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 6 a.m. Wednesday, 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. We'll randomly select a winner and notify that person via the email address they signed up with. They will get two passes to a movie of their choice.

Live director Q&A tonight “Cherry,” a hit at the SXSW and Traverse City film festivals, will play a special one-night-only screening tonight at 7:15 & 9:30 p.m. Jim Burnstein, screenwriting coordinator in the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures at the University of Michigan, will facilitate an audience Q&A with director Jeffrey Fine following the 7:15 screening. This Michigan-shot film follows a 17-year-old Ivy League freshman, Aaron Milton, who gets a different kind of education when he falls for Linda, 34, a vivacious former wild-child who has returned to college to straighten out her life. The curriculum gets more challenging when the freshman meets his classmate’s sarcastic 14-year-old daughter, who quickly develops a crush on him. Ronnie Scheib of Variety says, “A sparkling coming-of-ager about a 17-year-old virgin who imperfectly juggles academic challenges and off-campus liaisons, somehow emerging able to walk on water.”

Opening at the multiplex

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” opens this Friday. Harry faces new troubles, as he must collect all of the Horcruxes that the evil Lord Voldemort has left behind. These films are high fantasies that are successful because they appeal to fans of the books and to folks who have never as much flipped through a single copy. The films look good, are well-acted and just plain fun. David Edwards of the Daily Mirror says, “On the evidence of this, his penultimate film, the teenage wizard is getting the send-off he deserves.” "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" will be released in 2D and IMAX formats starting Friday. (Part 2 will be released on July 15, 2011).

“The Next Three Days” — from director Paul Haggis and starring Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks and Liam Neeson — opens Friday. It explores the life of a woman accused of murder, how it affects the relationship between her and her professor husband and son, and the extreme actions they will take in an attempt to free her from prison. The film has the feel of a 1970s heist flick like “Dog Day Afternoon,” but so far reviewers have been less than thrilled. Nick Schager of Slant Magazine says, “'The Next Three Days' refuses to puff up its action with message-movie sermonizing.”

Opening downtown “Fair Game” stars Naomi Watts and Sean Penn and is based on Valerie Plame's memoir, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House." Plame's status as a CIA agent was revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq. J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader says, “You'd have to go back to ‘All the President's Men’ for a better example of fresh American political scandal being turned into slam-bang, star-powered drama.” Fair Game opens Friday.

“Mademoiselle Chambon” is an elegant, moving tale of an unexpected romance between a married man (Vincent Lindon) and his son’s homeroom teacher (Sandrine Kiberlain) — and their attempt to keep their desires from turning into a full-blown affair. A modern-day “Brief Encounter,” crafted with enormous grace and subtlety by acclaimed French director Stéphane Brizé. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says, “An exquisite chamber piece made with the kind of sensitivity and nuance that's become almost a lost art.” "Mademoiselle Chambon" plays a limited run at the Michigan November 22-26.

Special film series and special screenings The Michigan Theater’s Interior Visions film series continues with “Blue Velvet” on Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

The Polish Film Festival returns to the Michigan Theater on November 19. This festival promotes Polish culture by offering audiences an opportunity to see a broad range of wonderful films. For more information, visit the Ann Arbor Polish Film Festival website.

The Michigan Theater is also very proud to be hosting the Ann Arbor premiere of “The Art of Power” on Saturday, November 20 at 8 p.m. For more info, visit “The Art of Power” movie website.

Get an early look at an Oscar hopeful: The Michigan Theater is very happy to open the newest film from Danny Boyle, “127 Hours.” Based on a true story, the film stars James Franco as hiker Aron Ralston, who becomes trapped in an isolated canyon after a fallen boulder crushes his arm while hiking in Utah. “127 Hours” opens Wednesday, November 24.

Don't-miss movies The following is Russ’s list of the newest and the best to help you prioritize what to see this week.

Notable and premiering:

• “Cherry” — Playing one night only, tonight, November 18 with a live director Q&A. • “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” — The high fantasy series for teens and adults gets ready to end. • “Fair Game” — A dramatic look at one of the biggest news stories in recent years. • “127 Hours” — Oscar buzz surrounds this film. A meditation on the art of will power. • “Mademoiselle Chambon” — A French tale of love and the casualties that we might never think about.

Continuing and not to be missed:

• “Inside Job” — A compelling film about the 2008 financial meltdown and the subsequent financial crisis. • “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” — A satisfying wrap-up to the film series that started with “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”

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.