A Dallas hard-luck case (Emile Hirsch, left) hires a corrupt cop (Matthew McConaughey) to kill his estranged mother when he hears about her rich insurance policy. Needless to say, the plot of Killer Joe doesn't quite work out as planned. Skip Bolen/LD Entertainment hide caption
In The Watch, Franklin (Jonah Hill), Evan (Ben Stiller), Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) and Bob (Vince Vaughn) start a neighborhood watch after a Costco security guard is mysteriously killed on duty. Melinda Sue Gordon/20th Century Fox hide caption
Ai Weiwei is one of the biggest stars of the international art world, but Alison Klayman's documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry focuses more on the significance of his politics than of his artwork. Ted Alcorn/IFC Films hide caption
In the 1960s, protest singer Rodriguez didn't find an audience in the United States. Unbeknownst to him, though, one of his albums became a massive success in South Africa. Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul tracks him down in Searching for Sugar Man. Hal WIlson/Sony Pictures Classics hide caption
To prove his abilities as a father, Frank (Frank Hvam) takes his nephew Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) on what was planned as a no-wives-allowed canoe trip. Klown has already been picked up for an American remake, slated for 2013. Drafthouse Films hide caption
Although Ai Weiwei's art is internationally recognized, much of his worldwide fame comes from his political activism in China. The latter is the focus of Alison Klayman's documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. Ted Alcorn/IFC Films hide caption
Young-chan lost his sight and hearing as a child, though after he learned to speak. His wife, Soon-ho, cares for him, and the intimacy between them is the most striking part of Planet of Snail. Cinema Guild hide caption
Ruby (Zoe Kazan) comes to life when Calvin (Paul Dano) begins writing her into existence on his typewriter in Ruby Sparks. Kazan also wrote the new romantic comedy from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine. Merrick Morton/Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is set in an era in which some underemployed warriors would bluff their willingness to commit ritual suicide, hoping for money or employment from wealthy families who didn't want to deal with the mess. Hanshiro's (Ebizo Ichikawa) own bluff in the film, however, goes deeper. Tribeca Film hide caption
In Grassroots, Seattle music critic Grant Cogswell (Joel David Moore, right) runs for city council with the help of his campaign manager, unemployed journalist Phil Campbell (Jason Biggs). Cogswell and Campbell were real-life campaign partners in Seattle. Hilary Harris/Samuel Goldwyn Films hide caption
When they outgrew their 26,000-square-foot mansion, David and Jackie Siegel set out to build their dream home, which was to be the biggest in the U.S. The Queen of Versailles looks at what happened when the recession ruined that dream. Lauren Greenfield/Magnolia Pictures hide caption
Pascale (Daniel Auteuil) with his sister Nathalie (Marie-Anne Chazel, right) and daughter Patricia (Astrid Berges-Frisbey), who, to his dismay, becomes pregnant in The Well-Digger's Daughter. The film is a remake of Marcel Pagnol's 1940 movie. Kino Lorber hide caption
Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises. The final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, which began with Batman Begins in 2005, deals explicitly with our contemporary political times. Ron Phillips/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption
The Dark Knight Rises begins eight years after The Dark Knight, with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) living a reclusive life at his mansion alongside Alfred (Michael Caine). The movie is the finale of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Ron Phillips/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption
James Murphy, frontman for the now-disbanded LCD Soundsystem, kneels on the Madison Square Garden stage. Shut Up and Play the Hits documents the band's final show at the landmark New York venue. Oscilloscope Pictures hide caption