Win free movie tickets

Editor's note: Comment on today's "Cinema Chat" for a chance to win free movie tickets to the Michigan Theater. Some time between now and 9 a.m. Monday, leave a comment on this column, written by the Michigan Theater's Russ Collins. Offer your opinion on a recent movie you've seen, or on anything Russ mentions. A winner will be randomly selected, and we’ll notify that person via the email address they signed up with. They will get two passes to a movie of their choice, courtesy of The Michigan Theater. Full rules here.

Opening downtown

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences. Stephen Holden of the NY Times says, “Besides its sterling cast, its ace in the hole is its pungent depiction of India's teeming streets, which give an otherwise well-mannered movie a blinding splash of color.” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“Keyhole” stars Jason Patric and Isabella Rosellini in a gangster family thriller directed by the acclaimed Canadian director Guy Maddin. Roger Ebert is one of many critics who adore this visionary director’s work; he’s a big fan of “Keyhole,” saying, “A Maddin film has a disturbing way of always seeming to exist in the present, like a dream. You know what happened and you even know what will happen, but you also see it all shifting and changing.” “Keyhole” opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“Boy” is about a young boy who loves Michael Jackson. Boy’s absent father, Alamein, is the subject of Boy’s fantasies, and he imagines him as a deep sea diver, war hero and a close relation of Michael Jackson (he can even dance like him). In reality he’s “in the can for robbery”. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly says, “’Boy’ could have been a twee mush of cuteness and bathos but it's not, in large part because of the outstanding cast of unself-conscious Maori kids.” “Boy” opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“The Island President” is an award-winning documentary film about President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, a man confronting a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced - the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After bringing democracy to the Maldives after 30 years of despotic rule, Nasheed is now faced with an even greater challenge: as one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives enough to make them uninhabitable. Tom Long of the Detroit News says, “Nasheed is indeed inspirational, a cool-headed but passionate and courageous guy. You end up wishing a lot more leaders were like this guy.” “The Island President” opens Tuesday, May 22 at the Michigan Theater.

Opening at the cineplex

“Battleship,” from director Peter Berg, is a sci-fi epic that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Inspired by Hasbro's classic naval combat game, the film stars Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson. “Battleship” opens Friday.

In “The Dictator,” Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional country of Wadiya, who moves to New York City when a democracy is brought to his country. He must get by working as a store clerk while attempting to return himself to power in his homeland. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times says, “’The Dictator’ is funny, in addition to being obscene, disgusting, scatological, vulgar, crude and so on.” “The Dictator” opened Wednesday.

“What To Expect When You’re Expecting” follows five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby. Starring Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez and dozens of other stars, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” opens Friday.

Special screenings downtown

Ann Arbor shines as the backdrop to “Answer This!,” a story of a boy finally coming of age - when he’s 30. This charming film was shot in Ann Arbor and returns for one night only on Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Michigan Theater. Space is limited and the screening is expected to sell out, so get there early!

Steven Spielberg filters J. M. Barrie‘s Peter Pan through a distinctly 1990s sensibility in “Hook.” Robin Williams plays a 40-year-old mergers and acquisitions lawyer and has lost any memory of being Peter Pan. With his children asleep in the same London bedroom where the original Peter Pan story began, he discovers a note from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), informing Peter that he has kidnapped his children. “Hook,” the final film in the Michigan Theater’s Toyota Family Friendly Film Series, plays Sunday, May 20 at 1:30 p.m. and as always, kids 12 and under attend for free!

“The Royal Tenenbaums” is director Wes Anderson and his longtime friend and writing partner Owen Wilson’s follow up to “Bottle Rocket” (1996) and “Rushmore” (1998). This similarly offbeat comedy is about a dysfunctional family reunion. Starring Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Murray, Danny Glover and Anjelica Huston. “The Royal Tenenbaums” plays Saturday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m.

See you at the movies!

Russ Collins is executive director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Tune in to the audio version of “Cinema Chat” on WEMU radio (89.1-FM) each Thursday at 7:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.