-paraplegic underground. However, Fiona isn't about to give away any of her secrets for free, and Isaac discovers that the exchange of information and trust goes deeper the longer they know one another. The first feature film from writer and director Carlos Brooks, Quid Pro Quo received its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Korean filmmaker Gina Kim directed this erotic drama about a woman's dangerous response to her husband's fertility issues. The Departed's Vera Farmiga stars as Sophie, an American woman married to Korean-American Andrew (David McInnis). When Andrew's inability to impregnate Sophie leads him to attempt suicide, Sophie seeks the help of a fertility clinic, but is turned away. Desperate to save her marriage, she begins paying Korean immigrant Jihah (Ha Jung-woo) for sex, in hopes that she'll become pregnant and Andrew will be none the wiser. As on might expect, though, the relationship between Sophie and Jihah evolves into something more than either bargained for. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Hip-hop mogul Damon Dash wrote, directed, and stars in this hard-hitting examination of life in the criminal underground of a great city. Three different crime bosses are locked in a battle over the drug trade in Philadelphia. New York transplant Dame (Damon Dash) and his umbrella crew command a powerful network that controls the city's dope traffic, but he has two bitter rivals who both oversee competing gangs from behind bars -- Beans (Beanie Siegel), Philly-born leader of the once-dominant ABM Crime Syndicate, and Loco (Noreaga), a slick street hustler from Miami who has the bankroll to finance a powerful operation. As these three men and their underlings scramble for money and power, another player is quietly consolidating his forces and rising up against them. State Property 2: Philly Streets also features supporting performances from Mariah Carey, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Cam'ron, and a handful of other hip-hop and R&B stars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Character actor and noted photographer Todd Field made his directorial debut with this emotionally powerful drama, which earned enthusiastic reviews at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Frank Fowler (Nick Stahl) is a handsome and amiable young man who has recently graduated from high school and is spending the summer working as a lobster fisherman before heading off to college in the fall. Frank is also involved with Natalie (Marisa Tomei), an attractive woman ten years his senior who is separated from her husband Richard (William Mapother), though their divorce has not yet been finalized. Frank's parents, Matt (Tom Wilkinson) and Ruth (Sissy Spacek) wonder if it's wise for their son to be pursuing a romance that he won't be able to continue in a few months; Matt trusts Frank and leaves him to make his own decisions, while Ruth quietly but firmly registers her objections. One day, Richard snaps, and breaks into Natalie's home; when he discovers Frank is there, he viciously kills him. The wheels of justice turn in an unexpected direction, and Richard is released on bail, free to go his own way as he awaits his trial. Matt and Ruth are both deeply traumatized by the event; while Matt tries to deal with his hurt by retreating into his work and avoiding his feelings, Ruth instead becomes increasingly withdrawn, losing interest in her job as a music teacher and spending her nights chain smoking in front of the television. In the Bedroom was adapted from the short story Killings by Andre Dubus. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A shy musical comedy composer searches in vain for someplace to bed down with a sexy go-go dancer in this sweet-natured romantic comedy set in Manhattan. College student Gabriel (Christian Campbell) wants to compose musical comedies; Katherine (Tori Spelling), his muse and confidante, wants to star in his productions. In the meantime, she's rehearsing an all-female version of Salomé set in a women's prison while he drowns his sorrows about a negative review at a tony strip club. On the way home from the bar, Gabriel notices Mark (Jean Paul Pitoc), one of the dancers from the club, catnapping in the subway. One mumble-mouthed come-on later, the men attempt to consummate their attraction to one another at Gabriel's tiny apartment, only to find themselves frustrated by pets, roommates, and a visit from Katherine. The couple's attempt to find a suitable boudoir leads them from one location to another; along the way, they discover that their attraction might extend beyond a single afternoon's ardor. Trick marked the feature debut of director Jim Fall, a New York University alumnus who had previously lensed such gay-themed shorts as Shanghai, He Touched Me, and Love Is Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Fall and first-time screenwriter Jason Schafer spent more than three years reworking his original script while raising half a million dollars to finance the film, which appeared at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals in 1999. Much of the publicity over the film centered on the heterosexuality of its two male romantic leads; despite such mild controversy, Trick became a modest art-house hit. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi